There ain't nothing like working on the dock and getting almost to the door with a seven foot tall pallet, only to have a driver pull the trailer just before you enter. Sometimes you get your lift stopped in time, sometimes you don't.
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I was operating my PIT(boss hates the acronym, so I use it on purpose) yesterday, moving big submersible pumps that we use at our operation. Setting the last one down, I dropped the last inch a little quick, so it thumped the deck; my weasel of a co-worker came out with the boss to investigate.(He likes to stir shit; I look forward to the time when I get to drop him into it, head first)"What'd you hit?? What was that??" They proceed to look all around the pump and the deck, weasel-boy obviously trying to find damage...I start mocking him, in Goofy's voice: "What was that?? Kv hit sumpin', let's go see! Hyuck!!" I reminded them that "it's a 1-ton pump, on a 2 1/2' thick reinforced concrete deck above a process vault, so, yeah, if I thump it down you're going to feel it 20 feet away in the office." I know I rolled my eyes at least twice...
ReplyDeleteI hope the operator was wearing the safety belt. Else, they likely made some major headlines.
ReplyDeleteI’m ready for fork trucks to have three point seat belts like cars. Bounce your face off the wheel once and you wish you had a shoulder strap.
DeleteIt happens when the dock locks are not used, or disabled. At many of the automotive plants I've been in, the truck door cannot be opened unless and until the dock lock has engaged the ICC bar on the back of the truck.
ReplyDeleteI imagine that was a long, ugly ride to the deck outside.
We had a similar situation back in the mid 70's while I was working for the W.T.Grant Co. Drivers would move the axles all the way forward on trailer and back into the loading doors. They'd drop the trailers and a heavy forklift would enter and just flip the nose of the trailer up. We had several forklift drivers come close to being killed because of it.
ReplyDeleteBack in my college days, working at a warehouse, we always had the driver on the dock while loading/unloading. Made it harder for them to pull away too soon.
ReplyDeleteMany years ago a guy at work drove just the front wheels off the dock. As we're standing there wondering what to do, a garbage truck with the dumpster forks comes through the parking lot. We waved him over and seeing the obvious predicament, he volunteered to help. He stuck his fork under it and got her back on the dock.
ReplyDeleteSome walmarts make us drop the trailer in a door. Other warehouses simply disconnect an airline and put a lock on the glad hand.
ReplyDeleteEither will prevent these accidents
I'm off the road now, doing yard dog work and loading trailers all day. We have dock locks, jack stands for dropped trailers, and tandems-to-the-rear rules. We load two skids at a time, each skid weighing a ton most times. I don't load them if these criteria are not met. I've ended up being the unofficial yard cop, because very few others will make sure the rules are followed. I've pissed off quite a few drivers, but IDGAF. Nobody's gonna get hurt or killed on my watch if I can help it.
ReplyDeleteWell, I'll be damned, I haven't heard from you in a long time.
ReplyDelete99% of the time it was our yard dogs that pulled the trailers out from under us. They'd get a call from the shipping clerk that the trailer in door 76 was ready to pull, so they'd go to door 77 by accident. Or they'd be driving past and see that a door had the ready to pull light on, not knowing the loader forgot to change the light before he started loading.
We didn't have dock locks at the warehouse I worked at, just the style of dock plate you see in the picture. They eventually upgraded them so the ramp was longer, but that was about it.
Our shit is all integrated. Red light/green lights outside. Power dock plates won't activate/deploy until dock lock is engaged. Dock lock won't disengage until dock plate is stowed after loading. Live-load drivers/yard dogs can't pull trailer away from dock until dock lock is disengaged and the green light comes on outside. It's almost idiot-proof.
DeleteAlmost.
And yeah. I don't do much commenting anymore. I've said just about all I need to say, but I lurk and read and watch and learn from miscreants like you all the time! ;) Hope you and yours are doing good.