2 weeks notice

The company I am with will get notice, but only after there’s nothing left to do but fill out the carrier packet with my first set of brokers on my own authority.

If I was going to another company, I’d let them know I needed to be back at the home terminal in 2 weeks. At our company, there’s only one terminal and all equipment gets turned in there. They don’t want their equipment abandoned so they will get you back when you need to be back. They want to leave the door open with you as bad as you do them.

 

Agreed. Once it's clicked in my head that I'm taking off, that's that, there's no turning back and once I'm gone, you won't see me again.

Exactly, and that's my belief as well. I couldn't care less if it's popular opinion or not, I don't give 2 weeks notice because if I leave, there's usually a #### good reason, and if I leave I will not be returning, regardless of how the new jobs works out. Think about it, I know it's often viewed as the "right thing to do" but one thing I've learned in trucking, is you and every swinging dick around you is replaceable. If for whatever reason a company see's fit to send your ### packin, they will NOT be calling you in the office to say "Hey bud, you're fired, but we'll give you 2 weeks to continue working while you seek other employment, you know, so we don't leave you with your dick in your hand and bills to pay along with mouths to feed." Not going to happen, when they pull your card, you're gone and they couldn't care less, so I look at it the same way.

Regarding not burning bridges so you can possibly return as the Op mentioned, I guess for some that's feasible, but I can't seen myself leaving a job for "greener pastures" then coming back with my tail between my legs asking for my job back, and as you said, #### won't be any different the second time around. Good employer or not, if you're leaving to go somewhere else it's for a reason, and rest assured that reason will still be present if you decide to return. So in my eyes it's best to just call it quits and never look back, or just stay put, I prefer the former. If something happens and it doesn't pan out at the new gig, then I'm on to the next one. But that's just me.

Right on driiiiiver

 

Quietly clean out truck. Photograph same (With a company shop sign and location in photo... date and time stamp the thing with the camera on there too.

Quietly walk to Human Resources. Request a final check settlement comcheck to you. Or hand you a check to go home on. Make clear to them first that you are finished.

Hand in your fuel card, permit book etc. LOGS last 8 days etc Keys. Plop onto your dispatchers counter. Or shop boss etc. Tell them "Bye bye"

Inform your DM that thanks for the memories but you are out of here.

All of this should only take a walk about and a few minutes. It will take them longer than that to process the mental WTF before they get really nasty.

Get in your rental car and get out with your stuff that you moved out of your truck first thing.

Anything like a two week notice only exposes you to problems in this industry. Anything can happen after you say the words, Im leaving in two weeks. And none of it is good for you.

 

The permit book should ALWAYS stay in the vehicle. The fuel card you should just toss. the carrier will kill it after you leave. Unless Comdata and EFS has changed lately or a carrier has assigned the card to the truck the card is toast. When I left WSE in 2012 I had a considerable balance on my EFS card. No way in heck I am giving that card up. I then moved the funds later.

 

In my companies back then we had a particular permit girl, a particular logbook girl, a particular shop boss fo rthe truck, and a particular operations manager for the rest of it. And HR for the money. I never kept any money on the card, it's all either cash or direct deposit home to the dear wife, who would be a angry hornet's nest if she did not see a dollar each week.

Your post was a excellent one. I like it. No worries. Times have changed.

Even more than that further back I had one person in the office who could not be bothered with me when I show up with a expired alcohol license and 30 minutes late to seagrams from the port. THAT was fun...

 

regarding the "2 week notice" protocol....

maybe in the "corporate world", of shirt/tie /suits, one may give a 2 week notice, as the corporate world is backstabbing, in more ways than trucking will ever be.

blackballing someone is well known in ALL walks of employment, but truckers always get a job, over the "suits" that were blackballed.

in the corporate world, customer accounts, contacts, etc, are often "property" of the company, and they don't easily cater to a former employee stealing those.

then there is "intellectual property" as well in the corporate world......we have no such "intellectual property" in trucking.....customers yes...but not much of anything else.

usually too, in the corporate world, papers WILL BE SIGNED attesting to the employer/employee responsibilities when leaving the company...again, in trucking, we don;t have that.

which in the end, like in trucking, one should garner a new job BEFORE giving either that 2 week notice, or just up and quitting.

 

I’m sure you have already asked but have you tried sitting down and talking with your current employer to see if they can offer you what you are looking for. We all are looking at better opportunities but if you like your current company and boss now give them the opportunity to fix things. I just got out of the Army last year and one thing I learned is allow them the opportunity to fix things. If nothing is fixed then take matters in your own hands. My current company now is great. Sure it has its flaws but overall the good outweighs the bad. I’m currently on vacation now and I might be offered a post office job here shortly. I would be a fool to not take it if offered because of the benefits and the retirement check along with my retirement from the Army would be great but I also want to see if my current employer will be able to match what they are offering as far as coming off the road and being home everyday without the back breaking work. If not then when offered the post office job and accepted I will put in my two weeks notice and be gone. Yes once I’m gone I’m gone but I may need them in the future if things don’t work out. At least I know I’ll have a job to come back to. Just depends on your outfit. Mega carriers of course just turn truck in and leave. You can go to any mega carrier and get a new job. There is always an orientation that starts on a Monday lol but a small outfit and a good relationship with your current employer I will not burn bridges just in case I need them in the future.

 

I always give 2 weeks or more notice of leaving.

 

If the company wanted to get rid of you,
They wouldn't give you a 2 weeks notice.
They would wait till you came back to
The yard,then let you go.

You do the same thing.
Get back to the yard,then give them your
2 weeks notice.
There not going to send you back out anyway.

That's way nobody gets screwed on either end.