What's new

ODFL | A problem that never goes away

JIM BOB

JIM BOB

06/47-08/20
Rest In Peace
Credits
0
If you are given a trailer number or a set of numbers to hook to and when you find them they need to go to the shop for repair WHY WHY does that happen ? And WHY WHY does it keep happening ? This ain't no new company.This is one of the problems O.D.thought they had solved a long time ago but keeps recurring.We know whose problem it is but whose fault is it ? Was the equipment D/L when it came in and still loaded or did the driver drop it and run ? At some terminals it happens pretty regular and is one of the most aggravating things a driver can run across.Having to take a trailer to the shop before it can leave slows the whole works done and a loaded set in the shop is making NO money for anybody.
 
It's not getting fixed the way things are now.I think we need a inspection bay at the big terms.You would think that paying the drivers to take them through the shop would take care of it, but no even the p&d guys will no get anything fixed.They was fueling in places and it helped.I think the almighty $ changed that!:chairshot:
 
Inspection bay is the answer. The only 2 terminals that ever had this system were GBO and MRT and MRT did away with it a while ago. With the new building at MRT unless they implement a system it will get worse there before it gets better. HAR has it setup so if you tell the dispatcher at the drive up they will deadline it and give you a tag.
It runs in cycles but when you get that cycle of torn up equipment you will be in the shop everyday for a week or more. It's real bad when you're at a terminal with no shop, usually a horror to try and get something fixed.
 
I always heard them scary stories the Watkins drivers would tell me about how they would have to wait in line for long periods of time after working all their shift as they waited to fuel up and have some on the clock bozo check out their equipment.
 
Mooresville Moose said:
Looks like we are the only two that think this is a big problem JIMBOB.
Click to expand...
Oh no no You are not alone.
But this is what I think.
Discipline and Communication,
It’s all a question of discipline and Communication
If Drivers, Switchers and all others would work together it would work out fine.
I have always some of the Red Tags with me. (Can be picked up in every Shop).
If I detect a defect I write it in my Post Trip and on the red tag. (I know how to use a Pen).
I put this red tag on the glad-hand from the emergency line (RED) from the Trailer. If you are
not Blind or Dumb you must see it. (I wrote this already once).
Tell it to dispatch or write it down on a paper and put it together with the bills, so they can see it
In the morning.
Now if a switcher takes a Trailer he must see that Tag. Why in the H……. he doesn’t communicate with dispatch. They can Radio quickly to dispatch and tell them that the Trailer has to go to the Shop. Now dispatch can assign another Trailer or something else to that Driver.
But the Switcher takes that Trailer, ignores the tag and drops it as quickly as possible in the Yard,
So he can go back, (behind other trailers) to the big swichermeeting.
 
Snowmann said:
Oh no no You are not alone.
But this is what I think.
Discipline and Communication,
It’s all a question of discipline and Communication
If Drivers, Switchers and all others would work together it would work out fine.
I have always some of the Red Tags with me. (Can be picked up in every Shop).
If I detect a defect I write it in my Post Trip and on the red tag. (I know how to use a Pen).
I put this red tag on the glad-hand from the emergency line (RED) from the Trailer. If you are
not Blind or Dumb you must see it. (I wrote this already once).
Tell it to dispatch or write it down on a paper and put it together with the bills, so they can see it
In the morning.
Now if a switcher takes a Trailer he must see that Tag. Why in the H……. he doesn’t communicate with dispatch. They can Radio quickly to dispatch and tell them that the Trailer has to go to the Shop. Now dispatch can assign another Trailer or something else to that Driver.
But the Switcher takes that Trailer, ignores the tag and drops it as quickly as possible in the Yard,
So he can go back, (behind other trailers) to the big swichermeeting.
Click to expand...

I think you're right.Most of the time everything should go like it's supposed to in the cycle of bringing the trailers in to a terminal,dropping,switcher breaks them,spots jiff,and puts trailers to dock or yard.Usually the shop wants a trailer empty,because of past problems,before they work on it.So you've got a d/l trailer up to the dock unloading to go to the shop,they may need trailers and it gets reloaded,the write up and tag disappear.Same thing with a jiff.They may need jiffs or the switcher might not want to move a couple bad jiffs to get a good one out and the wind blows the red tag off.I can go on with this but you get the idea.They're all interested in the completion of THEIR part of the job and not looking at the situation as a whole.Therefore the only skilled labor that O.D. has ends up sitting in the shop getting the shaft when he should be traveling down the highway. It does no good to hurry the p/d man to pick up freight,get back with it,push the dock man to get it off and loaded,get the trailer loaded and full,rush the switcher to get it away from the dock and hooked,the driver hooks to it,he finds a problem and the set goes to the shop for an hour or two.What have you gained ? Everybody has got to do their part to make it work.

One more thing.I don't know if O.D. is still using that small white deadline/write up slip or not but that needs to change.They get lost real easy in an office,if you catch my drift.
 
The bottom line is we the drivers who are only performance paid both perform and suffer while the hourly salary workers tend to not perform and skate. Afterall it's not them sitting on the side of the road or in the service bay for free.
 
i would say the supervision problem is through the whole system from manager to employee.It should start at the TM office and he/she monitor that rules are followed or people get to stay home.We have less teamwork than ever before,less communication between departments or even inside departments(2 dispatchers in one room 3 feet apart)than i have ever seen.we have bi-weekly meeting where all they talk about is get the freight delivered no matter what .that is all they act like they care about,the numbers on the paper.if you have something wrong with the equipment that will cost time and money unless you can get it to the next terminal where it becomes their problem.does that seem like the real world.
 
m moose,
i dont know about your term, but at mine 95% of of the time WE[p&d] don't pull pups so as far as getting sh.. fixed it is a problem but we don't get pup fixed because we don't use them.... if we red tag our city trl but it isn't fixed we go to the shop in the morning and wait in line. mybe your guys don't get stuff fixed but don't blame all the city drivers..
 
groundhog74 said:
m moose,
i dont know about your term, but at mine 95% of of the time WE[p&d] don't pull pups so as far as getting sh.. fixed it is a problem but we don't get pup fixed because we don't use them.... if we red tag our city trl but it isn't fixed we go to the shop in the morning and wait in line. mybe your guys don't get stuff fixed but don't blame all the city drivers..
Click to expand...

Easy big guy.I am also a P&D driver.I guess your guys do better than mine.They just hook and go.Vans and pups,they don't care.
 
I really like getting a con-gear and hooking it up in a set only to find that it has a broken airline or something else.No excuse for leaving a broken piece of equip. for someone else to deal with. And thats all I got to say 'bout that.:duh:
 
I agree with you all. I try to do something to help as I'm sure that many of us here do, it's called a post trip.

I've found stuff, wrote it up, red tagged it, then let the dispatcher know. I also try to use the same jiff on the next set going out. I really don't hide it, but maybe bury it alittle. I like the 842*** series, it seems like everyone is after the super singles.

I've had to layover due to equipment failure, it took over 3 hours for someone to get to me and fix a trailer. What sucked was I had to layover 70 miles from my terminal. I didn't want to try to get in, Woodburn scale is 40 miles away.

Have a great day drivers. Ooopps people.
 
had one this week. dead lined when it came in .unloaded and reloaded then had to go to shop.driver had to wait 1 hour (no pay)then had speed service on trip coming in.why do they keep loading dead lined trailers?
 
silvernickel said:
had one this week. dead lined when it came in .unloaded and reloaded then had to go to shop.driver had to wait 1 hour (no pay)then had speed service on trip coming in.why do they keep loading dead lined trailers?
Click to expand...

Because once the seal goes on they're finished with it then it's the next man's problem.You're the next man.
 
A office worker actually took the time to deadline it in the computer?????? That would take effort wouldn't it.
 
I had a trailer last week.It had a marker light out.I did not get it fixed just to see how long it would take for some else to run it through the shop.I had it today and it had a FHWA yesterday.The light was still out!They did put a couple of tires on it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top