ABF Freight: How would you rate the freight we are hauling today and what would you to to improve it?
Skilled and Unwilled P&D Driver: I am glad you asked that question and I hope that you are sincerely concerned as you say you are.
I would like to start by pointing out that we are doing a fantastic job with the carbon black. I remember the day when any shipment of it on a truck would contaminate the entire load and aggravate all of our other customers as they asked, "What's this stuff I'm tracking all over my warehouse?". The double bagging of it has worked as planned if not better than planned and ABF
Freight is the only company out there hauling the stuff.
Overall I'd say that 70%-80% of the freight we move is working OK for me. The remaining 20%-30% is spoiling the party and I am happy to fill you in on it. I know that Roy and Judy are busy...with their trips to the tanning salon, beauty salon, tailors and manicurists and that they probably don't notice the difficulty we have delivering that freight that weighs in at superhuman weights and lengths that we are not equipped to handle. I will paint a picture for you. BTW I would like to add that I have never once seen or heard of a sup, lower level manager, middle level manager or upper level manager come and witness any of these deliveries or re-enact one in our parking lot. I have, however, witnessed a quizzing look on a face or two when the freight was seen on the dock slated for lift gate delivery.
The three products that come to mind front and center are as follows:
1) #1500 crates of 8' long folding tables for schools, churches and senior citizen centers requiring lift gate delivery. OK, for starters I would like to point out that our lift gates measure approximately 5' long and 7' wide. Our pallets jacks' forks are less than 4' long. Maybe only a few inches less but less nonetheless. If you have an 8' long pallet (BTW if the freight is 8' long the packaging makes the overall length more than 8') and a 3' 9" pallet jack you do not have half of the pallet in your grip and a pallet with equal distribution of the freight will not come off the floor on the far end so we're dragging it. Once we have pulled it back (don't forget to leave enough room in the trailer there to get the jack out from under the pallet and don't sweat it any while your yanking on it while you're dangerously close to the edge) we can weasel our way around to the other end to grab the pallet (see it won't turn around in there so we have to move ourselves to the other end of it). OK, now we get to push it out onto the lift gate, far end dragging and all. While I'm at this point I'd like to point out that strip that's mounted on the floor of every trailer, which is designed to stop freight from bouncing back onto the door while running down the road. Yea, the #1500 pallet I'm pushing, which is dragging that far end catches on that strip. OK, I got over that and now I'm headed out onto the gate, which is only 5' long with a pallet that is heavy on that far end. Using my IQ I accurately compute the length of the pallet, length and width of the lift gate and score a perfect landing sideways on the gate with 2' of this pallet dangling off the edge of the gate. See, 7' wide gate, 8'+ long pallet ooo yea, don't forget the jack has this cumbersome set of wheels, handle and hydraulic pump sticking out here that we need to fit out there too. While I'm thinking of it I used that aforementioned IQ to set myself up an unloading situation where I was going downhill with the freight and if my gate landing is not perfect I get to drag that #1500 pallet uphill to get a second run at it. OK, I'm on the gate with the freight and down she goes. Nice gate, nice easy landing and gate even tips down after hitting the ground. But wait, there's just one thing. I have an 8' long pallet+about 1' of extra wheels, handle and hydraulic pump and now I have an uneven angle between the gate and the ground AND some knucklehead has put a board on the bottom of that pallet, you know the end that's dragging and sticking out over the gate on the other end. :ranting: That board is now caught on the edge of the gate over there while I'm over here contending with this #1500 pallet on an angle from the landing surface (driveway). Remember that end won't come up because the pallet is too long for the equipment I have. OK, I wriggle and writhe and get past that little obstacle and now I have the steering wheel of the pallet jack on the driveway and the far end of the pallet that won't come up dragging more over on the gate (remember the gate makes its own hill there and now that end is dragging even more). I drag the pallet jack side to side back and forth as I weasel the pallet down off the gate onto the driveway, which by the way is loaded with little pea sized stones (in case you're not aware of it a toothpick is sufficient enough to bring a pallet jack to a halt so you can imagine what a pea sized stone will do).
OK, I know I promised three but I am going to have to cut it short for now as I have things to do. Stay tuned for the other two...and maybe even more.