Pets and Customers

[AMonger]

I had a load the other day that almost caused a problem for me. I was getting unloaded and the guy on the forklift said, "Don't let the guard see your dog!" I told him she already knew about my dog because she was barking while I was talking to the guard. On the way out, I told her the guy said I shouldn't have my dog there, because I was wondering what they do when a driver has a dog. She asked, "YOU HAVE A DOG?!?!" She said when she heard the barking, she assumed it was a neighborhood dog.

I asked her what they do when a driver comes in to deliver and has a dog. She says they turn them away. "How do you get your freight?" I asked. She shrugged her shoulders.

So it got me to wondering what everybody else with a dog does when they run into this situation. If you don't have a codriver to stand outside the gate with the dog or to go inside to make the delivery while you do, what then?

I figure if a place has some crazy rules like "NO REDHEADS," "NO BLUE SHIRTS," "NO WHISTLING ON TUESDAYS," "NOBODY WITH BROWN EYES," or "NO DOGS," they need to state that up front with all their carriers or their broker. If they don't say anything so I take the load and show up with my apparently bad brown eyes or my dog, they should have made it clear beforehand, so the fault is theirs.

How have people handled this in the past?

 

[OntarioVanMan]

You are supposed to figure that out...

When we get dispatched some dispatchers forget to ask...but it is in our profile so they know who does and does not have a pet.

usually anywhere that is a food company....Like Pepsi,Quaker Oats, Frito Lay Kelloggs, Gatorade....you take a chance of not getting in..

BTW...just shoot the dog....

 

[flattop40]

Lost a load last year due to my daughters dog. It was a good load so the next time we got home the dog stayed and has NEVER come back out with us.

 

[gotta go]

Some customers want you to leave your pet in a carrier at the guard shack. The last one I went to that had an allergy to pets told me to close Dingle into the sleeper. HUH?? I assured security that he wouldn't get out of the truck. That was Northrup/Grumman.

 

[cheri1122]

In the 18 months I've had a canine companion, I've lost just one load that I know of.
I feel there will be other loads, but I owe my dog the same regard she has for me. She costs so little, and is worth so much!

 

[OntarioVanMan]

I know by our customer base I'd lose way too many loads...I'd have to put in a bulkhead and that I am not doing...a Fido will have to wait till I retire..

There was one customer JuJu had to leave ME at the gate!!

 

[flattop40]

I know by our customer base I'd lose way too many loads...I'd have to put in a bulkhead and that I am not doing...a Fido will have to wait till I retire..

There was one customer JuJu had to leave ME at the gate!!

I had to leave my daughter at a gate out east. The name escapes me but it was a proving grounds and would only let the driver in.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

I had to leave my daughter at a gate out east. The name escapes me but it was a proving grounds and would only let the driver in.

It was because I was not an A. C.

 

[Streakn1]

So it got me to wondering what everybody else with a dog does when they run into this situation. If you don't have a codriver to stand outside the gate with the dog or to go inside to make the delivery while you do, what then?

I figure if a place has some crazy rules like "NO REDHEADS," "NO BLUE SHIRTS," "NO WHISTLING ON TUESDAYS," "NOBODY WITH BROWN EYES," or "NO DOGS," they need to state that up front with all their carriers or their broker. If they don't say anything so I take the load and show up with my apparently bad brown eyes or my dog, they should have made it clear beforehand, so the fault is theirs.

How have people handled this in the past?

Although we currently do not have a dog onboard, we are in the process of changing that. Our carrier allows their contractors to have onboard pets if they choose. We have researched the pros and cons of having a pet (dog) with other teams leased to our carrier Our conclusion is:

We are a team truck. We work as a team. We will enter as a team and we will leave as a team. We will place our small dog (less than 10 lbs) inside an airline approved animal crate and place said crate inside our onboard bathroom with its door securely closed and the genset running with the roof a/c on, PERIOD! Those are our terms if the customer wants they're expedited freight hauled by profesional drivers trained and qualified in handling their special needs high value freight.

We will not go into a customer solo while our team partner stands outside of a gate in the weather (inclimate or not) holding the dog, as it compromises our safety in loading and unloading their freight. Safety takes priority and I will argue that with their safety person!

Chaining a pet to a fence outside of a customer's property and leaving it is cruelty to an animal no matter how short of a period it may be. Whats to stop someone from stealing your pet? Whats to keep the pet from accidently getting loose and God forbide run over and killed? Is the pet not safer secured inside of the truck?

We fully understand the customer not wanting the pet outside of the truck while on property. If the pet was walked prior to entering the property, and the customer loads or unloads you within a reasonable amount of time, the pet has no reason to be getting out of the truck. If not, I will be happy to drop our trailer and bobtail off property to care for our dog's needs. Note: most well trained dogs can go for several hours between potty breaks. Ample time for a customer to load/unload you.

 

[LDB]

It was because I was not an A. C.

Wow. Turned away for not being acceptably coutured. Those shorts are dangerous alright.

 

[Turtle]

You'll lose a few loads here and there, but mainly you'll just get passed over because of a pet and won't know you missed the load. Most businesses, shippers and consignees included, don't allow pets on the property because of the liability. There's always that one dog that never bites that suddenly does. Some places who strictly enforce the rules won't allow them at all. Others will allow them in because they know the pets will remain secure in the cab or sleeper of the truck. But most of the ones who will allow them in a truck will draw the line with a van.

I get a lot of load offers that state no pets. I don't have one out here, so it's not a problem. But like OVM said, lots of places that deal with food won't allow it, food packaging, nor chemical plants. Not just on their property, but inside the van along with the freight. They don't want the liability of a dog licking the outside of a chemical container and then dropping dead a few hours later, or the dog licking food packaging or something.

 

[AMonger]

Ok, most of these replies, while good, are missing a piece of information I'm really looking for, except for one, which was "shoot the dog," which falls short in a really, special way.

What if you had a dog and arrived somewhere to find out you couldn't go in? If you had a TT, maybe the customer's yard dog could pull your trailer in to be unloaded, but what about a ST or CV? I had a customer who wanted me to put my dog in a cage outside their fence, and I said no, and they relented and let her in. Another one also said no, but eventually relented and let her in. A couple times, I had a co-driver and one of us waited outside with the 2 dogs we had then.

But now I'm in a CV, no co-driver, and I know the day is coming when I'm at loggerheads with the customer and no solution in sight. I'm one of those guys that treats the dog like a furry daughter that doesn't speak clearly, so there's absolutely, positively no way I'm tying her up to the fence or putting her in a cage outside the gate while I drive away. I know the day's coming when there's not going to be an easy solution; I just don't know what to do when that day comes.

Maybe tell them their forklift will have to come to the front gate for their freight?

 

[LDB]

I'm sorry, my dog is specially trained to alert to myocardial transchemic polyplasia and has to remain with me at all times.

 

[pjjjjj]

Aside from the issue of not really knowing how much you are really losing by having an animal on board with you, since you won't know how many times you are passed over by dispatch because they know you have a dog... what if you put a muzzle on it (would that prevent it from barking?), and put it in its cage, and covered the cage with a blanket or something? Would that work?

 

[dieseldiva]

When our truck is moving, our dogs are crated on the top bunk for their safety, the same when we're at all customers. We've never been turned away as our stand is that the dogs are confined. With limited space in the van, I would carry one of those folding crates for just these times and confine the dog WITHIN the van.

 

[usafk9]

Our dog is specifically trained to alert on the sound of a potato chip bag opening.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Ok, most of these replies, while good, are missing a piece of information I'm really looking for, except for one, which was "shoot the dog," which falls short in a really, special way.

What if you had a dog and arrived somewhere to find out you couldn't go in? If you had a TT, maybe the customer's yard dog could pull your trailer in to be unloaded, but what about a ST or CV? I had a customer who wanted me to put my dog in a cage outside their fence, and I said no, and they relented and let her in. Another one also said no, but eventually relented and let her in. A couple times, I had a co-driver and one of us waited outside with the 2 dogs we had then.

But now I'm in a CV, no co-driver, and I know the day is coming when I'm at loggerheads with the customer and no solution in sight. I'm one of those guys that treats the dog like a furry daughter that doesn't speak clearly, so there's absolutely, positively no way I'm tying her up to the fence or putting her in a cage outside the gate while I drive away. I know the day's coming when there's not going to be an easy solution; I just don't know what to do when that day comes.

Maybe tell them their forklift will have to come to the front gate for their freight?

I could never really shoot a dog anywhos...

Does your carrier have your dog "On your file"?
That should cut your odds of that happening...

If you see your going to a food processing plant at either end...REFUSE load and remind dispatch why....

Department of Health laws...NO Dogs in with food unless you have a bulkhead..ALSO no Fuels, chemicals, not even that generator...I cover mine with a blanket.

Other then that..guess you'll just have to lose the load..

 

[jujubeans]

Who needs a dog when you have a cat that plays fetch?

 

[greg334]

If the dog is trainable, train it to stay in a crate or carrier silently. I have seen one van driver who put the crate below the bed and covered it up with the blanket. Never had an issue.

Food processing plant, Food package suppliers and Pharma companies have strict rules on animals, get caught and the carrier can be banned.

 

[dieseldiva]

Our dog is specifically trained to alert on the sound of a potato chip bag opening.

I hear ya.....we have to spell the word P-I-Z-Z-A, and that's just for little pieces of crust. Imagine what it would be if we let them have some of the whole thing!