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TForce | road drivers are not to placard trailers

Overnite

Overnite

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Trailers are to be placarded by the dock even the rear placard is to be switched by the dock once the driver pulls away from the dock, this goes for city drivers also, if the trailer is not placarded you are to report it to the dock supervisor.

Only at dark terminals are drivers to placard a trailer if the dock did not, and that is after you notify central.
 
We've been pushing for enforcement of that for a long time out west and nobody seems to give a hoot.Hope it starts getting enforced, i'm tired of getting dispatched and then finding out I need to placard my trailer.
 
mossbackman said:
We've been pushing for enforcement of that for a long time out west and nobody seems to give a hoot.Hope it starts getting enforced, i'm tired of getting dispatched and then finding out I need to placard my trailer.
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I'm out west and we still have a big problem with this. I haven't seen anything in writing that this is the standard procedure. Every terminal seems to do their own thing.:popcorn:
 
Skeeter said:
I'm out west and we still have a big problem with this. I haven't seen anything in writing that this is the standard procedure. Every terminal seems to do their own thing.:popcorn:
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I still have to placard my trailer when the dock guys forget.
It's not a big deal to me.
But you're right, there is no uniformity in this procedure.
 
Dockworker said:
I still have to placard my trailer when the dock guys forget.
It's not a big deal to me.
But you're right, there is no uniformity in this procedure.
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I have no real problem doing it myself. But they are pushing 30 minutes from the time you clock in to be out the gate. You know yourself everything has to run perfect you do your pretrip and get out the gate in 30 minutes.
However, If I got to deal with hazmat it ain't going to happen. It will be at least 45 minutes.:popcorn:
 
Skeeter said:
I have no real problem doing it myself. But they are pushing 30 minutes from the time you clock in to be out the gate. You know yourself everything has to run perfect you do your pretrip and get out the gate in 30 minutes.
However, If I got to deal with hazmat it ain't going to happen. It will be at least 45 minutes.:popcorn:
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Our road drivers get in late, they decide to break those trailers and our OP time average 90 minutes! OMG!
Plus we have guys that hog the fuel island and decide to add 5 gallons of fuel to their tractors, check the oil etc. Thus delaying the guys that need the fuel.
We have a cluster fudge of mismanagement going on.
 
In the central Region we(road drivers) use to get up to a half hour to placard a trailer....depends if you can find the placards....but anyway the way it is suppose to work, is that the dock is responsible for placarding the trailer!

BUT IF THE TRAILERS HAVE NOT BEEN PLACARDED, THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY RELIES WITH THE DRIVER OF THE TRAILERS, DO NOT GET FIRED CAUSE YOU REFUSED TO PLACARD THE TRAILER....THERE IS A DECISION OUT OF BELIEVE OUT OF MILWAUKEE WHERE THEY STATE THAT THE DOCK IS TO DO THE WORK, THEN IT GOES TO A GARAGE PERSONNEL, THEN THE DRIVER IS THE LAST RESORT, BUT YOU WILL GET PAID, EXTRA IF YOUR PART OF THE NFMA ....check with your BA and see if you have this wording in your contract.... it may take someone to file a grievance to push the envelope for you guys!
 
when i was a spotter we were told to placard the trailers when we did the hooks/ i would always remind the dispatcher that it states in the overnite/ups frieght rule book we all were given that it was a supervisors responsibility to placard the trailer not ours. but it never went anywhere.
just anouther example on how some rules are followed and some aren't.
 
the yard

dock personel are not to go out in the yard unless needed to help raise trailer bar.......the placarding is to be done by YARD personel.......we call them jockies or hostlers or spotters.....dockworkers have a tendincy to get hit by drivers out in the yard.....UPS safety rules you know.....NO DOCKWORKERS IN YARD.....unless forklift is needed. if they want the supervisors to do it fine. most supervisors i know have to ask me the placarding anyway.
 
i had a driver try and page me outside to do his flip placards........his FLIP placards. dont get much lazier than that. im surprised he can wipe his behind by himself.
 
I have fought this time and time again. It seems that its not done anywhere. I am either putting placards on, taking (scraping them off) or flipping them. Not a problem anymore, I am on the clock and I let the dispatcher or manager know this every time I have to do it, which is almost daily. It takes me as long as it takes me, Thanks for the extra time on the clock (cash) management!!!!
 
If its raining, I will take it to the shop and wait in line to get the set inside the bay. This will take an extra 45-60 minutes. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
 
BusterNite said:
I have fought this time and time again. It seems that its not done anywhere. I am either putting placards on, taking (scraping them off) or flipping them. Not a problem anymore, I am on the clock and I let the dispatcher or manager know this every time I have to do it, which is almost daily. It takes me as long as it takes me, Thanks for the extra time on the clock (cash) management!!!!
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My feelings exactly... I do my job how ever long it takes. I don't look or think about the clock. Safety is first. If they want me out quicker then have my set hooked and the placards on right....:duh:

And again you are the one out there on the road that will be fined if you placards are blown off. This is common sense. Everyone has to do their job for things to run smoothly. One problem can cause a chain reaction. I can understand a company trying to save money. But it can't be from pressuring a driver to work faster and possibly unsafe to make up for others not doing their job.
 
I've allways found it odd those who give the responsabilty to the dockworker over the driver to placard a trailer.
One has no DOT hazmat. training or testing whatsoever and one had to take and pass a hazmat test by the DOT.
 
tigerwitha88 said:
I've allways found it odd those who give the responsabilty to the dockworker over the driver to placard a trailer.
One has no DOT hazmat. training or testing whatsoever and one had to take and pass a hazmat test by the DOT.
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I'm surprised that dock workers are not certified to handle hazmat. The dock workers are handling and loading highly dangerous materials that in some cases loaded together can be deadly. In most cases the dock workers are handling the hazmat more than the drivers are. Drivers just haul it and hope the dock worker has loaded the hazardous materials according to law so that there is not any unexpected explosions. I have always felt that this company takes hazardous material issues way to lightly.
 
tigerwitha88 said:
I've allways found it odd those who give the responsabilty to the dockworker over the driver to placard a trailer.
One has no DOT hazmat. training or testing whatsoever and one had to take and pass a hazmat test by the DOT.
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The dock workers have to be trained on hazmat to. The big issue for me is they want us in and out of the yard in 30 minutes. So the dock workers are going to have to placard the trailers in order for us to be close to getting out in 30 minutes. We as the drivers are responsible to make sure it is placard right before we leave however.
 
Skeeter said:
The dock workers have to be trained on hazmat to. The big issue for me is they want us in and out of the yard in 30 minutes. So the dock workers are going to have to placard the trailers in order for us to be close to getting out in 30 minutes. We as the drivers are responsible to make sure it is placard right before we leave however.
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Yes but the dockworker didnt have to take a DOT test and pass it. He got the Overnite style "just sign this paper" meeting and that didnt have the what and how a trailer should be placard. It was handling hazmat, spills, etc.,

Don't get me wrong, if its the dockworkers responsabilty he should be required to take and pass the same DOT test. Seems like common sense to me.
 
Half of the dockworkers wouldn't know where a placard goes on a trailer. They don't even know how to load hazmat on a trailer. They see the hazmat bill and automatically assume to dock no matter what is in the trailer.
 
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