What Is a Live Load in Trucking? 6 Things to Know
In the trucking freight industry, timing is everything. In fact, how long it takes to load or unload a cargo container can seriously impact a carrier’s bottom line and affect how long a driver can be on the road in a 24-hour period.
To maximize efficiency and productivity, you need to know what a live load in trucking is and when live load trucking is appropriate. Let’s break down six important things about live-load trucking.
What Is a Live Load?
A “live load” is a cargo container attached to a truck or freight vehicle. More specifically, a load is “live” when it’s delivered to its destination, but the truck remains attached to the container until it is either loaded or unloaded.
The truck then leaves with the same container it originally came with. A live load means truckers have to stay put for a time while the live unload process finishes and the next load is placed inside.
Live-load trucking?is contrasted with “drop and hook” or “drop and pick” trucking. With drop and hook trucking, a truck delivers a container, detaches the trailer, then hooks up to another container and begins driving shortly after initial delivery. It’s a little less time-consuming.
Both live load and drop and hook trucking can be beneficial, but it’s important to know when one is ideal or superior. Trucking companies may calculate drop trailer capacity and empty container rates/truckload rates based on which loading method is used and whether the driver waits for a long time with an empty trailer in a parking lot!
What Should I Know for Live-Load Trucking?
Live-load trucking is beneficial in certain circumstances, so carriers sometimes practice it when the situation calls for it. That said, you need to know a few major constraints or potential limitations to live-load trucking before practicing this trucking method.
1. Docking Times
You must always factor in docking times when practicing live-load trucking. Generally, you should expect to take two hours to load and unload tractor-trailers (accounting for the time it takes to load or unload cargo from the trailers themselves).
Because of this, if you plan, for example, to dock twice a day, that means you should account for four hours of dock time. That dock time is when carriers are "on the clock." If you're a carrier, that's 14 hours you have to deduct from your 14 hours per day limit. If you’re a freight customer, keep in mind that those four hours are times that you may have to pay for.
2. Dock Detention
In addition to the above, dock detention can be quite common. Carriers need to be aware that while some docks are run very efficiently, other docks are less than efficient. “Detention” means?loading or unloading cargo?over the agreed-upon or standard timespan (i.e., two hours).
Dock detention usually incurs detention fees, especially if a shipper or receiver holds a driver at the dock for far too long. Truckers, take note — even though you might get paid for dock detention, dock detention fees don’t usually make up for the money you might have made if you had been able to get back on schedule on time.
3. Strict Appointment Times
Many?commercial docks?are first-come, first-served. That means live loading can be quick and agile if you arrive with no one in front of you, but it also means that you might run into lines or long delays if there are people ahead of you when you get to your target dock.
Because live loading already adds some extra time onto your schedule, it’s a good idea to keep strict appointment times with all the docks on your route if possible. This can complicate logistics, but it should help you (at least to some extent) avoid having to waste even more time behind long lines of other trucks.
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When Is Live-Load Trucking Best?
Given the above constraints, you might wonder why or if you should even use live-load trucking in the first place. In truth, there are several times when live-load trucking can be best.
4. Lack of Space
For starters, live loading is very suitable if a shipper has significant space constraints and can only accommodate a few movers or trailers at a time. For instance, if a receiver doesn’t have a lot of parking spaces for extra containers, live loading might be the only possibility for them to receive and send cargo to and from the loading bay.
In some cases, live-load trucking isn't just the best choice: it's the only choice to serve a particular client or customer. This enables full cargo containers to be moved out of the yard to make space for another cargo container ASAP.
5. No Prime Movers
Additionally, live-load trucking might be ideal if there aren’t any prime movers available, like if a haulage company has a prime mover shortage. In these circumstances, the haulage company might be unable to pick up a laden container at a scheduled time.
Live-load trucking can help overcome this limitation, ensuring that laden containers are moved out of the dock immediately after they are filled with cargo.
6. No Shunting Truck Available
Lastly, live-load trucking can be used with container shunting.?Container shunting?occurs between loading bays and parking areas. Shippers use specialized shunting trucks to carry containers to and from loading bays and parking areas to make room as needed.
If a receiver or company doesn’t have a shunting truck, laden containers will occupy loading bays unnecessarily. In such cases, it’s usually more efficient and productive to live load so that containers are used as they are needed rather than being loaded and left to sit on the dock or in a parking lot for no reason.
Conclusion
As you can see, live-load trucking is one of two ways to drop off and pick up cargo. In some cases, it might be smarter to practice live-load trucking, particularly if your client or receiver has no space to practice drop and hook trucking.
That all said, consider the time constraints, fees, and limitations to your driving ability to live-load trucking might impose. With a carrier company like RPM, carriers like you can maximize schedule efficiency and appointment precision.
It's no stretch to say that RPM makes live loading much more manageable. With our intuitive software, knowledgeable support staff, and exceptional scheduling capabilities, we can help you?make the most of live-load trucking?or connect you to clients with enough space and organizational flexibility to make it work.?Contact us today?to learn more.
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