Should a driver pay for leaving their keys inside the truck?

I never claimed to be a super trucker but I do have a perfect driving record with no tickets and I always get the load there on time. I got sick of being a slave two years ago and got my own truck and it is a Volvo which is impossible to lock yourself out of.

 

I guess I just don't understand all of this "Slave" talk??? What is it that has given you this attitude, are you being forced to work against your will? Are you not free to work where ever you want? You do understand the definition of a slave, Right??? I'm not ragging on you, and this is not the first time I have heard this kind of talk, so educate me, I just can't wrap my mind around these comments, thx for your time.

 

The use of the term “slave” is hyperbole used to make a point. Real slaves would doubtless take offense but I have worked for enough bosses to know I never want another. I have been demeaned and pressured to drive when exhausted and in adverse weather and that seems de rigueur for this industry. Where else are 70+ hour work weeks the norm? I bought my own truck to have the freedom to haul where I want, when I want and to actually make it home when I want. If I owned a fleet and employed drivers I would pick up little things like locking themselves out as long as they didn’t make it a habit.

 

I wish you much success in the future, in fact, I wish you so much success that you can someday have a dozen drivers or so, because then you will have walked on BOTH sides of the line, you see that is the problem a lot of us have with a guy's opinion, that has only been a driver, you simply can not speak from experience, there are an awful lot of us in here that own small fleets or had drivers at one time, but they also still drove.

I don't ask my employees to do anything that I won't do myself, in fact, I'm the guy that covers their runs when they want vacation, are sick, or want to be home for a Holiday, I also still take most of the difficult or challenging loads, and usually am the guy that goes where other don't want to, I'm still the guy that takes out the trash, cleans out the filthy disgusting trucks that I get back when a guy quits, I'm also the guy that jumps on a plane and finishes a run for a driver that needed to fly home for an emergency, there is just SO MUCH, that non-owners never even think about, and I'm sure it's the same for a LOT of other owners.

 

Well said. Your kind of hauling and mine are completely different but a lot of the problems and challenges are exactly the same.
I like what I do but there are times when I miss being just a driver and having only one truck and one load at a time to worry about.

 

If you screw up why owner of the truck should pay for your mistakes

 

I think back in the day we were treated fairly and were rewarded for our efforts and probably didn't even lock the truck, unlike today where you are just a dollar sign to be taken advantage of. We might not have expected to get paid for a lock out but we worked it in somewhere.

I don't blame the new gen truckers for expecting the company to pay for every thing, the way they are paid today you can't afford to ''help out''.

 

Hey, no problem.... let me try to make it clearer and feel free to explain how I am wrong.

When a restaurant server accidentally drops a tray of food. Do they pay for it? When a forklift driver accidentally spills a pallet and damages some product. Do they pay for it? When a mechanic accidentally damages a tool. Do they pay for it? When the cashbox is short at the end of cashier’s shift. Do they pay for it? And when a driver locks keys in truck. Do they pay for it?

The answer is no, they do not have to pay. An employer cannot dock an employee’s pay for any of these mistakes unless the employee signed an agreement to allow the cost of such to be deducted. (and if that was the case with the op, then this whole thread was pointless)

Employee mistakes are just another cost of running a business. I work for a very successful company. They manage to pay for such things and continue to be successful.

Employees that make a habit of doing stupid things are let go.

I agree with you guys, in principle. Like I said, personally, I would try to handle it myself without ever contacting dispatch because I care about my reputation there. And if I did have to call dispatch to get help, I would offer to pay for it and they would most certainly decline with a “get outta here.”

 

Just did some research, to make sure I wasn't full of #### about this....Here's the law in your state, Nevada:

NRS 607.160, 608.110)

1.  Without the written authorization of an employee, an employer may withhold from the wages due the employee:

(a) Any amount required by law; and

(b) Any employee contribution to a benefit program, such as health insurance or a pension plan, as permitted pursuant to NRS 608.110.

2.  Except as otherwise provided in subsection 1, an employer may not deduct any amount from the wages due an employee unless:

(a) The employer has a reasonable basis to believe that the employee is responsible for the amount being deducted by the employer;

(b) The deduction is for a specific purpose, pay period and amount; and

(c) The employee voluntarily authorizes the employer, in writing, to deduct the amount from the wages.

3.  An employer may not use a blanket authorization that was made in advance by the employee to withhold any amount from the wages due the employee.

(Added to NAC by Labor Comm’r by R115-04, eff. 8-25-2004)

So, yes, unless you paid the bill voluntarily or signed a written agreement to allow the cost to be deducted from your pay, the company must foot the bill for such an incidence.

 

And that's where the difference is. Demanding it be paid and offering to pay and the company saying forget about it.