Dispatcher tries to force driver to drive tired. *MUST SEE*

I don't think anyone is arguing the wisdom of Abe shutting it down when he did. Or circadian rhythms. Or how much sleep is enough. Or when are you too tired to be driving. Or that coffee, Red Bull, and jumping jacks weren't enough. We get it. Yay Abe! What's really being debated is how he reached that point, likely creating his own drama.

To that end, I could be mistaken, but I'm pretty sure he said he was notified at the end of his first 10 to move a trailer then take another 10. So I understand he knew he would be on duty driving at least 10 hours beforehand, and had all that time to prepare for it.

It really comes down to this. There's two kinds of people in life: problem solvers and perpetual victims.

If Abe was a problem solver, his video would be about 30 seconds long, have a one line script, and nobody would watch it. "I didn't manage my time well, so I was unable to complete the driving assignment." Or maybe even "Since I'm solar powered, I couldn't get enough rest in advance of the upcoming 6-7 hour drive I had to do at night and had to stop after only 2 hours." It's called self discipline and owning your responsibility. You got yourself into that mess, now man up and own it. Laws and lawyers won't solve your problem. Regulations, OHSA, FMCSA, or Anne Ferro in person won't solve your problem. He's too old for his Mommy to solve his problem. He either needs to make it work or find something he can do better.

Instead, he was the victim. A fifteen minute video, with a short intro to set the stage "I had to do two 10 hour breaks nearly consecutively and ended up having to drive after being awake all day." Then the rest is him being the victim of the big bad dispatcher who is coercing him to drive fatigued by threatening his salary status and his job. About the only compelling thing in his video to me is the part where they called the cops to welfare check him at the end. That was abusive and vindictive. They knew how he was doing and it was just dirty. The dispatcher should be fired just for that.

Maybe it would have gone better if the dispatcher said, "OK Abe. I understand you're sleepy and it's very dangerous to drive that way. Go ahead and put your little head on your little pillow and just call in when you're refreshed and ready to continue." Then in a week or two K&B would announce a reorganization and Abe would be cleaning out his truck wondering how that happened. He'd still blame the company. Those evil bean counters cutting heads. Making families go hungry. All that. Never once considering that his own failure to perform might have something to do with it. You know, since he was careful, law abiding, and showed up to work every day. Entitled, in other words.

Same outcome, but in the second scenario there are no regulations or laws being violated. Personally I'd prefer the first scenario and know where I stand. The last thing I'd be doing is hiring a lawyer and complicating my life, job status, and future employment, for some hopeful future payoff. That would be because I'm not a victim.

 

Shows a pattern of shady dispatch policies

But if you read the entire page, and watched more than 1 video, he started out actually liking the company, even went as far as recruiting for them.

Then he saw behind the smoke, mirrors, and BS!!!

 

Definitely had an axe to grind. That is why he turned his camera on before calling dispatch.

 

I don't think Abe is cut out for truckin, it's just not for him. I think he's someone who's better suited for a regular job with regular hours.

K&B operations/management screwed the pooch on this one...

 

Gee fellas, if the company bent you over the fuel tanks a few times and rectally raped you, wouldn't you take steps to document and protect yourself before the next time???

You might call it:CYA!

How many of us actually have those handy-dandy dispatch buster tape recorders?

I had mine especially anytime I was forced to get a load thru a broker, esp. C.H.Robinson!!!

 

I'm excited to see how things shake out with Abe at K&B today. Should be interesting, personally I don't care if drivers trash a company I'm with as long as they keep it factual. Everyone has a different experience, and reacts differently. I could see my boss getting upset if some joker had a You Tube channel where he constantly slams the company. If you're unhappy you need to figure out if it's a temporary unhappy, or a long term unhappy. Some things you can't come back from, and everyone has a different threshold. If you can't come back you'll just get more and more bitter and you don't want to do that because you'll start to carry that around with you. Figure out what needs to be done and move on or don't, but it would appear that You Tube is not a good outlet for Abe as it allows him to continuously think about things that have happened in the past, instead of moving on he dwells on them.

 

You don't have to be at a company for long to see through the mirrors. What happened he seen the company wasn't going to kiss his DONKEY because he had 3500 you tube subscribers, and he would be treated like everybody else who works there. Who at the end of the day is not spending hours talking into a video camera, but planning their trip and getting the proper rest so they can do their job and at the end of their weeks out. Go home feeling like they accomplished something.

 

Well I wouldn't start making videos crying like a baby about my dispatchers. What I would do is find another company to work for. You see, there are those who whine about their situations and there are those who change them. Doesn't take a detective to figure out which type Abe is. There is a reason Abe is working for a bottom feeder even with 3+ years of experience.

 

Quite possibly so.
But is that our decision to make???
We are judging him, just like Roadmedic has said, without knowing ALL the facts.


What we do know is how K&B reacted to attempt to report an unsafe condition.

And if we are honest with ourselves, 99% of us have been put in similar situations in the past. (That is being told,asked, threatened, etc to drive with an unsafe condition.)

Again, try to imagine that the unsafe condition Abe was dealing with was a bald tire. He trys to get it fixed, they ignore him. Finally he refuses to drive it till it is fixed.

Do you feel the same way now???

 

I don't see nothing wrong with the Police waking him up. Truck drivers abandon loads all the time, and I would definitely want to at least know this cat is in the truck, and is not high or drunk.