So I have discovered that as we get older our time is apparently less valuable in people’s eyes. As truckers this is probably even more of a problem. We run into this with Shippers, Receivers, Brokers, Agents, Dispatchers, even family members. I’m not sure what causes this mentality but it does appear to become more and more prevalent every day.
Shippers seem to be under the impression we can wait around all day for them to DECIDE to load us. But in all honesty I have discovered it isn’t as much the shippers fault as it is the dispatcher, broker or agent.
Now how can I lay this much blame on the dispatchers, brokers, and agents? Simple as they are usually the ones telling us what time we have to be at the shipper. I have always found it amusing that an Agent or Broker would tell me that a load was ready to go NOW only to show up and have the shipper tell me it was scheduled to load 5 hours later. And I have run into this scenario enough that I have learned to require the phone number for the shipper in order to confirm when the load is going to be ready. Nothing worse than sitting at a shipper for 5 hours, or even worse arriving early only to be told you have to leave and come back when you are 30 miles or more from the nearest truck stop, now that agent or broker is getting into my back pocket and nothing will piss me off faster than that.
Now granted if you are really tired and need a nap then sitting there for 5 hours may not be so bad, but more often than not you would prefer to have some facilities around if needed.
Receivers are generally speaking, not as bad. Unless they are a grocery warehouse or something to that effect most of the time their freight is JIT anymore and they are glad to get it when it gets there. Dealing with a secondary warehouse may not have the same results, but nevertheless it is not near as common of an occurrence as the grocery warehouse chains are.
Don’t get me wrong, I actually use to like most grocery warehouses for the simple reason I was able to get there, hire my lumper, and crash out for 5 hours while they unloaded me in the middle of the night. The next morning I was empty, rested and ready to go get the next load.
Now family is the one that perplexes me the most.
I’m not sure what it is about our children, but they seem to feel that once they are grown and out on their own with their own lives to worry about, our time becomes less and less valuable to them. Apparently once they have gotten into their own busy schedules we are now required to work around their time frame.
Interestingly, perhaps this is because we have spent their entire lives working our schedule around theirs. And in their minds this is not suppose to change upon their growing up and getting out on their own.
Parents are not quite as bad as I guess they have already had to deal with us acting like our children are acting now. But they do have, and I look forward to developing this talent, the amazing ability of making us feel like we need to do it NOW as opposed to waiting until it is convenient for us. And I think their favorite line that embarks that feeling is “You don’t have to do it right now, but whenever it’s convenient for you.” This actually means “Get over here and get it done.” Trust me it’s all in the tone.
So at middle age with family we are stuck. Our children want us to continue to work around them; our parents want us to think we can do it at our leisure when in reality they want it done immediately.
In trucking the Agents, Brokers, and Dispatchers want us there 24 hours before the load ships, Shippers want us to wait until they are ready to load us at their convenience (this is really true for union shops). And some receivers want us to get there as fast as possible and sit around all day till they actually have room for the product.
WOW I love being middle aged and in the transportation industry.
Shippers seem to be under the impression we can wait around all day for them to DECIDE to load us. But in all honesty I have discovered it isn’t as much the shippers fault as it is the dispatcher, broker or agent.
Now how can I lay this much blame on the dispatchers, brokers, and agents? Simple as they are usually the ones telling us what time we have to be at the shipper. I have always found it amusing that an Agent or Broker would tell me that a load was ready to go NOW only to show up and have the shipper tell me it was scheduled to load 5 hours later. And I have run into this scenario enough that I have learned to require the phone number for the shipper in order to confirm when the load is going to be ready. Nothing worse than sitting at a shipper for 5 hours, or even worse arriving early only to be told you have to leave and come back when you are 30 miles or more from the nearest truck stop, now that agent or broker is getting into my back pocket and nothing will piss me off faster than that.
Now granted if you are really tired and need a nap then sitting there for 5 hours may not be so bad, but more often than not you would prefer to have some facilities around if needed.
Receivers are generally speaking, not as bad. Unless they are a grocery warehouse or something to that effect most of the time their freight is JIT anymore and they are glad to get it when it gets there. Dealing with a secondary warehouse may not have the same results, but nevertheless it is not near as common of an occurrence as the grocery warehouse chains are.
Don’t get me wrong, I actually use to like most grocery warehouses for the simple reason I was able to get there, hire my lumper, and crash out for 5 hours while they unloaded me in the middle of the night. The next morning I was empty, rested and ready to go get the next load.
Now family is the one that perplexes me the most.
I’m not sure what it is about our children, but they seem to feel that once they are grown and out on their own with their own lives to worry about, our time becomes less and less valuable to them. Apparently once they have gotten into their own busy schedules we are now required to work around their time frame.
Interestingly, perhaps this is because we have spent their entire lives working our schedule around theirs. And in their minds this is not suppose to change upon their growing up and getting out on their own.
Parents are not quite as bad as I guess they have already had to deal with us acting like our children are acting now. But they do have, and I look forward to developing this talent, the amazing ability of making us feel like we need to do it NOW as opposed to waiting until it is convenient for us. And I think their favorite line that embarks that feeling is “You don’t have to do it right now, but whenever it’s convenient for you.” This actually means “Get over here and get it done.” Trust me it’s all in the tone.
So at middle age with family we are stuck. Our children want us to continue to work around them; our parents want us to think we can do it at our leisure when in reality they want it done immediately.
In trucking the Agents, Brokers, and Dispatchers want us there 24 hours before the load ships, Shippers want us to wait until they are ready to load us at their convenience (this is really true for union shops). And some receivers want us to get there as fast as possible and sit around all day till they actually have room for the product.
WOW I love being middle aged and in the transportation industry.
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