What takes longer...loading or unloading?

It depends. That waiting for a dock might take longer than both. Ive waited 48 plus hours to get loaded in 15 minutes. Or go get a meat reefer that has being loaded during that time period day and night as they chop the cattle in the meat plant.

You cannot really ballpark loading and unloading. There were times the unloading took 24 hours, Ive had dockworkers leave in the afternoon when I just started lumping floor freight, they come back to work the next day into the afternoon and Im almost done. But that's pretty extreme in those days. I don't think anyone live unloads 24 hours anymore. It's just too costly and slow. I know I don't

I carefully choose company by the kind of hauling they do. I avoid at all costs any loading or unloading. Drop and hook is what it's at. 10 minutes and you are out of there.

 

Depends on the freight and location sometimes.

Paper rolls can be loaded or unloaded fairly quickly with experienced forklift drivers but if the plant is backed up or you are truck 30 in line, you are waiting.

 

YES!

















They both take as long as they take. And unless you have regular stops, you have no way of knowing in advance. Just roll with the punches.

 

And they are waiting on those rolls. DO NOT BE LATE. Especially if it is a news print place. I remember the Baltimore News American, they had like 80 days worth of paper stored in the basement down below. But they were certain you will be a hour early delivering that news print. Every time.

 

You will probably get on some regular customers. You will learn how each of them operates and what to expect at each. For example, costco. Do not be even 1 minute late. They will assign you a door and a give you a pager. Go to door. At appt time they will unload you and you will be in and out of there in less than an hour most times. Wal mart. Again don't even be 1 minute late to the guard shack. Don't show up early they will tell you to come back. 1 hour before appt time is ideal. Assign door go there wait in line to give in paperwork pay for lumpers and 2 to 3 hours beyond appt time you will have paperwork in hand and leaving. Not bad really. LOBLAWS CAMBRIDGE ONTARIO. Don't be late. But it doesn't matter, they don't respect your appointment time anyway. A little early and it looks like night shift has 3 trucks to unload and hey maybe they can get you done while it's sort of slow? Think again. Your appointment time comes and they still won't assign you a door. WAIT IN YOUR TRUCK. Phone rings maybe 5 hours after your scheduled time they give you a door. You back in and wait another 3 or 4 hours until they even put the dock plate in. They then remove about 1 pallet per hour and I swear they must be counting each and every banana or strawberry or whatever problem you are bringing them. How dare you be a cog in the huge supply chain wheel. The light finally goes green and you go inside and are told to wait for paperwork to return. Your reefer may have burned it's last drop of fuel so you may have to prime it to get it going again. Hope you know how! A mere 23 hours after you arrived you are happily on your way out the gate with paperwork in hand. Upon exit, they refuse to time stamp any of your paperwork so there won't be any detention time for your company to collect on. Your reload? Long gone. You can't plan around that God forsaken place. If there was one time I would advocate firing all of the useless people in there and hiring tfw it would be that place. At least the tfw people generally just want to get the job done and go home. Not the lazy punks they have in there now. If that place ever burned to the ground it would be the best day ever. I haven't been there in probably 3 years and don't intend to ever go back. My premium is apparently out of line for a delivery attempt at that place.

There's a small summary of what you will learn at various customers regarding loading and unloading.

 

I can back that story up with any number of more stories.

Mountains of qualcomm messages "You loaded yet?" Hell no. No dock yet. What?

I have had some loads that one in particular matches, little match books. A container of that arrived in the richmond Defense depot to the south of that city. Sit on the dock to unload it. Slept 11 hours, got up, late evening walked back. Not finished yet. 4 people counting matches.

Half the trailer done so far. Counting matches. Little individual matches. In the small match books in the little cartons wrapped, in larger blocks by the layer etc. I dreamed matches in my anger for a few weeks. Arsonist type dreams. I never did go back. Thank god. I lost a good haul reload stuck there. But it';s military. They are on their own time.

 

Basically they both take the same amount of time. I'm guessing you might be more informed by the time various types of freight take to load and unload.

I've had rolled paper take less than a half hour at both ends. I've also had grocery loads take an hour to load and 8 or more hours to unload. The other time factor is how long it takes to get past a minimum wage gate guard exercising his "authority" by delaying you followed by a disrespectful hater at shipping/receiving taking their sweet ### time checking you in and assigning a dock door.

Appointment loads usually are faster because they floor stage most of your load. First come, first served is almost always slower. The same customer on different loads can also vary wildly.

Frank

 

I have a feeling it still irks you after all these years...So much that you still remember the rte 10 exit on I-295...lol

RVA did a number on you...hahaha

 

I used to just love that. When dispatch would call wondering where you are. "Still at shipper or receiver." They must think I was bs-ing them from the tone of their voice. As if I am somehow screwing around here so it will take me longer to accomplish this load here. Ya that's exactly what I want. Sit around endlessly at warehouse facilities then be some sort of hero when your customer absolutely has to have it first thing 600 miles away. If one good thing comes from elog it will be that. I am done being some kind of hero.