Seal on truck

ihamner

Expert Expediter
I wonder if we could have a discussion about seals on our trucks. I have a problem with the way seals are done. We have had a number of loads sealed but here is the thing: the shipper at the dock either places the seal on the truck or he hands it to us to put on the truck. Then we get to the delivery and explain to the receiving dept that someone needs to remove the seal so we can open the doors. Isn’t that the way it is supposed to work? Well so often they tell us to remove the seal, open the doors and back up to the dock. They never even look at the seal to see if it is there. What’s up with that? One shipper placed a cable seal on our truck. When we got to the delivery they had no way to cut the cable! We will eventually get a cable cutter to carry in the truck, I guess, but I just don’t think we should be cutting a seal placed on the truck by a shipper. They had to go to their maintenance department to get cutters before they could unload us. Does anyone else have a problem with this? I thought the idea of the seal on the truck was to insure that the load was not disturbed all the way to the delivery dock. I would actually just like a discussion on this but I don’t really want to be attacked about my comments. Thanks! india

India Hamner
[font color="purple"] FEDEX [/font][font color="blue"]Custom Critical[/font]
D Unit
"You see weird things driving... I've never
understood log trucks, sometimes you'll be out on the highway, you see
two big giant trucks loaded up with logs, and they pass each other on
the highway... I don't understand it. I mean, if they need logs over
there... and they need 'em over there, you'd think a phone call would
save 'em a whole lot of trouble." Brian Regan
 

TeamCaffee

Administrator
Staff member
Owner/Operator
India,

When Bob drove for US Xpress the seal seemed to mean a lot more to the receivers. We never hauled a load with out a seal if the consignee didn't put one on we did and we had a special sheet verify that seal. We never broke the seal ourselves without the customer watching and they would have to sign for the seal. It was a huge shock to us that so few care about a seal with expediting. I believe part of the complacently of this is we pick up a load we deliver straight through. With USX we would sometimes spend two days on a 600 mile load stopping at all manor of places or even dropping that trailer and moving on to another load.
 

greg334

Veteran Expediter
After a lot of sealed loads, I got into the habit when I am get to the delivery to ask them for a dock number and if they want to break the seal themselves or have me do it while they watch. Only once they watched and once they did it themselves, all the other times the didn't care.
 

Moot

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
The thing with truckload carriers is that empty trailers are dropped and then spotted at a dock, loaded, sealed and spotted in a lot all without a company representative (trucker) present. As India pointed out some consignees have a grasp of how expedite freight moves. But I would still have a consignee sign the B.O.L. free and clear whether they were present for the seal breaking or not. Also invest in a decent set of bolt cutters. They are tax deductable. Or buy a van and avoid the seal thing all together.
 

jasonsprouse

Expert Expediter
My 2 cents from personal experience.

I used to manage a warehouse for a company that dealt in surplus bearings. For large shipments, we would buy a 'pup trailer and have it sealed to prevent the carrier fron running our frieght through a terminal (the bearings would often be packed in wooden crates of questionable quality and would fall through the crate slats). Sealing the load made the difference between picking $500 of bearings off of the trailer floor, or having them lost in a terminal.

So basically the seal is there as an inducement to keep the load closed, because the driver / carrier MIGHT get caught if they tamper with the seal.

Kind of like those tinted domes in stores, most probably don't have a camera behind them but you don't shoplift near one because it just MIGHT.
 

mrgoodtude

Not a Member
Indy the most important thing is a signed BOL period.
I have been in a similar quandray but it just adds aggravation to your day best advice is document if it feels funny and share with the documentor of the p/u (when you all in p/u info) and you are good especially if you can document it via qualcomm.
Short answer just CYA.
Mike
 

Moot

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
In my LTL days if a shipper sealed a pup they would be charged for exclusive use regardless of whether the trailer was full or not.
 

pelicn

Veteran Expediter
I agree with India, if the trailer is sealed, then it's the recievers responsibility to cut that seal. That being said, would I argue with the receiver over the issue? No, but documentation would reflect that the seal was cut by them. CYA
 

greg334

Veteran Expediter
I agree that documenting everything is a given but when you have a delivery where the people on the dock refuse to cut the thing, note it on the BOL. Many times I have had to deal with that situation, no one is willing to get off the dock to go to my truck to cut the thing so I can pull into the dock to get unloaded (barn doors you see). But as I left out 'document' everything, making my post sound bad.

Keeping extra seals in your truck is a good idea as is a good pair of line cutters. I bought a package of JJ Keller seals one day when I got the truck and glad I did, I had to use a couple of them. I had one shipper who handed me a seal what I could not get to lock, so I went back to the shippers office and here is what I was told "who cares, I am supposed to give everyone a seal, it is up to them to put it on and if it don't work, so what not my problem or yours." - so I put one of my own seals on and documented that.
 

ihamner

Expert Expediter
I really like the idea of documenting the seal situation at the end of the run. It is simple enough to write on the BOL if we were asked by the receiver to break the seal. That is THE answer! I'm doing that from now on and I also like the documentation on QualComm. It's the old "if it isn't in writing it didn't happen" thing! Thanks so much for the input. See, that's why this forum is so great!!!


India Hamner
[font color="purple"] FEDEX [/font][font color="blue"]Custom Critical[/font]
D Unit
"You see weird things driving... I've never
understood log trucks, sometimes you'll be out on the highway, you see
two big giant trucks loaded up with logs, and they pass each other on
the highway... I don't understand it. I mean, if they need logs over
there... and they need 'em over there, you'd think a phone call would
save 'em a whole lot of trouble." Brian Regan
 

jasonsprouse

Expert Expediter
>In my LTL days if a shipper sealed a pup they would be
>charged for exclusive use regardless of whether the trailer
>was full or not.

We DID pay for the whole truck, before we started having them sealed they would still transfer the loads through a terminal and lose our stuff.
 

lostandfound

Expert Expediter
the wife and i have been at FedEx for a little over a wek now done 4 load'sthus far and dispatch always ask if we have seal or pad lock we always use a padlock,as a matter of fact their is one on there now to protect the equipment from being borrowed.
 

RobA

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
Special Seal RE: Seal on truck

One special seal is a Customs seal.
I'm sure many Expediters might haul a shipment between New York State and Michigan In Transit through Ontario.
These loads are sealed by Canada Customs with a GREEN BALL SEAL. The Green Ball Seal must be removed by US Customs at the port of re-entry.

A shipment might be carried forward IN BOND from the border to a Suffereance Warehouse in Canada. These can be sealed by a Customs Seal or by the Carrier's own seal but the seal numbers must be recorded on the Cargo control Document. That seal must be broken by Customs or under Customs supervision.

In any discussion of IN BOND movements through or into Canada; it is the carrier who must be bonded. A non-bonded carrier can arrange a single trip bond but that can be very expensive.

Most major expedite carriers who travel to Canada are Customs Bonded.

FYI
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
RE: Special Seal RE: Seal on truck

We considered getting bolt cutters to cut seals since we have had long waits while the recieving party found something to cut the seals off. We changed our mind. IF the seal gets cut/broken and the freight damaged/stolen etc it will be harder to be blamed for the cutting the seal if we have no means of cutting it on the truck.
Layoutshooter
 

tec1959

Expert Expediter
RE: Special Seal RE: Seal on truck

I would always write on the BOL next to where the receiver would sign for the load I put SIT which meant (seal In tack) never had a problem never...***Also we used a pad lock a GOOD pad lock on the truck If we were loaded or empty...
 

TeamCaffee

Administrator
Staff member
Owner/Operator
RE: Special Seal RE: Seal on truck

We also use a good padlock on our truck loaded, empty, or sealed! We also discussed getting a cable cutter. Bob was concerned over the liability of having one. My thoughts where who is too know if have one or not? Who is to say if you have or have had a cable cutter in the truck? We went back to convenience with the cable cutter as too many of our customers just didn't have one and we had to wait too long. We do not carry a bolt cutter as when we have deliverer loads with this type of seal we have had very good luck that the customer was prepared.
 

pelicn

Veteran Expediter
RE: Special Seal RE: Seal on truck

Forgive my ignorance....is a cable cutter and a bolt cutter different things? We carry a bolt cutter because there have been many times the receiver didn't have one.
 

Moot

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
RE: Special Seal RE: Seal on truck

A decent bolt cutter should have handles at least 24" long. They can easily cut through those pesky cable seals and will also do a number on most common padlocks. Oh yea, you can also use them to cut bolts.
 

nightcreacher

Veteran Expediter
RE: Special Seal RE: Seal on truck

dont ever cut a cable seal,if it has a cable seal,it is up to receiver to cut,you are probably hauling medicine of some kind
 

pelicn

Veteran Expediter
RE: Special Seal RE: Seal on truck

Ok, just checking, we have a bolt cutter because the thing has about 2ft handles. Nope, we've never cut a bolt seal without the receiver being present.
 
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