[AT] Tractor hauling

[Ronald L. Cook]

I won't say that I won't ever..........but, these sort of problems are some 
of what spurred me to sell my last truck in 1993.  Cecil did hit it right 
on the head.  As far as the trucker showing up with room only on the front 
of the deck for the partial load, well, some truckers don't plan well 
either.  Of course the dispatcher may have screwed that up, or possibly it 
was a weight issue.

If all went well, though, hauling antique tractors around the country would 
be a fun job.

Ron Cook
Salix, IA

>Cecil..............Your note is exactly what I was referring to........I
>learned this the hard way about 20 years ago when I sent a trucker to pick
>up a running Terex 8230 crawler.  The owner and the trucker spent all day
>trying to get the "runner" going.  They finally gave up, the trucker came
>back empty and I was out 750.00 for his time and trip.
>
>I shipped an AC model M back to Pennsylvania a year or so back.  It was a
>partial load for the trucker and he shows up with a trailer with no space
>except on the front of the deck.  Fortunately I could lift the whole machine
>up and set it down on the bed but it certainly wasn't expected or
>anticipated.  I have made loading ramps/docks of varying height around the
>place to cope with unexpected trailer heights.  Even though I try to plan on
>the unexpected, I am still capable of being surprised by a new twist.
>
>John Parks
>Boise, ID
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Cecil Monson" <cmonson at hvc.rr.com>
>To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>Sent: Friday, June 10, 2005 9:32 AM
>Subject: Re: [AT] Tractor hauling
>
>
> > > I can well relate to John's comments relative to unloading equipment.
> >
> > We used to receive new tractors, TLBs, skid steer loaders, agricultural
> >
> > equipment, and 20 ton trailers at the dealership,
> >
> >
> > I could be wrong but I think what John was referring to was a
> > truckers concern about hauling for individuals and a lack of
> > coordination in both loading and unloading. Hauling commercial loads
> > is a different thing with normal business hours and normal delays
> > possible on both ends. It is different if an individual wants a tractor
> > or machine hauled some distance and hires a trucker. A lot of the time
> > the tractor or machine isn't really running, there is no loading dock
> > anywhere, and there is no help to get the thing loaded. The search
> > begins when the trucker gets there and they expect him to sit there and
> > wait while they find help and a way to get it loaded. Same thing happens
> > on the delivery end. They don't expect to pay extra for this but time is
> > money and there should be a charge or some other consideration given the
> > the trucker. I have hauled things for others a good distance from home
> > and can tell you that a person gets leery of this quickly. The phone
> > numbers you are given to call are not answered, or they "had to go
> > somewhere" and left no word when they would be back. In the case of
> > picking up a tractor one time, I was told where to go and given a good
> > description of the buildings and yet no one there had any idea who the
> > person was I was told to contact. As a customer taking delivery of a
> > new trailer that comes stacked on top of other trailers on a flatbed
> > truck is one thing. Asking a trucker to stack something to be hauled on
> > top of someone else's load is something else. No one is going to do it
> > or would have a way to do any stacking. John knows how this goes and
> > is giving good advice when he says you have to be ready at both ends.
> > Anyone hiring a trucker to haul for him should take John's advice and
> > do his best to see that help is there on time and both the loading and
> > unloading go smoothly.
> >
> > Cecil