Dock Work

[Fina]

I spent five days trying to deliver 20 tons of paper at Tilbury docks around 1970. Arrive at dock at 0600, join queue of lorry's, Book in when office opened. About 1130 Checker would come round, count so many vehicles to stay, signe the notes of the rest and tell them to come back tomorrow. this used to happen every day. About 1530, checker would come again, count vehicles again, keep enough to get there overtime up till 1900, ten send the rest away. They would usually be finished by 1815-30, and go home. They would unload nearly as many vehicles in there overtime as they did all day.
I was in and out of docks all over the country, i never saw a docker do a hard or full days work.The only dockers to work hard where those in the ships hold. Liverpool, London and Tilbury were the worst. Felixstow, I think was a private concern. There dockers could do more in three days than the otherswould do in a week.
Liverpool dockers day. Arrive at dock 0800. Start work 0815-20, Depending how far they had to walk to there work place (ship or dock shed). Teabreak about o930-1015. Dinner 1130-1300, teabreak 1430-1515. If not working overtime finish 1630. If working over time, then 1830. all times approximate.
They used to add exra time to there breaks to walk to the canteens. Thats why there breaks were so long.
Barney.

[G-CPTN]

Went out to a vehicle inspection in London Dockland. Asked the operator if he had an inspection pit and he showed me a shed with a pit about 18 inches deep. I remarked that the pit wasn't very deep and he replied "Wait until we get it pumped out . . . "
I needed to do a road test (it was an artic tractor) so he arranged a tandem box trailer. I asked what the load was (I'd had live cattle previously . . . ) and he said it was "just plastic pellets for injection moulding, but it's full up . . . "
I carried out my test drive and returning along the A13 almost missed the turning into the depot. Halfway round the corner I felt the steering go light and, looking into the mirror saw the trailer inside wheels were about two feet off the ground! I promptly unwound the steering (fortunately there were no obstructions) and managed to prevent a rollover . . .
It was only then that my brain realised that in order to achieve the weight the load was stuffed up to the top of the box, so the CofG was much higher than I'd been used to with concrete test loads in metal cages.

[billyboy]

Wow! a hairy experience that one

[Mandator]

One of my first loads to Liverpool (Gladstone) dock was in 1968.I had an Albion Reiver and was loaded with circular saw blanks from Spear and Jackson in Sheffield.
I arrived in L'pool at 0400 having left Sheffield about 0130 and joined the queue!It was middday when I got tipped and apart from the Scottish wagons loaded with whisky for the bonded w/house the dockers only tipped four wagons from 0830 till 1130.when I came out of the gate you couldn't see the end of the queue.What a poxy hole!And Liverpool wasn't the only place with a reputation,the London docks,Hull and Birkenhead were just as bad.
Bad memories of dockwork.Our gaffer stopped doing it,just wasn't worth it he said.

Rant over,feel better now.

[deckboypeggy]

Originally Posted by Fina

I spent five days trying to deliver 20 tons of paper at Tilbury docks around 1970. Arrive at dock at 0600, join queue of lorry's, Book in when office opened. About 1130 Checker would come round, count so many vehicles to stay, signe the notes of the rest and tell them to come back tomorrow. this used to happen every day. About 1530, checker would come again, count vehicles again, keep enough to get there overtime up till 1900, ten send the rest away. They would usually be finished by 1815-30, and go home. They would unload nearly as many vehicles in there overtime as they did all day.
I was in and out of docks all over the country, i never saw a docker do a hard or full days work.The only dockers to work hard where those in the ships hold. Liverpool, London and Tilbury were the worst. Felixstow, I think was a private concern. There dockers could do more in three days than the otherswould do in a week.
Liverpool dockers day. Arrive at dock 0800. Start work 0815-20, Depending how far they had to walk to there work place (ship or dock shed). Teabreak about o930-1015. Dinner 1130-1300, teabreak 1430-1515. If not working overtime finish 1630. If working over time, then 1830. all times approximate.
They used to add exra time to there breaks to walk to the canteens. Thats why there breaks were so long.
Barney.

deckboy peggy.yes fina every word true ,we were second class workers and inthe same union or else you didnt get tipped they deserved all they got ,
and none of the local [allright johns] never went to the docks only shunters and they were as bad as the dockers.the one good thing about l/pool was you allways got pleanty of good food.no wonder lots of us drivers in our 60s have high blood pressure its rembering those bas.... dockers.and their right to good money and never work..what about GLADSON DOCKl/pool any hand ball and you had to do it. we used to go with case cars and had to sling it ourselfs and they would soon get their days tonage in and you had done it for them. then they would be off to the pub. thank you lord leve who brought containers in that stuffed them. southampton102 or204 berth ive forgot were absoultly ****.... i am so pleased that at least some of the older drivers are still around and still hate the DOCKERS and all they stood for they made our lives a blo... nightmare.praise to the containers.

[deckboypeggy]

If you read in some of the truck magazines.letters pages you allways get some [know nothing all] trying to tell other drivers get union ised dont let the bosses grind you down etc,who helped us in the 70s not the unions,unless thedrivers were in the big citys connected to the dockers.london BRS drivers usedto get higher rates than anyone [why becausetheywerein london] THEY WERE ALLWAYS out of london,they paid the same dues as us.or if the drivers were connected to car factories on local work they would all get higher rates than all us lowly general haulage drivers it still winds me up after all these years. thats better at last ive now got that chip of my shoulder has anyone got any more [CHIPS] at least that will never come back.

[Dingbat]

reading fina,s thread on taking him 5 days to tip at tilbury docks.although the docks have all but gone now[apart from container ports].the modern day equivelent to the dockies are the jobworths at regional distribution centers for super markets.arrived at tescos r.d.c one saturday night 7 p.m.booked in for 7-30p.m still waiting at 9 p.m.went had a word in the office and to the fork lift driver.only two lorries waiting to be tipped myself and another lad from the same firm t.d.g. newton aycliff.he got tipped at 10p.m.because i had a word about the booking in time ,they tipped me at half midnight.then out side in the pouring rain ,although the loading bays were empty.although it was only pulling the curtains to open and close them i was soaked by the time i left.you couldnt even use the toilets.i found this attitude common at the majority of r.d.c.that must be part of the job.how to be a total s--t to all lorry drivers.jobworths.

[Energumen]

Hi Gents, please do not get me started on this theme, few people would live long enough to read the whole thread.

"where's the stuff for the lads?, no?, sit there then." etc.

R D C's Run on behalf of one major retailer, too much power in too few hands, but was it ever any different at the back door of individual ' Tesco' mainly, stores.

I will not bore you, but I dished out my share of pay back on these Pwats.

Where this element of the job is concerned, ' thank gawd for retirement.

[G6 UXU]

Same happened to me Barney at Liverpool in the early 70s, it took them from Monday morning till Friday teatime to tell me that what I had on was deck cargo and it would be another week before they could take it off. All the best.

[Energumen]

If we look at the dock labour history, they had some hard times years ago, before the war, when my Dad was a docker in Wapping and surrounding area, queueing up like merchandise on a meat rack, and hoping to get a days work.

But sadly, as was so often the case, when they got the upper hand they abused their power, just as their employers had in their turn.

The truck drivers weakness will always be, that he works alone at the point of interfacing with other bodies of workers, he mostly has no one behind him to support or substantiate his case if there is any Crap at a supplier, client or agents site, it is the classic bullying scenario, find a weakness and exploit it, to appear stronger oneself. It is the price paid for the part of the job we enjoy., or as in my case, used to enjoy, but not for a while before I finished.