Estes Dock worker

Thanks for the heads up road_runner! Good idea about checking the tractor history. From other driver jobs I also expected to get low man on totem pole route and equipment as a newer driver anywhere. I’m collecting retirement from my previous career so the driver money isn’t critical but I am naturally competitive so eventually I do want to climb for more.

My goal is to get that first year experience with a clean record. Then assess.

 

I can appreciate that. Watching the experienced forklift guys is amazing. Super smooth and quick. They don’t have to think, the controls are extensions of their will.

A driver saw me crawling along in the forklift and shouted to me, “Don’t worry, after this week you will be driving and never have to worry about this stuff.” I’m glad to have these two weeks on the dock. At least I am comfortable using the forklift if not efficient. I have a much better understanding. how things get damaged, missed, rerouted, switched, loaded etc. Plus I met many super people on the dock.
But, yeah, I’ll be reading for driver training next week!

 

I've been working on something. At this point I am pretty much working on a book that talks about LTL. Here is an excerpt to describe the typical dock:

"It's organized chaos. The whole display is remenesent of watching a bumper car track with 2,000 lbs machines racing towards each other, only to stop inches away before striking the person behind you. Occasional love taps are settled with a barrage of obscenities and accusations of their incompetence of operating a forklift. The rebuttal of the offending member was usually a dismissive silent arm swat.

It's quite a miraculous sight that nobody dies during a given shift. A dozen or so men, armed to the teeth with knives and box cutters, some sleep deprived while other caffeine fiends deprived of their usual coffee fix because they either woke up late or the local gas station coffee machine was down. All of this made for a diverse workplace, all for the worst possible reasons, with tempers at a boiling point."

 

Nice. God I could tell so many crazy stories. lol. It was actually a really fun time in my life working those crazy docks. Good luck with the book!

 

I would buy that book. (Except forklifts weigh in at 7-8K, not 2K. )