Mission Impossible : Need Advice On Food Grade Dry Van

Food rejections claims are so common in the insurance industry that people are scared of them... salmonella claims, food infection claims, there could have been something that infected the food because the trailer was not clean enough.... take your food runs very seriously

We always do take them seriously and do a lot of food grade without any problems.. except at this particular place lol.

Once i was asked for a certified certificate of clean out for a loadshipper. lfa pellets going to a high dollar horse farm. Typically our stuff is for human consumption. On that occasion, I showed them our company policy of absolutely no hazmat and my last dozen or so bol's (majority were from Quaker, general mills, kellogs--- this current load was a kellogs load just like the one right before it) and they didn't give me anymore crap and loaded me without this "mandatory " certificate. The problem with washouts is you get moisture or condensation in a dry van thats tough to get rid of so our shop at our terminal in IA generally does a washout (blow out then vacuuming, and any spot washing that's needed).

To the person who asked if we get paid for cleaning a trailer ourselves. . Generally no, but my DM did throw me an extra pay for this one, since weve had so much trouble with this specific shipper. I'm just glad my previous live unload allowed me to stay in their docks an extra hour, use their lights so I could see, clean, and inspect and photo the interior of this particular trailer. The "problem shipper" is a Kellogs shipper and I had just delivered another Kellogs load that had been pre loaded at/by Kellogs in Minooka, IL. My DM was also shocked to find out they're a mom and pop type operation complete with dog and a sick toddler running rampant lol. He reported them to Kellogg.

Yes my previous load was also live unload at 0700. The following pickup at 0800 also had instructions about trailer being food grade, clean and swept. I explained all of this to my DM and the planners the day before and even before i accepted it but alas it fell on deaf ears. I got to the 1st delivery at 0600 only to find out that they didn't open until 0700. I actually talked the dock foreman into putting me in a door at 0630 but it was still all they could do to get me unloaded by 0745.

I made it to the next shipper by 0830 and only technically not late because I did the mac 22 as soon as I was sure I was empty. I'd definitely prefer not to have to operate this way but unfortunately this has been pretty.much the norm again while working here at Swift.

Sure I could have refused the 2nd load but it was tied to the first one and I had already been sitting for 65 hrs before my last load. Refuse this one and I'm most likely stranded again for who knows how long. In fact I was stranded again even after delivering the pre-planned t-call of milk products anyway.

Quick somebody tell me again how they can't possibly afford to have you sitting and it's most likely my attitude and or performance.

Sorry guys... LOL!

JJ

Actually the first load could have been picked up and delivered the same day. Pickup was at 1300 and it was only 235 miles to delivery. Return trip was to SLC same as PU. Actually the whole thing could have been done in a day with proper planning and or scheduling.

JJ

Quick somebody tell me again how they can't possibly afford to have you sitting and it's most likely my attitude and or performance

Well, you did mention that you could refuse a load. That's an awesome way to get your butt sent to a truck stop for a couple of days, especially now during the slowest time of the year when it's slim pickins. But this time of year you're going to hit really slow patches, especially at a dry van company. Like they say, "Make hay when the sun shines" well in dry van you make hay through the summer and fall, leading up to the holiday season, because it slows pretty hard for a few months during late winter and real early spring.

Remember, the best drivers are going to be given the most miles overall. If you're not getting the miles you want then badger them and badger them for more. Now I don't know anything at all about your performance, but if you're on time for every single load, you're easy to get along with, and you lobby constantly for more miles, you'll get your fair share and then some over the long run.

Talk around to other drivers and see where your miles are compared with everyone else. If everyone else is complaining that things are slow then you know it's just a slow patch. If others are doing pretty well but you're not then you give that information to your dispatcher and ask why so many others are getting more miles than you are. If your dispatcher won't make things happen then you have to go over their head. Give them a fair shot at getting your miles where they belong. If it doesn't happen then let your dispatcher know you're going to give the bosses a call to see if they can make something happen for you. It's not necessarily an indictment against your dispatcher. They have very limited authority. You're just trying to make a living and you're not getting enough miles.

I'm just gonna throw this out there too, because like I said, I don't know the first thing about your attitude or performance on the job. But quite honestly, most of the drivers who weren't getting good miles weren't very good performers and didn't even know it. Seriously, there's a ton of drivers out there who would give themselves a perfect 10 out of 10 for their performance and attitude, when in reality they're maybe a 6 out of 10 on a good day.

But at this point you should be lobbying hard for freight. The thought of refusing anything should be the furthest thing from your mind, but it wasn't. That's why I'm a bit concerned that you might be shooting yourself in the foot somehow without knowing it. Dispatcher/driver relationships are complex and a lot of drivers really don't understand just how hard the top tier drivers work to get the miles they're getting. So keep after it.

LOL! Hold on Brett, my DM was actually the one who told me to refuse it if I couldn't make it.

Fact is nobody could have made it. I made it happen as best it could have and i did make it happen. Some of you have skipped over what Tractor Man and I have been saying. We are making 100% on time deliveries, we are going above and beyond. The planning simply isn't there.

It has nothing to do with the company making money, it has to do with the company keeping the promises that they have made to the drivers.

I need to get some sleep but I'll try and get back to this.

Later, JJ

I need to get some sleep but I'll try and get back to this.

Definitely fill us in. Actually, I'm going to make a new thread about this. I have a lot to say on this subject, and it's one I enjoy. I'll put a link to it here just in case.

Here Jim - check this out:

Let us know if you're struggling to get miles