SEFL | Straps?

Dick Dastardly

Drat, Double Drat, and Triple Drat!
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How are straps handled at your barn? They're a rare commodity at my center. The Center manager refuses to purchase any because he says we run out too fast. The few we do have the City drivers aren't allowed to use. They're strictly for outbound.

The only ones we usually have are inbound straps from interline carriers that come in. We are told to use rope (twine) to secure all of our pickups and deliveries, but now we seem to not have any rope either lately.

It's extremely stressful picking up drums and totes etc, and having no way to secure them or having to use some thin piece of twine.

Is it this way everywhere, or is my center manager just being too cheap and cutting any and all corners to make himself look better?
 
I wasn't aware that southeastern owned any straps at all. The 5 years I worked there I may have seen 5 straps and they all said Fedex freight, old dominion or Dayton freight. They'll spend millions to have the fanciest freight terminal in town but won't buy enough trucks for everyone to drive or something as mundane as a few straps.
 
I wasn't aware that southeastern owned any straps at all. The 5 years I worked there I may have seen 5 straps and they all said Fedex freight, old dominion or Dayton freight. They'll spend millions to have the fanciest freight terminal in town but won't buy enough trucks for everyone to drive or something as mundane as a few straps.

Exactly. I have seen more Dayton Freight and old blue Con-Way straps than anything. Very rarely I'll see a red Southeastern strap on an outbound trailer being used. It's absurd a freight company all but refusing to purchase straps.

And don't get me started on the old cotton mill style hand trucks we have to use. Some guys buy their own but I refuse to spend out of pocket to do the job. It's a load of fun delivering to the fifth floor with a garbage ULine delivery.
 
Exactly. I have seen more Dayton Freight and old blue Con-Way straps than anything. Very rarely I'll see a red Southeastern strap on an outbound trailer being used. It's absurd a freight company all but refusing to purchase straps.

And don't get me started on the old cotton mill style hand trucks we have to use. Some guys buy their own but I refuse to spend out of pocket to do the job. It's a load of fun delivering to the fifth floor with a garbage ULine delivery.
Yeah some things they do are beyond odd. When I started p and D I had a later start time and the last 2 or 3 guys to come in either got no pallet jack or a very ragged one that was usually missing a front wheel or the forks were crooked, etc etc. I ended up buying my own after management refused to order more. If I could go back in time I would have just brought the freight back for lack of tools until they were forced to buy a few jacks. I was young at the time and trying to prove myself but I have nothing to prove anymore. Some guys at my terminal had their own aluminum Hans trucks and their own straps and pallet pullers.
 
Yeah some things they do are beyond odd. When I started p and D I had a later start time and the last 2 or 3 guys to come in either got no pallet jack or a very ragged one that was usually missing a front wheel or the forks were crooked, etc etc. I ended up buying my own after management refused to order more. If I could go back in time I would have just brought the freight back for lack of tools until they were forced to buy a few jacks. I was young at the time and trying to prove myself but I have nothing to prove anymore. Some guys at my terminal had their own aluminum Hans trucks and their own straps and pallet pullers.

Not much has changed. After a few months of me doing the above I was finally given a new jack. I was constantly getting a lift gate and the next words out of my mouth were "I need a pallet jack and hand truck if I'm going to run this."

I'm not very popular as you can probably guess. I assume they think I'm a hard ass but I just insist on the proper tools to do the job safe and efficient but apparently that isn't in the pyramid.
 
It's your scm. You should refuse to haul anything not properly blocked and braced so as to protect the companies CSA score and points on your license. Get safety involved. The only thing these scms respond to is pressure from up top. We have straps as needed. Additionally, I would document every time I requested straps to do the job safely and was told we are out. Day time person
 
In regards to jacks/hand trucks, it's up to your regional operations Vp to approve new equipment. Your scm won't bother him with that unless pressured.
 
That place will never change. I remember when I ran p&d you had to buy your pallet jack along time ago. Only straps they had where old dominion and Dayton freight. I'm so glad I don't work there anymore. Some people that work there and talk about how good the company southeastern is are completely brainwashed I know because I use to be one of them. Then I saw how they don't care about anything. So glad I'm gone from there. My body has never felt better.
 
Nothing is strapped in the trailers I pick up from CSD. Speedy tries to provide deckers with built in bars for that reason, I suppose.

I intend to pick up a couple of E-track ratchet straps soon because the handling of all freight in transit is left to us. And I don't like depending on load bars.
 
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