Unloaded At The Shippers But Now Have No Driving Time Left

Hello all,

A friend of mine told me the following story (situation) about someone he knew who used to drive OTR but got out of it I think because he was good at hitting parked trucks (sounds like someone who should have never gotten into trucking).

He said one big problem he had when driving was arriving at a shipper and then having to wait forever to get unloaded. After having to wait so long, this person said his driving time for the day was up but the shipper still told him he had to leave.

What does a driver do in a situation like this? If he/she is not supposed to move the truck for ten hours yet the shipper is telling you to GO!

I'm sure I will have more questions in the future. I haven't started truck driving school yet, but when I get stories like this from people I know about trucking, I like to see what can be done to avoid this situation to begin with. My brother-in-law is supposed to talk with me about this tomorrow but I also want to hear from all of you who have experience in OTR.

Thanks!!

Yes, it's common. We all do it, once. Then we learn to manage our clocks, plan our trips and work with our dm to avoid it. After that it's rare.

The Professional Noted:

He said one big problem he had when driving was arriving at a shipper and then having to wait forever to get unloaded. After having to wait so long, this person said his driving time for the day was up but the shipper still told him he had to leave.

Whether I am driving to a Shipper's facility to get loaded or a Consignee's facility to get unloaded, I try to schedule my arrival so that either the pre-scheduled loading or unloading appointment time for the trailer begins as close as possible to the start of my 14 hour clock; that way, I am able to sit for nearly 14 hours...

If there is no activity in the trailer two hours after the scheduled appointment, I would inquire about it with either the shipper or the receiver and, then, notify my Driver Manager. Doing this seems to help prevent those days when it would otherwise be possible to burn through an entire 14 hour day.

I hope my contribution made sense...

Especially if the location is unfamiliar to you, you think you have the time, but the forklift takes five hours to load you. (Happened to me - for six paper rolls!)

After you ask Q1, can I stay on the property? and get a No answer, ask Q2: Where do drivers go?

They might suggest anything from "you're OK on the street here." Or "There's a vacant lot down there drivers can spend the night at." Or some such.

BTW, you're not always in the dock burning your time. Many places have one dock, but three or four trucks are in line waiting to get to the door.

I don't know but I think I would start looking at the alternatives before I ran out of time. Basically if I was getting down to an hour or two left on my clock, I would call my dispatcher. I would have already let them know I had arrived when I first got there and again when they told me at receiving that I was going to have to wait. If it didn't look like I was going to get unloaded before I was out of time, I would inform them that I was going to have to get somewhere to park for the night and come back in the morning.

Of course since I haven't actually started driving yet, I'm not really sure if this is the appropriate response. I'm just thinking out loud and this looks to be a better alternative then getting stuck somewhere that I was going to be asked to leave or that wasn't safe to begin with.

What do the pro's think?

JJ

If a shipper demands we leave and we are out of hours wr are to notify dispatch asap and if necessary get us a police escort to safe location or a tow.

Tip is show 15 minutes loading then put yourself in the sleeper do if you're there 8 hours you'll help preserve your 14 hr clock with a split 10.

Ideally our company will call the shippet and explain it in terms they'll understand.. Like billing them for a tow lol.

You can also ask the other drivers who are there. Most of the time they've been there a few times and know the ropes, especially day cab drivers. Also, if they have switchers running around, ask them.

Also, if you figure you'll be out of time, send in a Running Late notice adding 10 hours to your ETA. I end up doing this every couple of weeks. My DM still loves me.

If you think that adds 10 hours of waiting to your life, remember you're going to have to get that break in anyway, so just do it before the stop, not after.

Thanks everyone for the helpful information!!!