American Trucker...New Slave?

Thats a load of BS, I don't drive a flatbed but my company also doesn't pay me extra to shut the door on the trailer, it's expected of me. I can see it now, I'm driving down the interstate with the trailer door wide open, crap flying out the back. I look in the mirror and see the flashing lights. I pull over and Mr DOT man reading me the riot act. I'll just stop him in mid sentence only to tell him I didn't get paid extra to shut the door.

 

About 2 weeks ago, I was making an early Monday delivery at a nearby bakery. I was unloading flour into the silo, and as I was finishing up one of the bakery's trucks pulled out pulling a van. As he pulled away from the dock, I noticed that the back door was open and it didn;t look like the load was strapped with the cross strap they use to secure it. Then I looked at his former parking spt at the dock, and about 30 trays of bread had fallen out of the back and onto the ground.

After putting two and two together (slowly cause it was early morning!) I ran after the truck, and caught him as he was waiting for a break in the traffic to get out onto the street. I told him he was losing bread and his load wasn't tied down, and he told me that he had tied it down. So I then told him that if he had, he was under the wrong trailer. He backed to the dock (slowly) and when I pulled away he was still picking up up bread and reloading the trailer.

Guess it wasn't an extra pay item for him either!!!

 

Im a wannabe as you can see and your post has not changed my mind one way or the other. I have had several jobs where I did extra work and didnt feel like I was compensated for it but I didnt sit around and Boo Hoo and whine about it. You have to have a positive attitude in whatever you do if you want to be successful in it. If you want to be compensated for everything you do then I suggest you become a lawyer so you can charge a $150 an hour. There is no reason for you to post your negativity on here just because your a disgruntled trucker having a bad day or a bad year.

 

This is old news. Did you not know all this before you started driving? I'm a wannabe also, and know well enough that as a truck driver, you do not punch a time clock, and you are paid for the miles that you drive, and not for the time you sit. Been like that for a loooooong time. If you owned a business, would you pay someone for sitting and doing nothing? I don't think so. Unless you have a union job...which I had...your free time is just that...free. Bottom line is, I put the blame on the shippers and receivers for sitting, NOT the trucking companies.

 

I agree with some of your comments and truckers should stand up for theirselves for what its worth. There is nothing wrong with gettn paid for what you do and as far as freight cost....I dont know of any job that gives raises to compensate for the cost of inflation but I can make better money than Im making now and when you live in the sticks like I do, trucking is the best oppurtunity around here without driving an hour or more to get a decent job and with gas prices today I just cant do that.

 

Naw, Bobo has Jimmy Hoffa Jr come in and personally fuel his truck for him each nite.

 

Oh really? I thought of one in about 1 second. Maybe you can put that mind of yours to better use and see if you can think of it too.

 

:smt044:smt023Too funny!