In the hours leading up to Hurricane Irma, Driver Tim McCrory was supposed to deliver a load of plywood to a town right in the path of the storm. When he wasn’t able to deliver the load, the gave it away to locals who needed it to secure their homes. Now McCrory claims his carrier fired him for giving away what wasn’t his to give away. But the carrier says McCrory left on his own volition.
McCrory was driving south on I-95 towards Tampa on Friday night when everyone else was fleeing in the opposite direction. He had a load of plywood bound for the Home Depot in Zephyrhills, a town about 20 miles inland from Tampa. On his way there, he blew a tire and the delay kept him from delivering his load on time. When he arrived, the store was boarded up and the night manager told him to come back on Tuesday when the store was expected to reopen.
Unsure of what to do with the storm baring down on him, McCrory called his dispatcher, who told him to drive to Atlanta until the storm passed. It was around 9pm by that point and getting out of the city was going to be difficult, so McCrory went to sleep in the Home Depot parking lot.
He awoke to the sound of a police officer tapping on his window. When he heard that McCrory was supposed to drive to Atlanta, the officer strongly advised him not to even attempt the dangerous trip.
It was then that the officer suggested that McCrory give away the 960 pieces of plywood which he was hauling. Locals needed the materials to safeguard their homes.
“I was ready to give it up, 100 percent,” McCrory told Inside Edition. “I got kids of my own. I’m a family man. If I was in their situation, I’d want somebody to do that for me.”
So McCrory agreed, and before long there were 20 police officers helping to unload the plywood and a line of cars formed to come and get it. According to McCrory, 150 homes were able to be secured with that plywood.
“I knew going into it that there was a good chance I would lose my job, but the safety of families far outweighed the cost,” he said according to the Daily News.
McCrory claims that when he called to tell his superiors what he had done, they told him that the plywood wasn’t his to give away and that they were going to have to let him go.
But according to a press release issued by Western Express CEO Paul Wieck, McCrory was never fired.
“We understand what was probably going through his mind during these extraordinary circumstances, which is why we did not fire him and have no plans to do so,” claims the statement. “Ideally, he would have let us know he was giving away the plywood, but we understand he was trying to do the right thing, and we’d welcome him back on our team. I’ve personally tried to contact him several times over the last few days, but have not been able to reach him.”
Source: dailynews, thedrive, insideedition, fox13news, wtsp
B m says
I would be hiring me a lawyer tomorrow, first off the Company had no reason to send him in to a zone that had been on the news so much and was in the path of a catigory 4 or 5 hurricane. This is why I’m independent and would not trust anyone sitting in a safe and secure Nashville dispatch office. In times like these “circumstances” people don’t always make the right choice very sad
Classified 007 says
Timmy was a company driver true,,,also could of Turned the load down since a CAT 5 hurricane was headed to Florida….What about the 20 officers that unloaded trailer,can that be verified ,,,can it be verified that he was even at Home Depot …Why doesn’t Timmy answer the phone???Your right he should get a lawyer….Hey Timmy don’t buy anything expensive,and yes you have a long lost aunt who left you a large sum of cash LOL….Good luck Robin Hood..LOL Herio
Alan says
They fired the guy for doing the right thing helping people when level 5 storm was aproaching. And now they are trying to make us believe that he quit
James says
You would think Home Depot would donate that one truckload to local residents, since they are the ones that shop there.
Rose Mummert says
He did the right thing the officers were right because as bad as the wind from what I heard and I’m over here in Texas you have to imagine that truck would probably been rolled over or the plywood would have been flying everywhere probably killing people so the best idea was to give it to people so they can use it for their homes
Grumpy says
I believe Toms reply is actually Tim the driver. I think if he quit on his own then reported getting fired he’s looking for money from good hearted Americans! SCAM
Classified 007 says
Yeah Timmy hmm yeah hero ,,,I think there is more to this story,and they need to investigate..Maybe Timmy will answer the phone next time western express calls…Hey Robin Hood can you here me now. Hero LOL
DJ says
Western Express employee?
Yogi says
Actually, that’s wrong. Home Depot had not received the load yet so, unless the cargo purchase was prepaid by Home Depot, it was not theirs. The freight was solely the responsibility of the carrier, and ownership of the goods remained with the shipper.
So, if you’re going to beak off and try and sound like a super tough guy, try not to sound so stupid while you’re doing it.
David says
Never the less, McCrory had no right to give it away. If he had stayed on, It would have been his responsibility to repay the owner of the freight.
Squirrelmaster says
Not really. I’ve had Home Depot refuse large parts of a load just because some of the boxes were a little wet. They didn’t want them tarped, so they got wet, duh. After reporting to the broker and up the chain, they just told me to get rid of them.
Considering the extra cost of running the entire load this guy had to Atlanta and back, they very well could have written it off anyway.
Jason Wiggins says
It seems to me that big trucking companies don’t care about their drivers like they say. You are a number and replaceable. One of the worst is CR ENGLAND. They claim they are fair but really their main safety guy will fire you as soon as he can. I know this for a fact since I was cleared of a accident being my fault by DOT. After hitting some black ice. Now it has been almost two years and still have not found anyone to hire me.
Tim did the right thing and paid for it. When that company got bad publicity they changed their story. Like so many do.
Eric says
Amen
Eric says
There’s always one
Jay says
Western Express is so full of crap..Go to work for the liars and see for yourselves..I was a professional driver for going on 40 years and know all about company’s such as western express..They’ll tell so damn many lies to try to make themselves look good. My gut tells me this driver is telling the truth. Of course he did the right thing in helping these folks during a major hurricane. But you can tell by the response’s of some of these steering wheel holders that they have not been around too long. Calling the man a thief??? He did not get anything (money) out of it did he? Western Express and big company’s like this are the thieves, they have driver’s running up and down the road,away from their familie’s for weeks at a time for .30 to .33 cents a mile!!! Come on it is plain to see who the real thieves are..As for liars have you talked too your dispatcher lately?????
Paul says
Nobody makes them work for western. Plenty of good paying jobs out there all over the place.
Marty says
Hey Paul, do you have a list of all these good paying jobs.
Catbirdkirby says
Running for .30 to .33 com? You need a better company to work for. I run for .425 cpm.
robin says
Actually when you think about it, it makes Home Depot the hero because it’s their product and a great advertising scheme. Home Depot offers a truck load of wood to help residents during a emergency. What a great promotion. (if they are smart)
D. R. Chapman says
Home Depot didn’t offer it; they told him to hang tight till the storm passed.
The trucking company is trying to make themselves the hero
here saying, “we didn’t fire him” because they know how it looks and the blowback they’ll get.
sk says
No surprise he should feel lucky
That they didn’t kick him out of the truck and abandoned him out on the road Western Express is notoriously famous for that procedure.
Richard says
The guy stuck his neck out knowing that he may not even see his own family again, never mind have a friggin job. I say give Western a chance to bring him back on and let them all slap each other on the back for a job well done. God Is Great.
Bill says
I agree. Everyone is calling him a hero. He’s just a thief. Fire and never hire this jerk.
Lance N. says
Theft is theft, no matter the circumstances or how much “good” it will do.
If his actions are vindicated then what is there to stop other truckers from giving away their load to the “needy” by claiming this prescient?
What if there is a disaster and a trucker chooses to divert his load and give it away without permission? Should he be fired? Should he be prosecuted?
Darrell Kendall says
not really theft when the Police was the ones that suggested he do so
T says
It is still theft, unless the OWNER of the freight is the one telling you to give it away. The police cannot compel you to break the law.
DJ says
I don’t think you can link giving away a load of clothing to the needy and giving away supplies in the face of a natural disaster.
It’s just not the same. No prosecutor that wants re-elected is taking that on.
Dary Martinez says
Don’t worry about losing a job God have better plans for you!
Balbir singh says
Sending some one to the eye of categary 5 storm is not a crime, where he is not belongs to a rescue team?
Jibs says
Trucking company has insurance. I’m betting few of you have been through a hurricane before. McCrory did the right thing in a pending disaster.
Jay Terry says
I would have called co and at least tell situation. Then if no then I knew I was “misappropriating” their property and would have expected to either be terminate and or responsible for expense of co. lost cargo and all other appropriate reimbursements. I would have also told cop top order me in writing to surrender load.
The Big Dave says
Actually, the cop asking him to give the load away might be classified as eminent domain. They should send a bill to the PD.
LANCE ANDERSON says
What no one is saying is that the police officers said he should give it away and then helped unload it. Was it his to give away? No, should he have called the company and explained? Yes. These companies don’t care about drivers. Most of them think drivers are a dime a dozen. If they cared they wouldn’t have sent him right into the hurricane. All they care about is money. Safety sounds good but when it comes down to it these companies will pick profit over safety any day of the week.
D. R. Chapman says
The reason he was on his way down in the first place is because HD planed on selling the plywood to people who needed it in the first place. the load would have been delivered if it were not for the blow out. The company should have called ahead as soon as they knew there was an issue with the tire to make sure the delivery could be made. He should never have been put in that situation in the first place.
TheMichael says
I’m surprised nobody caught: “Driving south on I-95 towards Tampa” since 95 doesn’t go to Tampa.
Charley says
First thing i caught lol
Jeff says
It seems to me everyone is forgetting something here i guess all the tards that are calling it theft is forgetting one thing HE WAS ASKED TO DO IT BY THE POLICE so there for its not theft read the whole story before posting stupid comments as for western express my brother drivers for them and yes the driver was fired and he is suing western express
Kay says
Theft is still theft even if a police officer tells you to do it. Police officers aren’t magical wizards that can make crimes legal, lol. You sound silly buddy.
mike C. says
what he should have done was report to a F.E.M.A.center and tell them what he had.Let them deal with it because it is their job in this emergency situation . Any truck carrying anything that can be ised in the aftermath of an emergency should report to these centers and they will direct you as to what you should do.
Phatkhat says
Home Depot is extremely community minded. They probably paid for it and said no problem.
Glenn says
Yeah there’s some red flags there. I’d certainly have gone over the dispatchers head (how ignorant of the clueless dispatcher to tell him to turn around and head to Atlanta. Ya think that dummy would’ve had a clue there was no way that’d even be an option with the northbound gridlock on 95 racing to get out of town if he’d had any inkling what was going on all over the news. Must’ve been another one of those $600/wk intern dispatchers the big companies hire to ‘manage’ drivers) to someone in upper mgmt first before making that decision on my own just to cover my **s. And I would’ve filmed it, the whole process and uploaded it to YouTube and used it as a marketing tool which would’ve been a win-win-win for Home Depot, the carrier and for professional drivers in general once the media got ahold of it via a press release the carrier could’ve done. Or I could’ve if it was me hauling that load in that situation as long as I had a cell signal. The whole thing could’ve been a positive instead of a negative but someone found out because Inside Edition got the memo. And I’d bet that carrier deducted that load value from the drivers last paycheck. Carriers still have the mentality that drivers are a dime a dozen, which is true. It’s GOOD QUALITY DRIVERS that are hard to find and that’s what a majority of those carriers still haven’t realized and likely never will.
D. R. Chapman says
Right on Glenn
Someone in management authorized that dispatch and take the risk well knowing the dangers & what if’s involved. For the love of GOD this was one of the most thoroughly reported events in recent history. It’s not like it took anyone by surprise!
Lenny Goodwien says
I agree with helping the safety of the community and lives he potentially saved and probably would have done the same thing ,, even though it was not his to give away ,,,, guess what is what it is ,, Great Job DRIVER
Jesse Taylor says
I get his intent but the fact is it wasn’t his product to make tht decision and I guarantee you at the least there was an insurance claim.I would have let him go as well and if they would have made him pay the 2500 1500 or 1000 deductible for the claim he might have quit anyway.He seems to be a good guy with a heart I get it but the world of business has no emotion western is I’m assuming only dialing back its position because of the publicity of the story.
Charkes says
He should have called the company and asked first, or maybe called Home Depot Corporate offices and asked them.
Steve P says
You know the old saying. No good deed goes unpunished.
Jeff pearson says
Did he do the moral thing? Yes.. did he do the right thing? NO… that property in the back of that truck was not his to give away..he didnt own it…he should have bipassed the dispatcher.. and called the shipper or the receiver and got their permission..it was their property..so now this morally good guy.. doesnt have a job.. and is lawfully called a thief..
DJ says
Home Depot should have stepped up and said we will pay for the load . Our customers and community benefited from the wood. Then thankedc the police and driver. Write it off as a loss and everyone is happy.
Peter j Hance says
The biggest problem is this was a storm that was televised nation wide They should have known that it was unsafe for the driver to bring any load to that area. To send a truck into an unsafe environment who’s at fault for that? Certainly not the driver but the dispatcher? I think the INSURANCE company should look into the unsafe actions of the when and where trucks go. The insurance company should do an audit on if weather or any natural serum stances cost the insurance company money and start from their. YES it was not his load of wood but the unsafe actions from the dispatcher to send a load into Florida when they knew it was unsafe is what should be looked at
This is bigger then a load of wood
.
David says
The driver arrived in Zephyhills on Friday night. The hurricane wasn’t due to hit until Sunday night. He had plenty of time to drive out on Saturday in good weather. (I live near there-I know.)
The police should know better than to suggest giving away the load. Taking something that is not yours is theft.
The driver could have called his boss and informed them of the situation. My suggestion would be to sell the plywood at cost to the people needing it. They would gladly have paid for it, as it would have been cheaper than buying at retail at Home Depot. The driver could then have had cash to pay for the load as well as providing a service to the town.
B Johnston says
He did right – not just for his own self – but he did God’s work. All companies have insurance for all loads. What would they have preferred? Losing the truck and trailer as well as a life that was driving it? Do they not have a human heart? And they can take the loss on their taxes as well as join their employer for doing something for Humanity. Ask a tax person. They might even be able to take it as a charitable giving from themselves which isn’t even better tax write-off.
By firing him, which I am very sure they did knowing of other incidents that involved Western Express, they should get a very bad reputation for any drivers to join them. Where will their merchandise be then? And existing drivers? Are you going to stand for the company? Or for the driver? What if it had been you?
And if they had tried to call him to get him back and he’s not answering purposely, well I applaud him. I would not want to work for such company – not in any position!
Kay says
I this article is to be believed, then the driver did an awesome thing. If he was indeed fired, then it would have been rightfully so. He willfully released his load. For an awesomely beautiful reason, yes. But he gets compensated to perform a particular job. He literally did the absolute opposite of that very job. Bravo to him for being a hero, though. And the officer and/or the officers’ employer should be sued for the role they played in recommending and then facilitating grand theft. The law is the law, no matter how great or pertinent YOUR reason is for going outside of the law. Theft is a crime, Robin Hood. Sorry.
Finn says
I think the spontaneous problem solving employed by the police and the driver was admirable. I don’t blame the driver for not asking dispatch first. He’s bound to get a “no” answer, so why bother. Figure it out when the dust settles. People needed that plywood right then and there. Home Depot was closed. If you wait for permission from on high, it’s too late. The loss of the load should be covered by insurance. In an emergency, we need to have the flexibility to protect ourselves and each other. Don’t expect corporations to recognize human need without being forced to.
deaconblues62 says
I can’t believe the home depot manager told him to come back Tuesday when the store is open….that’s where the whole problem started……the home depot manager should be fired. You gotta love that lazy southern work ethic. The home depot manager could have unloaded the trailer in 30mins then opened the store and sold the plywood.
GEEZ, some manager.
Ed says
LOL. LOL LOL. You have to be kidding.. National Carriers has drivers like that, whole load of meat next time??
Nathaniel Ackerman says
Western Express Press Release: (as posted on their website)
Contrary to current headlines, Western Express did not fire one of its drivers, Tim McCrory, for giving away a truckload of plywood to a community in the path of Hurricane Irma. In fact, the company has been trying to reach Tim, who quit after the incident, to offer him his job.
“We understand what was probably going through his mind during these extraordinary circumstances, which is why we did not fire him, and have no plans to do so,” said Western Express CEO, Paul Wieck. “Ideally, he would have let us know he was giving away the plywood, but we understand he was trying to do the right thing, and we’d welcome him back on our team. I’ve personally tried to contact him several times over the last few days, but have not been able to reach him.”
Background facts:
The load of plywood involved in this instance was intended for delivery to The Home Depot – carried by Western Express. The truck had a flat tire that took seven hours to be repaired. Therefore, the load missed its delivery appointment. The companies involved are happy to donate the plywood.
Paul Wieck
President and CEO, Western Express
Godisntreal says
Only in Florida. That sun bakes people’s brains I guess. Even if a cop was telling me to give it away I’d say “you can steal it but I’m not gonna give it to you”. The morons that live in Florida know their house is gonna go bye bye. Not my problem.
MrBigR504 says
Yeah something is missing to this story! First of all i wouldn’t have driven down to that area and Western Express could kiss my whole entire a**! But since he was there and the officers had comondeered the load (sort of), it was a no brainier to call your dispatcher and let them know the situation. Hell everyone pretty much has a camera on their cellphone so why not shoot a live action video or SKYPE the officers requesting that he give the load away? It was an emergency situation but it was still true that the load wasn’t his to give away. I pull containers (dont ask me why) and I’m always sending videos to my dispatch of chassis tires and damages that were there before i hooked up to it because i aint paying for sh-t that’s not mines ya dig? But always cover your a**! They only wanna give him his job back because this story got attention and i bet they were gonna make him pay for that load with deductions out of his settlements! Which go’s back to my point of CYA when he was unstrapping that load to give away that plywood. Call Somebody!!!!
Paul Logan says
One paragraph said fired. last paragraph said we welcome him back? sounds like he was fired to me, then oh no he was not fired. by the way can anybody call him for us?