dockworkers/drivers...share your trailer horror stories

[Indy135]

i switched to UPS Freight from Roadway Express about 3 months ago now

the first thing i noticed....UPS workers do NOT know how to stack/brace freight

in my 3 months as a dockworker out of indianapolis, i literally have not had one trailer that didnt have atleast 1 skid that was either dumped, or dumped when i opened the door

its not that hard to use load bars people

i got a shipment from memphis today who i guess is known for sending out really ty loads that are always messy...some idiot put these 4 (1500 lbs each) pallets of these tiny cartons, about 250 per skid on top of some deck bars, and didnt brace them at all

so when i opened that door, there was hundreds and hundreds of these tiny cartons spilled all over the place

it just pisses me off, have some respect for your fellow workers even if they do work in a whole nother state or terminal

 

[UPGFSUP]

I feel your pain. I was with Roadway for 5 years before coming to Overnite. I was amazed at the lack of attention with loading the trailers compared to Roadway. There is a lot more attention being put forth recently to this problem. Hopefully, we will start to see better results soon.

 

[PADriver5]

After working the Mini-Hub run this week in Newburgh, NY it's no wonder customers can't get a freight delivery without damage! Between the careless unloading and loading procedures I saw alot of freight get damaged on the docks alone. Absolute chaos!

It's a wonder more people don't get hurt there.

 

[Mr C]

Well. As a loader, I try to close out every pup/rail with one thing in mind. When it gets to were it is going, who ever is going to break it, I want them to say to them selves... Damn this is a cake load; I take a lot of pride in what I am putting out there.
Now there are two main reasons why Some of the stuff being shipped is crappy as hell. Actually three.
First one is the lack of Supervisors calling back people who don’t load there freight the way it should be. (High and Tight)
Secondly, pure firkin LAZYNESS. I am amazed at some of the crap they try and do to my doors, but unlike a supervisor, I do call them back.
Finally, Supplies. We are almost always missing one thing or the other, exmp being... loggie sticks, but no boots, deck boards but no load bars. And in a blue moon we might have rack or two, well that are usable.
Either way I work with what I have to insure the freight will get to were it is going, in as good as a condition that it was in, when it was docked behind my doors. Yeah docked, because again I work with some lazzy people.

 

[SWORDFISH]

I dont think that they are spending time training properly at UPS. They are spending all their time and effort into making #s. Remember the ultra rookies that need the most training are the ones usually loading those things and those. I notice that these people can learn how to do it right if you just teach them and dont treat them like a piece of nothing.

 

[joseywales]

i been a dockworker with ups for 3 years now and i have had to break some of the worst trailers ever seen, 1500lb skids set on top of a 150 pound skid, no dunnage, airbags, cardboard. Our worst trailers come out of HRS, and CMS, i had a CMS a few weeks ago loaded at only 45%, tore all to hell, there was a crate as long as the trailer laying at the side of the trailer, and somehow they managed to set 3 skids on top of that crate to where it was cockeyed, and of course it dumped all over the place. They had tape wrapped around all 3 skids, no shrink wrap at all, i mean these guys had 7 feet of room left on that trailer!, it should have took me no more than an hour but i ended up spending 3 hours on a 45% loaded trailer! I've seen our guys skip over CMS trucks for that very fact, because they know that 9 times out of 10, its gonna be a smile* storm.

 

[R.Dizzle]

how is the loads out of dtr look?

 

[Dieselhed]

I was with Roadway Express as well for almost 15 years before resigning and starting at UPGF a little over a year ago. When I was with Roadway, we constatly had the words "quality" and "pride" hammered into our heads. Two words I haven't heard once here. I work at a rather large facility and we seldom have any load bars or freight tables to build decks. We have some good loaders as well but we are out numbered by those who could care less, mainly part timers. Swordfish is right about the lack of training but the bulk of that should be given to the full timers. We have a pretty high turn over of part timers and it would be alot of time wasted. I'd like to see new part timers spend a couple of weeks working with a good quality full timer to learn the ropes. A quality guy can tell if someone is going to be an asset to our company or not.

 

[CharlieFoxtrot]

Supplies....like Mr C. stated, availability of load jack bars/ratchet load locks,,,,if the pup is not a logistics post trailer then load jack bars need to be readily available to brace high center of gravity shipments and high and tight stacks also.

Is there a current need to purchase load jack bars keeping in mind thier equal importance to a P & D driver?

 

[grumpy]

It is interesting, after reading the problems with the loading of the freight here are ups ground, and reading how great roadway was how they pounded pride into you guys, the only question I have for all of you ex roadway people is why did leave there ?

 

[Dieselhed]

It is interesting, after reading the problems with the loading of the freight here are ups ground, and reading how great roadway was how they pounded pride into you guys, the only question I have for all of you ex roadway people is why did leave there ?

In my case, I started in the city and was there for 9 years before transfering to the road. At my terminal (Roadway) the road board was around 100 people and they were old so I moved up quick when guys started retiring and we didn't have sleepers. Then P.O.S. Yellow Freight bought us and things were the same for about 5 years. In March of '09 we merged terminals and seniority lists with theirs and a guy with 6 years road seniority got me around number 275 out of 400+ guys. They ran sleepers as well and that's what I was looking at for the next 15-20 years maybe longer since they had alot of old guys who didn't want to retire. The top six guys on their board started there before I was born and I'm 36! I decided that sleepers weren't for me, not to mention we went to their terminal as well and it was a longer drive to work for me, so I started looking. The UPS Freight terminal was right behind my old Roadway terminal so it was my first choice. I also wanted to work for a union company and the UPS reputation was a deciding factor as well. What surprised me was I started at Roadway in '94 and they were so far ahead of UPS Freight technology wise then, than UPS Freight is now, if that makes any sense. My terminal is just now starting to update the P&D route software to a system almost identical to what we had at Roadway in '94.
On the upside, I see tremendous potential with this company. I just wish UPS would get serious about gaining LTL market share. But on the other hand taking it slow is probably a better approach if your parent company is somewhat new to LTL. There are a few people at my terminal in management/sales that came from Roadway and we talk all the time about the differences in the two companies good and bad but "it is what it is" and we're making the best of it.

 

[grumpy]

well then it makes sense for you to move to a better company. I still find it interesting that only one person wrote a response. Over all the years I have been here we have hired drivers from alot of now defunct trucking companies, st.j c.friend. to mention a few, and I always hear them talk about how great the old place was and how bad or misrun this company is my usual response to them is if it was so great why did you leave ? in most cases it is because they went out of business. But you have a really good reason to switch companies.