Do you have to pay ....

If it's just complete and total ignorance and you're purposely thrashing their equipment into the ground I could understand them wanting to minimize their losses and screw you too, but they'd probably take you to court over that type of thing anyway.

Just normal #### happens repairs and mishaps though? Cost of doing business in my opinion.

If a company charged me for clipping a curb and blowing a tire or getting a rock chip in the window or whatever else I would not work for that company long. A business should factor these expenses in to their operating costs. As an employee you should not have to factor in any level of financial risk other than the risk of losing your job.

 

My company does if it's out of negligence. If you roll a pallet off the lift gate because you didn't use your safety stopper and they can prove you didn't use it; they may.

I also deliver cigarettes, and if I don't bring back the empty crates they come in back to the warehouse you will be charged since everyone feels the need to lose these huge expensive mclane type containers

If you ding a truck; or even wreck a truck probably not, but be prepared to be examined to the Tee.

My job won't fire anyone for hitting something; but steal anything and you're gone.

 

Depends on the company I drove for a carrier that charges the driver if its his or her fault. I broke the side steps on passenger side once because I got too close to the railing of a scale I had to pay for it.If its your fault and done out of not paying attention I think the driver should pay.How they going to learn otherwise.

 

Thing is, it's very likely illegal for a company to charge a driver. I could never find a trucking specific, but plenty of cases where courts have held that unless it was intentional, it is the companies responsibility to fix broken equipment.

The way I look at it, it's the company taking the risk, bur also reaping the greater reward (profit). If they have an employee that does break stuff, they can discipline the employee, up to firing him.

 

If you're in a factory and you damage a press or a hydraulic lift because you were still new and learning would you be expected to pay for that out of your check?
Absolutely not. It would be unheard of. You might be fired but to pay for it, hell no. I've personally done both and wasn't even reprimanded for it. I've seen a worker scrap 500 engines on an assembly line and not pay a dime and only get a write up out of what likely cost the company 100's of thousands of dollars in a matter of hours.

Employees are just that. Employees. We are compensated less because we take on less risk. The more risk, the more pay.
Companies take on 100% of the risk in order to make more money and they hire employees in order to do this. Employees are a risk too.
Turning around and passing your risk around to employees is a dick move in my opinion. It's just screwing someone who isnt compensated enough to manage that level of financial responsibility so the owner of the company can save a few bucks and his employees can struggle even more. That's not a company I would imagine treats their employees fairly. Just because it's driving a truck and not a typical job doesnt make the definition of employee any different.

 

IMO this is akin to asking a McDonald's employee to pay out of pocket if the register is short at the end of the shift.

 

Not a dime!,,,its the cost of doing business. That would be like McDonalds making employees pay for overages/waste at the end of a shift or try and get UAW workers to pay for panels damaged during stamping or installation.