Seward motor freight ! stay away ! Mega carrier

There is a loose association nationally of funeral homes that will provide transport for anyone to anywhere after death in either a coffin made for that purpose or a cremated remains stamped in a special US Mail package. We were able to cremate one of our relatives in Fairbanks and have him go through US Mail Priority stamped human remains with the usual identifying stuff with the ashes. I think it was 1500 dollars to cremate which the state picked up before we got involved after notification of his death. He had been dead several weeks and decomposed in his hallway before a welfare check entered the home and discovered him.

A trucking company has zero interest in a body of a dead driver. They want their tractor trailer back to the yard, cleaned and ready to assigned to the next driver asap. Plus whatever few forms filled out by dead driver in terms of life insurance (If any) ADD and next of kin in the driver file. Sometimes they will fly someone out to the truck where the driver died and after that body is removed by the coroner etc the collector will do what is necessary to get that load delivered and the rig back into service without so much a second thought.

It is one of the things we accepted in trucking if you should die, it might be a while before someone finally is offended enough by the decomposition odors coming from your dead body to check out the cab. Which is why it's very good to have someone who misses you and talks to you regularly as you go around the USA. Life is fragile and easily erased.

To extend some thought to vehicles, I look at ADESA in Little Rock. Occasionally we have what we call Coffin Cars where people have died inside of them. They are handled separately from all other cars in a special isolated corner of the yard. One must examine the temp and staff drivers to understand the range of reactions from certain persons unwilling to engage in driving such a vehicle. You could offer them 10 million US Dollar in gold and silver coin on pallets, and they wont do it. They simply refuse to deal with it.

 

Thank you. Well, said

 

I happen to be one of those moral people so to speak. However too many cold dark companies has harden that quite a lot. Almost as a workhorse that no longer feels the whip.

Some of the places I used to work for and talk about constantly often are those who are people first and will do what is right and decent within reason. This is one of the keys to my loyalty to a trucking company. Should they do something I think is right to do regardless of the situation itself, then they have a driver who will roll through the fires of hell for them.

So many over the years don't give a *(&^ and I learned not to give them another thought. A form of forgetting. Which is kind of a waste and sad if you think about it.

 

I sat next to a CRE truck at the T/A in Boise Idaho and watched the Coroner bag & tag the driver. Within 2 hrs 2 guys show up & put the contents of the truck into 3 large plastic bags throw them out the door & then 1 of the guys drove away in the truck. Another driver & I took the bags into the T/S before they got picked over & after explaining the situation to the manager we were assured that the T/A would get the contents back to the family of the deceased even if CRE didn't want to pay for it. Several people overhearing the conversation offered to donate money in the effort but the manager said they would handle it since the bags were dumped on their property. Hopefully everything worked out.

 

I will offer a prayer for the Kin and Friends of that driver. If only to soothe their spirits after they become outraged at how casually the body is removed and the possesions dumped onto the lot. Then shipped as if it was a problem rather than the cherished possessions of a trucker who probably loved his work.

Maybe I am the one who is somewhat affected emotionally by this situation, it takes alot to get to me.

 

On behalf of the deceased driver, a good company would provide a minimum $10,000 USD in Life Insurance at no charge to cover the final expenses, but then that is the least they should do.

Generally, the company can not be held liable for a natural cause of death, unless, they were culpable of knowingly allowed a driver with a disqualifying condition to operate as medically fit (certified) which can be hard to prove.

 

I would have a hard time driving a truck knowing that someone died in the sleeper. If I was driving in some back road at night the only thing I could think of is some zombie popping out of the curtain from behind.

 

Or maybe a hand reaching out from behind and touching my shoulder.