can't we all just get along?

I take exception to John Gentle's remarks ("caught between a dock and a hard place," Across the Dock, September 2006, page 11). When are the carriers and the distribution centers going to stop blaming each other and start cooperating to make the customer their number one concern? Isn't it about time we started working together to solve the issues that have plagued us for years? Yes, inefficient receiving operations sometimes cause hardships for truckers, but I can also point to many instances in which carriers have caused problems for DCs. The bottom line is that it is my responsibility as a manager to make the system work.

I will agree with one of his statements: The problem is only going to get worse. Driver shortages, clogged ports and technology-deficient distribution centers will continue to cause inefficiency in our ability to supply goods. Isn't it time to stop lobbing insults and start pulling together?

Koty Kothmann, Sugar Land Fulfillment Center