Worst Part of pulling End-Dumps

I thought I would post what I feel is about the worst part of pulling an End-Dump. I apologize ahead of time for the rant it may take on.

Yesterday I was to haul material from a quarry (Hartford, KS), ran by APAC-Shears. They tell us what we're to haul. The day started with loading AIC Sand or known by them as Ice Control. This is almost always wet, I mean water running out the end-gate wet. Was to haul this to APAC's Newton, KS asphalt plant. This load was no problems. Oh I mentioned we, I'm including an O/O that is leased on. It's nice running with another driver, to B.S. with on the CB, seems to make the driving time pass by quicker. After dumping we received our next load, which was return to Hartford for another load.

We returned to Hartford, and this time was to load 5/16" Screenings. If you don't know what Screenings are, it's more of a dirt, with very small rock chips. This in and of itself is notorious for being difficult to dump. It can and does create a suction to your bed. So we loaded and headed back to Newton, arriving at about 3pm. The O/O was the first to dump, and down so without problems. I backed up after him, and the problems started. He seemed to find about the only semi-level place to dump. I backed up after he moved, beside where he dumped. Got out and checked for level, finding that I was not raising the bed. I repositioned, looked again, still no go. Well another O/O arrived and then the 3 of us tried finding a level place.

I moved my truck in numerous different positions/locations, but was not working out. I would start raising the bed, and it would lean. Then once we found one, I raised the bed and the material would not want to come. I though oh-boy, here I go again, shoveling. Well one time raising the bed, one of the O/Os was standing to the rear watching, and the other in front. I was watching the one to the rear, as he could see if the bed was level, better than the view my mirrors presented. They tend to give a distorted view. I've thought sure the bed was not level, G.O.A.L. , to find it level. To continue, suddenly the O/O to the rear, started making hand motions, "down, down, down". I looked in my mirror to see the bed leaning fast to the right. I had used the Johnny-Bar to set the trailer brakes (thankfully) and had my hand on the lift-lever. I slammed the lift-lever to the lower position, slammed the johnny-bar up (releasing the trailer brakes), and put the truck in gear, started moving forward. I figured (and it worked), that if my tractor and the hydraulics were pulling on the trailer it would help keep if from going down. Like I stated it worked. The bed came down, rocking violently.

Well about this time the loader operator for the plant showed up, he at least got to see what a poor area for trucks to dump. He then made an area more level. So I backed onto it, and tried to dump. Was a no-go, the material would not budge. So I lowered the bed, moved so the O/O that had arrived, could dump and leave. The O/O I was running with, and I then started shoveling. I thank him big-time for helping, even though we got nowhere. I finally told him to go on, as I knew this was going to take a long, long time.

One thought I had was that I was low on hydraulic fluid, and we don't carry extra. Shop feels this is not necessary. One problem, this place normally shuts and padlocks the gate at 5pm, which it was now just after 5. So I looked around and could find no one. I proceeded to Newell's Truck Stop to buy at least a gallon. I called my dispatcher to see if he had a phone number to someone that manages the plant. I was told that he didn't, and to call the owner/boss, and he has numbers. So I then called the boss, and learned that he did not. (I just love how these two communicate. I mean they occupy 2 adjoining offices, separated by a sliding glass door, that I've always found open. They seem to never know what the other is doing. ) He finally convinced me that I was not low on hydraulic fluid. So I headed back to the plant, and luckily the gate was not locked.

I backed up to the leveled spot, got in the bed and started shoveling. I would spend at least 45 mins at a time shoveling, then raise the bed. Thankfully my granddaughter had given me one of those lights you strap on your head. At about 9pm I finally started get some of the material to shake loose. When I mean some, this was about a Hand-bucket full. I was digging/shoveling in material that was about 3ft deep. At about 11:30 pm, I got a decent amount to come out. This left a void at the rear of the trailer, but the main problem, the nose was not budging. After this I raised the bed, engaged the vibrator (which I would each time), and left it sit for about 5 minutes, however nothing more would shake loose.

A quick little bit that really got me upset at the dispatcher. I took a photo (attached), and sent it to my wife (so she could see why I would not be home tonight) and to the dispatcher. My text message was "It's 8pm now, and this is what I have left in my bed. Am I expected to shovel out 54,000 lbs of material? " He quickly responded "It's got to come out somehow". Am I reading more into this other than, Yes you do? I replied "Sorry it aint happening". He then replied "Call (boss name here) ". I did call, and explained again my dilemma. He finally in what sounded like a p'd off voice, told me to "Put my ticket in the mailbox, and when my hours were up bring it back to the yard. They would figure out how to get it out. I wasted too much time on it. Wasted, too much time? Oh boy did this get under my skin. I was out of hours, so had to spend the night at this plant. Well thoughts started going through me head on how this was going to be used against me. I mean, how dare I not shovel all this material out. Am I getting paid to do so? NOPE, not one dime. Am I getting paid lay-over time? NOPE, this was Friday night, we don't work weekends, and he rarely will pay lay over or what you know as "Detention" time. Now if you ask them (boss and dispatcher) they will tell you that I do get paid. Oh Reaaaallly? Let's see this load paid me a whopping $74. That's if everything went normal. So what part of that is for shoveling out? What part of that is for lay-over? What part of that is for driving, loading, unloading? Well this got under my skin, I started seeing red, and thought no way are these servant-masters, slave-driving, S.O.B.s (add any other foul-mouthed, derogatory word of your choice), going to use this against me. That's the only, and I mean only reason I did not stop, but continued to shovel. I don't know maybe they knew this, and if it they, it worked...... this time, which is going to be the last time. You see this was the 3rd time now I've had to do this. I mean the majority of the load not wanting to come out.

At about 1am, I laid down in the sleeper, totally exhausted from shoveling, climbing in and out of the trailer. I woke up at 4am, and was still so tired, and p***d, that I thought, I'm beat, I can not crawl back into the trailer. So I put my shovel back on the catwalk, pulled forward to set my bows, roll the tarp, air up the suspension, and lock the end gate. Before doing so, I thought, I'm going to try one more time. I was a considerable distance from the pile I was to dump at, and this will probably make them mad, but could care less at this point, fire me, please.... I raised the bed, hit the vibrator, and to my surprise I saw material coming out. I got out, looked and found the rest had come loose, and came out. So I buttoned things up, put my ticket in the mailbox, worked my log book, and hauled to the yard. Yes I had to fudge my book, otherwise I would have to sit there until about 3 and the afternoon, sorry not happening. So I just worked back to 10 hrs earlier, logging that as my Sleeper time, even though I was trying to get the load loose most of that time. Go ahead and bash, slam, call me on this. I know that I shouldn't but, again don't care at this point. What would you do? I'm covered in dust, dirt, cab, sleeper is dirty, no facilities, yep pee on the ground, didn't poo though, just can't bring myself to that, would you just sit there? I thought not, if you say yes, I'd say B.S., you're a liar. If DOT, Bear stopped me (at that time of the morning they don't exist along the route I would take), he could not prove that I was not in the sleeper, that I was messing with the load. That brings up a question... Do I have to stop trying to unload when my 14 is up? If so, it's just not going to work in realville with end-dumps.

Finally, and again I apologize for the rant, and the length, I know that the dispatcher and owner did not load this stuff. However the arrogance of them to think that we are expected to do such physically demanding manual labor for free, is beyond me. I thought slavery was something of the past, but this smacks of serfdom, slavery. Both are not my friends, and I'm sure I'm not theirs, don't care to be. That's not why I hired on, to be their friend. I did not agree to volunteer my service to them, yet somehow they manage to make it a part of your employment. So for others that are thinking of getting into pulling end-dumps, please be forewarned, and beware, as your potential employer will do these things.

One final thing, the O/Os, that hauled the same material, why didn't they have problems? They have bed-liners. This is something the owner/boss refuses to put in our trailers. He feels they weigh too much. Yep, that extra 100-200 lbs will take money from the loads out of his pocket. That's what really makes me see red, and tells what sort of person he really is. I honestly did not believe him to be this way, boy was I wrong.


Photos of my load yesterday

 

Can't say they have. This is the first I've heard of it. Thanks..

 

No I've been doing this for almost 8 months now. As far as level, yes I know that "level" is not perfectly level. This incident there were 2 other very experienced end-dump drivers present that did not like the situation. My major problem was the screenings were stuck, and nose heavy. Once the bed got up to the 3rd stage, starting the 4th stage, the bed started to lean badly since nothing was wanting to come out.

That photo was taken with the bed all the way up, and as you can see the material is not moving.

No the only reason is not due to the beds getting banged up. Some material creates a suction, like screenings and just do not slide off until that suction to the bed is broken.

I use whichever works best for the area. If it is not suitable to have the trailer pulled forward while raising, I set the trailer brakes, and let the tractor walk back. Most of the time I will use the trolly brake, but there are times I do not want that trailer moving until I know the material is off loading. Then depending on what our next load will be, we must sweep out the trailer. A majority of the time, dispatch will have us load rock out, then go load wheat or soybeans. We can't have a bunch of wet rock in the bed when we load the grain.

When I got back to the yard/shop, they said it is not low on hydraulic fluid. The main reason for not going all the way up, was the overloaded nose. The loader operator should never have loaded that much in the nose.