I frequently overhear prospective drivers talking about drop and hooks. They appear to believe it has some sort of secret that will help them choose which division they wish to drive in. They’ll declare, “I don’t want to run reefer because I’ll spend too much time sitting at the ports. In order to drop and hook, I’m driving a dry van.
Realizing that reefers too have hooks and drops astounds them. And contrary to common assumption, there aren’t as many drops and hooks in the dry van as you might assume. On one end, you might pick up a loaded trailer, but the receiver might have a live unload. Not to add that some drops and hooks may require more time than a live load would. I had four separate trailers this week, each lasting seven days. How did that come about? despite the fact that I run reefer, via drop and hooks.
All drops and hooks are not instantly simple. The trailers can occasionally be hidden by other trailers, in which case you will need to wait for a yard dog to move the trailers in front of you. In other cases, the trailer you require might be parked somewhere else, so you would have to wait for a yard dog to bring it to the main yard.
Drop and hooks require extra physical effort as well, especially when towing a trailer with a tricky dolly handle that won’t turn or large cargo. Beer and meat cargoes can be incredibly heavy, making it appear hard to turn the handle even in low gear. There have been instances when I’ve tried to move something by leaning on the handle and supporting my entire weight with it, yet nothing has moved. Other times, I kicked the handle in an effort to make it move.
Not all customers even have yard dogs, despite the fact that many are willing to aid you in lifting the trailer. There are frequently other drivers around who can assist you if you have trouble backing into a door. However, in large lots, drivers could be dispersed all across the yard, so there might not be any nearby to ask for assistance.
Despite what some people may believe, there are moments when being a woman in trucking actually makes things easier. Men frequently volunteer to assist me when they see me in need. It made me question if they offer the same assistance to struggling males. For me, handling the landing gear is a physically demanding aspect of my job.
Drop and hooks might take a lot of time
A meat load in Minnesota is one instance of a time-consuming drop and hook that was intended to be finished before I arrived. The trailer number and a pickup window of 12:00 to 18:00 were provided to me by my employer. When I arrived at the location at 12:00, I left my empty bag and went to the security gate.
I noticed the empty trailer I was supposed to be picking up being pulled by a yard dog as I was checking in. The guard snidely responded, “Obviously your load isn’t ready yet,” when I enquired. He advised me to come back at 18:30. I did that and looked all over the parking lot for my loaded trailer, but I couldn’t find it.
As soon as I got back to the guardhouse, he handed me a new trailer number. That trailer was nowhere to be seen once more. My business responded to my reply with yet another trailer number. When I finally insisted on a supervisor, he informed me that the earlier figures were inaccurate. He told me that the appropriate trailer was waiting for me to pick it up in the parking lot. Not at all.
When I called dispatch, they were able to pull up a satellite view of the trailer, which revealed it was still in the dock door at a plant across the street where vehicles were not allowed to go, and they were able to locate it. I requested a yard dog to go get it for me as politely as I could, and he obliged. Over eight hours went into that drop and hook. A live load takes roughly two hours on average.
The product in my loaded trailer had previously been unloaded so it could be used for other orders when I arrived at the location on another date. Due to this, I was forced to back into a door in order to get live loaded; but, because I didn’t have a scheduled appointment time, they worked me in five hours later. Customers that typically operate drop and hook facilities occasionally run out of empty trailers, and because they fail to inform the carrier of this, drivers arrive to find that the drop and hook has changed into a live load.
It’s possible to pick up a loaded trailer without problem, head to a scale, and discover there is no way to make the load legal. Even when it seems like everything went perfectly. At a shipper where we have a dedicated account, I experienced this. The tandem trailers weighed 35,500 pounds, and the nearest verified scale was 35 miles away.
After two hours, I went back to the shipper, backed into the door, and went back to the scales. The ticket now read 36,200, which is still overweight. At that time, I demanded that they remove two pallets from the shipment; they complied, but the shipper wasn’t pleased. I was finally leaving the scale after stepping on it three times. The 14-hour clock, however, prevented me from moving very far.
Two Trailers from a Tale
When you have to trade in a fantastic trailer for a subpar one, that is one aspect of trailer switching that I detest. Our trailer numbers indicate the year of the trailer, and the older trailers frequently have problems such as tandem sliding, braking, and tire problems. In the winter, road salt does more damage to older trailers.
Despite the carriers’ best efforts, there will be problems with the equipment. So just picture having a brand-new trailer that is trouble-free. The tandems slide like a scalpel through butter, the tires are brand-new, the rims are glossy, and all of the sensors and lights function as they should. As soon as you arrive at your next client, the trailer you need to pick up already has a problem. The tandem pins won’t retract, the tires are deflating, and part of the lights are out. You must now transport that trailer to a shop for repairs. additional time wasted You long for the next drop and hook so you can toss this old jalopy of a trailer you just bought as the brand-new one in the mirror gets farther and farther away.
Even with the finest planning, accidents still happen on the road. It might be a tire blowout, an accident, or even an unsuccessful drop and hook. These issues can cost you hours or even days, and they are just another illustration of the need for drivers to be adaptable and quick to change their plans.
Wanting drops and hooks can occasionally be one of the false assumptions we talk about in our trucker’s forum. There are many loads that move along without any delays, but if you anticipate drops and hooks to make things simple, reconsider.
Being flexible and maintaining an optimistic outlook will help you succeed, so keep these traits in mind.