Citation for possession of alcohol while operating a CMV...

This isn't personal, I had to put up with this just this past week, so ...

It should.

I think it should be a show stopper, mainly because of insurance.

Yep it will. It is a ticket.

3 to 5 years as it appears on your DVR but if the company or insurance does a background check it will show up even if it has been "expunged'.

Depends on the state, so check with them.

So do you do a pretrip?

Why were the cans in plain sight?

Did you invite them to do a sleeper inspection by your behavior?

No that's utter bs, you are in control of the truck, were not relieved of duty so you do know that there is NO alcohol in a truck - PERIOD.

Yep, and I will ask again, do you go a pre-trip, because cleaning up the cab should be part of it.

I thought it was, it should be.

Yep, some people can't be professional, I just flew out a couple of drivers to recover a truck in Arizona, the guy was on his 34 but he use PC (which is only allowed to find parking) to get some beer and food, he returned and someone saw him drinking a beer while walking around the truck (can't miss it in the video), told him to take the crap into the cab and he got belligerent with them so they sent the video to the company email which I saw it at 9 pm Wednesday night. I have zero, zip, not a bit of tolerance and everyone knows this so in the company, I have put drivers out in the cold and rain before and warned them no alcohol ever for any reason. So Thursday morning they arrived, he was not in the truck but taking a shower so they opened the truck, found the beer, and secured the truck. He returned and he was fired on the spot, the sheriff kept him out of the truck, the guys took his crap out - including the piss jugs, gave him boxes then had him sign off that everything that he had been handed was his. They took pictures of everything before and after then they took the truck, the truck was a mess. They delivered the load Friday morning and snagged two small loads out of Texas to bring the truck back for another driver. I have no clue what happened to the driver, I assume he got the hint that he needed to get back to Maryland on his own. Friday the payroll lady figured out what was owed, and sent the money to his bank. If a future employer calls, the term "broke strict company policy" will be used and if they want to know what that was, I require a letter on a letter head to tell them, I won't trash the guy but only tell the truth.

I will, when my insurance goes up 10% because of incidents like this, I take it really personal.

I know there are a few in my fleet, I caught maybe a half a dozen through either the cops or someone complaining. I also had two or three drivers who were drunk and did a lot of damage with the truck so ZERO TOLERANCE is important to maintain.

 

You blew 0.00 so that's definitely in your favor.
Open & empty container may help also. The trucking company insurance company will make the final decision.

 

It’ll be on your PSP for three years and every carrier is supposed to check it before hiring. So finding someone to hire you isn’t going to be impossible if you have low standards. I highly doubt a reputable carrier will want anything to do with you for a few years.

Food for thought..
If you were working for a small carrier operation you really trashed their safety score likely costing them thousands more on their insurance premium’s for a few years. Likely why you were kicked to the curb immediately.

It’s my understanding that you can sit inside your truck on your break and have a few beers but you aren’t allowed to transport it like you did. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong.

Not too terribly long ago another driver got caught with a case of beer in his side box and was let go also. Like you, he sounded like a decent person that just screwed up. Not sure if he was able to get hired on again. Maybe I’ll try to find it later so you can read.

Good luck, glad you passed the breathalyzer test.

 

If I ever worked for a trucking company, (never have, never will), and they told me what I could or couldn't do on a 34 hr. OFF DUTY reset, I would tell them they will be paying me for the 34 hours.

 

A big part of truck driving involves using common sense to deal with situations that we encounter, our jobs depending not just on what we do but on what we don't do, and having alcohol not just in the truck, but in plain view, you put a big target on yourself for future employers to hone in on.

Driver from my last company got fired for buying some beer and putting it in his truck on his way home for days off. Tattle tails and snitches abound , so somebody saw him, dropped a dime and he ended up losing his job.

And why a twelve pack in your truck and not just a pint? No need to lay siege and set up a fortress of beer cans for all to see, you can always go buy more.

 

I personally would just be upfront about it. A reputable carrier that runs a tight ship will check before they hire you and will check periodically.

If you’re applying to Habibi Bros crap carriers llc. Then tell or don’t tell.

 

You definitely had some idiot drivers. They asked to get caught. Definitely drew attention to themselves. I understand the point about insurance though.