Do you have to pay ....

Now this is very true. I've never been in this situation but I know that's the route I'd go if at all possible to avoid anything going on my record.
Not technically my responsibility to pay for it but it'd be worth it to me to keep a clean slate.

There's a driver on this forum who footed a pretty hefty tow bill for a company truck to avoid getting hit with something on his record but I can't remember who it was or what thread the story would be in. Maybe was you?

 

I always busted my boss's butt and usually paid for it, it was worth it !

 

There is two sides to every coin. Some people are just screw ups and go through life tearing up a bunch of stuff and just think it's normal. You shouldn't be breaking stuff every week.

I wouldn't make a driver pay for stuff out of his pocket but you won't work here long if you are always tearing stuff up.

 

We don't charge the driver for any damage. Some times it's a tempting thought though.
We do a lot of off road work...logging, construction, road building...and in that work environment things can get bent up. If a driver starts having a string of mishaps it will show up pretty quick and we'll figure out a solution.
Our guys are good at what they do and most have been with us for a long time. Penalizing them for a dumb mistake would be the wrong thing to do.
Now, that being said, if a guy tears off more than one mud flap, or dings a fender, or bends a mirror bracket or l-shapes a bumper our chief mechanic has been known to write the guy's name on the broken piece and hang it on what he calls his " wall of shame".

 

The generic answer is no.. its not legal. There are three things an employer can do that does equal paying for damage. 1. Lower the driver's rate of pay for a period of time. This does pay the employer back by getting labor at a lower rate. 2. Suspend you. Does them no good, does the driver no good other than getting them to possibly think about not tearing more stuff up and of course will cause some to quit which can be a win for the company. 3. Terminate the driver..

Most drivers could never pay for the damages they cause. Its that simple. Some of these accidents (even the minor ones) are tens of thousands of dollars.

All of the companies that I have ever worked for use the means listed above.

 

A common sense answer right there. #### happens. Loaderman gets a little wild and bends a stack or a guy catches a step on a log at 2am trying to turn around is just how it goes. Cost of being in the business. Why #### someone over by putting it on their record? If it becomes a habit then yeah its time to can them obviously.

 

True. A guy would have to really screw up bad for us to fire him. Good drivers that can do the type of work we do are hard to find. But if it became a pattern we'd have to figure out what was wrong and find a solution. If that solution meant letting somebody go, we would. All those fuel tanks and steps and bumpers and mirror brackets add up after awhile.
But charging the drivers for damage? That's childish. I'm glad nobody charged me for all the stuff I tore up over the years.

 

The bush definitely takes a higher breed of driver/worker. I've never done it myself but I practically grew up in the front seat of a logging truck. Slow and steady definitely wins the race out there. Can't make money (or stay alive) when you flop it over the bank.

 

Scratched mirrors blown tires are to be avoided WHEN POSSIBLE but I'm never gonna ask a driver to risk himself or the load to avoid it. It's the cost of doing business. In my niche, even physical damage can be unavoidable (I run open deck, we do wind up in very....interesting....places where many (but not all) dry vans and feeders fear to tread. And even they get put into untenable situations at times.

Avoidable damage will be looke at on a case by case basis. Consequences could anything from "Don't do it again" through an epic hind end chewing of which legends are made to "You're Fired!" depending on the situation.

NEVER charge a driver for damage! That is why you have insurance. Not only is it illegal, but more importantly (for a business owner) once word gets out your pool of potential quality drivers dry up REAL quick! And the core of your company is the quality of the people working for you!