Paying cash for repairs to a company truck to avoid backlash?

the company mechanics will rat you out, they will be able to check on the parts especially if new parts are used in replacements.

i replaced a light bulb, maybe an airline,........... but never a tire, wheel, or hood.

man up admit your fault, take it like a man.

keep screwing up..??

look for a new career.

 

Got the theme song on my playlist.

 

I don't view it as dumb....if you tore up else's equipment, why wouldn't you pay for it? Something out of a driver's control, sure tell the company. If he made a mindless error, chances are they will take it out of his check anyway, so pay for it and nobody knows a thing.

 

No other industry treats employees that way. I know mechanics that caused damages into the five figures for a simple mistake. Nothing taken out of their pay, no disciplinary action whatsoever. Cost of doing business.

Its sad that the entire trucking industry is so spineless they won't stand up for fair treatment. Terrified of DAC or whatever its called. Just another tool the companies use to manipulate drivers out of fear.

 

My story isn't a accident or incident necessarily. I hooked up this woman in Knoxville several years ago, in my early years of trucking. I parked at an Ingles, but out of the way behind a restaurant. Apparently, Ingles owned that property too. The lady picked me up and I spent the night with her....what fun it was! She dropped me back off, but to my surprise, the truck was towed. She took me out there, and I gave the folks at the impound 500 bucks cash to get it out.....hard and expensive lesson.....but if I had told the company, i still would have owned it and had to pay for it. Sometimes it's a lot less time and energy to squash a problem yourself and move on.... now.....I wouldn't have gave that girl 500 bucks for her goods, but I sure might as well have...at least it was a fun night..lol

 

I don't too much think about my record or my DAC when I foul up. I just own it. I just figured it was the right thing to do

 

Open key receipts are your friend. Any cashier can ring it up as that.

Your company doesn't need to know exactly what you bought.

It was "bulbs" or "fluids"

Something to consider though is that tow guy could possibly rat you out if the property owner calls the local po po for those divots you left. Guess who now gets a hit and run? You do. So tread careful on the winching. Always call the local pd to file a report but you don't HAVE to call the company ya know.

 

Along with the deer hit total I mentioned previously in this thread there have been a few incidents of damage caused by mechanics in the shop over the years but it was never done maliciously.
Never have we made an employee pay for damages caused by an honest mistake.
We just suck it up pay the bill or fix it and lesson learned.
The mechanics who work in our shop have a deep sense of pride and when the they screw up it hurts them more I believe then having to pay for it.
Oh and the the endless ribbing and jokes for some time afterwards from the other mechanics is probably punishment enough lol

 

That was a friends boss, and I would never work for a jerk like that. Once, my friend noticed the bosses "personal" Peterbilt, had a new bumper one day. And I doubt it was because it lost it's shine. Rule #1, the boss is always right. Rule #2, if the boss happens to be wrong, see rule #1,,,

 

I guess this would be case by case. Only something small that I screwed up thru severe negligence would I pay for out of my pocket. Even then I would consider the cost.

Example... when I was a new driver, the company had given me chains with a couple broken cross-links on each set. No surprise, they ended up beating the mudflaps and hangers completely off the truck. Looking back, that was not really my fault and I should never have paid.

Fast forward to a time when I put on good chains, and just didn't have them tight enough. It was definitely my fault that time around, and this time not only did it beat up the mud flaps and hangers, I even managed to get an air line under there!

This time, I just called in, admitted my mistake, and they ate the cost that time, not me. It wasn't a huge deal, things happen. Lesson learned.

I don't think I would really ever pay out of pocket for something unless it's something like airlines/glad hands etc due to being simple enough to pull away from a trailer forgetting to disconnect. But would I pay for the back glass if one happened to snap back and smash the glass? No. You have to draw the line somewhere.

So in short, if I happened to break airlines thru stupidity, or knock lug nut/wheel covers off from hitting a curb... sure I would still pay for something like that, but you have to draw a line.