calling in sick

You are misunderstanding. AllowMe was speaking in Trucker. So was WoreOut. Let me break it down to you in cornbread:

Every driver out here has gotten ill. Flu and food poisoning are probably the main culprits. The old school trucker way of handling sickness is to deliver the load your under and REFUSE any new loads until you are well. That's especially true for owner operators who get penalized if they have to repower a load. You don't break even on a repower, you paid money to move freight, instead of getting paid. So, unless you are deathbed sick, you finish the run.

It's not about being a superhuman Supertrucker impervious to disease and the elements, it's about toughing out extremely difficult times. you have to in order to stay afloat as an owner operator.

 

I was down for 5 days once with food poisoning in Laredo. The real nasty kind, 2 exits, no waiting. Several times I didn't make it into the building before throwing up. I apologized to the staff, they responded by checking on me in the truck every day and bringing me bottled water and crackers that they refused to let me pay for. Qualcommed my dispatch and not only were they understanding they had 3 other drivers come and check on me in addition to calling me twice a day just to see how I was doing.

Also in Laredo a few months earlier I was doing a drop and hook with a really stubborn landing gear when the crank snapped back, broke my nose, sent my glasses flying, and knocked me out cold. The yard dog driver saw me laying there (there was so much blood he thought I was dead), called the paramedics, had his boss call my dispatch and explain the situation. Spent the night in hospital under observation. Dispatch told me to take a couple of days and make sure I was okay.
I don't have very good luck in Laredo.

 

My goodness!! Stay out of Laredo driver.

 

As with most things, communication is key. I worked in ops for many years before I got in to driving. Let them know as soon as you know you are no longer safe to drive. The more time they have to work something out, the more helpful they can be.

 

Im local but it usually goes like this " uhh im callin in, ok." Click

 

I am going to translate for you people who may think Wore Out is being a Supertrucker. AllowMe said in an earlier post that calling in sick is a BIG no no in this industry unless you are on your deathbed. Had a friend of mine grab a load, had it secured and tarped, left the shipper. Went to a truckstop, slipped and fell and shattered his wrist. He couldn't drive. He called the broker and had to repower this load. What do you think he was paid? Absolutely nothing. The company he was leased to sent another truck to grab the trailer. Fortunately for him, the other driver gave him a hand removing his tarps, and strapping the tarps to his catwalk, and parked his bobtail for him. If they had to move the load to another trailer, who do you think would have been responsible for that? Worse thing was, his little community bank did the typical bank thing and didn't cut him no slack and went after his truck, even though he was the 3rd generation family member at the bank. They took his truck. The trucking company he had been with for 2 years was nicer to him than his family bank.

Wore Out is saying that he has never told anyone that he is too sick to deliver the load. I never have either. I have NEVER called in sick under a load. I do what I can to make the delivery and then refuse all other loads. Blowing out both ends? It happens. You pits stop at every rest area, and you keep your 5 gallon bucket ready and handy.

"Oh that's gross, I would never do that!"

If your house was facing foreclosure, and you are begging for a little more time, and the banker tells you that he will extend you 45 days if you take a dump in a 5gallon bucket, would you do it to save your family and your home? If you people think trucking companies are ruthless, just wait until you get into a bind with your bank.

"I still wouldn't crap in the bucket. I would tell the bankers to go eff themselves. Go ahead and take the house!"

Now THATS Supertrucker talk. A real driver would ask the banker if he could have some privacy and a roll of toilet paper. These guys are not trying to sound tough, but the reality is, in this industry you are going to have to tough through stuff like colds and flus and food poisonings. Those days of calling in because you feel a little under the weather or have a headache, or you stubbed your toe are over. I had my jaw broken by a snap binder while under load when I was a kid. You guys that plan to enter the industry and dream of owning your own rig had better pay attention. I will bet a months salary that every owner operator that's been at it over 20 years has had to tough through being so sick that he could hardly walk, but delivered a load.

It happens. You pick up a load, get some miles down the road, take 10 off. While you are resting, you feel it. That ache. The uneasiness. Uhoh, the flu...you run into the store and buy some meds. You get up and start driving. You get sicker and sicker and weaker and weaker. You're pulling over every 45 minutes for a break. You get to the receiver and use your last bit of strength to get unloaded. You make it back to the nearest safe haven and you pass out. You call the wife or the travel agent, tell them what's going on, and you pass out again. If I can make it, I find a motel, put the DO NOT DISTURB sign outside and go into a coma until I feel better.

 

If you do get sick on the road and decide to stop over someplace be sure and let SOMEONE know where you are , it helps if something goes wrong and you take a turn for the worse and they eventually need to start searching for you

 

I only have done it twice. Once when I went to the hospital for food poisioning. Sent dispatch message. They called ambulance because was severe and was also fighting a bit of pneumonia. Got released next morning. Had to wait 3 days at truck stop to give meds time to clear my system.

2nd time different company had 24 hour stomach virus. Was getting sick every half hour. Was at rest area. This was saturday morning. Load dropped anytime Sunday and was 200 miles out so dispatch said to park for day. I did. Delieveres next day.

 

Sick? OTR?
You have to be out of your mind.
Never been sick on the road. Even when I was sick I was never too sick to work. Only day off for sickness I have taken in 15 years is a day I was already home, and I could not go in since I was in the hospital with a kidney and bladder infection.
Always try and releave yourself prior to entering the NYC area. It is very hard on the bladder and can lead to going septic and kidney issues.
This is your daily public service message. Thank you and have a nice day.

 

Looks like someone gets butt hurt real easy.