Need dot consultant? Dot advice

There's something you need to realize . While these drivers complain about being forced to run illegally they don't want to report the carrier and then be forced to run legally . Many of them couldn't survive without violating HOS and getting more miles . They want to be allowed to violate HOS , not forced to .

 

The driver that tries the Whistler Blowing Protection, signs away the right to drive commercially anymore.

The use of DAC or whatever they call themselves this month insures that the driver is not going to find a job.

If a driver calls in, it is their word against the company and the DOT will always take the word of the office over the driver.

 

Too Late or is it,Last year pulling end dumps and double bellys , many times, on average 2x a week my lease dispatcher ,( I drive for the truck owner but dispatched thru a lease company)towards the end of the day would call me on the phone while i was still at work and ask if I wanted to work later that night. another shift , this would also require me to be at work the following day as usual.Dispatch always asked ,"do you want to ........" leaving it up to the driver to say yes or no.But a no would gaurantee you would not be on the dispatch call the following day or the day after , and maybe not for an entire week,leaving myself as well as the truck owner with no income for those days (.Scenerio)--- on job site at 6:00am am drive till sign out 3;30 pm. take care of truck related biz if needed to prepare for the shift later (fuel, repair etc.)try and get a shower,eat and close your eyes for 3 hrs if you can . before reporting on site at 9 pm that evening driving till 5 am signing out out on that job about 5 am and reporting to another job site at 6 am to work till they sign us out at or about 3- 3:30 pm. This is all local haul but could be up 32 + hours behind the wheel 29 if you were lucky to catch an hour or two. I complained only to be met with attitude frpom the dispatcher,as well as not hearing my truck called out on dispatch tape for the following day or other days for that matter. I complained to my truck owner , asking him to tell our dispatcher he didnt want his truck and driver running those hours as well as the safety and legal issues involved and nothing was done .As this dispatcher definitely played his favorites as those were never on any double / triple #### calls.After catching myself sitting at a signal lite and jumping thru my skin not knowing how many light changes i might have sat thru, I had had enough and finally reached my exhaustion point and found myself falling into a situation that was not gonna end well for all involved.I started to refused to say yes at first with what ever excuse I could use that sounded good and after no support from my truck owner,I later just said NO. when the phone would ring at a certain time of day I knew who it was , what it was going to be about. Maybe a kind thank you would have made some difference in the way I handled it but certainly not justify losing someones life or at the my career having to accept these things or go without work..Not long after I found myself listening to the dispatch tape every evening hearing maybe not all but most trucks going out with job locations, except mine and my truck was # 6 in seniority out of 65+_others. This dispatcher ,I always went out of my way to please only to be taken advantage of as the driver who you could count on in a pinch to help any anyway needed became a sucker.This who is employed as such by a larger trucking /'heavy haul company with their own trucks working alongside the lease trucks all dispatched thru him but always the same ole few showing up at these night jobs .Or any job where the material was gonna be hard on the truck.(broken concrete, demo, etc./ or terrible ground conditions , a fuel burner.)
This practice is still going on as Im in touch with other drivers,still leased thru this company,O/O's who were /are too afraid to say or do anything , and maybe I shouldnt have either. AS the old squeaky wheel ( ME) was the one who got the grease. Is there anything that can be done about this type of job scenario without the retaliation? As im sure I 'm not the only one out there this is happening to.And is it too late to do anything about last year? They leave it up to the driver to chose to run illegal, all the while holding your livileyhood in their hands if you dont say yes to their request.
And just a note FYI , I was never late to any job ,or missed any day that my truck was on call list in the year and half I worked under this outfit,Also on my personal merit, to this day no tickets,or accidents or arrests,of any kind ever, .on my driving record and ive held a CDL since 1977.

 

I was disabled for a number of yrs due to heart problems and subsequent transplant (10 yrs ago). I have been cleared by my transplant cardiologist to drive commercially. I have also been advised that I should also try and get my medical card prior to applying with placement companies. This will be at my expense. My question is, do I have to pay for the drug screening as part of this or does this take place as part of employment or training screens? Those things are expensive.

 

Drug screen has nothing to do with your physical for driving, thats a employer thing.

 

What if you do not agree with an officer that it is a safe place to do an inspection

 

I have had driver's say that. In my opinion, leave it to the officer. Look I'm the one on the side of the road everyday. I'm not going to do an inspection in a place that is unsafe. However, there are spots that I work that are two lane roadways, with no shoulders. At that point, that lane is shut down while I'm doing the inspection or portable weigh. Most of the times on these roads there is minimum traffic. I won't do a level I roadside unless I have plenty of room on a shoulder, it's either a walk around or a driver inspection.

Again, I can't speak for every officer or every situation but I know how I conduct business and I'm not going to get my arse ran over by doing an inspection in a bad location.

 

It is a very good idea to get your own medical card . Some carriers won't accept driver with a 1 year card because of medication for BP . Just be ware most carriers will have their own physician do a physical anyway .
Some smaller companies will accept your medical card .

 

FYI, when legitimate complaints are called in the violation is investigated using the documents required by the FMCSR. It is not a simple matter of the FMCSA believing the carrier opposed to the driver.

Arguing with the officer gains you nothing. You're most likly to aggrivate the situation which may result in more time required to complete the inspection and more violations for things that may have been overlooked.

Not to mention you maybe arrested for interfearing with an officer in the performance of their duties.

Stay seated in the vehicle and do as you're asked to do. If something happens it falls on the officer not you.

Some employers require a drvier to pay for the pre-employment drug test then reimburse them after 30, 60, or 90 days of employment. Check with the company you are applying for as it varies.

When you take a DOT physical you supply a small urine sample for sugar to make sure your system is functioning. The urine test for sugar is included in the $45 cost of the DOT medical (cost is approximate and may vary depending on the location.)

Be safe.

 

O/O driving for a smaller local company. Are companies required to give copy of contract to driver??
Also in initial set up of truck I bought required safety items, IE: spare bulbs, triangles, etc. Does the fire extinguisher have to be mounted to the truck???