My driver ran out of fuel

Red Foreman offers the best advice on this topic, Its a priviledge to see folks like him bringing all aspects of a situation like this to a "Fair" and honest Light.

afterburn25,You have to understand a few things here, You as a business owner,Need to understand the Costs associated with doing business, Which can and are Good and sometimes Bad, remember 1 thing, This person is a human being, While we would like to leave the sensibility factor out of the equation,You simply cannot.

As others have stated, You Hired this person,Fair and Square, YOU have the opportunity to Terminate his employment for this......

Crying about the Costs associated with business is Childish,And Some people just don't have the Patience and understanding of operating a business.....

You Pay the costs,Evaluate this Driver,Then decide the future for him....It almost makes me sick to my stomach the stories I've heard over the years on what these unprofessional carriers have (And still) Do to Drivers just trying to Create a living for them and their families.

RedForeman, As a Business owner myself, Id say you have an excellent understanding of treating employees to a better standard than many others in the trucking world.

A good driver would be honored to drive for an operation like yours.

 

x2. OP...You're within your right to terminate the guy, but I wouldn't take the cost of the roadside repair out of his check. Sure...it was 100% his screw up AND he doesn't want to admit that he screwed up. On the flip side...you're going to have a problem finding replacement drivers when word gets out that you dock paychecks for roadside repairs. Sure...we both know there's more to the story, but that wouldn't really matter to the peanut gallery.

 

It happened to me once. Got a brand spanking new company truck (still had the plastic on the seats and carpet, and stickers over the dash). Was trying to make the Petro in Effingham to get some fuel. Fuel gauge said I had a quarter tank. Ran out on the exit ramp. Company paid for the service call. Didn't even have to explain what happened. Thing is, it never happened again.

I knew another driver who had the same model truck as I did that would show 1/4 full and run out too. He ran the truck out of fuel 4 times! I asked him why he kept on, and he said that the fuel tank showed 1/4 full so he kept going. He said that they should fix the gauge. They fired him.

 

While i believe that the driver SHOULD be responsible for the call out, I agree with Red that it would not likely be good to just deduct it from his pay. For me, I would handle it in one of two ways. If the driver said "Hey, I screwed up and ran out of fuel but I'll pay for the call out because it was my screw-up". I would thank him for offering to pay but I would pay for the call out and we would carry on. If OTOH, the driver said "I ran out of fuel I need you to get me going again", I would arrange things, pay for the call out and when he got back I would send him packing. The first guy has the kind of character that I want driving for me. the second guy does not.

 

I can only give advice on what I would do.

I'd route him back home. Fire him. Pay him his last check in full right then and there. If he's too lazy to fuel the tractor, what else is he letting slide?

If you are seriously worried he's going to damage your equipment you can run him a few more weeks, then route him back.

If your still worried he's suspecting your firing him, then rent a car, and pay for the insurance. I'd go to where he is. Fire him. Pay him in full. Offer the rental car for him and his junk.

 

Well, ..................................
That's one way to fix the gauge.
Budda-Bing---Budda-Bang. :smt075

 

Cooler and more experienced heads once again prevail. I guess the hardest thing to learn, At least from my perspective, about the differences between working for and running a company are the standard you hold yourself to our often higher than the ones you should hold others too.

As the driver, I feel and know it is my responsibility to keep that tractor moving safely. To me that includes fuel as well as anything else I am charged with. That also means that if I screw up I feel it is my responsibility to make it right in whatever way I am able.

From reading what others have said and learning from each person and Op expanding on the original situation surrounding all of this, I have to say that deducting from his paycheck the same as others have said, is not the smartest move. It's of course up to you whatever you choose to do; but if it were me and knowing what I know now, I would not hesitate to fire him. Especially since you seem to have established a pattern.

Had the driver been truthful from the start, and this was his first offense, even with the pattern I would give them another chance and a warning.

 

you can sure tell who actually owns a business and dealt with employees and those that haven'y by the comments. Some of you trigger happy fire away guys would do well to brush up on your states unemployment claim procedures. Maybe there are those who can take a few days to draw up some policy which would protect over any bonehead thing a guy could do. And maybe you got a hotshot lawyer on retainer to handle an unemployment claim or can afford to pay it for a few months, etc.... Doesn"t sound feasible to me. firing someone is risky, you gotta make sure you do it right or you could even wind up with a wrongful termination suit. Besides which, sad to say, but you are the one that hired the guy. When you find out you made a mistake, it's your mistake to own.

 

I never ran out of fuel but I get nervous when it looks like I have a quarter tank left and it suddenly drops to near empty a mile later. I only let it go that low when I didnt want to log on duty to fuel so once I was rolling again I went to the nearest truck stop that my company supports fueling.