Why can’t LTL freight be on 5 Tons instead of trailers

Simple answer, cost. In my case it's some where between $65 to $80 + fuel surcharge a skid/spot for cartage it can get pretty expensive. $65 + $13 fsc(20%)=$78×40spots=$3120. OUCH!!!
I can put a bit of time and effort into backing into some tight docks for that.
There are some places that a trailer just can't go and those are taken to a cartage company and the customer pays the cartage.

 

On the pallet jack issue, it depends on how the load is negotiated. Only our power tailgate guys have pallet jacks, unless its customer request. Same with lumpers for window loads, cranes, etc etc. You need solid CSR's to book the load properly, not just willy nilly, and expect the driver/customer to figure it out.

Again, this is why I loved reefer. I never met a produce place, meat plant or grocery warehouse that wanted me inside the building. Back into a nice large well lit dock (sometimes you didn't even have to open the doors!), as long as you were straight, party on!

This LTL stuff is for FexEx/UPS/XPO, glad i'm not doing it anymore. Also yes, Arnold Bro's is FTL only now. Bison doing LTL is comedy, they tried to send a day cab and a 53 to Kensington in Calgary today lol. After the poor guy finally got unstuck, Bison called us, to cross dock the 4 pallets onto one of our 5 tons.

 

Sometimes load planners can be a little dense. A while ago a company shut down operations, some freight and drivers migrated to another company. During the learning curve there were three customers that kept getting put on my load as direct delivery, I told the load planner 4 trips in a row that those deliveries go to cartage and the customer pays the cartage bill themselves.

 

Sounds about right.

I’m already feeling run down, dealing with all the BS lol. Had to give this side of the wheel a shot tho, prob gonna tough it out until spring, then try to get back into the trades.

The whole industry is to far gone, and no one cares.

 

When I was in the LTL industry I filled 2 53’ trailers a day…. Some days, by the end of the day when I’ve been running out of room this is what my trailer looked like.

 

53' offers versatility; you can drop it off, grab another run, then come back later and find 1 or 30 pallets loaded. Tis the nature of city pick ups.

 

Arnold bro still doing ltl for others. Not their trailers though. They have the old dominion and Estes contracts in Winnipeg.