STORY- Hurricane- Non preventable!

pattyj · Dec 5, 2017

TommyTrucker88 said: ↑

Hey guys I had a question and wanted to get some thoughts on it.
I was wondering this was even legal or allowed for the company to do and how it might effect me.
So just a short while ago we had hurricane season. I was miss fortunate and eager for the money and work which turned out to be a experience and a nightmare.
So during hurricane Irma I was sent out to Jacksonville FL to do a recovery on a truck since my old was was getting retired. It was a bad call for the DM and for me to go ahead and do it.
I never experienced a hurricane and thought I'll be in and out.
Well I had a trainee with me that I picked up in a rental and drove out to FL for the recovery. It seemed nice cause the hurricane was still 2 days out and I was able milk miles since I wasn't being loged for driving the rental but still getting paid the miles. We get to the truck and it was a pig sty. Maybe I'll post a picture or two later. It was uninhabitable . I called the DM that night and explained how we could not sleep in such a filthy truck and how bad of a impression they are giving to a new trainee. I just drove about 14 hrs and was awfully tired so I was told to get a hotel untill they could figure out what they wanted me to do. So the nightmare already started but it gets worse. Finding a hotel during hurricane was let's just say near impossible. After calling dozens of places we finally found one. Slept 4 hrs before getting kicked out our room because the lady that booked us miss communicated and did not let the others know we would be staying another night. So I ended up calling another dozen hotels and finally and with relief found one that was doing things properly. They canceled any reservations since most never show and it was first come first serve. So we grad our things and drive there and got a room. I called the DM see if they figured anything out and because it was a weekend they did not want to make a decision. So keep calling to try have them get us out of there before the storm hits landfall. Trees were already shaking stores and houses were boarded up. Traffic was backed up fuel stations we're packed. I never seen anything like it. Seemed like a apocolypse and I was the one who drove into it and not out. Anyways we ended up having to wait till weekday Wich was already too late. Long story already. My rental a brand new 2018 Chevy Malibu got flooded over night. Everyone said it sounded like RoboCop in the middle of the night. It was going bananas . All the electrical got destroyed. Car was basically totalled. Half of my stuff that I had in the trunk I had to leave behind because these new cars might be comfortable but there is not much thought put into certain other things. We finally get thru the storm. We get in touch with the DM and are given no choice but to take the recovery truck and bring it to. Our yard. I argued about my belongings and I was not going anywhere untill I got them. We called locksmiths,AAA, dealerships try and find a solution to get my things out the trunk. Well I couldn't wait I lost enough money and I had to make a decision. Company said my belongings are not there responsibility.
So we hit the road and I put it all behind me. I was looking to the future and not the past. Fast forward a little bit. I cometed my year with the company and will have 1 year safe driving. I feel like I achieved the impossible. Considering how much I sacrificed and devoted to the job. The only thing now is that the company said that flooded rental is a non preventable accident. I kind of feel like that's not right since it was not involving a semi truck and I wasn't even on duty or logged into a qualcom. So I'm wondering if they are allowed to keep that on my record and if there is anything I can do to get that removed. I'd like to keep all my records looking squeeky clean.
If you read this whole story congratulations. You dealt with my horrible Grammer and my horrible story telling. You can probably tell I'm not going to be writing any books anytime soon.
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You sound like a really good trainer.You can try fighting DAC this was an unjustified mark on your record.But if by chance you can't get it removed don't worry about it many companies will hire you and put your trainee down for a reference ask him first though.

dibstr · Dec 5, 2017

pattyj said: ↑

You sound like a really good trainer.You can try fighting DAC this was an unjustified mark on your record.But if by chance you can't get it removed don't worry about it many companies will hire you and put your trainee down for a reference ask him first though.
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Why is it an unjustified mark on his record?

TommyTrucker88 · Dec 5, 2017

dibstr said: ↑

Actually an incident rather than accident, but semantics aside what’s your gripe? Would you prefer a preventable rather than a non-preventable?
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I don't have any gripe over it. I am just a bit surprised. I guess it depends on the perspective and context you give it. From a company stand point that is as large as the one I am in. There's no due process only policy and fine lines. I just happen to be a victim of the system. It would be nice if it wasn't on my record. I did give them time to get me out of there. But no one wanted to be the fall guy for the decision that needed to be made.

Blackshack46 said: ↑

Let me just clear something up.

If your driving a rental and being paid for it... you are technically on duty. You are doing work for the company.

The same goes for flying. If its being paid to sit there and fly.... technically it is on duty.

I just wanted to clear that up @TommyTrucker88 Before you do it in the future again and it comes around and bites you.
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That is absolutely true and thanks for the correction. Even tho it might seemed to me as not on duty because I wasn't in a truck I do know that the logs department did have my changed in the system to account for me driving the rental to the recovery. Maybe not hours driving but definitely active.

spyder7723 said: ↑

Wait a second. Did i read that right. You had less than 1 year driving experience and was a trainer?
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What did you expect from a large carrier that hires mostly new drivers. Can you imagine the turn over rate for the mentors and students? Your obviously surprised. But I hope your not disappointed. I've trained more then a handful of drivers and taught them everything I knew as professionally as I could. My stance on new mentors are for another topic as I seen good and bad. The key tho is safety.

TommyTrucker88 · Dec 5, 2017

These pictures won't do justice but here are a couple. I won't post all of them or the ones I don't feel comfortable posting.
There were melted candy bars, spilled soda or juice. Moldy food and garbage. Not to mention the smell. If you ever opened a dumpster in the heat that's been fermenting all sorts of goodies that's what the truck smelled like.
Second picture is just a small peak of what water was at. There was a boat cruising around at one point. Lol
Third picture is what was next to the vehicle after water went down.

dibstr · Dec 5, 2017

TommyTrucker88 said: ↑

There's no due process only policy and fine lines. I just happen to be a victim of the system. It would be nice if it wasn't on my record.
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You are no victim as far as the non-preventable goes. Whenever a company suffers a loss they document it and make a determination as to whether the driver could have prevented it or not. In your case from what you stated the company determined that you could not have prevented the loss, in effect it wasn’t your fault. So why would the company effectively exonerateing you on the record be bad for you or make you a victim?

pattyj · Dec 5, 2017

dibstr said: ↑

Why is it an unjustified mark on his record?
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Good grief cut the guy some slack he not only spent lots of money but his trainee also went thru he-ll.His dispatcher shouldn't have sent him anywhere close to Irma.So dispatch is just as quilty.Problem with this industry its always the drivers fault and most always gets charged with a non preventable without even trying to listen to the driver.Wait I miss read it the company shouldn't put anything on his record if its a non preventable.

Redtwin · Dec 5, 2017

dibstr said: ↑

Actually I did, and I would prefer a non preventable which means I could do nothing to prevent the incident, vs a preventable which means I could have done something to prevent the incident. Only a fool would want a preventable rather than a non-preventable. Again I ask, what’s his gripe?

Almost forgot your fire. I want a non-preventable meaning I could do nothing to prevent it vs a preventable meaning I could have stopped the fire but went out for pizza and beer instead.
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There shouldn't be anything at all put on your DAC. The vehicle was parked and you weren't in it and had nothing at all to do with the damage that occoured. I'm surprised no-one seems to be bothered about bring reported, even with non-preventable.

pattyj · Dec 5, 2017

I reread the ops story for like the 4th time a non preventable isn't as bad as a preventable.Unfortunately companies are going to put something on the drivers record and dispatchers wash their hands of everything.Did you ever get your belongings back @TommyTrucker88 ?

tucker · Dec 5, 2017

spyder7723 said: ↑

Wait a second. Did i read that right. You had less than 1 year driving experience and was a trainer?
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Would you become a trainer and let strangers live in your truck with you?

Muddydog79 · Dec 5, 2017

Man im glad i dont have to deal with dispatchers anymore. Reminds me of several incidents i had otr with a couple of dispatchers. Bottom line is most of them dont care about you, or your well being. Your just another # on their computer screen and i doubt that will never change. Sorry for your luck, try a new dispatcher or smaller company?

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