What to do when driver abandons truck

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by agfreight, Aug 9, 2012.

  1. lace

    lace Bobtail Member

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    I have another side to a story. my husband drives for a local outfit that refuses to give him enough $ on his fuel card to fill the tanks. He is currently 1500 miles from home in the middle of nowhere & the employer is refusing to send $ on card for fuel. They have also refused to let him have $ for food in the 2 weeks he has driven for them. we spent all our own money on schooling for him to get his cdl, so we do not have the resources at this time to support him while he is on the road. He has borrowed money from my mother (via will call) just to eat on when he gets so hungry or thirsty he can no longer go on. I have told him I would rather him let me come get him than keep borrowing money we cannot afford to pay back. If he were to abandon the truck under these circumstances what would b the repercussions? I have a feeling he wont even get a paycheck the way these ppl r treating him anyway.
     
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  3. Giggles the Original

    Giggles the Original Road Train Member

    honey i am sorry to hear he is being treated like this...but as far as i know...it will still count against him...what company is doing this????
     
  4. G/MAN

    G/MAN Road Train Member

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    Your husband hasn't had a paycheck in two weeks? When does he get paid? Some companies hold back a week when you start. Are you saying that the company will not put money on his fuel card for fuel, or not put enough on the card to fill the tanks?
     
  5. lace

    lace Bobtail Member

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    he should get paid tomorrow but i doubt he wil get one. He said they told him he is using more fuel than they have estimated he should b using. they will only put 50-200$ at a time on his card for fuel & only one of his tanks work right. what $ they will send for food is 20$ at a time & he says he is spending that on faxing their paperwork after each delivery & from shippers too, & oil. They finally sent 60$ for fuel but that will only last a few hrs , right? they told him to call them in am again & they should have more $ to send. I am just fed up worrying if he is able to get from one location to another & have food when he needs it. he told me he had 6$ & was going to c if he could get something to eat. his next load is about 60 miles south of where we live & he claims he is asking for a couple days off when he makes the next delivery there. I know there r other jobs out there that he can b treated better than he has been. I have asked him to quit this comapny, I do not trust them at all....
     
  6. lace

    lace Bobtail Member

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    it is a local company out of tipp city ohio. I have done some research on them & they have had companies in georgia, florida & michigan just since 2006. in the last 4 yrs they have relocated 3 times within our county. I have contacted BBB but they had nothing on them & I was referred to odot. odot has them in georgia & ohio under 3 addresses. I found this site by a complaint that was made by another driver from 2011. I told my husband about the complaint & how similar it was to what he has endured the last 2 weeks. I am just appalled by it all. My husband drove truck in the early 80's & he had never went thru anything like this.
     
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2012
  7. MNdriver

    MNdriver Road Train Member

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    time to pay for fuel to get home and clean out the truck. It would be cheaper in the long run for both of you.


    DO NOT abandon the truck on the road.

    Deliver it to the yard, take pictures of it WITH A time and date stamp if possible. Otherwise it will automatically be timestamped in the EXIF information on the picture data.
     
  8. RedForeman

    RedForeman Momentum Conservationist

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    I read the post you found and did a little looking out of curiosity. The posts from you and the other driver, along with the carrier's CSA profile, suggest a two truck operation with either a poor to no PM program and no operating cash. Probably with drivers who are beyond broke enough to not care about the condition of the equipment since the carrier probably won't pay to fix anything. The short fuels and faxing docs before and after a load tells me they are running from fuel advance to fuel advance.

    I honestly hope your husband has been keeping careful records, tracking fuel and expenses closely. Especially differentiating between pay advances and truck expenses. Also make sure he has copies of his logbooks. The other driver mentions spending advances on faxing and oil, but not clear about whether that is getting reimbursed or what the deal is. As-if he is getting a pay advance, spending part of it to keep the truck running and leaving less for food and personal use. I say this as your remark about them telling him he's using too much fuel sounds like laying the groundwork to charge (deduct) some expenses back on him or worst case accuse him of fuel theft. Either way a possible angle to screw him out of earned pay. Since today is pay day, I suppose you're gonna find out pretty quick. Hopefully he hasn't advanced his whole settlement until now, leaving only expense reimbursements that won't be paid till next week.

    This bothers me because I run a two truck operation and it's a freakin struggle. Those folks have been in business only a few more months than I have, at least under their current MC. So in terms of size and time in business we're not too different. I started my business because my son had been working for a carrier that operates just like yours seems to be. Ragged, shot-out equipment, zero PM, and many days of sitting waiting on fuel money to post or worse if it was a break down. I knew I could do better than that, and have. He and the other driver have never missed a paycheck, and never been left out on the road with no money. Half the time I am the one that spots problems when the trucks come thru here, and those things get handled right now. I've told them both that if it ever gets to the point that I can't afford to operate, I'll have them park and come get them myself if I have to and get them home. It makes me angry to hear about apparently honest, hard working people get taken advantage of. Business is hard, but if I have to resort to making a driver fuel every 100 miles or nicking their paycheck to carry my expenses, it is time to have a truck sale and move us all on to our next occupation.

    I doubt this carrier will report an abandonment, but don't chance it. It sounds like you're planning to return the truck under the auspice of taking home time. You should do exactly that and document it at MN suggested. At the very least, it protects you against any bogus "recovery charges" that would negate any earnings or lead to a collection against you. So get the truck back to them even if you have to suck it up another week or two. Document everything with copies and/or pictures. If not to protest any DAC entries, at least be able to prove your story to the next prospective employer. FMCSA says you have to put this one on your application, even though he's only worked there for a few weeks. As a prospective new employer I'd question being on a job for 2-3 weeks, and any proof to your story would basically offset a bad reference in my opinion. Assuming everything else about you checks out, that carrier's public records make you much more credible.

    In other words, "Run Forest! Run!"

    Good luck!
     
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  9. G/MAN

    G/MAN Road Train Member

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    I agree with RedForeman. It sounds like they are in financial difficulty and you need to protect yourself. I would suggest that your husband contact some other carriers to see if he can get on with them before turning in the truck. Of course, if you don't get paid you really haven't lost anything. I hope your husband gets paid without any problems. Not all small operations are like the one your husband is working. If they have moved around that much then there is a reason. Most companies don't move around much. One other suggestion that I have is to have your husband keep or copy all receipts for fuel and faxes or any other expenses he has paid out for this company. He may need to prove what was spent in order to get his money. Hopefully, they will pay him without incident. He needs to keep a record of all loads hauled and how much they are paying him. I always kept copies of my bill of ladings and any other paperwork for my own records. Keeping logs is also a good idea. It proves that he was working and where he ran.
     
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  10. gokiddogo

    gokiddogo Road Train Member

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    60 miles from the house? Bring the truck back, hand it in, have a good day. Trucking is hard enough just the driving part, let alone working for someone that doesn't have their financials in order. It all sounds bad. In the end, even if you don't get paid, be done with that crap. Sounds like that company will not be around for long. Both of your lives will be much easier once he finds a stable company. Best of luck to you.
     
  11. gokiddogo

    gokiddogo Road Train Member

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    One better, return truck as MN suggested, do not give signed bill of lading until you have the money you are owed CASH IN HAND.
     
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