Hazmat ?

Jefferson3000 · Mar 2, 2008

pjjjjj said:
You're right, that is sad. Risk your career/business, possibly risk the health and/or lives of you, the public, and the emergency workers if there were an accident, all to save a few bucks. Sadder yet to think they might have gotten away with it with an unscrupulous or less observant driver.

I will now attempt to quote what T-Hawk said on here no too long ago (if I can get it right.) "Freight is freight, but dead is dead. I don't risk my life for freight."Not that I won't run hazmat, but at what expense? shipper who puts a known hazardous material on your truck without the proper papers needs to go to jail for it. Plain and simple. If you get caught with a shipment that has no paperwork, you will be put out of service and fined.

This stuff ain't worth cuttin' corners for......

greg334 · Mar 2, 2008

Jefferson3000 said:
It's not always the shipper or the carrier's fault.

It is always the shippers fault second, BUT it is the drivers fault first. The carrier is at fault for not reinforcing the need to make sure everything is right or insisting on the driver takes the load.

layoutshooter · Mar 2, 2008

We NEVER leave the dock without all the correct paperwork. Shippers certification etc. We NEVER leave without the proper placards. It is not worth it. We have left a load sitting because they didnot have the right papers. It was a nice load and we could have used the money but after several hours of fooling around FedEx and us both decided that is would not be a good idea to take the load. We were paid dry run pay and we left. FedEx has never asked us to take a hazmat load without the right information. Layoutshooter

CharlesD · Mar 3, 2008

Jefferson3000 said:
I will now attempt to quote what T-Hawk said on here no too long ago (if I can get it right.) "Freight is freight, but dead is dead. I don't risk my life for freight."Not that I won't run hazmat, but at what expense? shipper who puts a known hazardous material on your truck without the proper papers needs to go to jail for it. Plain and simple. If you get caught with a shipment that has no paperwork, you will be put out of service and fined.

This stuff ain't worth cuttin' corners for......

The shipper I was dealing with had the proper paperwork for the load, which is how I caught that it was hazmat to start with. The skid was all wrapped up and you couldn't see the labels on the boxes underneath all the shrink wrap. I honestly think they were just hoping the driver wouldn't look too closely at the paperwork. I've always been careful to read all the bills because I don't want to jeopardize my future and the future of whatever business I can manage to build up by a bit of carelessness. The bottom line is that as drivers we're often the last line of defense so to speak. The carrier might not have been notified a load is hazmat but if the driver just picks it up and goes on his/her merry way, who's head is going to roll if there is an accident? In my case, the shipper could have always said that it was on the paperwork so it's not their fault and then it would be my word against theirs. I've had loads I booked straight from a shipper where the person setting up the load didn't have a clue what the freight consisted of and had to ask someone else. That's one reason I still haven't gotten a hazmat endorsement. I just don't want to deal with the hassle, or the extra risk involved. Driving on the highways is dangerous enough as it is, without having dangerous cargo as well.

ATeam · Mar 3, 2008

That is one of the reasons we like FedEx Custom Critical and one of the reasons we stay. Dispatchers are well trained regarding HAZMAT, and at FedEx, when they say "safety takes priority," they mean it.

I have always been impressed with the detailed steps that are followed in the departure calls (calls made by driver to dispatch before leaving the shipper, in which a check list is gone through). When paperwork issues or other HAZMAT related questions rise during these calls, correct information is quickly obtained by dispatchers if not given on the spot.

Hauling HAZMAT requires a degree of knowledge and committment on the driver's part too. There are specific things the driver is responsible for and specific knowledge the driver is expected to have.

When drivers hold up their end and competent dispatchers hold up theirs, shipper errors and/or bad faith actions can be dealt with before bad things happen, not after. We have never had to drive away from a HAZMAT shipment that had problems associated with it. But there have been several times where, with dispatch's full support, we put the shippers through some steps to bring their paperwork or freight into compliance.

For expediter wannabees reading this, note that they call it hazardous material for a reason. It is your choice to tap into or avoid this source of additonal revenue and freight. If you chose to do so, it is wise to work with a carrier that has competent and conscientious dispatchers.

pjjjjj · Mar 14, 2008

pjjjjj said:
It appears from these posts, that carriers and shippers alike, are trying to get something for nothing, at the expense of the O/Os. Being newer and having somewhat of an amount of faith in honesty and goodwill, husb figured it was a given that the carrier knew the load was hazmat, so didn't need to inform them; didn't realize it was a tactic on the carrier's part, to make more money for themselves.
Well next time, he'll know, and that's why this forum is so important, especially for those of us who are newer to the industry! We shall see if the extra pay is given, as it should be, but I guess we won't hold our breath or we'll find ourselves dead!

As a followup to this, we are pleased to report that our somewhat-of-an-amount-of-faith-in-honesty-and-goodwill is still intact, as he did get paid extra for the hazmat. Not much, mind you, but better than a pin in the eye anyway!