When To Pickup From The Shipper

If you have a pickup window 1000-1400 hours, is there a standard time you should show up? I know your day clock starts the moment you drive and you should time your miles, but I am not sure when you should start out. Shippers don't always load as soon as you show up, but is it good to be there at the beginning of the appt time or some where in the middle? Not looking for definitive answers, just curious as to how various people do it. Thanks.

If you have a pickup window 1000-1400 hours, is there a standard time you should show up? I know your day clock starts the moment you drive and you should time your miles, but I am not sure when you should start out. Shippers don't always load as soon as you show up, but is it good to be there at the beginning of the appt time or some where in the middle? Not looking for definitive answers, just curious as to how various people do it. Thanks.

I have found that before you start your clock, call the shipper to verify the load is ready, or are they waiting on your trailer to get loaded. It all depends on the situation as to what is best for the given situation. Another thing to take into consideration is when is your load being delivered. That also sometimes figures into when you need to p/u the load. Sometimes it is a very tight time schedule, so waiting until the last minute sometimes is required.

Hope this helps answer your question.

Ernie

If you have a pickup window 1000-1400 hours, is there a standard time you should show up? I know your day clock starts the moment you drive and you should time your miles, but I am not sure when you should start out. Shippers don't always load as soon as you show up, but is it good to be there at the beginning of the appt time or some where in the middle? Not looking for definitive answers, just curious as to how various people do it. Thanks.

A good place to start is your delivery time. Is it a huge window (20 hour) or a JIT 0900 the next day? Calculate your travel time. Add in breaks (30 min + 10 hr ) as needed, fuel (20 min each) and such. Back up from the delivery time. Suppose the travel time adds up to 19 hours. "Next day" = 24 hrs, so 0900 + 24h = 3300. Back up from the 33 (33-19 = 14) so your best time to leave the shipper is 1400.

How much for loading? Look at your dispatch for pickup/load information (Swift's "destination" page has this using L = "Live", D = "Drop", etc.) the standard drop/pickup is usually 30 minutes. Live load is 2 hours. If you know something about the pickup place adjust accordingly. (There's one Georgia Pacific plant in Mississippi you can never get out of in less than an hour) Backing up 30 minutes drop/pickup makes for a 1330 arrive at shipper time. If you've never been there before, another 30 minutes to act "lost" at the shipper. Final Arrive At Shipper time is 1300.

Where are you when you start up? Add that pre-trip and travel time. (pick a number - any number: 1 1/2 hours) OK, start your day (14 hr clock) at 1130 in the morning.

(Ernie's phone call suggestion will save you lots of wasted time/keep you from being late.)

These ex-math teachers!! Always with the numbers! Sheeesh.

N. B. assumes:

Shippers don't always load as soon as you show up,

This is true. No skin off their back if you must wait an hour. But most drop/loads are for lonely trailers waiting for someone to pick them up.

If you have a pickup window 1000-1400 hours, is there a standard time you should show up? I know your day clock starts the moment you drive and you should time your miles, but I am not sure when you should start out. Shippers don't always load as soon as you show up, but is it good to be there at the beginning of the appt time or some where in the middle? Not looking for definitive answers, just curious as to how various people do it. Thanks.

A good place to start is your delivery time. Is it a huge window (20 hour) or a JIT 0900 the next day? Calculate your travel time. Add in breaks (30 min + 10 hr ) as needed, fuel (20 min each) and such. Back up from the delivery time. Suppose the travel time adds up to 19 hours. "Next day" = 24 hrs, so 0900 + 24h = 3300. Back up from the 33 (33-19 = 14) so your best time to leave the shipper is 1400.

How much for loading? Look at your dispatch for pickup/load information (Swift's "destination" page has this using L = "Live", D = "Drop", etc.) the standard drop/pickup is usually 30 minutes. Live load is 2 hours. If you know something about the pickup place adjust accordingly. (There's one Georgia Pacific plant in Mississippi you can never get out of in less than an hour) Backing up 30 minutes drop/pickup makes for a 1330 arrive at shipper time. If you've never been there before, another 30 minutes to act "lost" at the shipper. Final Arrive At Shipper time is 1300.

Where are you when you start up? Add that pre-trip and travel time. (pick a number - any number: 1 1/2 hours) OK, start your day (14 hr clock) at 1130 in the morning.

(Ernie's phone call suggestion will save you lots of wasted time/keep you from being late.)

These ex-math teachers!! Always with the numbers! Sheeesh.

That was a pretty long answer. But I know questions like this get you excited, allowing you to put that teacher hat on. Ernie has the great suggestion of calling ahead. I am that anal type person who is prompt and gets aggravated when others aren't as "dedicated". As a former soldier I am familiar with "hurry up and wait", but that didn't stop me from being anxious. Our load today had that 4 hours window and because we got here at 13:30, another driver from our company got our load and we got another load. Luckily the only difference was the reefer temp. Now 2 1/2 hours later we are loaded and ready to roll. Thanks Ernie and Errol, I will use both of your methods when I go solo. Although with Errols I may have to use my calculator hahaha.

I am a retired sailor. Even though it's been 21 years since I retired, I am like you hate it when I am doing my part being on time etc and the shipper/receiver could care less about you the driver and your time.

Unfortunately it has been that way for so long the shipper/receiver will not change anytime too soon I'm afraid. So be prepared to do a lot of sitting/waiting as a reefer driver. I am thinking it will take a change in laws or setup some pretty hefty fines before they will change their ways. As always, it takes getting into someones pocket for some major monies before you get their attention and they change the way they do business.

Ernie

If you have a pickup window 1000-1400 hours, is there a standard time you should show up? I know your day clock starts the moment you drive and you should time your miles, but I am not sure when you should start out. Shippers don't always load as soon as you show up, but is it good to be there at the beginning of the appt time or some where in the middle? Not looking for definitive answers, just curious as to how various people do it. Thanks.

Would your hours have allowed you to arrive at the earliest pickup time, 10:00?

If you have a pickup window 1000-1400 hours, is there a standard time you should show up? I know your day clock starts the moment you drive and you should time your miles, but I am not sure when you should start out. Shippers don't always load as soon as you show up, but is it good to be there at the beginning of the appt time or some where in the middle? Not looking for definitive answers, just curious as to how various people do it. Thanks.

Would your hours have allowed you to arrive at the earliest pickup time, 10:00?

First off I am in training, teaming with my instructor. We have not been late picking up a load or delivering a load. I am happy with the training I have received and believe he is teaching me the right way. I am asking these questions for curiosity and second opinions. I always think the more input I get can only make me better prepared. Our pickup was an hour away, and our delivery was ten hours away due @1000. I know as a team we could have picked up anytime and made it to our 90, and I assume that when solo dispatch wouldn't be so cruel and schedule times this tight.

If you have a pickup window 1000-1400 hours, is there a standard time you should show up? I know your day clock starts the moment you drive and you should time your miles, but I am not sure when you should start out. Shippers don't always load as soon as you show up, but is it good to be there at the beginning of the appt time or some where in the middle? Not looking for definitive answers, just curious as to how various people do it. Thanks.

Would your hours have allowed you to arrive at the earliest pickup time, 10:00?

First off I am in training, teaming with my instructor. We have not been late picking up a load or delivering a load. I am happy with the training I have received and believe he is teaching me the right way. I am asking these questions for curiosity and second opinions. I always think the more input I get can only make me better prepared. Our pickup was an hour away, and our delivery was ten hours away due @1000. I know as a team we could have picked up anytime and made it to our 90, and I assume that when solo dispatch wouldn't be so cruel and schedule times this tight.

It doesn't matter if his hours would have allowed to arrive at 1000, if the load is not ready then he started his clock for not and wasted his clock time and not been able to complete the load (as a solo driver). So his failure would have been on him......

As far as dispatch not being cruel, don't bet your life on it.....happens all the time....

Ernie