Southern Refrigerated Transport Driver Dies In Truck No Help

Pretty easy.....I don't believe in the "force thy neighbor" attitude.

Its the right thing to do, I don't disagree there. In case you didn't read that far.

But its simply not their responsibility to get him home. Any more than its mine or yours. Again, I still think its the right thing to do, but its NOT their responsibility to make it happen.

Something else to consider, it you feel that you're being forced to do anything, its time to reconsider your priorities. We are sovereign individuals, we are not beholden to anyone. I do not let anyone force me to do anything, least of all an employer.
They didn't hold a gun to his head.
We have the right to leave any employment situation at any time, for any reason. That is part of the beauty of at will employment.

 

Typical with large companies in and out of trucking. Ignore the bad press and maybe it will go away.

 

Well Mr G If I die in someone's truck and they don't want to bring me home. Just let my carcass rot in their truck. Won't bother me any, I won't be there.

 

Allen Parker is the name of the owner of Covenant. He is supposed to be really religious. With all the bad PO he is getting, he should have just flipped the bill. Maybe the drivers family was broke because he wasn't getting any miles

 

in others words if this were your company. President mr g: "hey someone shovel that piece of crap truck driver into the dumpster this truck ain't makin no money in fact I think we should keep his last check for cleaning fees and for the down time of the truck."

President mr g's secretary: "don't you think we should call the family to express our sorrow for their losing a their family member. After all we do proclaim to be a Christian company."

president mr g: "o hell no..huh! I ain't callin anyone we got what we needed those idiots can fend for themselves. In fact I think we should not only keep the drivers last check but also go and send the family a bill for cleaning and truck down time! Christian...we ain't really Christian we just do that to get a leg up in the freight game...huh! Christians! Now go fetch me another dog to put in the seat of that truck!"

sound about right mr g....how is NOT!!! Their responsibility?

 

With that kind of logic,why bother addressing anything that inconveniences us as todays society?
Imagine..I drive for this company,and need to go take a bathroom break.Meh..not my problem,
just gonna go in the seat of the truck,and hope it works out.
Its not the right thing to do,but its not something I get paid for,so just go to the bathroom in the truck

 

Son, you got some Really serious reading comprehension issues, doncha.

I will repeat the part that you ignored, assuming you read that far.

To assist the drivers family, is the right thing to do. I have never disagreed with any ones assertions that it wasn't. What I disagree with is that thought that it must be the companies responsibility to do so. Its not. It never was. It never will be.

 

Sadly the truth sometimes hurts but also sometimes it heals. What we would like is for SRT to own up to the story, even if it obligated them or held them liable in some way. But the hard cold truth is they will not. For they are only responsible for the truck and the load. Personal responsibility falls on the driver and his or her family. As they say in the industry, It's business as usual, " Are you going to be on time?". Forget about "how are you today!" it's only about one thing...saving the load.

The pressure on a driver to deliver "on time even though the planners screwed it" is still a reality, Push Push Push! Companies can literally work a man to death. Who lives 24/7 for months at a time driving to the limit of the FMCSA HOS and doesn't get fatigued? Fact is, many drivers must work even though they are logged off-duty so they can earn a decent income. (Paid by the Mile, not sitting at the dock)

SRT, has problems...driver turnover has remained one of their highest priorities. For every driver they hire, they have more leaving and a constant struggle to keep the seats filled. And news stories like this could possibly have a negative effect on their recruiting efforts. Recently they have started a big push to hire students and train them.....to fill a never ending cycle of hiring new drivers.

And here the rub!

A Driver may have been "qualified to drive" by the dude in the white coat who conducts the review and a DOT physical. But that's about it. From there on...it's the drivers responsibility to know when to say when it is too much. Nothing else matters without good health. And those on meds for hypertension or diabetes type II know exactly.

Is SRT liable.....Not legally. Is SRT a good company that cares about its drivers? We'll, Actions speak louder than words.

 

So,

who has spoke with SRT directly about all of this,

anybody ?

 

As a human being, I think what SRT did and did not do is morally reprehensible. No, they did not have a legal obligation to help in any way, but that does not make it right. Did Raymond White PLAN to die in his truck, thousands of miles away from home? If so, that adds a new dimension to this situation. To anyone who defends SRT's actions: I hope, for the sake of your families, if this happens to you, you are not treated like this by your employer.

As a person whose current job involves traveling, I would not expect any employer to react as a mother does every time her child has a fever, scrapes his knee, whatever. I do expect them to not charge my family for the return of my personal belongings, and I do expect them to be decent to my family if I go missing, or die, while away from home on company business.

As a wannabe trucker, I have made note of all companies owned by Covenant Transportation Group, and will not apply to any of them. As I told my son the other day (who is also thinking of becoming a driver), if they were the ONLY trucking company in the country, I would not work for them.