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I work for the other big east coast railroad managing container terminals. I currently work adjacent to a medium sized container port but we, interestingly enough, handle very little international freight(20', 40', 45' boxes) even though we're technically 'on dock rail'. The vast majority of what we move in any given day is in 53' boxes and a few trailers. George Zimmer posted:You'd have to get in with the longshoreman union to work at any port, first and foremost. I'm not totally sure what the job situation is like for the guys with their boots on the ground, but alot of poo poo involving ports or railyards requires special training. Forklift, side lifter, gantry cranes, switchers, etc. all require licensing or cerification of some sort. I'd look into seeing if there's some sort of career training nearby for those things. Good luck getting into the ILA/ILWU without connections. The ILA, and I assume the ILWU, will provide training for anyone that they accept. The stevedoring companies will then certify these people after they pass a test. The railroads/lift venders provide varying levels of training programs for new employees. Typically, the training looks something like: classroom, OJT and supervised operation, and a practical examination. The work is boring as gently caress. 8-12 hours sitting in the cab of some piece of equipment moving chassis and containers around. George Zimmer posted:For domestic freight, very, very little. You can put just about anything onto a container, make up a bill of lading for it, and nobody will ask twice unless you state it's hazmat. Imports/exports are a different story though since you need a licensed customs broker to do that, but even then there isn't much. See MisterTurtle's post about the Mercedes. The only time I've seen railroad cops in the yard is when there are a massive amount of boxes getting robbed. Ramp personnel are the ones typically inspecting and recording seal numbers. I can break the seal and inspect any box that I want. I do not need to ask the customers permission. That being said, we rarely inspect anything other than hazmat, damaged containers or load shifts. The FRA also regulates hazmat loads and audits my ramp frequently for any discrepancies. State DOT(highway patrol) will occasionally set up checkpoints and inspect every hazmat load.
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Jul 19, 2015 04:08
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MassivelyBuckNegro posted:I work for the other big east coast railroad managing container terminals. Got a question for you, dunno if you can answer but what the hell: one our drays dropped a domestic box off a delivery out at a warehouse pool we manage, but the box/chassis was red tagged. Do you guys let red tagged stuff out the gate? The delivery the dude was coming off of wasn't mine(he was street turning the box to us) so I didn't know about it until I yelled at the dray to go and swap it out, but it seemed strange that the ramp would let a red tagged unit out the gate.
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Jul 19, 2015 04:52
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George Zimmer posted:Got a question for you, dunno if you can answer but what the hell: one our drays dropped a domestic box off a delivery out at a warehouse pool we manage, but the box/chassis was red tagged. Do you guys let red tagged stuff out the gate? The delivery the dude was coming off of wasn't mine(he was street turning the box to us) so I didn't know about it until I yelled at the dray to go and swap it out, but it seemed strange that the ramp would let a red tagged unit out the gate. Red tagged, or bad ordered, units will(probably) flag the operating system to prevent an out-gate. However, that requires the ramp personnel to put the unit in b/o status in the computer which may not have happened. Or, the mechanics reported the unit as being repaired but didn't remove the tag or some mixup with box/chassis numbers, etc. We don't inspect equipment at the outgate so it could have very easily been missed depending on how the terminal is configured and what local processes are followed.
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Jul 19, 2015 16:27
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Thead bookmarked, holy poo poo did I find you guys on the right day. I've been working as a Logistics Coordinator for I think a full year now and I got a million questions. We're a 3PL and I'm on the account that works for a store similar to Whole Foods. We get all the fresh to the stores in the AM, and Dry/Frz later in the day/nights. 75 trucks, 150 loads a night, a lot of work. Long story short, I used to be a bartender, and made friends with a guy who works in logistics. He got promoted so he gave me his old job with zero work experience. I'm not stupid though, and we were just switching to TMW, so everyone else was on my level. Now, I'm one of the best employees there when it comes to fixing calls in the computer and working on orders. I get along with almost everyone, the drivers like me a lot, and I'm crushing it at work on my reports. Lately, work has been bullshit though. New ops manager, new unnecessary changes. I'm getting my hours cut so they don't have to pay me OT, I'm ready to jump ship. I'm 31 / Male / Single / No kids. I'm a tall, clean cut, white guy who dresses up well for interviews. I love the chaos of logistics, I like fixing problems. I want to move up the field. I've already networked very well so far, and I have friends who want to hire me, they just don't have positions open yet. Anyone have any suggestions for someone who's kinda young an very new to the game? I'm open for traveling, anything. My boss's wife does Air Freight, which I guess she makes like 3x more than he does it. I know there's money in a lot of spots. I just cant' sit in a cubicle cleaning up TMW calls all day. I like interacting with drivers, hearing their crazy road stories ect.
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Apr 4, 2016 12:55
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Also, the hours you work are amazing. I wasworking 12 hour shifts, 3/4 days a week. Every other week I get a 4 day weekend. This was on salary. Then they switched me to hourly, so I started making like an extra 5k a year (thanks overtime). Got a letter today though saying I'm do 4 10 hour days, so that lasted about 2 months. It's nice to finally see the overtime you've illegally been missing out on, only to have it taken away from you 2 months later. What a kick to the nuts.
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Apr 4, 2016 13:08
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If you want to stay out of a cube (as much as possible) you should get in to operations/engineering.
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Apr 4, 2016 14:08
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Yeah, this is a cubicle heavy industry unless you're on of those brokerage agents that can work from home or whatever or you're the boots on the ground. That said, if you love solving problems, there's an *abundance* of jobs that entail precisely that. The new SOLAS regs are probably gonna throw a nice wrench in the mix.
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Apr 4, 2016 15:03
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I just did a big solas presentation/writeup for my new company. You are totally on the money. For dude wanting to look at an ops job, don't constrain yourself to an asset based carrier. Look at 3PLs both for domestic trucking and international work (NVOCC or whatever the airfreight equivalent would be).
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Apr 6, 2016 02:50
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Yomofo posted:Thead bookmarked, holy poo poo did I find you guys on the right day. I hate to say it but you are missing at least a year before you can straight jump into ops. Look for jobs as a dispatcher (which are super rare anymore) or yardmaster.
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Apr 6, 2016 05:32
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sbaldrick posted:I hate to say it but you are missing at least a year before you can straight jump into ops. I agree. I think I'm over qualifying myself in my head. It's just that in a year I've become better than my co workers who have been doing it 5-10+ years. I see your point. My manager told me the other day he was with Swift for 2 .5 years and they asked him why he left so early. I want to take the next step to the role of supervisor or something equivalent, 50-60k+ a year or so(I make 42.5k, prob less now with out overtime). The problem I have is the amount of curve balls we deal with every single day. I know I'd be able to do it with the assistance of drivers. Random question with Qual Comm? Ask a driver for help. Truck losing power? Pass the phone off to a experienced driver. It's just kind of crazy the amount of responsibility I have and what I'm in charge of. I got a lot of potential, I just wonder if it looks that way in my resume. ie. crazy curve ball today: Driver is picking up a dry backhaul from a warehouse he's been to many times before. This driver is the loving worst, I can't say enough bad things about him. Yet, for some reason, they won't fire him. I heard something about not trying to pay him unemployment. Basically, this driver works like he wants to be fired. Today, on a live load backhaul, he dropped the trailer onto the tires (unhooked due to a problem with the doors?). His domicile dispatcher told him to call breakdown. He did, he got suspended right away. I talked to breakdown and they informed me I was being recorded and that he was not allowed to drive a live load until safety, in the morning, inspects the 5th wheel to determine the cause of the accident. They said he was fine to drive back home as long as the 5th wheel was not used. I said great, that gives me 1 more bullpen driver. I'll let him bob tail. My Ops Manager comes over, wonders why I've been on the phone so long and immediately puts the phone on speaker. Long story short, he's like like "I want that in an e-mail now!!!" "they are like, we are just suggesting what you do, to save a driver. My Ops Manager is like I didn't ask for your advice, we got it and that was that. Then he explained to me how they wanted to pass off the liability on me. Obviously this crazy driver just got fired and knows it, and I almost let him drive home. I see both sides. I guess it comes down to why would I risk my rear end? I totally get it, but it's poo poo like that that makes me think I'm not ready to be a manager yet. However, you have to take risks in live. Push yourself.
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Apr 6, 2016 14:39
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My ops manager can be a hardass but he absolutely knows how to spot someone passing the buck. Taught me a hell of a lot about how this industry just absolutely does not give a poo poo. Glad you didn't get caught up in the bullshit!
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Apr 6, 2016 15:12
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Dropping the trailer directly on the tires can cause tread separation or heavy tread damage which can cause a blowout down the line. That driver needs to get his resume in order.
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Apr 6, 2016 19:52
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CannonFodder posted:Dropping the trailer directly on the tires can cause tread separation or heavy tread damage which can cause a blowout down the line. That driver needs to get his resume in order. idk if its that dire. i (railyard manager) just do my investigation, ban the driver, and he bobtails out. if there was a risk of a blowout i think policy would require that further action be taken.
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Apr 6, 2016 21:25
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Missing the 5th wheel is like the worst thing you can do as a trucker. Think about it, if that came unhooked on the road and was loaded, that's potentially an 70,000 lb missile hitting a car. You could easily kill someone. It's the driver being lazy and not doing the correct post trip usually. I've seen cases where it was mechanical, but 8/10 times it's driver error. Safety did assist in lifting the trailer off the tires, and getting the truck out from under safely. They said he and the truck were fine to drive, just no load, nothing can touch that 5th wheel till they do their investigation in the am. When someone offers a suggestion to me I listen because I assume their trying to help me. It sounded fine to me, but my Ops Manager was like gently caress no. Obviously, stuff like this isn't written in some text book. You're not going to learn scenarios like that in a classroom. I'm just going to keep playing sponge and learn everything I can. I had a good 1+ hour talk with the days manager who supervised me when I was training. I'm doing good, it's just my pay doesn't reflect that and I'm taking it personally. I need to remind myself I'm getting paid right now for a college education in trucking. I'm lucky to be where I'm at all things considered. God I'm going to miss my old schedule. I was working 12 hour shifts, 3/4 days a week alternating. I worked less than a teacher, and got paid more. 6 months off every year. If I wanted to take a 11 day vacation, I'd time it out on my short week and only have to request time off for 3 days. It was amazing. Now I have to work 4 days, 10 hour shifts. How can I bitch? Now I have only 3 day weekends every week? I had it too good, and they killed it. I did lose Sat night, which loving blows for my social life. I was starting at 5pm on Sundays. Sun-Tue, every other Wed. Dream schedule.
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Apr 7, 2016 03:31
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Our parent company owns a fancy fishing lodge in Florida and I get to go to it next month. Apparently all the railroads have stuff like this? Fine by me.
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Apr 20, 2016 21:12
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George Zimmer posted:Our parent company owns a fancy fishing lodge in Florida and I get to go to it next month. Apparently all the railroads have stuff like this? Fine by me. NS has a trucking company? id just pm you but you dont have plat
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Apr 21, 2016 01:51
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MassivelyBuckNegro posted:NS has a trucking company? id just pm you but you dont have plat Pstager90@gmail.com
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Apr 21, 2016 02:47
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MassivelyBuckNegro posted:NS has a trucking company? id just pm you but you dont have plat They all do. You'll enjoy being part of the CP family soon, sadly they no longer have an airline or a hotel company for really good perks.
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Apr 21, 2016 16:19
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sbaldrick posted:They all do. Thought they gave up on that?
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Apr 21, 2016 17:03
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George Zimmer posted:Thought they gave up on that? various governments want them to give up on that, not the company
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Apr 21, 2016 21:37
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CP officially backed off though. I mean, Hunter Harrison could start it back up whenever though I guess. My company used to be owned by Conrail, I think we'd survive a merger if it ever happened.
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Apr 22, 2016 01:15
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George Zimmer posted:CP officially backed off though. I mean, Hunter Harrison could start it back up whenever though I guess. My company used to be owned by Conrail, I think we'd survive a merger if it ever happened. Its more that the government wouldn't let CP put itself in a blind trust while Harrison ran NS till the merger happened.
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Apr 25, 2016 00:48
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How useful/desirable is being very fluent in Spanish in this industry? The demand of people fluent in the language in other areas has increased but I don't know if it's relevant in this industry.
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Sep 9, 2016 16:54
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Angry Lobster posted:How useful/desirable is being very fluent in Spanish in this industry? The demand of people fluent in the language in other areas has increased but I don't know if it's relevant in this industry. Definitely doesn't hurt. A lot of truck drivers speak Spanish as their first language, and I've seen a few job postings for dispatch positions that require fluency in Spanish for that reason. I know that trade has picked up quite a bit with Mexico, container ship wise. Might be something there, but I couldn't tell you for sure.
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Sep 9, 2016 18:09
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Edit: Nevermind
Yomofo fucked around with this message at 11:00 on Sep 20, 2016 |
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Sep 20, 2016 09:01
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I can relate to a lot of the issues in this thread. I was a shipping manager at a small company for 5 years before I moved to Chicago to work for a 3PL. I work in the international department (a total of 3 people servicing reps in over 26 branches) and though the job is stressful/hours are pretty long the pay is ok for someone with a good work ethic and a knack for problem solving. Our company recently (within the last 2 years) started doing international moves so our system is based around the sales rep pool having us book/track/invoice all international loads. Luckily the company realizes how intense the industry is and accommodate to create a better environment to work in (ping pong, good coffee, good free beer distributed at 4 on fridays). My advice is be good to your forwarders and reps, dont bother with trouble loads (lol im not sending your ceramic tiles to syria), and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
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Sep 22, 2016 01:14
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I just got promoted to Logistics Supervisor this week!! I got a nice raise from 42.5k to 53k and I get my bonus back. I beat out like 8 people for it too. I've only been doing this 1.5 years, but I deserved it. I'm already kinda dreading parts of it. I know the 3 people I'll probably be in charge of are the worst of the 4 teams. I'm afraid I'm going to be the punching bag for 2 of them. Any general advice on transitioning from Coordinator to Supervisor would be appreciated. I'm another 3PL out of Chicago too. SketchyNick, my managers wife does international air freight. He's saying that's where the money is, something international or with customs. Just curious, what's your title/ pay? I work 1/2 the year. 3/4 days a week 12 hour shifts.
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Sep 27, 2016 09:19
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Congrats! I'm still a measly coordinator so I'm afraid I can't help. Just curious, anyone working with the recent Hanjin meltdown?
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Sep 27, 2016 15:02
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So before I started working at my job, a few of the older guys started a lawsuit I guess for not getting paid overtime. We were salary working 48/36 hours a week alternating. I guess technically it was illegal, but we were all making pretty good salary and bonuses so no one complained. I just got a letter saying I'll be getting a check for $650 if I settle now. I didn't even sign up for this but I guess they have to pay me. Just got promoted and I get like a free weeks pay, this week has been awesome.
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Sep 29, 2016 10:15
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George Zimmer posted:Just curious, anyone working with the recent Hanjin meltdown? I work at a small exports company in Australia and we got pretty screwed by this! We had booked months of business at Hanjin rates. The day the news went out, we had 20 containers sitting on the wharf waiting to be shipped. So of course, all our Hanjin bookings were cancelled immediately along with several upcoming bookings with other lines using their vessels. Then we had to wrestle with the local Hanjin office to get our boxes off the wharf - they initially wanted a $2k deposit per container, in addition to the wharf and customs fees and the cost to reload everything and ship with someone else. Boss told them to get hosed and threatened lawyers, which surprisingly was enough to get our cargo out. I don't know what the legal status would have been if they'd refused to let us collect and the containers sat there accruing storage fees, or whether we'd ever get our money back if we paid the deposit. I'd be interested to know what happened with other shippers who were in this situation. All in all it has been an interesting few weeks  Bonus: somewhat cringey summary of the Hanjin debacle set to Hotel California: https://www.lloydslistaustralia.com...nia-537109.html
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Sep 29, 2016 14:41
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naptalan posted:Bonus: somewhat cringey summary of the Hanjin debacle set to Hotel California: https://www.lloydslistaustralia.com...nia-537109.html I'm not trying to make a joke here, I seriously think I have never felt less inclined to click a link in my entire life. Thank you for describing it so clearly and succinctly so I could avoid it, that's a rarity on the web nowadays
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Sep 29, 2016 17:08
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Yomofo posted:I just got promoted to Logistics Supervisor this week!! I got a nice raise from 42.5k to 53k and I get my bonus back. I beat out like 8 people for it too. I've only been doing this 1.5 years, but I deserved it. I'm already kinda dreading parts of it. I know the 3 people I'll probably be in charge of are the worst of the 4 teams. I'm afraid I'm going to be the punching bag for 2 of them. Any general advice on transitioning from Coordinator to Supervisor would be appreciated. My title is international/small parcel account executive. Our team is all salary so we dont get commision but the upside is we dont have to talk to the customers at all just reps. Pay is ok but raises and bonuses are dolled out yearly. I work year round 8-5 monday through friday. The OP life isnt bad.
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Oct 30, 2016 17:48
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Here's a bit more on the shipping industry in general. Ninety percent of everything is a book of loosely connected vignettes on the people sailing container ships. WSJ article "How Trade Made America Great" The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger -- interesting book on how shipping standardization made trade cheaper and more efficient.
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Nov 5, 2016 17:22
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"what you are describing is actually called 'smuggling'" is a far too often comment I have to make
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Nov 30, 2016 06:21
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*double post
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Nov 30, 2016 06:43
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Don't deal with that so much since I work mostly domestic freight, but we get a fair bit of blind shipments and those always seem sketchy.
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Nov 30, 2016 16:00
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I'm amazed at how often I have to remind people that, as a non-American carrier, we cannot move cargo between two points in the US.
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Nov 30, 2016 17:27
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Moving from reefers to chemical tanking. Any advice in general? It pays more so I'm gonna do it and I'm good at logistics but I know nothing about tankers
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Dec 19, 2016 22:01
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George Zimmer posted:Don't deal with that so much since I work mostly domestic freight, but we get a fair bit of blind shipments and those always seem sketchy. Blind shipments are just so your customer doesn't go to your supplier (or vice versa) and cut you (the middleman) out. Well I mean I guess there could be some sketchy other reason for it but I've never thought of one.
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Dec 28, 2016 01:29
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Fair enough. The fun ones are where we aren't supposed to tell the shippers that it's going over the railroad. I always wonder what those guys think when they see a container roll up to the dock.
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Dec 28, 2016 21:33
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