The Solution: Mandatory Detention Pay

This is the place, unless it was drop/hook, that I was usually detained. Let that POS company have some of their own medicine.
I don't want government involved either, but who's is going to make dirtbags like mallwart pay the consequences.

To be fair though, nothing mallwart could do would change my mind about them, I've just been burned too many times by them. And no, I have NEVER been late at any of them. Sure was late leaving a lot though.

 

You do it contractually. The detention clause is put into the contract, you (or your carrier) gets the balls to charge them, and then go after them in court when they don't pay. So what if they tell you you'll never pull their freight again? Move on to a better client.

 

To me, there is (at least) two separate issues; detention time and driver's pay.

Probably the single biggest issue in the industry, from the driver's perspective, is all the unpaid work time and nickle & diming drivers go through. I know of no other industry where employees are not adequately compensated on a consistant basis. Even when companies in other industries put low-level workers on salary there are usually hour limits that kick in and require overtime pay. This doesn't affect me as an O/O, and while it is easy to say don't work for a company that doesn't pay for all the driver's time, the reality is that this issue is epidemic in the industry. This is something where the government can bring some force to bear.

The issue of detention time, while related, needs to be treated separately. Companies do need to push back and tell shippers and receivers that detention time must be paid for. Until they are forced to pay for all of a driver's time though, it isn't a concern to them. I agree that the government should not have any say in that part of the issue. Where the government can, and should, have some say is in how excessive detention affects driver's HOS... like if a driver's clock runs out then the shipper/receiver is responsible for them. This is going to become a huge issue with advent of EOBRs.

Shippers/receivers need to be accountable for their position in the supply chain. Trucking companies need to grow a backbone and neogtiate fair contracts that cover some of those issues. If a shipper/receiver wants to work by appointment only, and wants to institute a fine if the truck is late, that's okay... the trucking company needs to include a significant hourly rate for when they are on time, but made to wait. They need us as much as we need them. It has to be a cooperative environment for the benefit of all parties. While my preference is for as little government meddling as possible, they can bring some force to bear if the equation is too one-sided.

 

I think the fuel surcharge is a good example of the government stepping in and making a positive change on our industry.

Yes, I think the government can make positive change. And this is not at all as complicated of an issue. has nothing to do with 'get off our lot'. has to do with how long you get their til loaded or unloaded.

Other issues government has got involved with have gone against the best wishes of truckers many times, because truckers did NOT get involved. griping on a forum that government messes everything up is ineffective. spend the 10 minutes sending your congressmen an e-mail and at least you tried.

 

Kevin Knight , Lawyer Searcy and their cronies already have their sights on the Fonz and his bill. They whine of fair trade and freedom to negotiate contracts without gooberment regs.

It's a great idea...I love it but I doubt it. Too much cash on the other side......

 

You don't get detention at Walmart? Are you sure because we do. And when I say we I mean our company. Maybe our customer just has that much clout with them.

 

I'll bet the amount of money that the govt comes up with to pay for detention, will be a lot lower that what we already get. You already make lower than min wage, you think govt imposed det pay will make you whole? Yeah right.

 

I'm afraid the reality is that it's more expensive to take them to court than to just forget about it and move on.

If there was a quicker, cheaper method of enforcing contracts, then it would help greatly.

 

I think this is good. Why do we have to sit there and get no money when the companies are charging the shipper money for us to sit there.

 

Do you understand the unintended consequences of something like this? You're not going to get a cent out of it... just ten times the hassle.