This company does not take care of the tickets when you turn them into the safety department. They lie to you and tell you they did. Unfortunatley the laws do not protect the company driver in the state of texas. I've been in contact with the Senator and State Rep. on the subject. They will be bringing this up the next time they go to the law-making tables, (every 2 years). Your only recourse against the company is to sue and spend your money. This company is responsible for the issuance of warrants on 5-10 drivers per month. I am learning as I go on this one and believe there is a class action lawsuit in the midst of this situation somewhere. Both times I worked for them they did this to me. I highly recommend you not work for this company and to also seek compensation if you have lost due to the loopholes of Texas laws. I will keep this situation updated as new developments arise.

William Duggan

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BAD COMPANY HOUSTON TEXAS, SHIP CHANNEL (RICHWAY CARTAGE)

What kind of tickets are you talking about? If they are equipment citations then it's the companies resposibility...

You're right...it is the responsibility of the company to pay for equipment violation citations, but the reality of the issue is that often time, the party issued the citation is the DRIVER, and the state has their EXACT information to follow up for collection, if the company defaults on their obligation. Thus...the states issue a warrant for the driver when a default situation comes into play.

This brings up another of those subjects that drivers run across every so often, when they align themselves with scummy companies.

It's been years since I was issued a citation that the company was responsible for, but I always handled it this way.

1.) Before submitting the inspection form, and/or citation to the company for them to follow up on, I always made a copy of all documents. On the citations or inspection forms, is the information you will need for later reference.

2.) When I submitted the originals to the carrier, I insisted on proof that the matter was taken care of. I wanted copies of the payment submitted to the appropriate court, in the case of a fine. If it was a mailing of a form to a State government, then I insisted it be handled one of two ways. I obtained a signature by the representative of the motor carrier, and copied it immediately, and mailed it myself by certified mail, and allowed the carrier a copy of the signed receipt, once it was returned to me, or insisted on the same form them, if they would not allow me to mail it.

3.) I always make it a practice to follow up with a call to the appropriate entity, to insure that the matter has been concluded to their satisfaction.

It's called "covering your hiney", and that is always a must. There's nothing more uncomfortable than to be pulled in for a routine inspection, or being pulled over for a minor traffic infraction, and discovering that you have a warrant for your arrest, or a driver's license suspension for an unpaid fine that was not your responsibility to begin with. It does and can happen, and in many states, there are no limitations of time on these things either.

I once had to bail out a driver of mine in Maryland, for an infraction that occured a decade earlier for an equipment violation. The state had got around to updating their computers from files that had been shelved for years that previously had been considered "uncollectible". They solicited the help of DAC Services, Inc. to match up their information to theirs, for current license numbers, and of course, they were more than willing to assist them, for a nominal fee of course, and one that was attached to the fine. The original fine was for $50.00. The new and improved fine was more than $1,000.

What I learned a long time before getting my CDL and driving a truck was that employers don't care if they are responsible for the ticket once you give it to them. I learned something else (after having to pay an equipment violation fine, plus bail and COC, plus License Re-Instatement fee) was to pay the ticket myself, and make copies of the ticket and receipt/cancelled check, money order or credit card statement for proof and turning the originals over to the company. Only once has an employer ever "forgotten" to re-imburse me, a quick trip to small claims refreshed his memory. (And YES, I will take them to court, it is a matter of principle...as well as a money issue)

About this company. I have worked with them for 1 year and i have found that the safety office is doing an excellent job of taken care of tickets. Out of that year, I have heard of only three warrants being issued. It was because the drivers did not go to court, even aftewr they posted the court dates on the bulletin board. That sounds pretty good to me.

Interesting testimony. As to what it all means?

The company in question is running a 53% OOS rate for equipment violations. These tickets shouldn't even be going to court. They are fines that are levied for violations for mechanical defects noted in an inspection of equipment. If the tickets are not paid, then the driver is issued a bench warrant.

That's rather indefensible, at least in my opinion.