Soda Driver in Texas Questions

70 hours a week and only being home 450... And making you work like that? Hate to say this but find another job... Unless 450 is good in your are, I know where I live you couldn't survive off that.

 

I work about 50 hours a week and bring home twice as much and still don't think it's truly enough

 

True, intrastate in Texas works differently, but notice that in order for you to qualify for the 100 mile radius logging exemption, you must be released from work after 12 consecutive hours, and you still can't drive a total of more than 11. If you're working 15.5 hour days, you're in violation no matter which way you look at it.

 

As a former Coke driver I can tell you how fast you deliver at customers makes a big difference how quick you get done. There is no room for lollygagging around. With experience comes speed. It really has nothing to do with drive time because you don't drive any distance. I had a 100 mile route with a full sidebay truck I could do in 9 hours. When I first started it took me 12 hours. So your inexperience falls on the company? They tried to work with you hoping you would pick your speed up.

Where I learned to pick up time was they wanted you to restock the cooler and rotate the stock every delivery. I finally got smart and figured the plastic has a 6 month shelf life why am I killing myself every week. I started rotating at random which worked just as good. Most stops were drop and run and let the customer deal with restocking which they do anyways the rest of the week. I shaved 3 hours off my cooler time.

 

If the company is making him drive outside the HOS under threat of termination, they are in the wrong, regardless of his experience level. They also have no right to shave time off of time cards for anything. If you're required to take a lunch, then you take it, and if you don't, they can earn you or even fire you for it. But shaving time off is so illegal in Texas it's not even funny.

I'm sure he would've gotten faster with more experience, but if you're not fast enough to finish in the allotted time, that requires more training, not a "then go ahead and work illegally" attitude.

For what it's worth, I'm glad you filed your complaint. We have enough regulation out here without sorry companies trying to force drivers to work illegally, because then we all pay the price with more regulations.

 

It's simple, you don't do it. Once you give in to illegal running you are just as guilty. If you refuse to run and get fired there are regulations and lawsuits they will lose.