Dispatch threatening drivers for not driving on ice...

He said "NEWER" drivers. Theres a difference between new and newer. If a driver has been issued a truck by a company, the driver should have enough spine and enough brain to captain the ship. If he does not, then he deserves what he gets.

 

Irrelevant. If he deems it unsafe for him to continue, then respect his call.

 

Spine & brain, sure...but knowledge comes with time and experience. I still remember one of my 1st trips on my own...fresh out of training, so I had no cash and the cash advance feature wasn't yet turned on. I was dispatched on a load up to NJ, and since I didn't have money for tolls I got out my atlas and found a way around them. Hadn't been in the game long enough to realize some states don't allow 53'x102" trailers free range, and that scale house on US1 did NOT mean that it was a legal truck route. Luckily, they weren't open on my way up...and so I made up there just fine. The way out cost me a pretty penny, though...not as much as the tolls would have been (they wrote overwidth, gave me a break on the overlength), and when they routed me back to the big road, I was already South of the last toll. Lesson learned. Never did report that one to the company...it was a learning experience. From that day forward, I decided if this was what I was going to do with my life I'd better learn the rules of the game...started studying that little green book like my life depended on it, because it did.

The problem with being new at ANYTHING is that you just don't know the extent of what you don't know.

 

Add unknown unknowns to that pie. The filling in those can be discovered for yourself.

I cannot tell you how many times Ive gone into a situation only to be tripped up royal by something no one told me. Or bothered to tell me.

If I could cash in "Now you tell me boss, why didnt you say so then?" "You are just a DRIVAH..."...

Guess what. This driver has plans to buy the boss company lock and stock and barrel someday given half a chance.

 

if they fire you for not driving in unsafe conditions, you can sue.
make sure the order to drive is in writing ,(Quaalcom,text,ect),or recorded.

I've told them to send it in a massage and that ,"no,I'm not calling on the phone". then it isn't "he said, she said".

been doing this many yrs and have done that to many co's. only need to do it once though and they will back off.

 

Had that problem once years ago with a lil Mickey mouse outfit.dicsmacker said I should go and check out whose name was on the door I said don't matter what the door says MY cdl says who's in charge

 

Get proof of coercion, like a photographed qualcomm message, email, or voicemail.

Then file a whistleblower complaint with OSHA. You'll find that dispatch will be shutting drivers down when there's icy conditions after that.

OSHA will bend them over.

 

I understand that. Just curious where he was running. Sometimes guys throw the anchor out when they just don’t feel like driving. Now I’m not saying OP is like that, I’m just wanting all the facts before making my own opinion. I guess he was just asking if it’s legal for dispatch to force someone to drive in questionable conditions, and if he refuses then he can be terminated. If it was truly unsafe then absolutely he should be able to tell the company to shove it. But if the company checks his route and doesn’t find the same unsafe conditions then it may not be so clear cut.

Also curious if he’s still working for the company that was paying him

 

If they provided you that information in writing I would keep it in case they fire you. Court case have been won against employers for firing an employee for refusing to drive when conditions were not suitable for driving. As politely as you can tell him to shove it.