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ABF | Swing Doors

Here it comes.....

Apostolic said:
Just an old timer helping out a new bee,it gives you a good feeling,even though their company is cutting our throats for the freight they are hauling.
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Not to get off topic here but your company is one of those that is doing the throat cutting to the union carriers. So don't cry foul when you guys are just as good with a knife as say OD or Conway or FedEx Freight. Just my 2 cents.:chairshot:
 
OHHHHHHHH is that right?
Hows come Yellows terminal is around the same size as ours where I live,they have around the same amount of drivers,and they haul way more freight then we do?

All of my 44 years being a LTL city driver,I've learned a ton about this business.
But How every trucking company sets their rates is something I'll never understand?

We have lost accounts to Fedex,and R & L.
Also Yellow,and ABF has customers that we will never be able to get.

But we all do know the Truck Load companies are hauling their loads for way under any of the LTL's could do if for.
Thats where I'm coming from!
 
Apostolic said:
Now heres the big difference between you,and me my truckingboard friend.
Its called the Teamsters union.
You have a greivence process,and I have (ZIP).
We both have to do what we have to do,but you can get help from the union,and I've got to do my best,by whinning,and hope I can get a break,if not I've got to just deal with it.
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I hope that you don't mind if I use this quote to counter some of the anti union posters on the union/nonunion debate forum.
 
The swing doors are comming back for punnishment runs...its our way (dockman/spotter) of getting back at cry baby city drivers, the more you ***** about it, the more swing doors you will have....im not kidding. Your attitude towards your fellow workers will determine how much they look out for you. If you find yourself with swing doors more than the other route drivers, it means somebodys looking out for you...but not the way you want. Try being nice to the dockman/spotters and you will get roll ups more often...I make it a point to switch out swings for roll ups, but only for the nice guys, if your a J/O you get whats in the door...its called karma.
 
Pyphon said:
the only reson any of you need the union is you have no balls to speak up for yourself
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I am a union worker at ABF because a union job gives me the best pay, benefits & working conditions in the industry.

Sometimes the ones that knock the union are the ones that can't get on a union job because of something on their record. Why else would they go to a job that offers substandard pay & benefits.

Anyone with balls does not have to hide behind a computer keyboard & screen name to try & stir up trouble.
 
Well believe me if I could of gotten another union job,I would have jumped at the chance.
I got my first union city driving job in 1966,I had to take a withdrawl in 1986,for a lot of different issues.
one being I was older,and there were a lot of trucking companies closing their doors in the years right after our lame government deregulatated the trucking industry.
So there were a large number of workers from all of the failed companies trying for the few jobs available back then.
I was with a company that closed,I worked casual for a number of months.
A day,or two here,and there for anyone that had work for me when I called.
11 different companies.
So to make a long story short,had I gotten hired fultime at anyother union trucking company.
I'd of had my 30 years in by late 1996.
But I hired on with Overnite,a non-union company,and am still going now going on 45 years,as a city driver altogether,including the non-union years I had before my first union job.

The only real negative beef I had with the Teamsters union,before I gave up my union card was I needed their representation on something.
because there were so many out of work .
my local business agent first said he couldn't help me,then said he wouldn't help.

Now in my case the rest of my story is history.
I'm still working as a city driver,for a non-union company.
God only knows what my future may be?

Gee wiz I'm sorry this should be in the union-non-union forum.
I was just posting a responce to 2631 post #27 above?
 
2631 said:
I am a union worker at ABF because a union job gives me the best pay, benefits & working conditions in the industry.

Sometimes the ones that knock the union are the ones that can't get on a union job because of something on their record. Why else would they go to a job that offers substandard pay & benefits.

Anyone with balls does not have to hide behind a computer keyboard & screen name to try & stir up trouble.
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Familyman I am glad that you deleted Pyphon's post..For the other union members that read this forum, I only responded to Pyphon because of the deleted name that he called us. IMO he was just trying to stir up trouble because he is jealous of what we have & for whatever the reasons are that he can't get on a union job.
 
Wow back on track I wonder where they are digging up all these old swing doors. Been getting some 47 series in. I think there is more rust than good steel. Had a trailer that the whole wheel assembly broke loose from the box. I might suggest checking all the welds that connect the two togeather. The thing about the trailer that broke is that the doors worked great.
 
Well here you go,its all in how your looking at this barn door verses roll up doors.
You can find a bright side,as well as a bad side to almost every given issue under the sun.

We've seen a lot of the bad things on the side of having to make deliveries with barn doors.

Now heres two good items I could think of seeing I've had both types of trailers to deliver freight off of.

The first thing is we city drivers get paid by the hour,and it does take a lot longer making freight drops using barn doors.

The other thing is you have to make extra trips dealing with swing doors.
Which provides you with more exercise,per day depending on how many customers you have to service.

Its a good thing to be physicaly fit when your a city driver,being fit,and trim is very healthy.

So I hope this helps you ABF drivers see that having barn doors on your trailers isn't a total bummer,like all of the posts have been on this topic.
 
poptart said:
We just met with a road team driver at our barn a couple of weeks ago and he told us that they were going to start ordering trailers with swingback doors again instead of rollup doors. The reason being that they can put more freight on swingbacks than rollups. I've heard in the past that they like the swingback doors because it forces a driver to get out and open them before bumping a dock, supposedly reducing backing accidents. But, statistics did'nt back up their theory.
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Wait till they get the bill for replacing a swing door when the driver rips it off at one of his stops. And when that happens he can not continue on the rest of his pick ups because he now has to wait for another trailer to switch the freight. And then add the fact that he looks like a Jack Azz at the customers dock. Yeah real cost saving move here.
 
Had a new swing door at 176 today. Loaded it on a short route. The driver was surprised when he found out the the such a good looking trailer had swing doors. Just stood there looking at it. He went to close the door reached up and realized the door was not up there. Only had one dock stop so really was no big deal. He also had a p/u with sixteen 48x40x104 plts. Would not have fit in a roll up. So the trailers have there place.
 
I make appoinment deliveries for a large grocery chain in my part of the country.
they have a general merchandise warehouse,that they receive non-grocery items.
Everyone that delivers to that warehouse has to drop their trailer at there inside docks.
Then park our tractors outside.
Unless we come there with a short pup trailer.

Well every once in a while some driver will drop his trailer with the barn doors still shut.
The poor guy comes inside,then says he feels like a big jerk,because he's used to having trailers with roll doors.

Well of course he feels bad about making a mistake like that.
Every one of us drivers,and the receiving checkers are all getting a good laugh about it.
 
Here in Kansas City a scrap aluminum company has been buying all of the ABF swing door trailers he can, and cutting them up for scrap. This lot alone has over 100, anlong with a bunch of Overnite trailers
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Our TM posted a memo from (?) about the new swing doors and the way to differentiate between the two types (really, now!) The yellow sticker on the front - says 'swing door' or 'roll door'. They even took pics of the decals (???) to circulate around Region 1.

I guess their point being the new trls aren't always roll-doors. I always feel like an idiot when backing in one of the late 60 series trls with the doors closed...:( Haven't seen any yet, but have managed to lay my hands on a couple of the new gears, so I'm pretty sure they're out there...don't know where though, came across some late 89 series trls, and they're roll doors.

Note: Forgetfulness pertaining to swing door opening Usually only happens when I'm in the yard about the 11th or 12 hr, and it's getting around 2300 or 0000....hasn't happened recently, so knock on wood!
 
Please explain the " new gears" I hope that they are not the ones that don't have the wheel on the stand. I hate those.
 
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