Here's what I can tell you guys about loading and unloading. My information comes from flying the lines in Salt Lake City, and occasionally Denver. Also, this is the reply I said to look for in my last PM JLTD. Sorry it took a few extra days to get back to it, I came down with Bronchitis last week and kind of stopped being a functional human for a few days.
The morning load at the hub or base is all done by UPS loaders. In Salt Lake it's a mix of UPS teamsters and contracted temp crews from a company called Quantum, and in Denver it's something similar. They use belt loaders on the 1900's and hand to hand passing on the 99's like we did in my Navy days for stores loads.
After the load you fly to an outstation, my last flight I was in Idaho Falls. That morning just before departure I sent a text to the AM driver to tell him how much I was bringing and my ETA. After landing I was met by a large box truck and 3 small vans. I didn't bother helping them unload because there were 4 drivers and only 1300 lbs to move. By the time I finished my post flight, paperwork, and installing prop snubbers they were already almost done. I like to BS with the drivers, which I did for a few minutes, and then they finished and left. On all of the 1900 runs I've flown it's a similar situation. Jackson Hole arrives with a couple trucks and 3-4 drivers, Twin Falls a couple trucks and a few drivers, etc. Also, the 99 runs usually get at least 2 drivers.
At the end of the day it's time for the outgoing cargo to arrive. Usually at least a couple drivers arrive if there's more than a few hundred pounds, or enough to fill about half of a cargo bay. There are some exceptions like Sun Valley where only 1 driver comes out in the evening, but he also seldom has more than a few bags and a couple boxes. Jackson always brings 2 drivers but they can have a few thousand pounds going out in the afternoon if something like the Buffalo farm is sending another meat shipment out. During my last trip at Idaho Falls it was a “Melaleucia Day”, the Melaleucia company is based there and they had a big air shipment going out, so 2 guys arrived in the truck to load 1600 lbs of mostly Melaleucia boxes into the aircraft.
I keep saying usually. Sometimes our plane is really late arriving at the outstation. This could be because the morning jets were late getting into the hub, bad weather happens, or something else. For example, last week and I held over Jackson for an hour and a half on 8 mile legs due to fog in the valley below. When this happens some of the drivers might not be available anymore but the truck usually still arrives with at least 2 people. Something similar might happen in the evening when it's time to load at the outstation due to sick calls, drivers stuck in weather, whatever. In either case if only one person arrives at the plane with a pile of cargo I have a choice, help them load/unload the plane, or tell them “good luck” and wait for them to finish while I’m in the FBO drinking coffee. Personally, I like many of the drivers I work with and I try to help as much as I can when this happens. At one outstation the air driver always brings me coffee the way I like it when he meets the plane. Sometimes his partner also throws in an empanada. I’m not going to tell either of these guys to pack sand if they arrive alone and need some help once in a while, which has only happened a couple times in the past few years I've flown there.
On the other hand, once in a while somebody makes a funky decision based on “the pilot will help”. If only 1 driver shows up with something like 1600 lbs to load and his new manager told him to “just have the pilot help you”, then it’s a different situation. Pilots can and have gone into the FBO and left a single driver frantically calling for more help to load a full truck into the plane if they feel like their kindness is now being taken advantage of. This has only happened a couple times that I remember. Most drivers and managers do not take advantage of the fact that many Alpine pilots are nice enough to help load in some way.
Basically, we are not required to handle the boxes. Some pilots never touch the packages, others help a bit. I have a messed up back and the VA is still trying to fix it with physical therapy, so I don’t get inside and do any heavy lifting while hunched over or anything like that. But sometimes I help move things in or out by doing something like sitting at the door and shuffling the boxes from the aircraft rollers to the truck rollers, or helping an evening driver toss a light load into the door bay.
I'll also get some pictures and maybe some video that show all of this better soon.