Central Transport | Are we old Vitran guys to hard on CT?

[runawaytrain]

I'm not trying to be a smartass but why do drivers have to buy pallet jacks? isn't that supposed to be company equipment?

At Vitran they had pallet jacks on a first come first serve basis......But most were bent and broken in one way or the other.....Vitran was so disorganized they never really assigned them so if you wanted one to help make your job easier you bought your own and locked it up or just hoped the customer had one they would set up in your truck if they didn't have a dock.

 

[ct42long]

And life was so good at that time?

 

[fudgie]

And life was so good at that time?

At least with Vitran for the most part the freight was not so destroyed that it could not be moved with a pallet jack, can't say the same for CT

 

[fudgie]

I'm not trying to be a smartass but why do drivers have to buy pallet jacks? isn't that supposed to be company equipment?

At least at my barn not only under vitran but also under PJAX corporate bought so many jacks in a 5 year period that they finally said no more (over 50 jacks for 45 drivers) we would have drivers leave them on trailers when they dropped them at auto plants, drive down the road with swing doors open and shoot them out the back, take the off at customers and forget to put them back on, or have dockworkers thinking the were funny and intentionally run them over with the hilos ( I actually saw one dockworker( a senior one none the less) get a jack up in the steer tire of the hilo and keep running it over till it looked like a pretzel all the time laughing) so basically if you wanted one you either bought your own or stole one from a customer (hopefully without getting caught) then locked it up where hilos couldn't get near them, of course that didn't stop dispatch or management from cutting your chain or lock to get at the jack.

 

[Deleted member 5115]

I'm not trying to be a smartass but why do drivers have to buy pallet jacks? isn't that supposed to be company equipment?

Nothing smart ass about it. Drivers are required to show up on time, properly dressed, rested and ready for work.

 

[runawaytrain]

At least at my barn not only under vitran but also under PJAX corporate bought so many jacks in a 5 year period that they finally said no more (over 50 jacks for 45 drivers) we would have drivers leave them on trailers when they dropped them at auto plants, drive down the road with swing doors open and shoot them out the back, take the off at customers and forget to put them back on, or have dockworkers thinking the were funny and intentionally run them over with the hilos ( I actually saw one dockworker( a senior one none the less) get a jack up in the steer tire of the hilo and keep running it over till it looked like a pretzel all the time laughing) so basically if you wanted one you either bought your own or stole one from a customer (hopefully without getting caught) then locked it up where hilos couldn't get near them, of course that didn't stop dispatch or management from cutting your chain or lock to get at the jack.

One time a supervisor cut the lock on a pallet I had bought and I almost got fired when I preceded to cuss him out after he started it............We went in the TM's office and it was on........They could have fired me but they chose not to because he cussed me first.....At that point though I really didn't care if they fired me or not...Actually I wish they had so I would have moved on a lot sooner.

 

[Jeepstr723]

is that the same one who took over my route when I took the 5am dock/drive position?

Unknown, will pm

 

[Jeepstr723]

I'm not trying to be a smartass but why do drivers have to buy pallet jacks? isn't that supposed to be company equipment?

You would think that but after waiting a couple of weeks with promises from the TM that they are on order yet never arrive, you go out and spend 150.00 to 200.00 bucks and get your own. Harbor Freight buy it on sale for 200.00 get the extended warranty and get a new jack every year or two.

 

[Jeepstr723]

At least at my barn not only under vitran but also under PJAX corporate bought so many jacks in a 5 year period that they finally said no more (over 50 jacks for 45 drivers) we would have drivers leave them on trailers when they dropped them at auto plants, drive down the road with swing doors open and shoot them out the back, take the off at customers and forget to put them back on, or have dockworkers thinking the were funny and intentionally run them over with the hilos ( I actually saw one dockworker( a senior one none the less) get a jack up in the steer tire of the hilo and keep running it over till it looked like a pretzel all the time laughing) so basically if you wanted one you either bought your own or stole one from a customer (hopefully without getting caught) then locked it up where hilos couldn't get near them, of course that didn't stop dispatch or management from cutting your chain or lock to get at the jack.

You speak the truth there fudgie, I had a friends jack locked to mine while he was on suspension, he bought his jack the same day as I from the local PJ guy, 150.00. Good old Gary gave another driver the bolt cutters and told him to cut my chain several days in a row. I was pissed, I told the TM the next time my chain gets cut I was filing a police report. I got in a heated arguement with him and the chain was never cut again. Though I was assigned to a lifetime of running the LG loads with the 42' trailer. I got used to it and was teed off when they would not give me LG loads. If you buy your own, you make sure it gets locked up in a safe spot. Dockworkers love to trash them and everything else.