Are You Having A Hard Time Getting Your Truck Cared For These Days?

If you're a company driver and work for a company that is more interested in pinching pennies than maintaining their equipment to keep it in safe, legal operating condition it may be a sign that you need to get yourself another job before it's too late.

With the CSA 2010 regulations coming up, equipment deficiencies that are caused by neglect can cause problems for you where the safety points system is concerned.

Unfortunately, many carriers of various sizes have done little to nothing to be more proactive in their equipment upkeep. They often grow their fleet while not building up their shop network to accomodate the increase in equipment that needs to be maintained. A well-known refrigerated trucking company based in Mondovi, WI that I worked for is a prime example of this. It often took a long time (often 2-3 days in most cases) to get the truck into the shop and then it was a question as to whether or not the repair work was ever done right- or at all. That's part of why I chose to get the hell out of there.

Carriers having financial problems and those that are publicly-owned often try to cut costs by cutting back on the fleet maintenance. NEVER drive for anyone that puts their bottom line ahead of safety.

In summary, if you find yourself having to get too involved and fight like hell to get any necessary repair work done on your assigned equipment then it's time for you to move on.

Be safe.

 

RailSplitter, these days I think Marten (as a publicly-owned company) is trying so hard to appease their shareholders while ignoring everything else.

In all honesty, it seems that most Wisconsin-based trucking outfits are too much into 'penny-pinching' instead of thinking about savings over the long-term if they do things right when they have a chance. Knowing that, I refuse to work for any of those up there any more.

I returned to Crete recently and my stress level has dropped dramatically all while I'm making more money too.

 

As per DOT regulations if a driver knows a truck is unsafe to drive they can legally refuse to until it is properly repaired.

As a former mechanic I will say that there's a LOT of truth to this. Years ago, drivers had to be more familiar with a truck's mechanicals and in many cases be able to do some repairs at roadside- some million-milers here still do. If a driver doesn't know what to look for or simply doesn't give a rat's ###, then the truck's overall condition will deteriorate over time due to neglect. That's part of why companies don't keep their trucks as long as they used to any more.

Hopefully you can get out of there soon. If that company's safety reputation goes down the toilet (which it likely will), that will drag you right down there with them. Best of luck in avoiding that potentially ugly situation.

 

I already went to work for a company who does very good upkeep on their equipment and being that I do my part in taking care of the truck I drive it's nice to get that kind of cooperation from them as well when I report any problems. That gives me a lot more peace of mind when I'm out here on the road.

It sure is nice to not have to deal with a screwed-up breakdown department like I saw at Marten. I know I'm being a bit silly about this but I could see a situation like this taking place if I had continued to work for them.........

I would find a steer tire that had been cut to the cords by a piece of metal in the road but still holding air. I'd call their breakdown department and some cheap-### on the other end would tell me this in a nasal-sounding Wisconsin accent: "Go get several rolls of black duct tape and wrap the outside tread of that steer tire to hide the cords, and we'll getcha routed to Mondovi to replace the tire".