When most people think of a truck loading or unloading, images begin to develop of a driver sitting in their cab while the warehouse loads their cargo. This is generally an accurate assumption in the world of hauling dry van freight. As usual, I try hard to be the opposite of what people assume!
Being that I do a decent amount of freight for certain department store warehouses, with back-to-school shipping upon us, a lot of this freight is floor loaded in order to maximize cubic volume. You guessed it, usually stacked by hand one box at a time! Not that this makes up a large percentage of my usual freight, but it can account for a lot of time on the docks if you let it. What is it I do as a driver to alleviate some of this wait time? Why do I often leave many drivers wondering how I get in and out of a shipper like this so quickly, even if they had arrived a great deal of time earlier than I did? The simple answer lies in my willingness to fight yet another stereotype.
Rather than sit in my cab or sleeper during most of these loads, I instead choose to ask if I may assist with the loading. I have managed to do these loads so often that I know the routine of slinging boxes just as well as most of the guys on their crew. Laying down different shaped and sized boxes in “Tetris-like” patterns happens easily now, without much thought. Even if not huffing boxes, I can help move pallets or even clean out shrink warp in between pallets to help save time. I am always sure to check with each particular warehouse, as driver-assist policies differ from warehouse to warehouse.
I know this sounds like a lot of extra work to most dry van haulers. Most times this extra work would go unpaid as well, since most companies do not pay for driver assist if it is voluntary. To me, the benefits are far greater than monetary compensation. Loads like these typically average three hours to load from arrival to departure. The ones I do often pay well enough to warrant such a long load time and are always drops on the receiver end. However, in helping out to load I can usually cut my loading time down to anywhere from one and a half to two hours. In an industry where time is money, those extra hours can add up to money in the bank! Not only do I save time in helping out, but I also get to save time in not having to work out that day because you definitely work up quite a sweat loading a couple thousand cartons of freight!
Applying this concept to other types of loads can pay off in other ways as well. Sometimes we may have a better understanding, as drivers, of our cargo securement and trailer capacity than some shippers might. I have many times, even when loading palletized freight, found that I may know my trailer and how to load it better than the guys loading it. Of course, I offer up the suggestions in a non-aggressive manner and let them think they came up with the idea. This type of involvement on my end has led to a lot of good relationships within certain warehouses I visit frequently and gains me priority in a lot of cases over time. One thing to remember when helping out is to remain safe in doing so. Never exert yourself more than you are comfortable with, always wear a neon safety vest for visibility, and use a back brace to avoid injury. Helping out can go a long way in getting you onto your next load!