Have you ever been to a dock that you absolutely couldn't back into

There was a place in Neosho, MO that had a dock that looked like a UPS or FedEx delivery truck could barely fit. Try backing a 53' with a deep ditch in front of you. 30 minutes later I manage to somehow fit it in the dock

 

Euclid High School, Euclid, Ohio.

 

I m surprised no mention of the old Kroger DC off Bouldercrest Rd in Atlanta. That place was super tight, and luckily every time I went there, luckily my dock assignment had me go up a one way lane and straight back.

 

A few years back I got a call from a driver who had a little problem, he took a load from a broker who told him the dock is on the other side of the building and he has to enter from the rear enterance.

Well the place is a motor repair place and there isn't a dock, there is also no way to get a truck in the back of the place so they can use a forklift because the back sits right up against a subdivision. There is a narrow access point to the buildings rear were between two buildings and was a dirt path with big pot holes and no way could a truck make it through it, maybe a smart car.

So I called the broker who called the driver a liar and I had her pull it up on google maps, she put the phone down them all I heard was a bunch of cussing and her yanking the phone back to her ear with an abrupt "ill call you back" ... click.

About 20 minutes later she calls me back and said that the customer who set the load up changed the addressed after she posted the load and she didn't look at the place. I said ok not a problem then asked her what is she going to do about it. Silence.

Then she said the driver has to hand unload it, I said no *****ing way, it is a three thousand plus pound motor part and it is bolted to a pallet, he isn't going to do a thing.

This went on for an hour until I told her I will solve the issue, I know what can be done and told her it is on her dime plus the wasted time she is costing me, other wise it goes right back to the shipper. She agreed to pay for it.

Here is what I did.

I contacted another company in the area that I know who has a box truck with a lift gate. They sent a truck to the place and the driver pulled his lift gate so it was level with the box, backed up the box truck to my trailer then both drivers transferred the load to the smaller truck with a pallet jack. Once that was done, my driver drove my truck a few hundred feet out of the way while the company manager pulled up with small trailer and the guy lowered the lift gate and put the pallet on the small trailer which the manager drove to the back of the building and took the load inside.

The driver made an extra $350 for the bs plus a bonus, I billed the broker an additional $2700 for everything I arranged. The customer has used us several times since and the broker who is still a real PPIA has been happy with our work with more than one delivery there.

The really puzzling thing is I can not figure out how they get things on a truck there, my driver has mentioned that they have their own delivery vehicle but he has never seen it.

 

I used to deliver building materials, lumber yards, home depot, lowes, ect. people would have larger deliverys brought to the sites. I had one in the u.p. of MI. dirt road, got there and the site manager tells me I have to back in to the building site, 10' wide drive way, over a 3' deep drainage culvert, then 12' wide gateway, 50 yards of drive lined with shrubbery, make sure you don't damage the shrubbery they say. I say no, what do you mean no? I cant get this 53' flat bed through there. Lots of yelling, screaming, jumping up and down on their part. They call my boss, my boss calls me, my boss calls them back, so i slide open the curtain and they come out and take it in. They get it all off and the boss man signs my bills and practicaly throws them at and stomps off. One of his workers tells me they had three trucks so far in the past week and they all refused to back in. the guy told me they had 60' sections of truss coming and the guy from their company came out to look over the site and told them they needed to make a bigger entrance or they would not not deliver. I had a lot of crazy places I went to but that was the only one i could not do. I once drove down 6 or 7 miles of dirt road, they got their stuff, and i said, so, where do i turn around? turn around, what do you mean? so I backed it all the way out. fun times, I do miss it though.

 

I had it happen at a small place where the numbnuts plowing snow on their lot figured he could just push it into a big pile across from the dock door. Finally had to get them to bring a forklift out and unload off the tail.

 

Place in Astoria, I wish I could remember the name. We took papaer products in there . Narrow one way street with cars on both sides, building is on my left, took up the whole block, with a small driveway to the dock in the middle of the building. Couldn't have been more than 25 feet back from the curb. I was in a Volvo 780 with a 53 and the guys yelling, man "they" do it all the time. I said ok call "them", there is no way I'm wasting my time. Other guy comes out with a forklift and says yeah you were smart not trying, the dock is for straight trucks but you would be surprised how often we have guys out here thrying to get in. Guy that signed the bills said he had told my company, at that time, not to send sleepers in there, We had guys that ran local in day cabs and smaller trailers but apparently dispatch didn't care.

 

I'll share something else.

Something no school teaches. I tried to back into a house driveway protected by walls taller than my wheels and tires. It was 53 foot on a 2001 century off a two lane road with woods on the far side. No shoulders. Using the rule never to take the drives off the pavement or allow the front end to dip down (Trapping drives under trailer and frame etc) I couldnt fit. So they used a pickup to transfer oranges to the garage.

Second place was a cul de sac with houses and aiming a trailer at a carport at night. THAT one was blind side and attempted to the max. Finesse and a light touch easing her around to get in there. The geometry and availible situation in terms of turning radiuses and so forth just did not work. But 30 kids in the area easily made 8 pallets go away.

If I had 30 lumpers in associated, they would be finished by the time the morning coffee pot finished...

 

Yep! That place sucks: I always just pull in and turn to the left; then, just back up however far I have too to get to my dock....at least I’m not struggling blindside as well! Lol

 

Kroger in Houston could also be tough. Been a few years since I was last in there. Largest reason these warehouses are so tough is they were not made to handle 53 foot trailers.