Loading/unloading: Local Drivers

"Wow", I would really hate that you would have to do any real work to get that pay. I am truly sorry for you and hope you hit the lottery. I hope it would not be too much work to walk to the mailbox and get the check. Please tell me this post is a joke. If not God save us all.

 

I've done both with local jobs. One I sat around in a dock all day getting paid by the hour, now I unload 2000 or more cases a day that are floor loaded to the ceiling. Personally I like the physical work of unloading, but to each their own.

 

Heavy lifting jobs are tolerable if you are not expected to drive afterwards. The absolute worst trucking gigs I can think of are the Werner and US Xpress Dollar Tree or Family Dollar accounts. You're expected to unload a full 53 foot trailer by hand then drive 300 plus miles. You have exhausted drivers rolling down the road even if they are "legal" hours wise. It's a safety issue in my opinion.

Anyways OP look for a truck load local job since they are usually 99% no touch. The union LTL "dream jobs" are usually real tight city driving and 15 stops a day with manual unloading. Not for me. Yes you make more than a TL job but you work a lot harder.

 

Did the food service gig for over 30 years , made enough for the wife to be a stay at home Mom til the 2 sons were ready to start college. Had to run the longer , layover trips for a few years, til I gained enough bid seniority to get the better paying runs that were back with-in HOS rules. Local driving has its good and bad aspects but as for being home at night , pay , and everything else considered , getting some exercise is well worth the extra effort.

 

There's a difference between not wanting to work and wanting to protect one's back, however, trucking is one of the worst jobs for the back no matter what because of all the sitting. As one who just had back surgery almost 7 months ago, sitting for long periods of time is one of the worst things I can do for my back. My surgery wasn't due to any injury either. The physical activity of loading/unloading, if done right, would actually be good for a person.

 

Containers would kill half these people you have to be good at your pre trips to do it those chassis and containers have a lot of problems with them and when dot gets one of these drivers they are going to be mad

 

Food service jobs require you to unload.. Some easier than others. The one I work at, we use electric jacks. But others use hand trucks or manual pallet jacks.

 

I run family dollar for jb not werner it pays well and you only have to do three loads a week so I get more sleep than most drivers its the first month that's the hardest after that your body gets used to it and driving afterwards is not a problem but even if you don't feel like driving you have enough time to go to sleep after your done unloading most.of the time .

 

I do intermodal support in Chicago. We do not drive more than 4 hours. Most times it is only an hour. Does that qualify as local?

I have never touched freight in this division. In fact I have only touched freight twice in two years with KLLM.

Mikeeee

 

Sitting down holding a steering wheel all day will do more harm to your back and body than anything else. It's no different from being a couch potato. Thats the main reason why I left OTR. I wasn't getting any exercise and it started to take a toll on my health.