Semi stolen from Whiteland truck stop - Page 2 - Truckers' Trucking Forum

Brickman · **^ Top** #11 12.28.2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ducks

Do most companies do criminal background checks on drivers?

A lot of companies do. The one I'm with right now didn't, but Landstar did. To lease with them you have to have a hazmat endorsement. That is a 10 finger TSA back ground check. You give all 10 finger prints to them. Then Landstar pays for a full FBI back ground check too. THEN some of the shippers/receivers depending on their security requirements must have your info a minimum of 24 hrs before you ever show up at the front security gate. And then they run a quicky background check too. In the last two years I don't even know how many checks were done on me. I'm sure I wasn't told about all of them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by myminpins

Yup, they do. Every one of the ones Mike's applied for has done one.

We actually had it in one policy manual that the driver was NOT responsible for the truck if he was having supper away from the truck, etc., but, of course, you were expected to be in the VICINITY of the truck (truck stop parking lot, truck stop restaurant, etc.)

I'm sure like you said they expect you to be within a reasonable distance of the truck. It sounds like in this article that the driver parked the truck and was gone for 36 hrs or so. And then much to his amazement he comes back and the truck was gone. DUH

It does not matter where I am if I have a friend coming to pick me up (I've got friends scattered around the USA, and when I'm in their town if it suits we go out to eat, as I'm sure many other drivers do) I WILL NOT let them pick me up at the truck. I ALWAYS MEET THEM AT THE FRONT OF THE TRUCK STOP. That way any body looking on thinks I just walked into the T/S and could be back in a few. Does it help??? I don't know, but it makes me feel better.

Ducks · **^ Top** #12 12.28.2007

Thanks, brickman and minpins, for staying with me on this. Sometimes I just have questions and I always appreciate when others take the time to answer them for me. That's one of the great things about this forum!

myminpins · **^ Top** #13 12.28.2007

I've seen it many times. Drivers just drive in, drop their trailers and take off - for hours and hours. I always thought they were a tad nuts myself unless it was their own trailer - but still they're nuts!!!

Nothing is that safe. You leave your trailer alone for more than a few hours, don't expect it to be empty when you come back - or even be there.

Mike runs trailers of beer and they have to be parked butt TOUCHING butt in the company yard overnight or someone steals it - right under the security camera and security guard's nose. Happened a few times - not any more. Butt to butt touching MUST be done for any valuable or easily stolen load now sitting overnight in the yard.

Ducks · **^ Top** #14 12.28.2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brickman

A lot of companies do. The one I'm with right now didn't, but Landstar did. To lease with them you have to have a hazmat endorsement. That is a 10 finger TSA back ground check. You give all 10 finger prints to them. Then Landstar pays for a full FBI back ground check too. THEN some of the shippers/receivers depending on their security requirements must have your info a minimum of 24 hrs before you ever show up at the front security gate. And then they run a quicky background check too. In the last two years I don't even know how many checks were done on me. I'm sure I wasn't told about all of them.

Wow -- that's interesting that Landstar would require a hazmat endorsement in order to lease with them... even though you may not even be signing on to pull hazmat. I can understand, though, that some shippers and receivers may require a background check; I know from working in an engineering department years ago that some outfits, particularly those affiliated with the defense industry, are extremely vigilant as to who handles what. I would not be surprised if some even require the driver to have a level of security clearance depending on what his responsibility is with the cargo.

Quote:

It does not matter where I am if I have a friend coming to pick me up (I've got friends scattered around the USA, and when I'm in their town if it suits we go out to eat, as I'm sure many other drivers do) I WILL NOT let them pick me up at the truck. I ALWAYS MEET THEM AT THE FRONT OF THE TRUCK STOP. That way any body looking on thinks I just walked into the T/S and could be back in a few. Does it help??? I don't know, but it makes me feel better.

Smart man. I know when I go hiking, I like to carry as little as possible... so I often leave my purse in the trunk of my car. But I don't do this where I park; I put it there when I leave the house. The last thing I want is someone watching me put my purse in the trunk and then see me walk away from the car for a few hours.

Ducks · **^ Top** #15 12.28.2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by myminpins

Mike runs trailers of beer and they have to be parked butt TOUCHING butt in the company yard overnight or someone steals it - right under the security camera and security guard's nose. Happened a few times - not any more. Butt to butt touching MUST be done for any valuable or easily stolen load now sitting overnight in the yard.

Thanks for explaining that! If I ever saw trucks/trailers tightly parked back to back in my travels, I'd have no CLUE what the drivers were doing parked as such. I figure there are reasons why people do the things they do, I just don't always figure it out on my own.

Brickman · **^ Top** #16 12.28.2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ducks

Thanks, brickman and minpins, for staying with me on this. Sometimes I just have questions and I always appreciate when others take the time to answer them for me. That's one of the great things about this forum!

No problem, we like having ya around.

Quote:

Originally Posted by myminpins

I've seen it many times. Drivers just drive in, drop their trailers and take off - for hours and hours. I always thought they were a tad nuts myself unless it was their own trailer - but still they're nuts!!!

Nothing is that safe. You leave your trailer alone for more than a few hours, don't expect it to be empty when you come back - or even be there.

Mike runs trailers of beer and they have to be parked butt TOUCHING butt in the company yard overnight or someone steals it - right under the security camera and security guard's nose. Happened a few times - not any more. Butt to butt touching MUST be done for any valuable or easily stolen load now sitting overnight in the yard.

Yup you gotta do what you gotta do. Lots of little things can add up to make it too difficult for a thief to bother. They know there are easier targets some where else.

Brickman · **^ Top** #17 12.28.2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ducks

Wow -- that's interesting that Landstar would require a hazmat endorsement in order to lease with them... even though you may not even be signing on to pull hazmat. I can understand, though, that some shippers and receivers may require a background check; I know from working in an engineering department years ago that some outfits, particularly those affiliated with the defense industry, are extremely vigilant as to who handles what. I would not be surprised if some even require the driver to have a level of security clearance depending on what his responsibility is with the cargo.

Landstar does have security clearance freight.

The reason for requiring every body to have the HM endorsement is that they had problems with a driver or two that got out in BFE and the only load available was a HM load. They hauled it without the HM endorsement and LS got into HUGE TROUBLE.
By requiring EVERY BODY to have it they eliminated that problem. I hauled a few HM loads when I was there. But this LS's system you are not required to haul any thing you don't want to. It truely is non-forced dispatch.

Ducks · **^ Top** #18 12.28.2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brickman

Landstar does have security clearance freight.

The reason for requiring every body to have the HM endorsement is that they had problems with a driver or two that got out in BFE and the only load available was a HM load. They hauled it without the HM endorsement and LS got into HUGE TROUBLE.
By requiring EVERY BODY to have it they eliminated that problem. I hauled a few HM loads when I was there. But this LS's system you are not required to haul any thing you don't want to. It truely is non-forced dispatch.

Ahhh... now I understand and it makes sense. I'm surprised the driver accepted a hazmat load knowing he did not have the appropriate endorsement. I would hope that Landstar would not have encouraged him to do so...?

Brickman · **^ Top** #19 12.28.2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ducks

Ahhh... now I understand and it makes sense. I'm surprised the driver accepted a hazmat load knowing he did not have the appropriate endorsement. I would hope that Landstar would not have encouraged him to do so...?

No they would never encourage that. He did it on his own. As you might guess he also was finding a new company to lease with.

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