Fired for driving accident in recent snow

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by Hello92, Feb 22, 2021.

  1. Ffx95

    Ffx95 Road Train Member

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    Maybe in the mega companies but on the smaller ones they were always ok with me calling. Obviously there’s things you absolutely don’t talk about like what they’re paying for this but I’m pretty sure dispatch ain’t going to worry when I call and let the customer know I’m running behind or if I need directions.
     
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  3. Bo Hunt

    Bo Hunt Light Load Member

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    When I ran flatbed I learned my lesson quick about why you call. It was put on with a crane, it had to come off with a crane. Receiver thought they could forklift it off. I had to sit because of that miscommunication. Sure, I got paid, but that is other loads I'm not running.

    It's those little things in flatbed and other specialized carriers that are why you should be calling. Door slammers, yeah, they don't want you calling. Calling has saved me from delivering to office instead of the worksite many times, or gotten directions to the site because the "road" to the job site is a cattle trail through a few Texas ranches.
     
    Last edited: Feb 26, 2021
    TripleSix, Speed_Drums and tarmadilo Thank this.
  4. Moose1958

    Moose1958 Road Train Member

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    Many years ago I spent just under a year driving for a guy that operated 5 trucks. I was attempting to deliver to someplace in Arizona and my tractor broke down. This guy told us to call him at home and wake him up if we needed help. I had just left the NM POE on I-10 and was a few minutes out of Los Cruces NM. A big mess I had to be towed back to El Paso and the owner told me I had to wait for a rental place to open that next morning. There was no way I was going to make that delivery on time. While I was waiting I used my calling card from a payphone in El Paso to call my final using the phone number on my BOL. A kid answered and told me his dad was still in bed. I apologized and told the kid to give his pop a message about being late. By the time I got to the final, I was denied a door and drove to the Petro just out of Phoenix. Turns out the guy I drove for was the only one that could "fix" this problem and he did so later that day. As I stated in posts 42 and 47 there is no one size fits all solutions when it comes to this problem. It is a fact of life in the world of trucking that most all carriers EVEN the megas use logistics middlemen and sometimes you can't contact that logistics company customer.

    If a driver gets delayed you MUST contact your carrier first and follow their instructions. Most of the time that carrier can notify the actual customer way before you can. If on the other hand, you know the final and how they operate then by all means let that final know ASAP!
     
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  5. tarmadilo

    tarmadilo Road Train Member

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    To say “never call the customer” is idiotic. I rarely call the customer, but there have been times when circumstances make it the best option, and I’d say this would be one of those times. My dispatcher handles a lot of drivers, and he appreciates it any time I save us both time and effort by a little bit of proactive dialing.
     
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  6. Lostmykey

    Lostmykey Medium Load Member

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    We can call to ask for directions; ask if there’s onsite parking and if we can show up early. We can’t make changes to the appt.
     
  7. buddyd157

    buddyd157 Road Train Member

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    yes, that was something else we could do, ask to dock the trailer if we got there early (or late) at night, or at least park on the property.
     
  8. UsualSuspect

    UsualSuspect Road Train Member

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    It's your CDL to protect, not theirs. Never let a dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Broker, or Manager push you into driving. If you feel it's unsafe, it's unsafe, and you park it. If you loose your job over it, they did you a favor. You are the captain of the ship.
     
  9. Gambosa

    Gambosa Light Load Member

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    My thought is, you were terminated because of the damage done to their truck and, perhaps, the trailer. I'm not sure why you would take your truck off the road Were cars stopped all over the road? If so, why not stop well before you got to them and stop on the road with your flashers on?

    Good part is you weren't in one of the many pile ups that happened in several states. If you don't feel safe driving in current conditions, you need to let your dispatcher know and park somewhere safe. Were you using chains? Not that their much help with that much snow.

    Big, well known companies are difficult to sue. That could also make other companies not want to hire you.....
     
    SoulScream84 Thanks this.
  10. Gambosa

    Gambosa Light Load Member

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    This is very true. I live in the OKC metro area. Our governor said the state should basically be shut down due to the winter storm for at least 2 days per cycle. We were hit by 2 rounds of snow. I didn't go anywhere for over a week.
     
  11. Long FLD

    Long FLD Road Train Member

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    I don’t think anyone said to reschedule on his own, but to not call and at least verify the place you’re going to is actually open during a snow/ice storm is foolish. The OP wants someone to hold his hand and tell him when to work when we all know that’s not the case in this industry.
     
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