Hey all,Can anyone point me in the right direction,delivering to a DC.
DC now want driver to cut bolt seals off the dock and open container doors before trailer is backed onto the dock.
I am thinking not on!
Any pilfferage,short,damaged goods in the container become the responsibilty of who cut the seals etc,and besides its a DC container,DC stock,DC premises etc,why can’t DC staff do it?
If I am injured by falling stock,who is going to pay my compensation?
Any official laws and rules I can use in my defense?
Yes I am in Australia,but the scenarios are the same.
Thanks
its horses for courses
At Argos when bringing bolt sealed trailers in you back up to bay
and warehouse cut seal
At Disney i often see a driver take cutters from office and do seal
but i dont know what has occured before they do it
these are regular drivers from same firm
We carry our own bolt croppers and crack seals as soon as they’ve been checked. It’s not difficult to avoid falling stock, just stand behind the doors, holding onto the handles as you open them. You can usually feel any pressure on them as soon as you loosen them anyway, at which point you can whack a strap across until you’re sure it’s safe.
Admittedly it’s slightly different for us as we’re the shipping line’s own drivers, mind.
The scenarios might be the same, but I’d be as surprised as a very surprised person on Being Surprised Day if the laws/rules governing this sort of thing are the same in Oz as they are in Blighty. Essentially because we are part of the mega-Nanny State EU, whereas Australia is not. Not that I think there are any specific laws here to cover it.
As a matter of good practice, I would suggest getting someone at the DC (whether it be loading dock staff or security at the gate) to physically check the seal when you arrive (and record the serial number). It doesn’t really matter then who breaks the seal - if it was sealed when you started out and it’s still sealed when you arrive, any stock discrepancies are Not Your Problem.
My favourite subject !! My main work is delivering containers from and to the USA. Shipping/import rules are quite strict. My job in its entirety involves delivering a container for export or import. It does not extend to opening doors, giving a helping hand or opening a s ealed doors nor sealing something for export. Given the current climate of Health and saftey,only do your own job and no one elses i can get quite a laugh during my working day. My advice is when you get them to remove the seal of their shipping container get them to sign something to say they are liable for what falls out !! Whenever i’ve had a ‘door problem’ i ring the shipping line and tell them that they can’t open/close it and that usually ensures that they do !!!
just out of interest, i agree about the seal being checked to make sure you haven’t had a quick look inside first but opening doors a responsibilty■■?
does that mean that fridge and tautliner drivers can get the customer to open their trailers for them 
surely as long as the seal is ok it is the drivers responsibility to open the doors or you won’t get tipped 
next people will be asking for customers to open the curtains for elf n safety reasons 
welshboyinspain:
just out of interest, i agree about the seal being checked to make sure you haven’t had a quick look inside first but opening doors a responsibilty■■?
does that mean that fridge and tautliner drivers can get the customer to open their trailers for them
surely as long as the seal is ok it is the drivers responsibility to open the doors or you won’t get tipped
next people will be asking for customers to open the curtains for elf n safety reasons
I wouldn;t know about fridge and tautliners, but the import containers i take its a big no no to interfere with the doors or seal. I can overlook protocol for friendly places that make me a brew and are generally friendly but if its a where’s you’re high viz and hard hat jobby then they get both barrels!!!
I was told that it is not our responsibility to do anything other than turn up at the delivery address…the seal, opening/closing doors, loading/unloading is all the responsibility of whoever has ordered the container.
We are merely contracted to deliver the container to the customers premises.
That said, most of us will open/close the doors and put seals on. I am not sure about removing seals, personally it is not something i would be keen to do. Most places like us to back on the bay where they will cut the seal, then we move forward and open the doors.
One place i went this week to load from…i opened the doors (no loading bay) and they put a pallet truck into the container…then proceeded to look expectantly at me as though i was going to climb in the box…i simply walked back to the cab, climbed in, and proceeded to make myself some lunch…
I did get my own back on Christian Salvesen Goodyear in Fort Dunlop. After getting the third degree on the ingate I was sent to a particular office. When I got there I was told to put the trailer on the bay and to take an empty away. I asked them to check my seals and I would then drop it, to be told “dont argue, just put it on the bay” and they would sort it out.
One week later I returned and the trailer was still on the bay in the same place. Apparently the shunter refused to move the trailer because he didn’t have any palm couplings and the stupid English driver had not opened the barn doors 
i was always told that it was not my responsibility or job to cut off any seals, but i was to open the doors after the seal had been removed,
Also, i have told my drivers the same, not to cut seals off, i do not allow my drivers to carry bolt croppers either.
if they carry bolt croppers and the container gets broken into whilst parked up overnight, the blame/suspicion can fall upon the driver
shuttlespanker:
i was always told that it was not my responsibility or job to cut off any seals, but i was to open the doors after the seal had been removed,Also, i have told my drivers the same, not to cut seals off, i do not allow my drivers to carry bolt croppers either.
if they carry bolt croppers and the container gets broken into whilst parked up overnight, the blame/suspicion can fall upon the driver
That would be the policy for most companies that I have had dealings with in the past.
The exception not to follow that policy would be for safety reasons and the driver would normally call in for permission to break the seal.
we are the same as above. We don’t carry bolt cutters but i do sometimes cut the seal if there is a witness there. Mostly cause some wimps can’t cut them.
Usually we back up to the bay let them cut the bolt
Pull forward on a green light or signal. I f there are no lights I usually get out and stand at the back and make sure it’s safe.
Then pull forward and open doors and reverse back on to the bay.
The procedure varies from place to place but that is usually how it works.
knight:
we are the same as above. We don’t carry bolt cutters but i do sometimes cut the seal if there is a witness there. Mostly cause some wimps can’t cut them.
Usually we back up to the bay let them cut the bolt
Pull forward on a green light or signal. I f there are no lights I usually get out and stand at the back and make sure it’s safe.
Then pull forward and open doors and reverse back on to the bay.
The procedure varies from place to place but that is usually how it works.
pretty much sums up how I do it as well
What’s interesting here once again, is the difference in rules and operations for Short Sea and Deep Sea containers. Deep Sea is basically no touch, whereas on Short Sea we strip our own open-tops and open/tilt-siders; flatracks are done by us as standard instead of being contracted out to a “specialist” and we are at the very least responsible for making sure they are secure to ship; if the customer wants us in the back, we get in the back (subbies too, part of the contract), and checking empties for holes/dryness/odour/etc etc after tipping and when collecting off the dock is down to the driver too. We also do tautliner jobs, where a load has been transhipped because there’s no back door tip facility at the delivery point. Ultimately, we’re in competition with the unaccompanied trailer market, so we need to be just as convenient for the customer.
Having done both kinds of boxes over the years, I’d never go back to Deep Sea if I could help it, now. Sure, Short Sea involves a tad more effort, but not much, and as the majority of loads are palletised the hours are much shorter. It’s more interesting, and the Short Sea Terminals are smaller and generally quicker turnarounds than the Deep Dea ports.
I’d also love to be a fly on the wall the day a driver rang our very scary TM and said they wouldn’t open the doors…
I delivered a 40’ it had about 20 pallets of vetinary products on it, the pallets where very light and none was higher than three foot. I told them i was not allowed in the back, they claimed they where not insured to get in the back, after a call to the shippers, an inspection by the management of the company i was delivering to which encorporated about 10 able bodied guys they called an agency guy in to unload it 
It took about 15 minutes.
Had this the other day…
Now normally I do open the back doors, hell it’s about all the exercise I get, but this day I was feeling a little belligerent and was up for it cause the main man was a ■■■■.
So I back under the canopy and once they remove the seal I get the usual shout, “doors drive”. I just sat there and gestured a “do it yourself”
The ■■■■ then appeared and after a lot of shouting to and fro I suggested as it’s obviously too complicated I’d get out and do ‘em.
Quite some time later I got around to do the doors, where they were full of apologises for me having to change out of my slippers
steve_24v:
/snip . . . . . . . was up for it cause the main man was a ■■■■.
I think that’s the key factor for me.
We hear sometimes about so called people applying an attitude to drivers and the drivers “failing the attitude test” 
A few years ago I reached my limit of “treating people the way I’d like to be treated” and “rising above it, and to not lower myself to their level” Mainly because I found that way of being simply encouraged the arses to be more of an arse, so more recently I’ve had the ethos of talking/treating people in exactly the same way as they do me. It provides me with much entertainment 
And so far - 5 or 6 years - I’ve not yet come unstuck. Particularly as my all new shiny Driver’ Company Handbook tells me in black and white that I’m entitled to work, and be treated with “respect and dignity in my workplace” 
Also that I actually must not do certain things - such as “sweep out containers/boxes”
Most of my merriment is caused when referring my Traffic Planner/boss back to the Drivers’ Handbook. As yet, they haven’t found a way to dispute it. After all, we are supposed to work to their instruction - No ?
reading some of this and for all the health and safety type arguments i cant help thinking a lot of them are being used for laziness.
Lucy:
What’s interesting here once again, is the difference in rules and operations for Short Sea and Deep Sea containers. Deep Sea is basically no touch, whereas on Short Sea we strip our own open-tops and open/tilt-siders; flatracks are done by us as standard instead of being contracted out to a “specialist” and we are at the very least responsible for making sure they are secure to ship; if the customer wants us in the back, we get in the back (subbies too, part of the contract), and checking empties for holes/dryness/odour/etc etc after tipping and when collecting off the dock is down to the driver too. We also do tautliner jobs, where a load has been transhipped because there’s no back door tip facility at the delivery point. Ultimately, we’re in competition with the unaccompanied trailer market, so we need to be just as convenient for the customer.Having done both kinds of boxes over the years, I’d never go back to Deep Sea if I could help it, now. Sure, Short Sea involves a tad more effort, but not much, and as the majority of loads are palletised the hours are much shorter. It’s more interesting, and the Short Sea Terminals are smaller and generally quicker turnarounds than the Deep Dea ports.I’d also love to be a fly on the wall the day a driver rang our very scary TM and said they wouldn’t open the doors…
Tilbury 43 berth…nuff said!!!
If thats your quick turnaround you are welcome to it
knight:
we are the same as above. We don’t carry bolt cutters but i do sometimes cut the seal if there is a witness there. Mostly cause some wimps can’t cut them.
Usually we back up to the bay let them cut the bolt
Pull forward on a green light or signal. I f there are no lights I usually get out and stand at the back and make sure it’s safe.
Then pull forward and open doors and reverse back on to the bay.
The procedure varies from place to place but that is usually how it works.
exactly the same as me.