So why does everyone hate the safety director?

Because we hate "daddy" looking over our shoulder? Of course, if they ever stopped and thought about it a moment, they'd realize that the Safety guy is a good thing. Seriously, anyone who looks at it at all would realize that the safety guy is there to protect you and the company, not to hammer you for a small item.

 

I've never had a problem with any safety director at my previous and current company. Maybe the drivers who have issues with their safety supervisors are the ones who can't properly complete a legal logbook, or speed in areas when they're not supposed to (like California or construction zones for instance).

You would have been better off creating a thread titled: "So why does everyone hate their dispatchers?"

The thread would get many hits within a couple of days.

 

But,

you have to admit,

a few of them--have their head in an awkward location..............

 

Safety people are only doing their jobs. As long as you are doing your job, then you should not have a problem with your safety people. It is their job to make sure that drivers and the company are in compliant with federal regulations. They can be a good resource when you have questions concerning safety issues.

 

Ok I'll tell the truth my current safety guy is okay but I have worked for some shady places.

The safety people are usually the ones during orientation. They are the same people that literally show you how to "run" your log book. But then Hammer you if you get caught doing something wrong.

I even had one safety director tell me what to do if I had a bird dog in the truck so I wouldn't be caught with it. And supplied us with the "Tools" to hide our bird dog and tolls that wouldn't match.

As I said SHADY but don't be the pot calling the kettle black if you know what I mean.

 

I had a safety director that I contacted concerning the way the dispatcher wanted loads delivered. You know, over hours and all.

He basically said, log it correctly, but we have to do what we need to to satisfy the customer.

 

I for one am a fan of everyone in our safety dept., they're all very helpful and know us by name, I've had some issues in the past and safety has always sided with the driver and been able to come to a resolution fairly quickly. With the new CSA regs I feel like I'm more in touch with the safety of the company and their equipment, and for being a rather small company "less than 350 trucks" I appreciate the attention to detail the safety dept., and our safety director imparticular, puts forth on a daily basis.

 

I think a lot of people in the industry have issues with authority, period. Safety guy is an authority figure.

Although I've seen two safety directors lately who were COMPLETELY CLUELESS about what really goes on in their dispatch offices.

They'll say "log it legal", which by the way, is an improper use of grammar - it's "log it legally". That said, if you told your dispatcher that you talked to safety and were going to log by the book... at least in my experience, you might be sitting a long time, since the dispatchers take care of their "team players" first.

I'll gadly challenge ANY safety manager to interview a few drivers and then audit their logs agains their qualcomms... with amnesty to the drivers, of course.. and see what their dispatch offices try to get drivers to do. Or DO get drivers to do.

A safety program, or log policy, is only as good as the enforcement of the program or policy.

 

Many feel like they're in a Catch 22 between safety compliance and trying to please dispatch, and by extension please the boss by getting the job done.


Anyway often it feels like companies create a safety department just for show. Or maybe it comes down to a belief in the safety guy's authority versus upper management. I'm mean that's how it feels when it comes to doing the daily job.


Also I'd be curious to learn what kind of relationship there really is between the Safety guys and Dispatch if there is one at all. Are Dispatchers evaluated for how they handle and plan loads?