need to complain

Allied Tube, SFI do the same thing.... Sat at SFI in Memphis 6 1/2 hours to get loaded... Could be worse, when I was on the reefer side my trainer n I sat 14 hours AFTER our drop dead time to get loaded at Tyson. Tyson= Trucker Your Staying Over Night

 

I can't seem to squeeze detention time on shippers...but they generally take enough time to frustrate me, but not enough to warrant real problems.
Receivers: when they start showing me they are paid hourly and making a point to take as long as possible, I "remind" them that I'll need the manager (generally they are lackies at retailers/distributors) to sign off on the $100 an hour detention time I charge after the first hour. That isn't strictly the truth, but it generally gets them motivated, especially after I explain that I only move dunnage etc in that first hour. So they'll be doing the labor, and getting barked at for the "extra cost" that I'll be charging them. I actually get detention after 2 hours... and I'm absolutely going to pass the "savings" on to them for holding me up. If a shipper was to hold me up for more than the amount of time I deem necessary...I'd do like SHC, let them know they can keep their freight.
Good words to live by "You ain't payin me enough to put up with this ....." type of treatment

 

I first ask nicely about how long things are going to be and after 2 hrs I call my agent/dispatcher (im an o/o) whom tries to get things rolling by explaining nicely that we will start charging 150 an hr if things dont start to happen soon.

 

Haven't been doing this too long and my worse experience was a shipper of coils in Middletown OH. I had a 5 o'clock appt. finally at 7 I get to pick up ticket and stage truck and prepare my stateboard for the load. 9 I get to back into the dock. 11 I get to move outside and tarp. Midnight I get leave. I wasn't the only one either I arrived and there were 35 trucks or so all of us in the same boat. It happens though. Part of the job. We all had fun on the cb we intentionally let it on the shippers channel and politely complained. Nothing got out of control And we made the best of it

 

Growing up with a dad in the military and a mom that worked full time, I would often ride with my dads cousin who was an O/O and still is. I remember when I was in my early teens and we were at a place loading some steel beams. I don't remember what happened but my cousin and the loader were arguing/cussing at each other. I remember my cousin telling him to unload it or he(my cousin) would do it himself. The loader told him he couldn't because he wouldn't let him use the overhead crane. My cousin proceeded to tell him he didn't need it. There was a driveway there that was quite steep. My cousin pulled up the hill then backed up and locked them down a couple of times. The beam slid off after a couple of times doing this. I've never heard my cousin cuss that bad ever since then and that was over 20 years ago.

 

Either u have totally forgotten how bad the reefer guys have it, or you've never been to a grocery warehouse. All I can say is hook to a reefer for one week. You will go screaming and grinning back to you're flatbed.

I have one or two places where the people are total ### hats, but for the most part flatbed ship / receivers treat me human, and the vast majority are very friendly. Then again I kill with kindness, it works...

 

4 words essar/algoma plate mill

 

My peave is that some places aren't very clearly marked as far as the shipping office, the truck entrance, traffic flow, etc... And it seems like in those unmarked places there is always some irate person screaming at you for driving through the parking lot or for going to the recieving side instead of the shipping side. One such lady was giving me an earful one day and I calmly looked her square in the eyes and asked, "Where is the bathroom in my house ?" She looked puzzled and said, "I don't know". I quickly asked, "Why don't you know ?" She started to say, "because I've never been there" but stopped mid sentence. I just smiled and walked out and proceded to move my truck to the other side of the building where they were expecting me.

 

That is when google maps are your best friend. I always type in the address and look at the satellite view of the place I'm going so I can figure out the correct entrance way before I get there. And when going to a downtown location in a city I also check the corners and turns I will have to make. Makes this job a lot easier !!!