Welcome to my Nightmare.

When I was still managing a plant at the company I had a standing rule that any mistake, no matter how serious would be forgiven and would be a learning opportunity for all if it was brought up immediately. Hiding a mistake like a coward would be immediate termination, no matter how minor the infraction.

Once we had a guy leave a valve open on a tank and accidentally mixed two different types of product. It was worth about $280K and it took us six months of carefully blending it off in new batches to get rid of it. It took extra time for the main lab in TX to approve and it was overall a big pain in the ###. But he admitted right away what he had done and wanted to help fix it. He kept his job.

Another guy left a valve open, but on two tanks of identical product. A batch sheet showing the blended mixture as a new lot number was all it took to fix it. But he wouldn't admit to it in spite of the security camera showing him leaving the valves open. He said it wasn't fair when we fired him.

This policy made it easy to train guys and had the crew working together to problem solve. They all were interested in doing a good job. Men could have something to work toward.

Cue the corporate bleeding hearts...they said our policy wasn't fair and opened us up to the possibility of paying unemployment. Level the playing field they said...and eventually everyone stopped caring. Guys who were upfront and honest and did the job with integrity were treated the same as the burnouts we were forced to hire who only got a job to get the probation officer off their ###.

 

I was the same way when I was a cop. Admit to me that you know you broke the law, and I would give you a verbal warning or written warning at most then tear it up. Tell me you didn’t do something when i sat there and watched you, well you might as well have filled the citation out for me.

 

I feel fortunate that most of my mistakes have only hurt my pride. Jack-knifed a truck once coming down a hill covered in ice...but it was 2am and the truck was built oilfield bulletproof. The only casualty was a reflector post. No damage to the truck.

My first ever tall load was a tank going to Miles City, MT from Brighton, CO, the load was 15'8" on the trailer. Coming in to MC up 59 was thinking I needed fuel. Almost went under the 14'6" bridge, but at the last minute I took the ramp and went east on I-94 where I was supposed to go. Definetely had an angel on my shoulder that day.

I can tell you this..I follow permit routing to the T now...and still verify the entire route first. I don't ever want to buy a bridge. Better men than me have done it.

 

Six, I think I speak for many of us here in saying this...

You are a strong influence, even to those of us who have never met you and only read your words here and the other place. A Man with principles and integrity, but with a heart too. If the boy has any hope at all it's likely you. Maybe when the dust settles in his teenage brain he'll look toward you and see the possibilities.

 

It's ironic that this thread has morphed into what it is. Just two weeks ago, one of our new ''drivers" (I use the term very loosely here) ignored a road closed sign. Drove around it to find the road flooded. It's a very narrow, winding road right next to what's normally a small stream. Drops the steering tire off the edge of the road, gets stuck. It's pouring rain, stream is quickly rising, it's over the fuel tanks at this point. He calls 911, gets rescued, and my boss gets a $2000 wrecker bill.

We run local, under 100 air miles. This guy was hired to run a longer run, about 300 miles one way. So obviously he needs to log it. The truck was a 1999 Freightliner Classic. It looked rough, but was a strong running dependable truck . Cattleprod exempt. Prior to this ''driver' being hired, the truck was going to be a donor for a new glider. But ''driver" doesn't want the cattleprod, and neither does the boss, so this truck was the solution.

Now, driver is in a 2005 truck, and the cattleprod was just ordered today. And I'm told there's going to be more ordered, so we can go further.

Just an example of one idiot screwing up things for everyone.

 

I have done that a couple times, not proud of it but I have. It’s usually when I get out of my routine, I installed a light on the front of the neck that I can see from the back window, if it’s lit up the support is up.

 

And in related news, some buckethead got his empty flatbed tore up on 89a today, on the same curve that caught that Werner driver a couple months ago. No-name FL Columbia, maroon with flat-black fenders--I would have snapped a pic but I was busy being a professional driver and paying attention to the task at hand.

F' me, what part of NO TRUCKS OVER 50' do these PP's not understand????

Edit: Turns out he wasn't empty, but running 40K of copper slag. It wasn't on board any more when I went by, because the trailer had been on its side for a while...SMH