Interview Response

Being a dock worker is a piece of cake. The work is relatively easy. If you know how to drive a forklift...your pretty much good to go. UPS Freight dockworkers make around $28 an hour at top rate...and these guys are easily makin $1500 a week, with free healthcare, pension and 401k...and all they do is unload and reload trailers. They're not known to have a dock to driver program, but if you have a CDL, you can move up to a yard jockey position or work as a combo driver. Anytime you drive, you get paid more. Only downside is the 4 year pay progression. I think dock workers start off around $16-17 an hour, so the pay is gonna suck for a couple years. And like everbody else mentioned, each terminal is run differently, so what happens at one barn may not be same as another. Good luck.

 

Oh you'll still keep that robust figure...lol. There's nothing difficult about dock work. Rarely do you breakdown pallets. Majority of the work is just unloading and reloading trailers. They'll train you on how to use the forklift and do things the "UPS way". Once you get the hang of things...throw all that safety rules out the window...because it gets pretty hectic on the docks when all the P&D drivers come back and you have to QUICKLY reload them on to the night time Linehaul trailers. It's a madhouse at that point

 

This is a red flag to me. I know how to run a forklift, but the prospect of doing so on a busy LTL dock freaks me out a little (even though I've done a little bit of it). Our dockworkers can perform surgery with those things, and if you're not very skilled it would be very easy to stab/smash/crush freight. That's fine with some things, but can be very bad with hazmat or high-value freight. Take your time and ask questions whenever in doubt about how to load or secure something.

Also, at least at my company, dock-to-driver candidates are picked not just from those who are willing, but those who are exceptionally hard workers, skilled loaders, and have the temperament they are looking for. Then it may go by seniority to determine what order those candidates get their shot. It can be a very long process at my company. Granted, we aren't as big as UPS Freight.

I don't mean to be discouraging, just want you to know what you're getting into. LTL - whether it be dock work, P&D, or linehaul - is not for the faint of heart. Dock work is hot in the summer, cold in the winter, dirty all the time, and very fast paced. Good luck.

 

i was on vacation when a friend of mine suggested i apply. applied online tuesday morning, got a phone call tuesday afternoon. scheduled an interview for thursday. cut my vac short and blasted home. went to my interview thursday and had a job offer same day.

it’s a given i am gods gift to truck driving and the tm knew this. i was dressed to the nines so i guess it’s a good thing i didn’t have a silly job interview like some guys talk about...doing pretrips and driving stuff.

 

This is good advice. What Bob mentioned is 100% true. Dock work is relatively easy...but it is VERY hectic. You do have to be pretty skilled to unload and reload various different freight. Those pup trailers are pretty small, and you have to know how use every square inch of the trailer to try to put in as much freight as you can. Sometimes it can be like trying to fit in a square box into a round circle. Freight has to be double stacked, use rack dividers to load up on the upper portion of the trailer...making the pup top heavy, and just knowing how to fit in pieces like a puzzle in a short box so freight doesn't get damaged during transit. But just like anything you do, the more time you put in...the easier it gets. If all you do is unload and reload trailers all day...your gonna get good at it eventually. Just like a Yard Jockey who does nothing but back in trailers all day is gonna do that job with relative ease.