Driver Damages a Trailer Door - What to Do?

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by jfar28139, Feb 19, 2015.

  1. RedForeman

    RedForeman Momentum Conservationist

    4,867
    22,115
    Jan 30, 2011
    0
    So you're the other guy that does this LOL. Another thing about those places it's a good idea to grab an extra link on the door chains if possible when you open the doors where the neighbors are real close. I had a grab handle up high on an adjacent trailer throw itself into the end of my opened door when pulling out once. No damage to the other trailer, but it cracked the plastic edge of my door a little.

    Re the OP, just pay for the repairs and be glad the driver didn't rub the door off with a new Mercedes. I'm like some of the others on this topic. If it's one in a row, consider it a retention bonus. The good driver will think they got away with something and remain loyal. If you have to resort to docking pay or other retribution, save yourself the stress and just fire them. Mess with a man's pay over something like this, and you're just asking for it IMO.
     
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. striker

    striker Road Train Member

    5,906
    6,186
    Aug 8, 2009
    Denver, Co
    0
    All these drivers saying "eat the cost" or that's why you have insurance, can I come drive for you, because I'm going to tear the HELL out of your equipment, every month it will some $300 to $500 repair for damage, maybe driving on a low tire till it blows, perhaps rip off a mirror, maybe jackknife and take out a fairing, after all it's the cost of doing business.



    .............And people wonder why the bottom feeders only pay $.30 cpm...............because, it's the cost of doing business.


    My feelings, look at the drivers history, if this is his first "incident" or "accident", he/she gets one for free (depending on the amount), after that, he gets a choice, he can pay for the repairs or he's out the door. If he balks at one, then he gets the other. That's how my company does it. Oh, and by comparison, all of our trucks are new and look new, because we all know, if we tear it up, we'll be paying for it, up to $1,000 or we get the boot, our choice, and they have now started reporting it to DAC. By comparison, one of our competitors has all Penske trucks, if a driver tears something up, they tell Penske to fix it and send the company the bill. The company pays it, but, then again, while our drivers start @ $16/hr and get annual raises, their drivers start @ $14/hr and only get raises if the owner "feels up to it".

    Granted there are state by state rules on this, but a good employment lawyer can explain to you the work around. Given this current job market, I wonder how many drivers would take the choice of being fired vs. covering the cost of a $300 repair.

    Let's see, I can pay the company back $50/week for 6 weeks to pay for my stupidity as a lesson learned, or I can apply for unemployment and hope the company doesn't decide to fight it out of spite, or hope that the next place I go and apply, they don't check my references, and hope that my former employer doesn't tell them that I damaged company property.
     
  4. striker

    striker Road Train Member

    5,906
    6,186
    Aug 8, 2009
    Denver, Co
    0
    The same way Werner, SWIFT, et al, can afford to only pay drivers $.30 cpm

    Exactly
     
  5. crzyjarmans

    crzyjarmans Road Train Member

    3,293
    2,410
    Jun 9, 2010
    Home
    0
    No, that's part of running a company, but if a driver shows a pattern for incidents such as these, then you have a right to let that driver find employment else where
     
  6. crzyjarmans

    crzyjarmans Road Train Member

    3,293
    2,410
    Jun 9, 2010
    Home
    0
    That is illegal, unless the driver agree to pay for it
     
  7. striker

    striker Road Train Member

    5,906
    6,186
    Aug 8, 2009
    Denver, Co
    0

    Awesome, where do I apply to be one of your drivers, $300 every other month for something torn up by carelessness, where do I apply.


    There are ways around it. I'd rather pay $300 to repair something that I tore up, then try and find a new job in an already tight labor market.
     
  8. FatDaddy

    FatDaddy Road Train Member

    4,314
    10,375
    Dec 23, 2008
    Katy, TX or Swedesboro, NJ
    0
    I've done this plenty of times.

    Then There was that time at Wally World where I forgot to open the doors. Of course I realized it after I dropped the trailer and was sitting in the bullpen. 😳
     
    'olhand Thanks this.
  9. FatDaddy

    FatDaddy Road Train Member

    4,314
    10,375
    Dec 23, 2008
    Katy, TX or Swedesboro, NJ
    0
    Those who continue to make profit worry about every little "minor" expense. That's why thy turn a profit.
     
  10. Kindle

    Kindle Medium Load Member

    325
    254
    Oct 6, 2012
    Charlotte, NC
    0
    Give the guy bungies and tell him its an order to use them every time on the doors. I drilled into myself to use them. The one time I didn't I came very close to ripping a door off. One hinge left.
     
  11. 201

    201 Road Train Member

    11,172
    22,655
    Apr 16, 2014
    high plains colorado
    0
    Hi Kindle, I always did that too. I had lots of stuff with me ( rope, bungies, wire) to pull the doors as tight against the trailer as it would go, because some docks are a tight fit, and you may only have an inch or 2 to get 'er in there. If it looked that tight with the doors tight against the trailer, I'd GOAL, and if I couldn't make it, I'd ask for another dock. Overhead doors too. When pulling in or out, I'd always make sure the door was all the way up. I've seen drivers take out overhead dock doors, because they didn't check that the door was all the way up.
     
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.