Is Honesty The Best Policy?

I've only been driving for 4 months and both of the companies I've worked for have "required" that I falsify logs to get the job done.

The first was a team route for a BIG company and they wanted me to be logged into the sleeper berth while I was unloading the truck and driving between stops.

The second had the attitude that if they could get it on the truck I should be able to deliver it, even if I had to drive 22 hours a day. Or run all week with between an hour and 6 hours of sleep a night.

I believe in being honest, and I'm teaching my kids to be honest. I applied for a driver job at Schneider and yesterday I told Schneider about an accident that I got into backing up in a roadway. They told me that, "Any driver who backs up in a roadway for any reason, whether or not it results in an accident cannot work for Schneider for 7 years." I was told that by two of their recruiters, Melissa and Tyler.

Now I've only been driving for 4 months, but I drove a lot in Chicago and there are a LOT of docks and parking lots you can't get into without backing up in a roadway. I spoke with one of Schneider's trainers and she has backed up in a roadway to get into a dock while working for them and says that at least half of all of Schneider's drivers have had to at some point. Schneider says it is, "Not an activity that they condone."

That accident is not on my PSP report, I was not cited for the accident, and I have no CSA points.

I don't want to run illegal, and I don't want to be a liar for a living. But it seems like every company has some BS and lying about it is just part of the job no matter where you work. It also seem like lying is a requirement whether you run computer logs or paper, work for a big company or a little one.

What would you do? What would you suggest?

 

I'm fine not working for Schneider. What if every trucking company had that policy, and everyone had to be honest about whether they had ever backed up in a roadway?

These companies cover their own buts with "official policies" and then ask their drivers to break them.

Are there any honest, realistic companies out there, or is lying part of the job?

 

The police were called and they filled out an accident report, but as far as I know that was it.