I lost my job when my company installed a driver-facing camera - one of those "AI"-driven ones that supposedly can tell when I'm distracted (yet it often complained just because I looked at a mirror, the dashboard, etc.). Due to a lost Bluetooth earpiece, I lifted my phone to my mouth to dictate a message back to my manager. I think since the cameras were so new, my manager's boss decided to use me to make an example of and basically fired me on the spot. It probably didn't help that I'm uncomfortable in many "social" situations, and part of my brain freezes up so I couldn't think very well while defending myself when put on the spot.
We can have all sorts of arguments about it, but as far as I'm concerned as long as I ensure I'm not looking at the phone for more than a couple seconds at a time (just enough to see where to tap, for example) then it's no different than looking at a side mirror. I also ensure there's no traffic immediately around or in front of me so even if I do drift a bit there's no likely harm (basically, I try to consider all the possibilities and mitigate them when taking a potentially risky action). I'm reasonably intelligent, mindful, etc. and despite the lowest common denominator assumption to the contrary, it most certainly IS possible to do certain things on a phone (like dictate a message) without any more risk than any other thing that takes your full concentration away from the road ahead of you for a couple seconds at a time.
If they're really that concerned with me not doing this, then there should be pay for taking all the time necessary to find a safe place to pull over to communicate with them - i.e. pay by the hour, not the mile (especially since it was a local job).
Rant aside, are there ANY decent company driver jobs (preferably in the central NJ area) that still trust the driver? I've got over a decade of experience with nothing on my CSA, but I'm not a "trucker" per se so I know nothing about engine repair, for example. Opinions regarding my decision to use a phone in the way I did aside, I'm reasonably certain that I've become a fairly decent driver who does actually pre-trip, replace bad parts while ensuring basic things are working properly, drives a bit slower than the average - in part to save fuel as much as possible (I averaged around 8.5+MPG in newer automatic Freightliners and Internationals - at least 1 MPG better than most of my coworkers), and cares about doing the actual "right thing." I don't want anything bad to happen to anybody else due to me.
I've since found a replacement for my Bluetooth earpiece, BTW - it's a model not made anymore so I had to get one from eBay, but it works extremely well for blocking out cab noise without being one of those ridiculously large headsets. I otherwise generally don't talk on the phone much while driving, so having something small and easily stashed away is also important to me.
Any companies which still trust the driver over tech (& don't micro-manage)?
Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by CDLinaBrowncoat, Apr 3, 2024.
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