Termination, trucking industry

[leviathan860]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Illinois

Federal Motor Carrier Law states that a driver cannot be required to drive by an employer when equipment does not pass a safety inspection or when the driver is tired.

I worked for a company for 14 months. 2 months ago we got a new boss who disregards safety, among other things. I was severely harassed one night for not wanting to complete a load when I had an air leak. If a truck has an air leak, the federal law states you're not supposed to drive. When the harassment occurred I asked to be switched to doing an over-the-road position. The manager said no, let's try to work it out. We had a meeting and I thought we had things sorted out.

Earlier this week, I was asked to go do spring training and have the oil changed in my truck. Due to scheduling issues I would either have to spend a day doing that, in which I couldn't deliver any loads, or I could do the training/ oil change on my day off. I asked the dispatcher, the person in charge of assigning loads, if I could work a partial day doing a short run on Friday if I worked my day off. He said sure.

I ended up working my day off. The next day, the dispatcher assigned me a short load. He got off work and the new manager looked at my assignment and decided to put me on a second load. I was supposed to leave for work at 2:15pm. He called me right at 2:15 to tell me that instead of working until about 10pm like I thought, I would have to work a second load. I explained to him the agreement. He said he didn't care. I told him that I had been up since 8:30am doing errands that I hadn't been able to do the day before because I was working and that I wouldn't be able to stay up very late. Eventually I agreed to doing a "short second load." At the time I hadn't been assigned one specifically. I got to work an hour later and saw my assignment. It would require me to work until 4am. I did not consider it a short load. I informed the manager that I would get tired before being able to complete the load. He said, "If you get tired, call this phone number and talk to that warehouse's dispatcher." I went outside and called the other dispatcher and told him what was going on. I told him I wanted to let him know now so that he would be prepared.

The next day I was fired. The new manager is saying that I was technically fired for agreeing to do a load and then turning around and calling another person to get off the load. This is not what happened. There was one witness to me saying, "I'm going to be too tired to finish this load," to the ne manager, but he could be easily coerced, threatened, or coached.

My question is, I know that these two incidents were breaking the law. How realistic is it of me to pursue criminal/civil charges and win?

And what sense does it make for him to persuade me into not leaving for a different position within the company and then a few weeks later fire me, which bars me from working anywhere within the company? If I was so lousy, why not let me go when I wanted to?

 

[justalayman]

until such time you are too tired to drive, you are not too tired to drive the load. Your dispatcher gave you directions if you did become too tired. Apparently that was not good enough for you and you wanted to not take the load. If you get tired, you stop and rest. That is different than effectively refusing to drive the load, which is what you were trying to do. The boss obviously saw it the same way.

My question is, I know that these two incidents were breaking the law.

list, specifically, what two incidences you believe were illegal. I don't see anything you were required to do that would be illegal.

 

[leviathan860]

until such time you are too tired to drive, you are not too tired to drive the load. Your dispatcher gave you directions if you did become too tired. Apparently that was not good enough for you and you wanted to not take the load. If you get tired, you stop and rest. That is different than effectively refusing to drive the load, which is what you were trying to do. The boss obviously saw it the same way.

list, specifically, what two incidences you believe were illegal. I don't see anything you were required to do that would be illegal.

Do you work for them?

I asked if it would be ok if I got to tired to pull over and take a ten hour break and he said no, the load had to be delievered by 6am. My 14 hour maximum time would have ran out at 4:30am. This is a dedicated account. You can't just stop and rest and keep going and still get there on time.

Making a big deal between me calling beforehand and calling at the last minute, when it would be too late to find another driver to get the load there on-time is pretty petty. When a person says they've been up since 8:30am and is not going to be able to stay up for over 19 hours they shouldn't be put on a load that requires that. I didn't call and say, "I refuse that load." I called and said, "I don't think I'll be able to make that load on-time."

 

[leviathan860]

until such time you are too tired to drive, you are not too tired to drive the load. Your dispatcher gave you directions if you did become too tired. Apparently that was not good enough for you and you wanted to not take the load. If you get tired, you stop and rest. That is different than effectively refusing to drive the load, which is what you were trying to do. The boss obviously saw it the same way.

list, specifically, what two incidences you believe were illegal. I don't see anything you were required to do that would be illegal.

I was harassed after refusing to drive a truck with an air leak. It is illegal to drive a truck with an air leak and illegal for an employer to require a driver to drive a truck with an air leak.

I was fired for refusing to drive tired. It is illegal for a driver to drive tired and illegal for an employer to require a driver drive tired.

If I had gotten into an accident and killed someone, especially with an air leak present, I would be in prison. My manager would not. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

 

[justalayman]

=leviathan860;2244579]Do you work for them?

No

I asked if it would be ok if I got to tired to pull over and take a ten hour break and he said no,

10 hour? Is that the fed requirement to restart your drive time?

the load had to be delievered by 6am.

you just said in your first post you would be there by 4:00.

I got to work an hour later and saw my assignment. It would require me to work until 4am.

Now you want to change the info you posted?

My 14 hour maximum time would have ran out at 4:30am.

Like I said, you said you would be there by 4. What's the deal with 6 all of a sudden?

So? The law doesn't care. You have laws to follow. You were not directed to ignore the laws. If you had taken the load and run out of time or became tired to the point of requiring a stop and THEN fired, you might have an action. As it is, you preempted everything and took it upon yourself to make decisions that were not yours to make so they fired you.

You can't just stop and rest and keep going and still get there on time.

You were told what to do when you got tired. Now you are claiming you would run out of driving time. Which is it? In either case, your dispatch told you what to do when you got tired (or is it ran out of drive time?) You refused to do that. Did you ever think they would send out a driver? Gee, I guess not.

Making a big deal between me calling beforehand and calling at the last minute, when it would be too late to find another driver to get the load there on-time is pretty petty.

your position is irrelevent. You were informed what to do IF/WHEN the problem came up. You apparently did not want to follow drirections. You were terminated as a result.

When a person says they've been up since 8:30am and is not going to be able to stay up for over 19 hours they shouldn't be put on a load that requires that.

First, you had agreed to take a shorter load implying you had no problem with driving that night. Then, when you found out it was not what you were willing to do, you complained. You were instructed what to do when you got tired.

I didn't call and say, "I refuse that load." I called and said, "I don't think I'll be able to make that load on-time."

Oh, so now you are changing things even more.

You were instructed to take the load until such time you felt you were not capable of driving. You were then instructed what to do when that happened. Nowhere did you state they demanded you drive the load the entire distance should you not be able to do so. You had alerted your dispatch as to the situation. They appeared to have it under control and you attempted to undermine their authority. You got what they felt was the proper corrective action.

So, as to the TWO illegal actions? Still waiting. I haven't seen one yet.

 

[justalayman]

leviathan860;2244584]I was harassed after refusing to drive a truck with an air leak.

harassed? that is not what you posted. You said things were worked out. Make up your mind.

It is illegal to drive a truck with an air leak and illegal for an employer to require a driver to drive a truck with an air leak.

sure is and from what you said, neither happened. Now, if they fired you for refusing to drive the truck with an air leak... we would be in a different situation but alas, that did not happen.

I was fired for refusing to drive tired.

No, you were fored for undermining the authority of your dispatcher.

It is illegal for a driver to drive tired and illegal for an employer to require a driver drive tired.

and YOU said they told you what to do when you reached a point which you were too tired. They not only did not force you to drive tired, they provided a directive for when you were to tired to take care of the situation.

If I had gotten into an accident and killed someone, especially with an air leak present, I would be in prison.

True, but you did not drive the truck with an air leak and you did not, nor were asked to drive the truck when you were tired.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

I just don;t see your points. You were not ordered to drive the truck with an air leak. You were not fired for refusing to drive the truck with an air leak. You were not ordered to drive beyond your regulated time or when you were fatigued beyond your safety level. You were provided with a directive for when you did become too tired to drive.

You took action to subvert the authority of your dispatcher and THAT is what you were fired for.

I just don't see any reasonable claim for you.

 

[leviathan860]

No


10 hour? Is that the fed requirement to restart your drive time?

you just said in your first post you would be there by 4:00.



Now you want to change the info you posted?

Like I said, you said you would be there by 4. What's the deal with 6 all of a sudden?


You were told what to do when you got tired. Now you are claiming you would run out of driving time. Which is it? In either case, your dispatch told you what to do when you got tired (or is it ran out of drive time?) You refused to do that. Did you ever think they would send out a driver? Gee, I guess not.


your position is irrelevent. You were informed what to do IF/WHEN the problem came up. You apparently did not want to follow drirections. You were terminated as a result.
First, you had agreed to take a shorter load implying you had no problem with driving that night. Then, when you found out it was not what you were willing to do, you complained. You were instructed what to do when you got tired.



Oh, so now you are changing things even more.

You were instructed to take the load until such time you felt you were not capable of driving. You were then instructed what to do when that happened. Nowhere did you state they demanded you drive the load the entire distance should you not be able to do so. You had alerted your dispatch as to the situation. They appeared to have it under control and you attempted to undermine their authority. You got what they felt was the proper corrective action.

So, as to the TWO illegal actions? Still waiting. I haven't seen one yet.

Ok, let's straighten this out.

Yes, if you start at 2:30pm, you can drive until 4:30am, which is 14 hours. 14 hours is the maximum, after that, you have to break for 10 hours.

The boss said the store wanted me to be there by 6am. If I got there after 6am, that would be considered late, which is a really bad thing. Since I started my day at 2:30pm, I had to stop at 4:30. So really I had to be there by 4:30am. If I drove the whole day without taking any real breaks I would have gotten done at about 4am according to my figures. So there is option of pulling over and taking a nap.

Remember, I was not told about the second load until 2:30pm. If I had been told earlier, maybe I could have taken a nap before work.

The whole reason a driver is put on a second load is because they have a shortage of drivers. They said they had no other drivers (lies). The reason I told them as early as I could that I would not be able to safely do that load is so they would have the most amount of time to find another driver. It would be a real BS move to drive down there and do half the load and then call and say I couldn't finish. That would force that load to be late, which is very bad. If I notify them before I start the load, they can have another driver who is around the terminal take the load. If I'm half way through the load out in the middle of nowhere, it's hard to find someone to cover me. Now, they could have said, do the load, if you're tired, take your break, then finish. But they NEVER do that because then they would be late. If my company has a pattern of showing up late to stores, then the stores will go with a different, more reliable company. All truck driving companies have to offer is on-time delivery.

It would also be a real BS move for me to drive 3 hours down there, after my first load, and when I get there, say, "oh, i'm tired now" If I had done that I would have gotten there at about midnight, which is when a person who wakes up at 8:30 gets tired. This second load was a different terminal than my normal terminal. I would have driven all the way down there, fallen asleep, woken up, and had to drive all the way back to my regular terminal, all for nothing! It would have been a huge waste of time and fuel.

I'm not saying I would have run out of time. I'm saying I would have gotten tired. I would not have been able to pull over for a short rest like you suggested because of the law. It seems you're just being argumentative.

No, I said, "I can't do that load. I will fall asleep." He said, "Call this number when you get tired." I said, "Ok" and immediately called him. The man I talked to said he would call my manager. I said ok. There was nothing deceptive about it. There was nothing implied, after I found out the load, that I be able to do the load.

You are twisting my words around just like they are. I said, "I will do a short second load." He assigned me to a load that was not short. I said, "I cannot do this load." It's that simple. I don't know what you don't understand.

Believe me, if I had taken that load half way and called and said, "I'm too tired to go on," it would have been too late to find another driver. They would have gotten a late, and I would still be fired.

I gave them that option. I told the man on phone that if he wanted me to try that load I would. They were both under the understanding that I would drive until I was tired and then stop, but that if I was kept on that load it would be late. If the man on the phone had said, "drive until you're tired then stop," then I would have. He would rather find someone who feels capable of doing the load than someone who doesn't, so he took me off. He found someone else.

If you want to know what's legal and what's not, read the federal motor carrier regulations handbook, because obviously you don't know.

Why're you making me out to be such a A-hole for calling and giving the actual manager of that load information that he needed to know as soon as I could, rather than waiting until the last minute. That manager asked my manager for drivers. My manager shouldn't have given him drivers who couldn't do the loads. He wants drivers who aren't going to cause him lates, of course.

Maybe that's why he fired me, because I made him look like such a stupid weiner.

 

[leviathan860]

harassed? that is not what you posted. You said things were worked out. Make up your mind.
sure is and from what you said, neither happened. Now, if they fired you for refusing to drive the truck with an air leak... we would be in a different situation but alas, that did not happen.
No, you were fored for undermining the authority of your dispatcher.

and YOU said they told you what to do when you reached a point which you were too tired. They not only did not force you to drive tired, they provided a directive for when you were to tired to take care of the situation.
True, but you did not drive the truck with an air leak and you did not, nor were asked to drive the truck when you were tired.
I just don;t see your points. You were not ordered to drive the truck with an air leak. You were not fired for refusing to drive the truck with an air leak. You were not ordered to drive beyond your regulated time or when you were fatigued beyond your safety level. You were provided with a directive for when you did become too tired to drive.

You took action to subvert the authority of your dispatcher and THAT is what you were fired for.

I just don't see any reasonable claim for you.

During the first incident I was harassed, I asked to leave for a different position, he said let's talk, we talked, I thought we had an understanding. That's exactly what I put originally.

Basically part of the understanding was I would "redeem" myself by not refusing anymore loads. He considered me not wanting to drive a broken truck a "load refusal" It was really a safety issue. I was just hoping to not have anymore breakdowns. But yes, it was made clear that if I had another safety issue my job would be at risk. The air leak situation was strike one, and he actually brought it up when he fired me.

I said to the dispatcher I didn't think I could do the load on-time. I asked if I got tired could I take my ten hour break and then finish it. He said, "the load needs to be there by 6am." I called the other dispatcher and told him the same thing. I never said I wouldn't do the load. I just said I wouldn't be able to do it on-time.

If you the dispatcher and your number 1 job is to get loads done on-time, would you rather find out someone is half-way through a load and going to sleep, the load will be 10 hours late and there's nothing you can do, or would you rather be notified as soon as possible so that you can look for alternative drivers? That was my thought process, not to under mind anybody's ego. I don't even get how giving someone needed information is under minding them. Except that, of course, my boss would have made a lot of money doing the other terminal's load, and if I was late it would have been a strike against them, not our terminal. I'm telling you the dispatcher on the phone is very appreciative that I informed before it was too late. Can you guys see that point?

 

[justalayman]

I'm not saying I would have run out of time. I'm saying I would have gotten tired. I would not have been able to pull over for a short rest like you suggested because of the law. It seems you're just being argumentative.

yes, you would have been able to pull over. You are the one pushing the pedal. You may have had to deal with the boss because of it but yes, you would have been able to pull over.

No, I said, "I can't do that load. I will fall asleep." He said, "Call this number when you get tired." I said, "Ok" and immediately called him. The man I talked to said he would call my manager. I said ok. There was nothing deceptive about it. There was nothing implied, after I found out the load, that I be able to do the load.

Well, now you are saying you were tired when you accepted the load (why else would you have called immediately). Previously, you had no problem taking a load that would have run you until 10 or so. So, are you now saying it was an illegal action for you to do that now? I'm not twisting anything. You are changing things.

You are twisting my words around just like they are. I said, "I will do a short second load." He assigned me to a load that was not short. I said, "I cannot do this load." It's that simple. I don't know what you don't understand.

see the last answer.

Believe me, if I had taken that load half way and called and said, "I'm too tired to go on," it would have been too late to find another driver. They would have gotten a late, and I would still be fired.

and THEN you would have had an action against the boss. As it is, you preemptively made the decision you were not going to be able to do something. The boss told you what to do in that case yet you still believed he was wrong. You got fired. That's all there is to it.

I said to the dispatcher I didn't think I could do the load on-time. I asked if I got tired could I take my ten hour break and then finish it. He said, "the load needs to be there by 6am." I called the other dispatcher and told him the same thing. I never said I wouldn't do the load. I just said I wouldn't be able to do it on-time.

and your dispatch gave you direction when you reached your time. You took subversive action to attempt to get what you wanted rather than doing what you were told, which was entirely legal. Until such time you were punished for taking a legally mandated action, you have supposition and guesses. Until an action is taken, it isn't taken.

If you the dispatcher and your number 1 job is to get loads done on-time, would you rather find out someone is half-way through a load and going to sleep, the load will be 10 hours late and there's nothing you can do, or would you rather be notified as soon as possible so that you can look for alternative drivers?

the dispatcher in control of you at the moment was aware of your situation. He made a decision to still run you out. You contacted another dispatcher that was not in control of the situation (actually, he had nothing to do with it at the time).

I don't even get how giving someone needed information is under minding them

You gave the info to ANOTHER person. That is what was undermining the decision of your dispatcher.

I'm telling you the dispatcher on the phone is very appreciative that I informed before it was too late. Can you guys see that point?

Well, he has a job. You don't. Where is he now, especially since you have no legal action against the company?

 

[leviathan860]

yes, you would have been able to pull over. You are the one pushing the pedal. You may have had to deal with the boss because of it but yes, you would have been able to pull over.


Well, now you are saying you were tired when you accepted the load (why else would you have called immediately). Previously, you had no problem taking a load that would have run you until 10 or so. So, are you now saying it was an illegal action for you to do that now? I'm not twisting anything. You are changing things.


see the last answer.

and THEN you would have had an action against the boss. As it is, you preemptively made the decision you were not going to be able to do something. The boss told you what to do in that case yet you still believed he was wrong. You got fired. That's all there is to it.


and your dispatch gave you direction when you reached your time. You took subversive action to attempt to get what you wanted rather than doing what you were told, which was entirely legal. Until such time you were punished for taking a legally mandated action, you have supposition and guesses. Until an action is taken, it isn't taken.

the dispatcher in control of you at the moment was aware of your situation. He made a decision to still run you out. You contacted another dispatcher that was not in control of the situation (actually, he had nothing to do with it at the time).

You gave the info to ANOTHER person. That is what was undermining the decision of your dispatcher.

Well, he has a job. You don't. Where is he now, especially since you have no legal action against the company?

I'm done here. You guys are completely unhelpful. You're Chinese sweatshop owners.

I said, and always said, I would have been too tired to do the second load on-time. I had no problem with the first load, which got me home at 10pm. I had no problem with doing the load and arriving late.

It is common, everyday thing, that if a driver gets a load he/she can't do on-time, he/she tell the dispatcher immediately about the problem so that a solution can be found and that there are no lates. This is what I and everyone else had been doing since I started 14 months ago. It's only conveniently Friday that it turns into under minding. And the reason for that is my boss didn't give a crap if I was late on another terminal's load. The other dispatcher had everything to do with it because it was his LOAD. He was one responsible for finding a driver to cover it. NOT by manager. My manager offered me up AFTER I told him I'm not going to be able to work late. He was greedy and inconsiderate of the other dispatcher, the company, and the store. So don't give me this crap. I don't have a job because I'm not willing to do something unsafe. There are desperate drivers out there who do many unsafe things everyday. Everyday drivers fall asleep at the wheel and kill people. I hope rather than killing innocent, rational people, the next driver kills your kids, because you're so ignorant that's what it will take for you to understand anything. Safe drivers don't make as much money as dangerous drivers. I didn't make enough money for the new boss and his new standards, so I got canned.

But what if I had done what he so clearly wanted. Drove with broken equipment, drove tired. I would eventually kill someone. Someone would be dead, I would be in prison, and the manager would replace me with some new, desperate idiot.

You don't get it because you're not a driver and you don't know what you're talking about. You're just making yourself look like a silly little idiot by throwing things out there that don't make any sense. You don't know the trucking laws, you don't know protocol, you don't know anything. You're just on this board to argue with people and put them down. You're a leech on the world and we'd better without you. The world doesn't need another drain.

 

[justalayman]

You don't get it because you're not a driver and you don't know what you're talking about.

believe what you want. I have lived with, been employed by, eaten dinner with, went to school with, truck drivers and trucking company owners. Let me show this to my brother who drove for 20 years or so before medical problems stopped him (only 1 chargeable accident in that time). Or, maybe to a friend of mine who used to own one of the larger trucking companies in my area. I can only guess how many millions of miles were run under his direction.

I also used to have a class II chauffeurs license myself (that was before the current CDL name).

Ya, you are the only one that knows anything about trucking. Ya, that's it.


You simply want somebody to see it your way. Too bad. You would have a cause of action IF you took the run and when you ran out of time, were fired for not continuing. You did not let it get to where it had to go for you to claim this is what they would have done.

Your fault.

You don't know the trucking laws, you don't know protocol, you don't know anything. You're just on this board to argue with people and put them down. You're a leech on the world and we'd better without you. The world doesn't need another drain.

but I am an employed leach.

 

[leviathan860]

believe what you want. I have lived with, been employed by, eaten dinner with, went to school with, truck drivers and trucking company owners. Let me show this to my brother who drove for 20 years or so before medical problems stopped him (only 1 chargeable accident in that time). Or, maybe to a friend of mine who used to own one of the larger trucking companies in my area. I can only guess how many millions of miles were run under his direction.

I also used to have a class II chauffeurs license myself (that was before the current CDL name).

Ya, you are the only one that knows anything about trucking. Ya, that's it.


You simply want somebody to see it your way. Too bad. You would have a cause of action IF you took the run and when you ran out of time, were fired for not continuing. You did not let it get to where it had to go for you to claim this is what they would have done.

Your fault.

but I am an employed leach.

I never said I was the only one. I just said you didn't know what you were talking about.

Any driver you talk to will agree that there's a lot of companies who pressure drivers to run illegally. Go ahead, look at truck driver forums. It happens every day, all over.

You're employed because your employer has convinced you to do whatever they say, no matter how unreasonable. And whatever happens is your fault. I'll be employed soon, but I won't be employed for a boss who forces me to break the law and put people in danger and everyone should feel good about that.

 

[>Charlotte<]

I'm done here.

You were "done here" the moment you decided to accept no other opinion than one that agrees with you.

I've read your side of the debate and justalayman's side of the debate, and justalayman is right. If you refuse to accept that and are determined to take action against your ex-employer--fine, go ahead. Don't let us stop you. It's your time and your money.

 

[justalayman]

I never said I was the only one. I just said you didn't know what you were talking about.

Any driver you talk to will agree that there's a lot of companies who pressure drivers to run illegally. Go ahead, look at truck driver forums. It happens every day, all over.

You're employed because your employer has convinced you to do whatever they say, no matter how unreasonable. And whatever happens is your fault. I'll be employed soon, but I won't be employed for a boss who forces me to break the law and put people in danger and everyone should feel good about that.

Look, I understand exactly what you are saying and have been saying through this entire thread. The problem is, you want a court based solution to something that there is no court based solution for. They had not done anything illegal, yet. Maybe they would have, maybe they wouldn't have.

I have been trying to get across to you that since they have done nothing illegal YET, you have no recourse.

Dang guy. I know how hard truck driving is. I remember meeting a guy one time in the middle of April. He said he was on his way home. I asked when he last took a run out of home dispatch. He said January 1!!!! and yes, he was married and had children. Now, I know that is not typical and maybe he really didn't want to be at home but still, it happens. Maybe not that bad but things like that happen.

I understand a manager pushing you to make miles which are impossible if you drive the speed limit. I have known truckers that have GPS on their trucks and were written up for going over 55. Talk about you can't win.

I have known guys that were beating the ice off their trucks in the weigh lane because they couldn't weigh with the ice and a full tank of fuel. One friend went through Schneider to get trained (they're still around aren't they). He was put as co-driver with another really green driver. (We are in the midwest). They were sent on a run through the Rockies. My buddy woke up and saw the other driver riding the brakes down a hill (hill, ya, thems some hills). My buddy knew full well the brakes were going to overheat rrreeeeaaaallll soon and then there would be no brakes when they were really needed. He didn;t sleep for 3 days because he could no longer trust the co-driver. He demanded a different co when they got back to the home terminal.

Geesh guy. I know you always hear "I understand" but I DO understand.


You don't even want to know the lot lizard stories.

the problem is; in the legal arena, you never reached the point that would allow you to fight back, with the courts on your side. Sorry, but that is the way it is.

 

[leviathan860]

Look, I understand exactly what you are saying and have been saying through this entire thread. The problem is, you want a court based solution to something that there is no court based solution for. They had not done anything illegal, yet. Maybe they would have, maybe they wouldn't have.

I have been trying to get across to you that since they have done nothing illegal YET, you have no recourse.

Dang guy. I know how hard truck driving is. I remember meeting a guy one time in the middle of April. He said he was on his way home. I asked when he last took a run out of home dispatch. He said January 1!!!! and yes, he was married and had children. Now, I know that is not typical and maybe he really didn't want to be at home but still, it happens. Maybe not that bad but things like that happen.

I understand a manager pushing you to make miles which are impossible if you drive the speed limit. I have known truckers that have GPS on their trucks and were written up for going over 55. Talk about you can't win.

I have known guys that were beating the ice off their trucks in the weigh lane because they couldn't weigh with the ice and a full tank of fuel. One friend went through Schneider to get trained (they're still around aren't they). He was put as co-driver with another really green driver. (We are in the midwest). They were sent on a run through the Rockies. My buddy woke up and saw the other driver riding the brakes down a hill (hill, ya, thems some hills). My buddy knew full well the brakes were going to overheat rrreeeeaaaallll soon and then there would be no brakes when they were really needed. He didn;t sleep for 3 days because he could no longer trust the co-driver. He demanded a different co when they got back to the home terminal.

Geesh guy. I know you always hear "I understand" but I DO understand.


You don't even want to know the lot lizard stories.

the problem is; in the legal arena, you never reached the point that would allow you to fight back, with the courts on your side. Sorry, but that is the way it is.

The company I'm talking about is Schneider, in the midwest.