Slow Shippers/Receivers

I can tell you don't have an attitude,just frustrated.You're going to find out you're going to have to sit alot.Be thankful you don't haul reefer,they sit the most.An hr wait is nothing.So what if the guy disappeared,he did'nt forget you.Customers are not going to tell the drivers where they're going.Chalk this up as just waiting and next time on't get bent out of shape or it could mean your job.

 

If i can get unloaded in 4 hours at a grocery warehouse i an happy, waits of even 8 hours happen. Even when there is a detention contract the time is unreasonable but 4 hours is the point where i get frustrated if they haven't started yet.

 

I don't drive anymore except test driving trucks out of the work shop or once or twice a year on local (less then 50 mile) emergency if there is an emergency.
I like it all except I have lost my patience for waiting.
If its an emergency then get a move on buddy.
When I drove full time it was 95 % oversize which I found way way way better.
Sometimes you would wait for a crane but you were treated way better and not blown off like a piece of dirt.

When I was OTR there was no HOS enforcement so a 5 hour unload gave you more opportunity to sleep then you would normally get so it was all good.
Our one controller once got so upset with customers fighting about rates then keeping the trucks waiting that he started to answer his phone "Charity and Waiting incorporated".

We have a small warehouse and most drivers who deliver and collect from our place are treated so well that a lot of them come to the office asking if we have an opening in our small fleet.
All drivers are offered a soft drink , use of a clean shower , a lift to the local mall if they have time.
This comes from our warehouse manager and myself being drivers for many years.

We have also kicked a couple (only 2) of drivers out of our facility for being total idiots.
One we even ejected out of the gate with out his truck.

Its tough keeping composure when people show zero respect for you.
If there is a reason for delay I can accept that things are what they are.
When it is just a bitter vindictive pompous little Hitler I battle a bit more.

 

Sounds like you've been to Hopkins SuperValu dry side as well.

 

if i know im going to a slow shipper or receiver i try giving the forklift driver a little incentive. i tell them if they can get me in and out by an hr tops ill give them 10-20 bucks you'll be surprised how fast they'll move to get you squared away.

 

You must be making good money.I'll suck it up and wait.

 

it beats waiting 3-4 hr to get unloaded for 10 buck of detention pay

 

Not a flat bedder but one Memorial Day a couple years ago I was paid a few more bux a ton to get the material there on a holiday and when I showed up the guy proceeded to tell me that they didnt have time to test it cuz of a skeleton crew and the full crew wouldn't be back for another 2 days. I proceeded to call the broker and after an hour they told me there was nothing they could do.

I knew the test was simply a moisture test that took all of about 2 minutes to pull a sample, a minute to walk to the machine, and 30 seconds to dump it in and find the moisture.

This was gonna snowball into being gone all week and not making hardly any money. He wouldn't even let me do it myself so I told him I would give him another hour or the product is going to be all over his scale. I guess he didnt believe me until he saw me pop the tailgate and started raising the bucket on the scale. Lets just say he found the time to test it and get it unloaded.

Great thing about pulling a bucket. I don't need anyone. I push a lever and watch my load fall off lol

 

A hr isnt bad could have been 6hrs you be happy with a hr I do think if if they havent got u unld in a hr u should get detetion they set these appoints then say we are behind not my problem its theres and the start paying aftrr a hr

And if a place runs u out of time they should be forced to allow u to stay. Until bank is over with paper thats no problem but elog unless u can limp very close it screws u

 

First, I agree that waiting sucks. But you flatbed guys should consider yourselves lucky... I have waited over 20 hours to get loaded several times before. And the average for TCD is 5 hours, if anyone wants to know the hard numbers. So I definitely understand your frustration. Right now I'm sitting and waiting for 3.5 days to get me load going home. Nothing but wasted time. But it's a holiday week, I did still get over 2400 miles this week, so I'm just gonna sit back and relax.

However, on the flip side, I think you're incredibly lucky for getting unloaded on the 4th at all. And I will give you one piece of advice, from one Mav to another... I can promise you that if you had blown your horn, and the customer had called Maverick about it, you would not enjoy the conversation with your FM in any way, shape, or form. That's assuming the customer didn't get so mad they threw you out, or worse, banned you from their locations.

And I can tell you from personal witnessing, if you get banned from a Maverick customer because of attitude, you'll be back in NLR and packing so fast you won't know what happened. It's not worth complaining about, really.

I completely feel your frustration, though. There is nothing more annoying that waiting to load/unload and noticing that no one is doing anything. The only thing more irritating than that is watching a truck that arrived after you did getting unloaded instantly and leaving, while you've been waiting 5 hours.

Plus, that's what detention pay is for. I file it EVERY time... eventually Maverick will get tired of paying detention pay repeatedly at certain customers, and something will get done.