Port Drivers-East Coast Container Work ??

Well you must have been in with the wrong company Gonzo!

Six months under your gun is considered "Green"., hauling containers.

My husband was pulling containers with his sweet 96 Pete that he had, along with making over $900 dollars per day per trip .., Each trip was less than 500 miles. He would try to get one and half trips in a day. After his fuel for the week,,,, he brought home $2,000 + a week after the fuel. If you're in route, your home eveyrnight too!

He brought out of the New Cumberland Army Depot, PA., a loaded container that weighed in no more than 15,000 lbs. That was the heaviest one that was pulled. Take the container to Norfolk VA port. Since they close at 5:00,, getting there at 3:00 you're in and out quickly, because most trucks are out of there that were there in the morning. You go over to one area to have the lift (after you sign in) take the container off. Pull your truck and chassis over to the empty area where there are several lifts there,, They place the container on your chassis, you get out of the truck, lock the chassis,, check lights and tires and you're out of there. At the time of the day there is no waiting in line of trucks to check out of the guard.
But with an empty container you don't need to check out at the guard area. There's another exit that many drivers use that is close to the empty container area.
He goes back to the Army Depot, checks in with the empty, drops the empty in the lot and picks up another loaded container and checks out at the Depot. There's normally 1 or 2 trucks there in line.
Now How hard is that?

It took him a while to get the hang of things at the ports.. yes it's like a mad house over there,, but once you get yourself set up with a routine and know what hours to hit on in,, it becomes like a piece of cake.
I know, I've been there.
Going to the rail yards pay less, and one has to watch out with certain companies that they get on with.

It's not as bad as you make it seem.. Pulling containers.

 

To combat the problems of trailers having faults would it be feasable to have your own chassis? Have a clause that says "they" maintain it?

 

If and when we changed chassis,, it would be better to stop at WalMart or something and get some bulbs.. keep the receipts.

Any chassis that needed repaired, it was on the Trucking Company that has the Contract with the Port Carriers. Not the truck driver. It should not be the responsiblity of the driver. His responsibility is making sure the equipment is right. If Not! The Trucking company gets a fine. The driver should hand in any receipts that he needed to use.

Most ports have an area to go to get these things fixed. Sometimes the line is long sometimes not... just like at a truck stop... or you can save time and do it yourself. Except for tires. Brakes you can adjust your self. What takes 5 mins?

When we would go through the guard shack at the ports to check the container in,, each time we would say,,,, we want to keep this chassis. They would mark the number of the chassis down and say okay. And then go off and do our thing. The only time we would change the chassis is if we detect a problem with it and get another one.

 

here it is in 2019 and I could write the same messages, same schtick, different year, pulling containers doesn't change, steady work if you can stand the waiting time

 

And it has not changed since the 80's You are better off with a sleeper truck to endure the waiting time in some ports. Other ports are fast and if you are not fast you are going to be cursed out for holding everything up.