Hey everybody,
My employer has a policy that says
(a) don't run until "legal" (which I take to mean don't place the truck on a public road until I have positively verified that the load actually conforms to the law, and
(b) do not trust the weight listed on the bills of lading because they are often inaccurate.
My truck was heavy-haul permitted. I accepted a dispatch last month for heavy-haul sealed load, but found out the shipper had no scale. I refused the load, refused my DM's order to take a chance on a ticket with it to the nearest scale house, was disciplined for this, and I quit because of the disciplinary report.
The question is: Where the driver is in the circumstance where:
(1) his contract with the employer requires him to make the truck "actually" compliant with law before placing it on a public road, and
(2) his contract with the employer forbids him from trusting the weight listed on the bills of lading, and
(3) he is dispatched on heavy-haul, i.e., it could very easily be several thousand lbs over on a single axle, and
(4) the load is sealed, so he cannot look in it to see how the weight is distributed before going on a public road. He will never know until he has driven illegally to the nearest scale house that it was overweight, and
(5) the shipper did not have any truck scales. The nearest scale was 4 miles across town, and
(6) State law holds the driver personally liable for any damages an overweight truck causes between the shipper who has no scale, and nearest scale house, then...
Was I reasonable to refuse this load? How was I supposed to obey my employer's policy to make the truck's weight actually compliant with the law at the shipper, if said shipper has no truck scale? How WOULD I have complied with this company policy? Contract with the military to AIRLIFT the loaded truck to the nearest scale house? Thanks.
When the shipper doesn't have a truck scale
Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by lerxis, Feb 26, 2011.
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How nice that the scale is only 4 miles from the shipper. Oftentimes my husband has to go 60 miles to the nearest scale, and that is 60 miles in the opposite direction.
allniter, Lonesome, spuddatruckdriver and 1 other person Thank this.
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