My driver ran out of fuel

an extremely valid, and true point. Proactive drivers do not seem to be rewarded as they should be. An old boss once told me, you can have as many good commendations as the company has to offer. But it only takes one oh ####.

 

You gotta be joking.

Even Schneider does not create policies until it is an ongoing problem, there is no way a small business has the resources to put policies in place for what might happen.

 

Sure. But I also realize that some drivers aren't the sharpest tool in the shed. It doesn't really cost anything to tell the people you've hired, "If you screw up, then you're paying for it.

Its not that hard. Put someone in the same situation as the OP's driver and give them two options, "You can pay for it when he gets there, or you can pay me back for it. Either way, it's your fault for not keeping an eye on your fuel."

I do in some respect see what you're saying, resources are also the drivers and the tractors. Some guys would've quit and walked off, or worse vandalized the rig.

Its still much smarter to be proactive about this type thing versus reactive.

Side note:

I admit I know nothing of running a company like the OP. I am a company driver and have no problem weighing in on this for the simple reason of, "Your company pays you to keep that tractor moving while it's on the road. If it stops due to driver negligence, then it should fall upon the shoulders of the one who is at fault." Even if SNI did not have that policy, it's very likely I would take care of it myself.

 

It sucks having employee's sometimes they cost you money. If they cost you as much as they make you they need to go. I can see it if they screw up often then say pay for it or hit the door I can't afford you. Even the best employee's screw up sometimes my self included.

 

Awesome. I can tell who are the people managers and who aren't.

Don't get the idea I'm just a softie that worries about hurt feelings and enables failures. Either the guy is worth a $300 service call or he's not. End of the day, if the driver isn't making me money, his replacement will. Make your operation a place company drivers want to work at. The threat of losing wages due to a mishap isn't going to appeal to many good drivers, or keep them in your trucks if you manage to snag one. Anyone worth hiring knows their job is on the line for any screwup. You don't need to make it any worse than that.

You and the cheering squad for taking the driver's pay just have no idea what kind of trouble you're inviting on yourself. Funny part, I'm not even talking about government, labor dept, courts, etc.

Screwing with a mans paycheck always goes badly. It's a DE-motivator. It doesn't encourage anything good with anyone. You're not teaching anyone a "lesson." Just get that idea out of your head. It will just cost you more in the end. Here's how.

The really good driver that just had a bad day, is now having a bad week. Yeah, he gets that he screwed up, but ####. Now he's got half a paycheck for working his butt off the rest of the week. Maybe go call some recruiters. Then he leaves. You basically let a good man walk out the door over a $300 fuel service call (which was probably less than $200 once you subtract the fuel that would have been bought anyway). Or maybe he decides not to leave. Unless he's habitually happy, he's gonna grouse over that short pay for at least a few weeks. Probably not be so fast to answer phone calls. Probably a little less give a crap about pre-trips and keeping the equipment up. At least not be so conscientious about fuel mileage, choosing the lower cost fuel stops, brake and tire wear. Why bother. The boss doesn't have my back, so I will just look out for #1. The good news is, he'll eventually return to his normal, productive self once he realizes it's in his best interest. Just don't look for any above and beyond moments in the near future.

Then there's the bad driver. Everything going through his mind like the good driver, except he's gonna get that $300 back out of you somehow, and then some. He's going to stick a knife in your back and your smug self won't even see it coming. Or even know it happened until you're wondering at the end of the month why your profits are down. He'll slow down. Take sick time. Visit every rest area on his route. Zero pre trips and who cares if the truck and trailer fall apart or even fail an inspection at the scale. The worst part is: he won't leave on his own. You'll have to figure it out after he's already nickel and dimed you to death and fire him. It'll be harder for you, since none of the things he's done to cost you money are really going to rise up to the level of a firing offense. After he's gone, of course he'll hit your UI insurance and they'll take his side if you protest. So he'll keep costing you more long after he's left.

Of course, then there's the criminal. Everything the bad driver does, only this one doesn't bother to work it out over time. He'll be selling fuel or tools, whatever, to get his money. He was probably already doing that anyway. Now he has more reason to do it, and probably ramp it up while he's at it.

 

Huh... Lots of good points there that I hadn't thought out completely.

I see what you are saying, but in the OP's position what's the best way to prevent that? A stern talking to? (I'm being serious.)

Granted, any action taken out against drivers could end like that. Good reason to fire them or not.

 

You've kind of answered your own question. OP should already know if his driver is someone that's worth keeping. Even if he's fairly new, there ought to be enough tells in his behavior and enthusiasm to tell him if this is one in a row, or the beginning of more. It really shouldn't take a lot of thought, or rules and penalties.

Personally, I get better results enabling people to succeed, than spending time figuring out ways to punish and plan for failure. It takes a leap of faith for someone that hasn't managed many people before. It also means you have to be decisive and prune the deadbeats out quickly. Anyone that gets on my payroll is crystal clear about that before we even get to day one.

The prevention is already built into your practice.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ absolutely agree.....

As I was reading through the responses I was shacking my head.... because I do strongly believe that drivers are accountable... and if not held accountable or called out on this site and others then the entire collective mentality and performance of drivers is lowered and degraded....

I strive to do my best and take pride in my work and performance... I have not had any accidents, tickets or incidents... I hold myself accountable... but not all people or drivers do... but because a dfiver does t hold themselves accountable doesnt mean they shouldn't be held accountable.... people thinking they are not accountable flr their actions or lack of action is epidemic nowadays.... but it is time to change that...

If I let a friend use my car and they ran out of fuel.. I would expect my friend to take responsibility for it and take care of it.. not call me to come bail them out.. and I dont see it any different from my company letting me use one oc their trucks... if my company didnt let me use one of their trucks I would have to buy one.. and pay to have cuel delivered to me if I ran out...

I do one day want to be an O/O.. but I want to learn as much as I can and gain experience and skill before I do.. and so I am grateful that a company will provide me with a truck and loads while I am learning and getting experience

 

I agree. I also think the only way to get these people to think is by paying for their stupidity

 

I agree with this myself. The issue is that not all drivers feel this way and have potential to openly show it by using up the company's resources even more. (Using more fuel, vandalism, ect.)