Splitting the Clock on Teams?

It doesn't work well while keeping the truck moving. All of the swapping eats into productivity.

 

If you agree to do that you could get free room & board AND a bright orange jumpsuit with sandals.

 

You are a dead man walking with NO spots at all in life or industry if you keep on.

The word no should have been used the moment you two were told to run illegally.

Economic losses are the least of your worries should something (And it will...) happen.

What you must do is document everything Who, what, where, how and when by name locations precise times etc. Even your teammate. Then keep paper logs and so on.

The moment you are told to run illegal, you say no. You talk about strong arm. You don't comprehend how cheap and easily you are replaced. They will simply say you are fired. And then pile all sorts of things on you. And then continue to do it to the next replacement and the next and so on. This seems to be a structural system intent on running against HOS completely. Outlaw company if you would.

This site is full of drivers who have understanding of what is legal or not. A percentage like myself at one time or another worked around it and there is nothing gained by such things against HOS. You have 11 hours to drive and your teammate has a full 11 hour day whats not to like?

Thats a minor problem, a apparent lack of stamina. Which you both will develop in time as you run the loads. Avoiding white line fever is the biggest thing. That comes from accumulated sleep debt.

I can go on, but I would just be repeating myself. I understand you want your job to be good and carry some foundation and so on. But when you discover how rotten a company xyz really is then your only choice is to quit for cause. Hence the documentation you will need for your home state's labor board and FMCSA. There are pages upon pages of fines for specific companies by state who accrued illegal violations. One company called Gunthers in PA was so outrageous that they were publicly crucified by example to others back in the 90's I believe. Just recently they were caught in trying to open another trucking company in Annapolis Maryland this year earlier due to being the same two people who were essentially banned from operating trucking of any kind. And so they were closed down asap.

I was a outlaw myself until a certain year. And frankly being a outlaw is nothing to be gained. Its better being professional and say 11 hours driving is what you get. When thats up you best be legally parked. Unless team, the other driver takes the truck on.

Most anyone should be thankful that two drivers can keep that truck rolling. However at some point each day you both stop and stay a while.

It is one thing for a solo to try and wriggle out of ELD etc being told to do this or that by company, quite another when a freaking TEAM is being abused?> Come on now.

 

If they are doing that, and keep doing that, you're one DOT audit from losing your job and a serious violation/fine.

 

There is not one of us out here who don't have bills going out every month.

Your teammate is a source of your problems? Then you are going to have to fail to go out tonight. She will have to run it solo on a solo appt.

I hate to be such a hard thinking person about this situation but your teammate's position that she gets what she says goes etc well.. that tells me you two are not a team tonight or any night. You have one position she has completely disassociated her self with another the two is not compatable and thus not a team.

Teams busts up all the time. My own spouse when we realized that there were health threats developing due to the road life we called dispatcher telling them to take her home as soon I get the truck there she has just became a non employee a passenger. Fortunately we had a presigned waiver for that purpose so there is no problem or drama. She rode with me and we got her home in several loads. I left the company a month later.

But anytime two people on a team are on two sides of a problem you taking the legal side and your teammate handed everythning what she wants against your position etc then you two are no longer a team as of this minute. The company has drivers, they can find another one to replace the team and reschedule the load. You probably will get a solo truck and roll on for a while. that depends on what the company decides to do with you two.

 

We did well with FFE only because we as a Team were essentially a National Firetruck rescuing solos. when they were late, Even the occasional trainer and student who spent too much time dawdling in the casinos of the west. (NM and so on comes to mind) And in FFE we were in a position once when Chicago ST dispatch asked us if we would mind giving away a current Buffalo to Phoenix Load on our 5th wheel while we passed Erie running away from a major ice storm coming out of Ontario across the lakes.

Are you kidding? go to the detrioter, give this plum away and go into the ice palace of Ontario for sliding? No thanks.

Chicago told Phoenix they could keep us because we were not wanted that night. Whatever that solo had going to Ontario was fairly important however for us 2500 pay miles was much more of what we needed in that week. There was 10.00 between us in cash, rest were in the bank. Phoenix gave us a day to play tourist and warm up while they arranged a Nogales east coast run. And what a memorable day it was, going from a winter howler ice all over to 110 degrees and sunshine. Dont bother us we are busy sunbathing on the hood. (Ugh...)

Most of my no BS trucking happened after I joined Mr Dowdy in 1998 for a while. He was a very good operation, just needed to make sure that the runs were less of a problem against the logbooks. I was let go after turning in 16000 miles the previous month and needed two weeks off anywhere, preferably home. I was pretty used up that month so it was good. (More than good considering a future he provided here in Arkansas...)

I got into Medicines for McKesson. And in this type of freight you have 5000 bosses interested in making sure that million dollar cargo gets there into say Detriot at sunrise on time from Memphis. Reload with cardboard back to Memphis and repeat. and for us and myself that was the very best of trucking. The money took care of itself and 9-11 was a problem but not a problem. Savings was what made it possible.

Thus the lesson If you have savings at all built from your payroll, when you get into a problem like tonight then it is a form of freedom. You would not have to worry about no food or repossession. That of itself tells me that the arrangement is not working out and cannot be expected to work out anyway. Running as a team should be profitable and plenty of money. But apparently not the case here.

I don;t know about staying in the game to try and get more money, thats like trying to belly up to the Casino table one more time with the house mortgage title in your hand to bet. You never get ahead. Only deeper into the hole.

I want to find ways to encourage you and allow you to roll without this stressor over your head, but apparently it has gone far enough as to be a real problem to your well being. (Which is not that important to some companies... they would just replace you.)

I also imagine if your record is good and you have not found to be a BAD trucker, then that should be what gets you a job next week anywhere. I did that once when I realized two weeks with a broker running a dry van was a waste when I specifically hired on to haul cream in tankers. That goes back to my previous experience in tankers for milk. Expensive yes but nothing scary expensive like narcotics in bulk.

So I quit that second week 4 hours on phone with JBH as my last company before I stopped OTR. Other than a truck problem they did everything else well. With a dispatcher who was the best. A warrior who understood where i was going before I had to ask him. We had a great time there. But I left due to accumulating health reasons etc.

Having a wife to feed, a house to pay for and a bunch of other obligations? All of that took care of itself by Gods's grace in that year. And then some. But that was not a problem. Because when you are a good driver with a clean non preventables etc that is what you protect above all else. So the car is gone, so something else is gone you have ten thousands of cars to choose from around here rotting because people here have a champagne taste and habits. Gotta have that 90K lariat red river edition... (Ugh..)

I think I am finished here. Ive said what I think is helpful hopefully but you are the boss of you. You choose what your future will be. Abused or non abuses. Ultimately when you get into that drivers seat it's all you captain. Dont be trying to clean up or help those who clearly have big issues that threaten and maybe imperial your freedom and finances by way of very big tickets and OOS etc. If you could not pay them then it becomes bench warrant and so on downhill you go. And everything will go poof.

Not good.