ABF | New Account ???

Friend of the frog said:
Maybe the guy just does his job and does not b*tch about it when he is doing it. Give him a break.
I don't think that anyone is b*tching. Like I said in the 1st post I think that these pool tables are an accident or lawsuit waiting to happen.

I'm sure every ABF peddle driver has had difficult liftgate deliveries, especially some of the turnkeys. But from my experience these pooltables have to be the most dangerous to try and unload. Not because of the weight but because they cannot stand on their side without someone to balance them. And they can't be moved with a dolly. They have to be dragged out longways & turned on the liftgate. Once they are on the ground, then they can be handtrucked.

I know there are a lot of older drivers like myself in their late 50's that can still do their jobs, but I think that this is asking too much.
 
I understand your point. No one should subject them selves to injury. But there may be some young strapping guys who can handle this with no problem. In the guys post he does say that the freight weight only 140 lbs more than he does.

Obviously he is a big string guy and, to him, its no problem.

Do we have to question the guy or slam him like the other poster, because the guy is big and strong ??

As far as the freight goes, someone has to move it and someone is going to get paid to move it. I call it "Job Security".
 
Friend of the frog said:
I understand your point. No one should subject them selves to injury. But there may be some young strapping guys who can handle this with no problem. In the guys post he does say that the freight weight only 140 lbs more than he does.

Obviously he is a big string guy and, to him, its no problem.

Do we have to question the guy or slam him like the other poster, because the guy is big and strong ??

As far as the freight goes, someone has to move it and someone is going to get paid to move it. I call it "Job Security".

slam him? i thought i was polite about his stupidity!
and someone will move this freight after an unnecc injury occurs so that is your justification? sad commentary for sure

job security? what about your family's security after you've been out on comp for 2 years and still can't go back to work due to a severe back injury, what then? will the company feel sorry for you and take into consideration what a great job you did and extend your coverage, I THINK NOT:weight_lift:
yes he is a big strong guy and to him it was no problem.......... this time.......
one wrong twist and powww, i don't care how big and strong you are
but as we all know and are familiar with murphy's law
anything can happen and will happen at the most inopportune time
friend of the frog you give me the impression that you are a linehaul driver so that may serve to excuse your ignorance
again i'm being polite! no slam intended
if not,,,,,,,,,, well you know:censored2:
 
You can get hurt tying your shoe. If you feel you cannot move the freight you tell your supervisor. If he has a problem, you go up the ladder.

Everybody has different thresholds, why condemn someone who can do the job. If you cannot that's fine. Nobody is saying that one should go and get hurt for any job.

As far as the job security comment. ABF has made a fortunr handling and pricing freight noone else can handle. Once that is gone so is the job.

In recapping, if you can move it great, if you can't don't, you need to ask for help.
Just don't playa hate the guy who can move it. One day he will be old and feeble and not be able to move it either.

Peace out Bro
 
Friend of the frog said:
You can get hurt tying your shoe. If you feel you cannot move the freight you tell your supervisor. If he has a problem, you go up the ladder.

Everybody has different thresholds, why condemn someone who can do the job. If you cannot that's fine. Nobody is saying that one should go and get hurt for any job.

As far as the job security comment. ABF has made a fortunr handling and pricing freight noone else can handle. Once that is gone so is the job.

In recapping, if you can move it great, if you can't don't, you need to ask for help.
Just don't playa hate the guy who can move it. One day he will be old and feeble and not be able to move it either.

Peace out Bro
3 or 4 weeks ago I had the 1st pooltable in our terminal on my peddle run loaded on a 48ft. van. I told ops that I couldn't deliver it & 2 other drivers helped me drag it off onto ABF's dock. At 6pm that night I was told to meet another driver who had a liftgate and make the delivery.It was laying flat on a pallet but wouldn't fit on the liftgate laying flat. We had a very hard time making this delivery. The next morning I advised the ops mgr with my shop steward present that it was an unsafe delivery & that I could not & would not attempt one again.

He agreed with me & I nor any of the older guys have had a pooltable since. He told us that the delivery proceedure was for the table to be laid flat at the tail on a piece of plywood. And 2 ABF men were to wiggle it over the edge & slide it to the ground. From there we were only responsible to ge it up onto the driveway.

The instructions on the bill state that the customer is to open & inspect table before signing the Delivery receipt.

Back on the old truckingboards there was a Red Star salesman who said something like-- There is no such thing as bad freight - just poorly priced freight.... or something like that.

Well I was told that the freight charges from California to N.J. for each table was approx $175. this includes residential, notification & 2nd man. Liftgates are not authorized or paid for by shipper.

Freight rates are not my business, but I would bet that when ABF finishes these 3000 deliveries we will find out that they lost money on this account.
 
2631 said:
Freight rates are not my business, but I would bet that when ABF finishes these 3000 deliveries we will find out that they lost money on this account.
I'll bet ya they will not do it for that price again if they do.:22: I am a linehaul driver but I have only been at ABF for 7 years. I know how to take care of me. Delivered mirrors for 28 years and they ain't exactly light.:whistling:
 
2631 said:
3 or 4 weeks ago I had the 1st pooltable in our terminal on my peddle run loaded on a 48ft. van. I told ops that I couldn't deliver it & 2 other drivers helped me drag it off onto ABF's dock. At 6pm that night I was told to meet another driver who had a liftgate and make the delivery.It was laying flat on a pallet but wouldn't fit on the liftgate laying flat. We had a very hard time making this delivery. The next morning I advised the ops mgr with my shop steward present that it was an unsafe delivery & that I could not & would not attempt one again.

He agreed with me & I nor any of the older guys have had a pooltable since. He told us that the delivery proceedure was for the table to be laid flat at the tail on a piece of plywood. And 2 ABF men were to wiggle it over the edge & slide it to the ground. From there we were only responsible to ge it up onto the driveway.

The instructions on the bill state that the customer is to open & inspect table before signing the Delivery receipt.

Back on the old truckingboards there was a Red Star salesman who said something like-- There is no such thing as bad freight - just poorly priced freight.... or something like that.

Well I was told that the freight charges from California to N.J. for each table was approx $175. this includes residential, notification & 2nd man. Liftgates are not authorized or paid for by shipper.

Freight rates are not my business, but I would bet that when ABF finishes these 3000 deliveries we will find out that they lost money on this account.
I tend to agree if the freightis priced properly, you make it happen. Not everything can be dock to dock on nice, square 40x48 pallets.

That being said $175.00 from Ca - NY with res and LG sure is not priced right.

That being said ABF is a smart company and does things for a reason. I agree with my friend and think that they will not be moving those pool tables for long at those rates.

That sales rep sounds like a smart guy. I'll bet he is real handsome too....:wacko:
 
Friend of the frog said:
I tend to agree if the freightis priced properly, you make it happen. Not everything can be dock to dock on nice, square 40x48 pallets.

That being said $175.00 from Ca - NY with res and LG sure is not priced right.

That being said ABF is a smart company and does things for a reason. I agree with my friend and think that they will not be moving those pool tables for long at those rates.

That sales rep sounds like a smart guy. I'll bet he is real handsome too....:wacko:
forget about the pricing
that does not matter to me as even if abf got $500 per pool table does not make it any safer
point is if you have guys being heroes and doin it solo then abf will expect everyone else to do same
since when does supervision take your safety into consideration
the rocket scientists who supervise loading placed the delivery for 2631 to do on a 48ft van to a residential stop
remember "aim high in steering" sound familiar
they only care about getting the freight off the dock not how the hell it gets off your truck
in addition i am not old and feeble as you inferred , 51 5'10 255
i can handle a lot of things but choose to work smart and use my brain instead of just my braun
i feel sorry for hillbilly frog if he has more friends like you
you are lucky to be in linehaul:shutup2:
 
"He agreed with me & I nor any of the older guys have had a pooltable since. He told us that the delivery proceedure was for the table to be laid flat at the tail on a piece of plywood. And 2 ABF men were to wiggle it over the edge & slide it to the ground. From there we were only responsible to ge it up onto the driveway."
in my terminal we were told it must go into the garage
no method of how to effect delivery was given to us, basically whatever works
as far as the plywood method they can kiss my a*s*s
my terminal even gave these deliveries to a cartage agent we use and he sent them back to us telling us his drivers refused to do them ironically they are non union and they even know better
the osd clerk informed me that 85% of these deliveries are damaged upon inspection by the customer creating the situation for them to picked up further adding to a losing proposition

abf can't even agree on the method nevermind worry about our safety
if they were truly worried about our safety we wouldn't be sent on these jerkoff endeavors
 
Saddletramp69 said:
Its the drivers responsibility to unload his truck. Period. It doesnt matter if you drive ltl, truckload, or haulmud in the oilfield.
It is the companys responsibility to provide the driver with the proper equipment to unload his truck.
 
I'm a P & D driver from UPS Freight.I've been doing this..

since 1963.
I got my union card in 1966,I've worked in the union 20 years,going on 24 non-union.

I've found in that time working for 15 different LTL companies.
As a general rule that if you think you can't do something safely,but you go ahead and do it,than get hurt,its always your fault for attempting something beyond your ability.

Your the driver that is on the job,not the TM,or the dispatcher.
You know what you can do,and what you can't handle.

Over these many years I have figured out how to handle a lot of strange deliveries.
But I've also had stops that I flat won't do without help.

I say to the TM if you think its easy,be my guest,do it your self,or give me help,and I will do it,other wise have the customer arrange for a cartage company,with better equipment,and the required manpower.

My UPS Freight TM knows me well enough after 20 years,that he goes by my judgment and does what I say.

He's always blaming drivers that get hurt for not using their heads.

This is my take on this thread I hope it helps.
 
big steve said:
forget about the pricing
that does not matter to me as even if abf got $500 per pool table does not make it any safer
point is if you have guys being heroes and doin it solo then abf will expect everyone else to do same
since when does supervision take your safety into consideration
the rocket scientists who supervise loading placed the delivery for 2631 to do on a 48ft van to a residential stop
remember "aim high in steering" sound familiar
they only care about getting the freight off the dock not how the hell it gets off your truck
in addition i am not old and feeble as you inferred , 51 5'10 255
i can handle a lot of things but choose to work smart and use my brain instead of just my braun
i feel sorry for hillbilly frog if he has more friends like you
you are lucky to be in linehaul:shutup2:


Can I clear up a few things ? First I never inferred that you were old and feeble.

With a user ID like BIG STEVE, I assumed you had some meat on your bones.

Next I am not a line haul driver.

Last, I do not want to see anyone get hurt.

However, to say that someone is trying to be a hero because they are performing their job is ridiculous. Saying that because one person can do a job a certain way, makes the company think that every one can do the job the same way, is just as dumb.
We all have blowhard supervisors. Luckily at ABF we have a union to protect us from these morons.

That being said if there is a job that I can do, that someone else cannot and that job is in my description, I am going to do it. One day the time will come when I can no longer do it and that day I will step back and say that I cannot do it. Get me help or find someone else.

But for me to not perform a duty because one of my brothers cannot do it is silly. Gor crying out loud we have guys in my barn who cannot even tie there shoes.

Should I start wearing loafers ??
 
Friend of the frog said:
Can I clear up a few things ? First I never inferred that you were old and feeble.

With a user ID like BIG STEVE, I assumed you had some meat on your bones.

Next I am not a line haul driver.

Last, I do not want to see anyone get hurt.

However, to say that someone is trying to be a hero because they are performing their job is ridiculous. Saying that because one person can do a job a certain way, makes the company think that every one can do the job the same way, is just as dumb.
We all have blowhard supervisors. Luckily at ABF we have a union to protect us from these morons.

That being said if there is a job that I can do, that someone else cannot and that job is in my description, I am going to do it. One day the time will come when I can no longer do it and that day I will step back and say that I cannot do it. Get me help or find someone else.

But for me to not perform a duty because one of my brothers cannot do it is silly. Gor crying out loud we have guys in my barn who cannot even tie there shoes.

Should I start wearing loafers ??

first of all you "sounded like a line haul driver"
now i'll address the hero comment
first of all if you are a p&d driver you would know that right on the delivery reciept it clearly states "2 man delivery"
question? why would anyone want to do it differently
my reasoning is that the person who wishes to do it solo can only be trying to be one thing, a "hero"
there is no other purpose, if there is, then enlighten me

based on my 20 years with abf, 30 in the freight industry i think i might know the way these companies think
i have seen too many of our brothers placed into situations whereas they thought they could do it and got injured
the companies always state they want to reduce comp related costs, preach safety and the like but yet allow guys like nooksak, who think they are doing the right thing to attempt 2 man deliveries on their own
big contradiction
the companies or better yet the supervisors only care about accomplishing more with less we call for help and they usually say that they don't have anyone available to help or do it yourself, that is a fact
if you are in p&d you should know this
you should also know that they constantly place private residence deliveries weighing 400 - 500lbs on regular pups or 48' bands without utilizing the liftgate trailers
if this is the future of our business then get more liftgate trailers and straight trucks to perform them
guys are all not like us whereas we do not get intimadated but they are out there and when a supervisor "orders" that person to do it, they try and more than likely get hurt in the process
companies don't reward the "heroes" they just go to the next candidate after the first hero gets hurt
your logic is convoluted and you should get the "loafer" out of your mouth:whistling:
 
Saddletramp69 said:
Its the drivers responsibility to unload his truck. Period. It doesnt matter if you drive ltl, truckload, or haulmud in the oilfield.

you're statement shouldn't be dignified with an intelligent response:wacko:
 
Big Steve - This is my last post regarding this because it has gone on way too long.

Your job is to drive your truck and deliver your freight.

The company is not going to stop handling business because you don't like it for whatever reason.

The guys who are "heroes" in your mind (guys just doing their job in mind) will continue to try and be "heroes" no matter what you think.

Just let the guy do his job and why don't we all just mind our collective business. When the hero gets hurt, don't sign the get well card.

Over and out.
 
I started this thread because after delivering one of these pooltables, I felt that I could not safely make another one & was curious as to how other terminals might be doing it.

ABF pays me to drive THEIR truck & deliver THEIR freight to THEIR customers. ABF doesn't expect me to do anything that could cause injury to myself or my helper or damage to their freight.

I have only been at 352 for 2 years.
But I can honestly say that I don't believe that the management in Avenel would ever put more concern on a delivery than the health & safety of their employees. I really believe that. These are decent people & they listen to us. Its not always the customer comes first.

As far as the hero bit goes, I have to agree with big steve. In post # 2 nooksack says that he was going to make the delivery alone but company policy states that its a 2 man delivery..... Then in post #12 he says that it was an 8 min piece of cake and that he did it on his own ( I assume )

The company told him it was a 2 man delivery, therefore it was not in his job description to even attempt to make this delivery on his own.
 
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