Where I am at ltl shippers get serviced in minutes.
That right there is the crux of the problem. This is a common practice, especially at foodservice distributors, and has resulted in countless lost hours (not to mention lost preplanned loads) for me. Local and/or LTL trucks getting first priority has left me waiting 6 or more hours just to be assigned a door before. Warehouse receivers (you know, the guy who comes over and signs off your bills) giving local and/or LTL deliveries first priority has had me waiting in a door upwards of 4 hours to have my load received. One particular place left me sitting in the door for 6 1/2 hours for 3 pallets, all the same product, and as a result I was late to my next delivery for that load, which ended up having to be rescheduled, and they charged us a $250 rescheduling fee for the privilege.
Now, call me crazy if you like, but when I arrive on time or a little early for an appointment, I expect that you're going to have a door available for me. And once the product has been unloaded and downstacked as necessary, I expect that you're going to come verify the count and sign my bills expeditiously. Not when you get around to it, not after taking care of the local guys who just happen to keep popping in while my product sits on your dock thawing.
This practice of putting OTR trucks at the bottom of the list is absolutely ludicrous, and needs to be stopped.
And if you truly show-up with only three skids, get off your deadass an borrow a jack and pull them off yourself.
Shipper:
The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
FedEx Freight
Con-way
YRC Freight
UPS
Old Dominion
Estes
Yellow-Roadway
ABF Freight
R+L Carrier
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
And if you truly show-up with only three skids, get off your deadass an borrow a jack and pull them off yourself.
Shipper:
The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.