Blocking Traffic, Or: The Story Of The Steel Shipper I Went To Yesterday

Yesterday I went to pick up a load at a steel shipper about an hour from my house that doesn't deliver until Monday so I could take it home for the weekend for some quality home time. The shipper was off of groesbeck highway (four lane road, 55mph), but the dispatch said there was a side street big trucks are allowed to park on while waiting. Sure enough there was so I pulled in there behind another flatbed and went to sign in with the shipping department. It looked like a fairly easy load, there was a fenced in yard and I saw a truck being loaded there, just nose in then straight back then nose out. I was feeling good. After a few minutes the forklift operator came to me. I will break this down by what he said and what I thought.

He said: I need you to pull in forward to that door over there

I thought: Oh I'm getting loaded inside, but it is nose in this should be easy

He said: Then I need you to pull out the door on the other side of this building.

I thought: Oh, weird, maybe there is another yard on the other side

He said: Then You need to turn left out onto groesbeck highway and block traffic. From there you will do a serpentine back (maybe you will know this as a blindside offset back) into the far gate. It is a tight gate so be careful, but you need to go quick so you don't get a ticket for obstructing traffic. Make sure you don't hit the cars parked here, or the fence on your way in.

I thought: Expletive removed

Luckily the operator was a really good spotter and I got in fairly quickly without much trouble, but blocking four lanes of 55mph traffic was a bit nerve wracking.

This image might make it make more sense.

The DOT needs a new division . One that will travel the country shutting down or fining companies with ridiculous , unsafe , unnecessary , and unacceptable accommodations for shipping/receiving of products.

The companies need to have to answer to at least a standard reasonable criteria . Some companies apparently have the same shipping/receiving facilities they did 40 years ago .

~S~

The DOT needs a new division . One that will travel the country shutting down or fining companies with ridiculous , unsafe , unnecessary , and unacceptable accommodations for shipping/receiving of products.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnWggbEDY5U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxvzDEB2e3E

The companies need to have to answer to at least a standard reasonable criteria . Some companies apparently have the same shipping/receiving facilities they did 40 years ago .

~S~

Luckily I don't feel that this dock was quite that bad. Here is the hardest dock I've had to deal with so far.

Getting in wasn't so bad, but getting out is a pain. There isn't enough room to turn right out of the dock so you have to pull straight out, then do a blindside 90 around the corner, then serpentine around other trucks getting loaded in the other docks until you are far enough back to pull forward to the right and leave.

Schism, you bring up a very good point.

Steve, keep up the good work and be extra cautious in these kinds of places. Some of these shippers/receivers are just redicilous. We all have our stories, but having to block a highway is dangerous and that place should be in some serious trouble for forcing the drivers to perform such crazy maneuvers.

I guess I am stupid. Or something. Not so sure what to name it.

If I came to a situation like that, I guess I would have to loose my job. Because I wouldn't do it. Forget it. No way. No shape. No how.

One mistake. One screw up from a 4 wheeler traveling that 4 lane and it is bye bye license for the truck driver. Not only is he breaking the law blocking traffic, but if any kind of accident happens, it is totally his/her fault.

And not to even mention how much jail time if there are fatalities involved in an accident.

I would rather loose a job than loose my license and pay a HUGE fine. Cause guess what. Your company nor that customer is going to pay it.

Schism you have a great idea. DOT needs to get involved with cases like this. And if more drivers would say forget it, cases like this would come to a halt.

Years ago when I was in trucking the first time, the company I worked for told us to NEVER blindside back. If a customer pointed to a dock and it was a blindside. We were to tell them, the truck is over there. Bring the forklifts out to me or find me another dock.

If he found out we blindsided, we would loose our job. Way to risky to blindside he always said. Said his insurance wouldn't pay for any damage done with a blindside back.

I have done a little blindside. Had to in school and have done very little out in the real world. And I am not looking forward to when I have to next time.

Keep it safe out here. The life you save might be your own. Joe S.

Joe, I am new to all this, haven't even left with my trainer yet. But my first thought was like yours.

I was going to ask how a dispatcher might react if a driver was to say they refused to block 4 lanes of traffic to get into a doc. Im sure it would depend on the company and the dispatcher. I know they would (or should) back the driver for refusing an over weight load, or something else that would be an illegal haul. So you would like to think they would back you when you dont want to break a law or put yourself in a highly risky place to get into a dock.

I know there will be plenty of tough docks to get into, and those we just have to deal with. But blocking 4 lanes of 55 mph traffic is beyond difficult, it is unsafe.

Would love to hear more opinions on this. I dont mind tough, but I dont want to risk points on my license or worse if I dont HAVE to.

Woody

Joe, I am new to all this, haven't even left with my trainer yet. But my first thought was like yours.

I was going to ask how a dispatcher might react if a driver was to say they refused to block 4 lanes of traffic to get into a doc. Im sure it would depend on the company and the dispatcher. I know they would (or should) back the driver for refusing an over weight load, or something else that would be an illegal haul. So you would like to think they would back you when you dont want to break a law or put yourself in a highly risky place to get into a dock.

I know there will be plenty of tough docks to get into, and those we just have to deal with. But blocking 4 lanes of 55 mph traffic is beyond difficult, it is unsafe.

Would love to hear more opinions on this. I dont mind tough, but I dont want to risk points on my license or worse if I dont HAVE to.

Woody

I don't necessarily think your dispatcher has much to say about this. Safety department will be the one calling you and maybe the customer. The safety department has a lot more power than your dispatcher when it comes to this. It doesn't matter what your dispatcher will say, the final words will be coming from Safety.

There are about a million docks in the U.S. that require you to block traffic to some extent. It's just part of the job. If you get in a situation that's dangerous then call the police and see if they will come out to help. Sometimes they will, sometimes they won't. Other times you'll be able to get the dock workers to block traffic for you. Once in a while you're just on your own.

I have to say Joe's being a bit reactionary. You wouldn't quit your job any more than any of the other thousands of drivers that have had to back into that place have quit theirs. You find the safest solution possible and get the job done. I normally wouldn't have responded to that but since almost everyone on this website is brand new to trucking I don't want thousands of new drivers quitting their job every time they have to block traffic or blind-side into a spot. If your former boss didn't like blind-side backing, how did he feel about snow, heavy traffic, high winds, steep mountain grades, and the countless dangers you come across every day of your life out there? Seems kinda silly to pick blind-side backing as being entirely too dangerous when every day you do things things ten times more dangerous out there.

Listen, there's nothing easy about trucking and sometimes it requires some difficult decision making. But there is no way to take the risk out of it completely. It's a risky job. A great driver knows how to minimize the risk and make safe, prudent decisions out there.

Daniel has an excellent point. If you get in a spot where you really have no idea what to do, call the safety department and see if they can be of some assistance.

Thanks for the replies. Very helpful as always.