How Does A Typical Pickup/Delivery Go?

Question for you road veterans.

I know that every place has its own protocol, but can you give us rookies some idea of how it usually transpires once you pull up to a shipper/receiver? An example of what I'm looking for is

"If it's at a large warehouse/distribution center, you check in with security, who directs you around to the shipping/receiving office. You park off to the side somewhere, and bring your paperwork inside. You hire lumpers at this time if you're going to be using them. Then, you contact your dispatcher to know you've arrived. ETC ETC"

Everything I said may be out-of-order, but in your experience, what seems to be the common protocol for picking up and delivering freight?

BushWheeler, pickup & delivery are much the same. At Swift we use a Qualcomm , which has about two steps of its own for arrivals and loads: arrival and Loaded or Empty call:

For a pickup:

• Arrived at Shipper
• Loaded Call

For a delivery:

• Arrived at Final Destination
• Empty Call

The basic idea is:

• Arrive at Shipper
• Check in - this may be the guard shack, or you look for a door that has a sign" "Shipping and Receiving" They will give you instructions about where to get your trailer or where to wait.
• Once you have your load, you send a:
• Loaded Call, with your estimates of when you'll get to the destination.

This works for delivery also. As for lumpers, I've only seen them at grocery warehouses. They are already working, so you don't "hire" them, often they have a table set up with a foreman of their own. He quotes a price, you write a check (or have the cash), and they unload your truck.

Bush, some customers have special requirements, such as long pants, steel toes, hard hat, safety vest etc. Sometimes they always want things done exactly the same way, so it helps to let them know if it is your first time servicing their facility.

Some of this information will be included in your load assignment, usually down at the bottom below the standard info. Sometimes, they give you a flyer, with everything they want you to keep in mind, while on their property.

Complying with all their requests, can really make you and your company shine in their eyes, compared to some of the other companies that service their facility. For instance, I went to a paper mill the other day, and they required safety glasses, hard hat, steel toes, and safety vest. When I got there, I noticed that none of the other drivers were in compliance, but that didn't matter to me. I just did what they asked, and felt better about having done it when I rolled out of the gate.

Bush, some customers have special requirements, such as long pants, steel toes, hard hat, safety vest etc. Sometimes they always want things done exactly the same way, so it helps to let them know if it is your first time servicing their facility.

Some of this information will be included in your load assignment, usually down at the bottom below the standard info. Sometimes, they give you a flyer, with everything they want you to keep in mind, while on their property.

Complying with all their requests, can really make you and your company shine in their eyes, compared to some of the other companies that service their facility. For instance, I went to a paper mill the other day, and they required safety glasses, hard hat, steel toes, and safety vest. When I got there, I noticed that none of the other drivers were in compliance, but that didn't matter to me. I just did what they asked, and felt better about having done it when I rolled out of the gate.