Will I make a good van/reefer/grocery driver

Talking about the megas, dc's walmarts etc. I can do manual labor (lumping) I just do not want to. Nothing in life is free including the use of my body to do their work, as such I would demand a premium as my time is worth a premium. I suspect my labor rate would be viewed as unreasonable and so I would view the expectation of me unloading/sorting/palletizing a load as unreasonable. Just because others value their labor and time at a lower rate does not mean that I have to.

 

How am I confrontational? Because I set out clear and concise expectations just as the company I driver for, as the shippers, as the receivers? The only way that would be confrontational is because someone did not like being dictated to what my expectations were because they felt their job title and sense of self was more important than mine. It would only be confrontational if my expectations threatened someone's sense of supreme authority, particularly someone I do not work for. The real rub is the fact that their product is on my company's truck and if I set those terms there is nothing the shipper/receiver can do other than call my company. My company can then do 1 of 2 things, back me up or fire me. And I am not going to argue with the people on site. I can get in and roll up the window and ignore them, I can drive away and wait for further instructions from DM. Just because someone else does not like my expectations in no way makes me confrontational.

 

Now that is the whole idea, bump dock they unload in a reasonable time (2 to 4 hours) and I go to the next load. All of my expectations are coming from the common problems drivers in those divisions are stating they run into. Those problems are preventing the driver from going from load to load or are asking for unpaid labor, or the driver to pay for the labor. So we have gone from confrontational to Richard swinging in 2 post conversations. So I must ask because I have standards and expectations that I would stand by how is that Richard swinging? Again the only way it could considered that way was if someone who believed they had authority over me felt that my standards and expectations undermined their authority or sense of self importance.

 

Now you are getting it! I wrote it up as a bit of a parody, but at the same time as a piece to discuss ongoing issues drivers are facing. I agree not every driver will have every scenario I posted at every shipper or receiver they go to. I am getting back into driving and got pre-hires into the van/reefer divisions, so I am researching the good the bad and the ugly. I may have to get my recent exp up in one of those divisions before I can move back to flatbed or into T/HME, belly dumps or hoppers. I have been through a lot of threads and conversations and think my personality matches better in the other divisions. While income is important, being happy with what you do can lead to longevity and higher income over time than a fast payday. I did thoroughly enjoy the conversation though. Safe travels.

 

I drove flatbed several years ago for about 4 years. I am getting back into it and looking at a bunch of different types. I would like to go back to flatbed while I shake the rust off, but my 2 offers right now are for van/reefer divisions. And yes I was showing a sense of self-importance while demonstrating that my sense of self-importance is about as justified as some of the shippers and receivers. I did it in an over the top way, but that does not diminish we as drivers should be treated with dignity and respect by the customers we service.