Where do I go from here?

I need some opinions/advice because I am at a crossroads. I will give the full story if you have time for a quick read. I haul sawdust to a charcoal plant. They have a new hire dozer driver. The new dozer driver does not dig deep enough to make enough room for all of the chips/dust/bark to come out without some getting stuck in the back of the trailer. I asked him politely twice, to please dig a little deeper.

I sat for 45 minutes waiting for him to clear a pile yesterday. This was very upsetting, as I am paid by the load and receive no compensation for waiting time. Also, I can scale in/scale out in 8 minutes. Pulling into the plant to leaving the plant took me less than 10 minutes, until this guy came along.

I know 30+ extra minutes each time doesn’t sound like a lot, but times 5 loads a day, it’s adding 2-4 hours to my already long day. It is also causing me to go from averaging around what works out to be around $25 an hour, to $15 an hour.

I explained it nicely twice, and on my last load there, I radioed the control room and said “what’s wrong? It’s been 45 minutes is he feeding the hog?” No answer, so I radioed and said “This is ridiculous, I’m losing money sitting here”

I got a call this morning I was banned from hauling there. My company and the saw mill I haul from was told I approached the dozer operator face to face, and “verbally abused” him, and that I left the dumper in the air when I left. My first question is, how would I have gotten my trailer off of the dumper If I had left it 180 in the air?

I was told by the mill, they meant I had pulled the trailer off, raised the dumper, and left. I thank God one of my bosses was actually the next truck to dump, so he could see I had not done that, if I had, he would of had to of let the dumper back down. He could also see that there was no conversation that occurred between the dozer operator and I.

I was told I can no longer haul there. The owner of my company suggested I ask for the manager at the plant and explain what occurred, and I did. She was extremely disrespectful and dismissive. She explained the complaint and when I asked her to please refer to the cameras and she can see that is not true.

She told me she was passing along to me what she was told by her superior. I asked for the name, and she would not answer. She said if I wished to pursue the matter further I needed to have boss contact him.

I explained to her that owner of the company had actually had referred me there, and my boss was the next truck and could see that had not occurred. She just walked away from me, extremely disrespectful.

I was told after I had explained this to my boss, to just go back Monday, and ask to have a sit down conversation with the plant manager. I haven’t lost my job, I still have other hauls I can do, but I liked my job and the other hauls don’t pay as well.

Should I talk to them Monday morning as suggested? Talk to an attorney? Insist the my boss step up to bat for me on the matter? There are several ways I can handle this situation, and the worst thing that could happen I feel, is what already has.

Thanks in advance for any opinions or advice.

 

I heard that. I asked him; “can’t you just say that the dumper wasn’t up, because you didn’t have to put it down”? His response was “I can’t afford to get in an argument with them, we can’t afford to lose this haul.”

Which I understand, but at the same time, right is right and wrong is wrong. What actually happened was recorded by both parties, so I’m not understanding why the charcoal plant can’t admit they were wrong.

 

Exactly Heavy. Thank you for taking the time to read and fully understand and appreciate the situation. I love my company and I love my truck, and I am lucky enough that the second in command at my company actually saw what happened. However, he seems a lot more worried about losing that haul than potentially losing me as a driver. I am lucky enough that he was there, or he may have just taken them at their word, and let me go. But he could see with his own eyes that didn’t happen.

I think what it boils down to is the new dozer operator didn’t appreciate me asking him to please dig out deeper, even though I wasn’t being rude or malicious by asking. Nobody likes being told or even hinted around at that they aren’t doing their job correctly.

 

I appreciate the criticism but for it to be relevant it has to be based on the facts.