Loading/Unloading

[Caramel1968]

For OTR drivers that's been on the road for less than two years, how often have you loaded or unloaded a trailer NOT by choice? (forced, no lumper around, no lumper pay authorized) I need to hear it straight from the source.

[choperbob]

2 times i had a driver unload, but both times reciever had laborers there just to make sure load was correct. we are drivers not lumpers. most companies have too much $ invested in new drivers training that usually they do not want us unloading. only been driving 1 year now. hope this helps.

[Malaki86]

It's only happened to me once, and that was when I was with a 20 truck carrier. The dispatcher didn't see that it was a lumper load, and I found out the hard way at 2am, with no extra cash on me.

It wasn't 'forced', as they had lumpers available, but I had no choice in the matter at the time.

[One]

I loaded 5 boxes once! I didnt mind the little bit of excercise! Every field in trucking is different, but one thing is for sure: If I unload anything, Im gonna be paid for it! I wouldnt touch a thing for less than 15/hr. I would never agree to unload more than a few skids solo. Never more than a few hrs work... What do you haul? groceries? We need more info!!!

[Uturn2001]

It all depends on the company you work for. I know of companies that will not pay for lumpers or will only pay so much for a lumper and if you can not find one for that price you either pay the difference or unload it yourself.

[WildK9]

been driving since '97 and i've NEVER touched a thing, be it loading or unloading.

[PhuzzyGnu]

I load all the time.

Many of the places I pickup haz-waste don't have docks- go figure. I get my workout loading a full 53' drum load.

It's alright, I get paid enough and it's good exercise.

-p.

[Tobytob]

Caramel1968, I have unloaded a few times, all by choice I have never been forced to do any unloading, lumpers were always avaiable.

The few time tht I did unload it was a pallet jack pull off and it was always in the middle of the street in NY, CA, or DC. These customers didn't have docks, so I had to unload in the street. Pulled the freight to the end of the trailer so the customer could pick it up with a forklift. This never takes me more than 30-45 mins.

Other than that I Haven't met a driver yet that told me he was forced to unload his trailer. I think those days are almost over. Most of the time a lumper is available.

[One]

pulling a few pallets out w/ a pallet jack or throwing a few boxes i dont even consider as unloading....but hours of work is different in my eyes. When I was a mover i unloaded of course, but i dont even consider that trucking, its moving!

[Nulldev]

I was a local driver for a pop company, and my biggest day, hand bombed more than 16,000 lbs of pop with a wheeler, across parking lots, over curbs, up stairs, into stores, and onto the shelf.

After that, I was running groceries for a while. Responsible to get the pallets onto the dock, that was all. However, I would often do a bit more, to get things done faster - and ensure I could be done in my 15 hours (Alberta, Canada - changing soon). Also, I'm young. And after the pop job, the extra work was easy. It was time that was more of a concern.

[PackRatTDI]

I don't recall ever being somewhere that I had to unload the truck, no help.

I only recall one shipper that ever charged to load a trailer and that was Van de Kamps in lovely Jackson, TN. Stevens had contracted with them for a flat rate of $70 and we only had to pay that/get a check authorized if it was a live load. A lot of times it was drop and hook and Stevens got billed directly.

[Walking Eagle]

Pay to get the truck loaded ??? I don't think so ! My reply would be "Maybe the next truck that comes in, I'll pull off the dock to make way for it".

[Aligator]

I unload trucks every day - it's part of my job hauling for a furniture manufacturer.
But I get pad for it. I'll make $57,000 my first full year of driving and a lot of our drivers make over 70.
If you don't want to handle freight that's fine; just make sure your employer doesn't require it. But if you don't mind - and I don't - be sure you'll be paid for it. You'll find out it pays fairly well.

Funny, I guess - some people wondering how to stay in shape on the road and others worried that they may have to do something besides eat and drive. Or maybe it's all the same people!

[Windwalker]

It's only happened to me once, and that was when I was with a 20 truck carrier. The dispatcher didn't see that it was a lumper load, and I found out the hard way at 2am, with no extra cash on me.

It wasn't 'forced', as they had lumpers available, but I had no choice in the matter at the time.

Wonder what that carrier does now. There are places where the LUMPER SERVICE OWNS ALL THE EQUIPMENT. Not even a pallet jack available for the driver. If you're going to unload your own truck, you're going to carry it all off by hand. EVERY PIECE. Either that, or pay the lumper service to do it.

How about, if you pick up a carton, turn, and something snaps. You can't walk. Need an ambulance to take you to the hospital. Transportation costs to the medical facility, emergency room staff, hospital stay, all at company expense? Wonder how long they'd keep making drivers unload the load.....

[Longsnowsm]

I was talking to a lady not long ago who is driving a cab locally. She used to pull refer and was hurt on the job unloading. She said it was a pretty dangerous dock. She slipped and fell off the dock and seriously damaged her spine/back and has spent years in and out of hospitals with back surguries because of it. Longs story short she is pretty badly disabled and had to get an attourney to go after these guys to cover her hospital bills, physical therapy. She said even after all of that she still ended up being forced into bankrutcy because of no income during all this and still not enough money to cover the medical expenses.

Now she is still in pretty bad condition and can hardly work. So she managed to get a job driving a cab. Even that is pretty hard on her she said. It was a pretty bad deal all the way around. I really felt bad for her after talking to her.

So if your company has you do the load or unloads make sure you have the proper safety gear and be careful. Sounds like companies will drop you on your head pretty quick if you get hurt badly and leave you holding the bag.

Funny enough she said if she could still drive a truck she could. She loves driving and loves the lifestyle.

Longsnowsm

[Bigmon]

If you're a company driver you should be covered by workers comp.

[Jumbo]

I unloaded a t/l of paper products at Supervalue in Minneapolis one time. That was the first and last time in 15 years.

[Colin]

I had to tailgate racks of flowers on a 5 stop Home Depot load using a pallet jack. Horrible, horrible experience. The shipper had accidentally put a lot of 1 1/2" open gravel in the trailer during the loading process. I was unable to drag the pallet jack over the stones a lot of the time and basically fought to get every rack off at each stop.

Horrible 24 hours. I still shudder when i think about it.

I did get a sweet load after (Quincy, WA to Vineland, NJ/Albany, NY), but I got great loads all the time. Oh well.

[PhuzzyGnu]

When I worked at Home Depot, one of the nursery truck drivers forgot to set the stops on his liftgate and dropped a rack of flowers off the liftgate, nearly crushing a MILF and child.

-p.