Driver, stops at night due to fatigue, threatened with termination and loss of pay

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by loose_leafs, Aug 14, 2014.

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  1. loose_leafs

    loose_leafs Road Train Member

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    I found this on youtube last night, and I gotta say it really gets my blood boiling. My apologies if it has already been posted on here. I would have named the company by name but I didn't want to risk slandering the wrong one by mistake.

    I have never been threatened with termination but 7, 8, 10 years ago a few times I had a company make me feel about an inch tall for not driving tired and "making it happen". There comes a time when enough is enough.

    I am not trying to start an argument about HOS service rules, or "new breed" vs "old hands." The long and short of it here is the guy in this video flat out tells several people on the phone that he is too tired and unsafe to drive, and is threatened with termination. First they tell him there are no other trucks that can relay, then mysteriously towards the end of the phone call they find a repower after getting nasty with him.

    Do desk jockeys honestly not realize that being recorded and tracked goes both ways?

    It's sad that this still goes on today, and blows my mind that any company with more than a handful of trucks, worth its weight in bovine fecal matter would risk on time delivery over safety. THE TITLE OF THE VIDEO SAYS IT ALL.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5B14ut13IE
     
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  3. Ubu

    Ubu Road Train Member

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    Boy, talk about old news.

    This has been beaten to death months ago in several threads on here already.
     
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  4. CrappieJunkie

    CrappieJunkie Wishin' I was fishin'

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    Posted before. Back story took 10 hour. Gave meat load and was told to take another 10 hour and then drive. He never slept on his 2nd 10 hours. I have pulled loads like that before. Hard, but can be done. His name is Abe and has other videos.
     
  5. Nuttinlikeanap

    Nuttinlikeanap Light Load Member

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    You ought to be glad you were driving freight and not people. I used to work for Greyhound bus. They don't have breaks at all. Its a Union company too. Theres absolutely no stipulations in their union contract about breaks. They have what they call working breaks. Most of the time u just work right through them. Their drivers survive on candy bars and chips. Half of them of diabetes and high blood pressure. You tube is full of stories about their drivers falling asleep behind the wheel. Crappy place work.....
     
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  6. loose_leafs

    loose_leafs Road Train Member

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    I've seen first hand how unsafe tour bus drivers can be. Some of them i wouldn't trust with a bicycle. I've ridden with several drivers who have dumped the trash can down the front stairs every time they took a left turn.
     
  7. stevep1977

    stevep1977 Road Train Member

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    The worst tour buses are "Peter Pan" up in the northeast. I've never seen a good driver for them lol
     
  8. BrenYoda883

    BrenYoda883 Road Train Member

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    I hear ya about driving people over frieght... I am on light duty due to an injury.. so driving the shuttle..
    The shuttle runs from 8am to 8pm... so I start at 730am and drive and work continuously till 8:30.. then turn I the van and am done at 9pm... yesterday, I took one very quick restroom break... ran inand used the bathroom at the terminal, was back at the shuttle and in the drivers seat before they were all in and ready to go... so all I heard was how easy I have it cause I can just go to the bathroom and take breaks whenever I want...

    Truth is, I had more breaks when I am driving the truck...
     
  9. mrbamcclain

    mrbamcclain Light Load Member

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    I drove tour buses for two years after the wife complained about me being on the road too much....long story short, hated it!. It's definitely not for everybody. It's a glorified baby sitting position. Being tired on the road in a truck is no comparison than being behind the wheel of a bus with 55 people on it.

    I've had a woman sit on the step and talk to me while feeding me hershey kisses and corn chips to stay awake one night.
     
  10. loose_leafs

    loose_leafs Road Train Member

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    Done it myself more than once, and it was nice to be home an average of 4 to 5 nights a week where I was working...that was about it.

    Overall I put in almost as much time as hauling produce for barely half the same amount of money...

    It's almost as bad as, even worse at times, than driving a school bus. Try explaining axle weight limits or HOS rules to some a-hole college basketball coach that wants to get dropped off right at the front door of some bar or Pizza Joint, screw off inside for three hours, and force you to drive tired 500 miles all the way home while they make racket, watch movies, trash the bus, and sleep. They paid for the bus, in their mind they own you.

    Outside of some occasional wedding/bachelorette parties or senior trips with big tippers...the pay is terrible and job is even more thankless.
     
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  11. TripleSix

    TripleSix God of Roads

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    Shame on you for allowing YouTube to boil your blood so easily.
     
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