Delivery Drivers

[Industrial Toys]

Funny. I saw the Fuel Oil truck just barrelling down the road. I thought it might be a good idea to get him to fill up various tanks, since he was here.

I stopped my truck, and stuck my arm out the window. He didn't see me, until the last minute and locked up his wheels. As it was, he was empty, and I guess hi-balling it for home base.

As far as the o/p. You want people to come on your property, you are gonna get all types. Can't choose who drives the delivery trucks. I would bet, these companies have a hard time finding good drivers. Not an easy job.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

I have been amazed that trucking companies will send a 53' trailer into a residential area. They are asking for damage claims both to their trucks and customer property. Just the other day one came down our sub-division street to deliver some small freight. There is a culdesac at the end but there is no dead end sign (county street). Made the delivery and proceeded to try and turn around. Backing out to the arterial would have been worse with out a flagger. Any way after 30 min of backing in little increments he gave up. His office called out a tow truck. They uncoupled the trailer, dragged the tractor out of the way and the tow driver finally jockyed the trailer around and got it lined up in the street so the driver could hook back up. Final result: street tied up for 3 hours with some disgruntled neighbors; tow truck bill; driver way off schedule; 3 retaining walls damaged, two mailboxes knocked down; drag marks and deep gouges in the old already fractured county street (low priority for repairs). The dispatcher or trucker could have known about the culdesac if they would have checked the route on google. He could have turned around easy there.

How can the trucking industry afford having such employees? A lot of smart companies delivering point to point trucking are not making residential deliveries any more. Deliver to a business or pick up your freight at a car loader dock in closest city. Local delivery needs to be broken down and delivered on smaller trucks like UPS uses. And put lift gates to eliminate dropping off the tailgate. Any T & T more than a 20' box does not belong in residential delivery.

Ron

 

[majorwager]

I tend to agree with DEEZLER and NotTrac NY. Regular drivers tend to remember the layout and likely during a repeat delivery they will encounter the owner, wishing to avoid a confrontation Slash Pine might have a point with seasonal drivers with bobtails.

 

[majorwager]

Tractor Seabe,
The profit margins for LTL are razor thin . If you purchase or start a freight firm, and have a fleet of small box trucks for residential deliveries, then certainly you will be bankrupt before others can follow suit. Truth is that most LTL freight can NOT be stacked. In order for deliveries to be remotely $ feasible, a 48 or 53 ft trailer is necessary so the route freight will fit on the truck for the given day. The logistics of this business are not subject to the whims of folks who have little insight into the operational mechanics, uninformed opinions not withstanding. And as long as shippers insist upon residential deliveries, freight companies will comply with that request. Again forcing end user recipients to P/U freight at the terminal, which may not even be in the same city, is simply unreasonable. I had three deliveries this summer where the closest terminal was a sixty mile distance away.

 

[majorwager]

Tractor Seabee,
Follow up point, a concern many end users share, is their concern for the shippings costs. I for one, would be opposed to a sur-charge of a $100-200 dollar so the truck can be downsized. As for my three deliveries this year, there were no roads destroyed, no property damaged, no traffic incidents/congestion and NO ONE DIED. Some folks worry about the little things so they have an excuse to ignore items that actually matter.

 

[Paddy]

Looks like you need to move your drive over 2 feet. : )

We also have issues with some drivers that visit. Our drive is a gravel drive on a hill. If you just start up slowly you wont spin your tires. But some folks are more inclined to just put the peddle to the metal. Man can they spray gravel

 

[BoylermanCT]

I had a heating oil delivery last week. I have driveway markers every 20' that are located 6" off the asphalt drive so I know where to plow. The oil truck ran one set of wheels completely outside the markers. I think he used the force to drive instead of his eyes! Good thing the ground is frozen so there won't be any lawn damage when the snow melts.

 

[Code54]

From time to time someone gets off our lane with a trailer or a truck, it happens. I hate when they get in the ditch and rip it up but mostly they are trying and just not that great with a trailer. The worst damage was when some unknown and uninvited "visitors" decide to come a 1/2 mile back our marked private road on horseback and basically ride around in my very wet yard. Tore the crap out of it (4" deep hoof prints everywhere) - now that ticked me off when we came home to find that.

 

[John White]

I am in the septic pumping business and people call and want their tank pumped. This is a big truck. They have maybe a 7' paved drive way with curves, trees that have not been trimmed and low hanging branches that will rip my air horns and mirrors off. I carry nippers with me and they don't want any limbs trimmed off. Don't want me to get near the edge where it will break the asphalt. Plus some times they ask if I can do it with a pick up truck so it wont crack their concrete drive. Most gravel drives are not built for a septic pumper truck loaded and in the spring with a thaw. I just tell them they should have called in the summer.

 

[Oldpath05]

Is this all that well-off retired people worry about is a little rut at the edge of a narrow driveway....Me I'd be more concerned with my health and family. Driveways need to be a minimum of 10' wide, more if not straight for delivery trucks, geez I have more damage than that on my driveway from last night's rain storm and or every big rain storm. I'd be concerned if my garage door was backed into, house and or car.

Solution, dont order online, put up cement barriers or similar, pick up the new kitchen stove at the store with your own truck.