jimbobb:
No wonder so many drivers are obese!
I’ve been delivering tyres for the last year and a half, up to 1200 tyres to handball off and I love the physical side of the job. If your old or injured etc then I understand and sympathise, but for me it’s a good workout, in fact I’ve gone down a trouser size since I’ve been doing this job.
Fair enough if that is what you enjoy & even better if you are assisted by equal grafters and some good banter. However, handballing boxes off containers for random warehouse outfits everyday isn’t my idea of a fun time, especially given customers would doubtless take the ■■■■ and before you know it we’d be stacking & wrapping the stuff on pallets whilst they phone the agency and cut back the workforce.
I did one last year, a 20 foot box filled the gunnels with tins of sardines. The lads tipping it looked suicidal.
rob22888:
I’ve come across this on a handful of times with container work.
It’s quite simple, drivers do not assist with the unloading of containers, we are just drivers - period. Only exception is if there is a special agreement in place, which I have never personally come across in my dealings with deep sea containers & handball jobs.
Any problems and the haulier is well within their rights to pull out (fully paid by the shipping line) and the customer will pay for redelivery.
I feel bad sometimes & it can be awkward, but i know full well if I committed to helping with a handball tip I’d be sick of it after 20 minutes. It’s some of the most tedious labour you can do.
Same here. I’m not especially fond of manual labour and I simply don’t maintain the general strength and physical fitness for it.
There’s no point a client complaining that they’re a man down for unloading a shipping container, a man who would be accustomed to physical handling and moving several tonnes of weight in one session, and expecting a fella who sits on his ■■■ all day concentrating on the road to make up for it.
It’s not even safe to do so, because once you’ve gone well beyond what you’re accustomed to, you’re going to be physically and mentally exhausted to the point that accidents happen.
Unless you come from a physical handling background, and your employer provides you with a job involving physical unloading at least say once a week, I’d refuse it outright on the grounds that you simply don’t have the physical endurance training to do so.
I generally help but do have limits. I’m regularly expected and regularly do drag pallets to back with pallet truck, that’s fine no problem with that. Loading with a pallet truck depends on weight of pallets and how many but even then I don’t refuse I just ask for help. I see it as a way of keeping yourself a little fit. As for handball - do that regularly too but to butchers shops and only one or two pallets at a time, I’ve no problem with that but I’d certainly draw the line at 4/5 pallets upwards and would certainly refuse to handball a full load off
used to do long distance LTL work but one contract was only given to us poor immigrant drivers and that was gym equipment a total pain in the arse,the last drop was always at a stripmall in a west coast city with one guy and a young girl working no forklift or bay and the other shops wouldn’t help drag the last two skids forwards. Mind its a 53 ftr and the last skids were barbell weights and the smaller weights on bars.!!! The shop staff also served and looked after gym members so …I stuck to the company rules TAILGATE delivery,its +30c in a box trailer walking back and forwards carrying one or two weights at a time,i had one skid done at the tailgate in an hr ad a half or so and im fkd the staff are only coming out when they can…soooooooooooooooooooo. I clambered out and thought what to do next? ,well luck was on my side two “street people” came over and asked if I was ok I bought then a MCdonalds each a bottle o rye to share and $10 each and they moved the stuff of the tailgate and stacked them at back door o shop,jumped in and brought the rest o the weights to the tailgate and stacked them as well. oh how I laughed when the shop workers complained that they would have to work late to get the stuff inside !! …… footnote .these loads were every two weeks so I told the street guys to look out for our trailers delivering and yup they got work!! ,this load was my last as tthey told my dispatch they didn’t want me delivering again.,one of our drivers had an angina attack delivering to the same store later on …and iirc workers compensation went to town on the company. was for a gym company called fitness depot. if you go on their site (satellite it)its the Burnaby one front door delivery .
and that was gym equipment a total pain in the arse,the last drop was always at a stripmall in a west coast city with one guy and a young girl working no forklift or bay and the other shops wouldn’t help drag the last two skids forwards. Mind its a 53 ftr and the last skids were barbell weights and the smaller weights on bars.!!! The shop staff also served and looked after gym members so …I stuck to the company rules TAILGATE delivery,its +30c in a box trailer walking back and forwards carrying one or two weights at a time,i had one skid done at the tailgate in an hr ad a half or so and im fkd the staff are only coming out when they can…soooooooooooooooooooo. I clambered out and thought what to do next? ,well luck was on my side two “street people” came over and asked if I was ok I bought then a MCdonalds each a bottle o rye to share and $10 each and they moved the stuff of the tailgate and stacked them at back door o shop,jumped in and brought the rest o the weights to the tailgate and stacked them as well. oh how I laughed when the shop workers complained that they would have to work late to get the stuff inside !!