Hand Load?

Jefferson3000 · Aug 17, 2008

Ok. Let's here from some contractors representing different carriers.

You have a call for a load of xxx miles, requiring a straight truck of such and such a size minimum. Requirements include:

-12 straps, and
-50 blankets.

Would you consider that qualifying for hand load pay?

ATeam · Aug 17, 2008

If the load required 50 blankets (furniture pads), the shipper would have to provide them or the carrier would have to provide funds and additional stops to buy them. We do not carry that many.

As far as the labor goes to load and secure the freight, no, we would not expect extra "hand load" pay. We have had loads that required as much as four hours to load and secure. No extra pay was expected or offered. That is part of the White Glove territory. If you were not a White Glove truck and extra pads were provided, extra pay would be reasonable to expect ... if it was worked out in advance.

layoutshooter · Aug 17, 2008

We would not expect extra pay for that load, but we are White Glove. We only carry 24 pads. On loads like that the shipper has always provided the pads. One shipper had the pads on the freight before we got there. New pads. They loaded us and told us that the pads were ours after we unload. Cool. Layoutshooter

arkjarhead · Aug 18, 2008

layoutshooter said:
They loaded us and told us that the pads were ours after we unload. Cool. Layoutshooter

I wonder if it was cheaper to let you have the pads than it would be to have to fool with having someone at the consignee UPS (or however) them back?

ATeam · Aug 18, 2008

layoutshooter said:
We would not expect extra pay for that load, but we are White Glove. We only carry 24 pads. On loads like that the shipper has always provided the pads. One shipper had the pads on the freight before we got there. New pads. They loaded us and told us that the pads were ours after we unload. Cool. Layoutshooter

Very cool indeed! A shipper once wheeled two pieces of freight onto our truck, each strapped to a furniture dolly. Same thing. He said the dollies were ours to keep at the other end, if we wanted them.

moose · Aug 18, 2008

i recently had a load of 6 hospital beds going out of Omaha ,4 pads per bed .
before excepting the load i made sure my dispatcher call ahead and let the shipper know that i will drop the load with the strap and pads at the hospital.
i have worked for 1 and a half hours with the shipper to secured the freight .
did not expect or got any extra pay.
think it is my job to secure and safely Del.
load was paying a lot extra anyway .

a blanket-wrap is a service .(just like tail-gate,or a large 28'box)
a trucker can add an extra belly-box and carry blankets and straps to offer this service , there for being available for more loads .
for some rezone i dont see many Expedite trucks do so ,
seems like there are not many blanket-wrap loads out there to off-set the costs .

Moose.

LDB · Aug 18, 2008

Unless the shipper was going to do all the work while I clipped my nails I would expect extra pay. I will make sure my freight is properly secured but that doesn't extend to a 50 blanket wrap job. I've done them where I needed up to a half dozen blankets but at some point one has to consider 'cheap freight' to extend to how much work that should be paid for is being asked for at no charge. I presume WG is paying a significantly higher rate so the extra is already figured in. If I was in a regular fleet offered regular pay I'd expect more.

moose · Aug 18, 2008

Lets go back to basic :
business class start at 9 :

the costs of operations: will not change if one work to hand load.
the time it take to Del. will not change if the shipper is loading - or the driver.
look at it as exercise , there are too many trucker out there that can used some gym time...

the profitability of the load : is how match the load pay in compare to the costs of doing business,
and the loss of time to Del. the load.

they can call it : toll reambursment / NYC extra/border crossing/hand load pay / Base rate/or FCS ....
i can care less , as long as i can make money on this load .
the bottom line is still the bottom line .
Expedite is a per load operation , and a smart O/O is averaging up the loads to stay profitable .

if one is expecting to get pay for "the extra work " involved ...
next thing you know , you will expect to get pay for the chicken-lights , chrome , repairs , your car at home and the mortgage ... you will be pricing yourself out of the market...

Moose.

LDB · Aug 18, 2008

I agree it's all about the bottom line however I'm factoring in an extra 2-3 hours to do the hand work required that affects everything following the load in question. That's 2-3 hours longer until my hours are back and I can start the next job so it is a factor in overall bottom line.

layoutshooter · Aug 18, 2008

The time involed with loads like that, at least for us, has been very worth while. For the most part loads that require that kind of attention tend to be high value loads. High value loads tend to pay better than low value loads. There has been more than one shipper offer us pads. Most of the time they are ratty. The one I talked about above where brand new pads. I asked them why they just let them go. The guy said that they considedered the pads as a part of thier business costs. They wanted to wrap the frieght in advance of the truck arriving and the consignee's never wanted them. He said it would cost them too much to have them shipped back. So, I got 10 once used pads. That added a bit to the bottom line on that load. Layoutshooter

davekc · Aug 18, 2008

I would agree with Leo on this. Time still has to be factored into any type of blanket load.
I look at it as a value added service. I expect my drivers to be compensated accordingly.
Any load that we have done like that whether in or outside of the carrier, we have been paid.
If you start providing services for free, it would quickly become a expectation.
Whether we add chicken lights or blow the extra revenue in a casino is really insignificant.

OntarioVanMan · Aug 18, 2008

I've had loads in my van I had to wrap each item separately and secure...I get paid for it. Time is money.

LDB · Aug 18, 2008

It's important to look at whether we're talking about a flat rate company or a percentage company as well. Presumably a percentage company has charged the customer more so the operator is getting paid more as a result. As stated, it's all about the bottom line and just as I won't haul cheap freight I won't give away hours of my time for nothing extra coming in either.

layoutshooter · Aug 18, 2008

Every "special handling" load I have taken has paid way above what a "bump and run" load would pay. I haul very few automotive type freight runs since the rate for that type of freight is of nomally way below what my minimum rate is. There are exceptions of course. I base acceptance or rejection of any load on it's own merits. Each load is a new business decision. Layoutshooter

OntarioVanMan · Aug 18, 2008

LDB said:
It's important to look at whether we're talking about a flat rate company or a percentage company as well. Presumably a percentage company has charged the customer more so the operator is getting paid more as a result. As stated, it's all about the bottom line and just as I won't haul cheap freight I won't give away hours of my time for nothing extra coming in either.

As you said Leo.....mine is flat rate based on mileage....so spending a half hour or so wrapping and securing is a value added item.

layoutshooter · Aug 18, 2008

FedEx is a percentage company and for the most part the very special handling loads pay more than most other loads. We still take each offer as a seperate business decision. Sometimes cheap freight is what we need. Better than deadheading home or to a better area. Sometimes sitting and waiting is better. Every day is different. layoutshoor

Tennesseahawk · Aug 19, 2008

Usually, the blanket wrap coincides with needing a liftgate. I usually only charge for the liftgate, in that case. But if it didn't, I'd still charge for hand load/unload. I don't have a problem with doing a little work for nothing, but not padding and strapping a whole truck load. Extra care = extra expense, in ANY business. As does extra work. I'd like to see Moose's argument work on a NYC lumper.

moose · Aug 19, 2008

OntarioVanMan said:
I've had loads in my van I had to wrap each item separately and secure...I get paid for it. Time is money.

O.K ,I'm going to take OVM as an example to make my case :
Please look on it this way :
2 trucks arrive to a shipper ,
one is getting loaded in 3 hours ,
the other one , is a driver load , it take 2 hours.
(#2 is taking a shower...)
by the end of the load, costs of Del. the load are the same.
both Del. on time.

if asked to , #1 will reject the load do to "the cheap freight" argument.
#1 truck is repossessed .
#2 truck make a lot of money

I , will always choose driver load/unload freight over any other ,
it save me the question, if to go jugging ,and take a shower...
93* in N.C today .... i wish they send me a driver-load load...

Moose.

OntarioVanMan · Aug 19, 2008

moose said:
O.K ,I'm going to take OVM as an example to make my case :
Please look on it this way :
2 trucks arrive to a shipper ,
one is getting loaded in 3 hours ,
the other one , is a driver load , it take 2 hours.
(#2 is taking a shower...)
by the end of the load, costs of Del. the load are the same.
both Del. on time.

if asked to , #1 will reject the load do to "the cheap freight" argument.
#1 truck is repossessed .
#2 truck make a lot of money

I , will always choose driver load/unload freight over any other ,
it save me the question, if to go jugging ,and take a shower...
93* in N.C today .... i wish they send me a driver-load load...

Moose.

One thing about load/unload....almost PURE profit other then some sweat equity....No fuel used, no miles on the truck, no wear and tear....take that money straight to the bank...I don't know what others get but we get...$32.00 per 1/2 hour minimum@ 100%.....

Are some of us getting that lazy or "special" some can't get off thier butts anymore?

Jefferson3000 · Aug 19, 2008

Ok Moose,

I'm not following you quite. Are you saying that blanketing a load is just driver duty or that one should be compensated for the extra service requirement?