Driver thought he was doing a good deed then got fired for it

Well,.... according to Tracy Dillon Drew, who was lined up at Homie Depot at 5:AM hoping that she could buy some plywood when they opened at 6:AM, as everywhere else they tried the previous day was sold out. That's when she met driver Tim. Tracy has kept in contact with Tim since then and writes on facebook. Also started Tim's Fund Me Account.

To compare driver Tim to a common thief is a grave injustice to Tim. His aunt Gina is correct, Tim doesn't deserve this.

I imagine that file is on one end of a balance beam. On the opposite end is a file with all the beyond the call of duty times, the safety awards, compliments from shippers and receivers, fuel mileage bonuses, and how the front office folks appreciate a driver's prompt return of BOL's with legal (looking) log pages that are actually legible.
And attitude in general.

One side gets heavier and tips that way, If it's the bad side, --- walking papers.
If it tips the other way, --- promotion, bonus and/or a raise in pay. And the records for that event would be filed in the good file.

That makes sense to me.
However, ..... lemmie 'splain, ......

When I was employed with Delco-Remy Battery Division of General Motors I inquired why they can't make batteries that last longer.

A young, up and coming foreman explained it like this, --- "Oh, they can make batteries that will last longer, a lot longer. But why would we do that? It just doesn't make good business sense."

When things don't seem to make sense, follow the Money Trail. That's where a lot of answers get hidden.

 

I love your examples.

I think I should give thanks I am the last of my kind when viewed as a drivah... easily disposed of for more meek and compliant stock that does not need breaking at hire...

Does that make sense?

I would buy those batteries in a heart beat. We already get about 6 years and change out of the current new batteries when they are tended with loving care and not abused. That's plenty long time for what we put them through. Compared to what we grew up with before. Remember those old glass ply tires where it's 6000 miles or so until replacement? No problem, throw a new set on when it's time.

Your balance beam example is a very good one. I prefer to say they will never fire a dispatcher. But they sure go through a awful lot of drivers....

 

@pattyj ..... after shock wants us to send you thanks for him, for starting this thread, btw.

 

For those interested, the following is something Tracy Dillon Drew (cool name, huh?) provided as an update written a few days ago, 9/19/17.

=====*=====*=====*=====​

Tim spoke with the CEO, (Paul Wieck), Saturday evening and explained, the same.

Tim is standing by his original statement that he was fired and has clarified that they did offer him his job back, but he no longer felt that working for this company was in his best interest.

Tim has accepted another offer with a different trucking company and will start 10/1/17.

Please understand that Tim did not at any time ask me to set this page up. I did it to help show my gratitude for what he did for my family and community. As of today, there has been zero money withdrawn from this fund. Understanding that there are two sides to every story, Tim wanted to let anyone who feels the press release from Friday changes their wish to donate or support him know, that funds can be returned to you. If you would like a refund, please message through GoFundMe before 9/25/17 and we will initiate the refund.
On 9/25/17, GoFundMe will open the remaining funds up to Tim for withdrawal. Thank you again to everyone who donated.

=====*=====*=====*=====*=====​

AfterShock again, ----
The GoFundMe goal was to raise $2,000.00.
The amount donated reached
$7,616.00, raised by 261 people in 10 days.
Donations are no longer being accepted.

More details as follows:

20 officers and McCrory began unloading the unwieldy sheets by hand, (960 pieces of plywood), at about 2:30 AM. Police department employees contacted residents by phone in the suburban enclave outside of Tampa.

"They said If you need plywood to board up your house, come and get it. It's a small town and everybody knows everybody. They got the word out," McCrory said. "There was just a line of cars. The storm was coming and it was coming fast. The wind was starting to pick up, you could see the clouds swarming, and it was just an eerie feeling," he said.

** Side Bar, ---> can y'all imagine what it must have been like unloading sheets of plywood in heavy winds? **

For nearly four hours, the plywood was handed out to residents. "Nobody took more than they needed," McCrory said. "We protected about 150 houses."

McCrory said he informed his superiors about giving away the wood and was told, "We're going to have to let you go".
I told them, "There was a Category 5 hurricane coming. Home Depot was closed. People needed that plywood".

"They said it wasn't mine to give away," he said. "I was just being an American. And I was trying to be a good American".

Western Express said in a statement to Inside Edition.com on Friday that McCrory was not fired as a result of his actions, but instead voluntarily left the company.

"We understand what was probably going through his mind during these extraordinary circumstances, which is why we did not fire him, and have no plans to do so", Western Express CEO Paul Wieck said in the statement.
"Ideally, he would have let us know he was giving away the plywood, but we understand he was trying to do the right thing, and we'd welcome him back on our team. I've personally tried to contact him several times over the past few days, but have not been able to reach him".

Resident Tracy Dillon Drew established a GoFundMe page for McCrory when she learned he was no longer working.
"I can't explain the sense of community I felt with those of us who who were lucky enough to not just receive plywood, but [to] also receive a much more important gift, ..... compassion".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Christopher Brennan of the Daily News reported,
Tim McCrory brought an emergency shipment of plywood to a Home Depot in Zephyrhills outside Tampa, on Friday night as the storm marched it's way through the Caribbean to the U.S.

He told the Daily News that he was running late because of a flat tire, and the store was closed when he got there around 9:00 PM.

The 27-year-old driver planned to go back up north before being woken from a nap by a cop tapping on his window around 2:30 AM when he learned that the area was in desperate need of the exact supplies that were in the back of his truck.

"I knew going in that there was a good chance I would lose my job, but the safety of families far outweighed the cost", he said Thursday.

Resident Tracy Dillon Drew told the Daily News, "The situation was humans caring about humans. Americans caring about Americans", Drew said of the truck driver's generosity.

The trucking company's CEO Paul Wieck did not confirm the firing, but told WTSP that "the plywood belonged to our customer".

Western Express did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily News.

McCrory says he is also regularly in contact with the police in Zephyrville, and hopes to go back down for a visit someday.

Western Express CEO said, "I'm glad people got something they needed, but at the same time, you can't have anarchy in the country. You can't have people giving away things that are not theirs".

Western Express says it will end up paying for the wood, which is worth between $12,000 and $20,000. The company doesn't plan to investigate further because McCrory is no longer employed here.

Tim said, "I was raised to be a family man. It felt wonderful to help as many people as I did".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

AfterShock here, ........
Seems driver Tim has received quite a bit of publicity as a result of the consequences of his actions. These reports tend to sound positive toward Tim. I'm not aware of any reports leaning negatively concerning Tim's actions.

Considering the number of folks who felt that driver Tim, "totally deserved to be fired", adding, "That idiot now gonna end up with unhirable DAC and bankrupt", while another commented, "He had no right to show compassion with someone else's load. I hope he can't find another driving job ever again", yet another opined, "Driver is a low grade moron".
I wonder why no news agencies seem to cover that angle. Surely there's merit to those who want driver Tim to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Or, is it possible those folks erred in their harsh, quick judgement and punishment deserved for the crimes they insist Tim is guilty of committing?
Knowing now what wasn't known then, I wonder if anyone has altered their stance to throw the book at Tim to something less severe?

Just an AfterShock AfterThought. (no relationship)

I've been haunting TTR for quite awhile now, and I gotta say, this thread is one of the most interesting and educational threads I've ever read during that time.
ThanX everybody!
Especially the OP, pattyj.

 

Key phrase. Tim was instructed it was not his load to give away.

 

You're going to have to provide where it was said that Tim was "instructed" (it was not his load to give away).

Instructed would indicate a prior conversation concerning not to give the load away.
After the fact wouldn't be instruction.
Big difference.

Instruction Example
Scene 1
Take 1.
QUIET on the set!
Lights, Camera, ----
Action.

CEO Paul: Have a nice trip driver Tim.
What ever you do, don't give the load away.

Driver Tim: OK boss, Thanks. I won't.

CEO Paul: Call me from Homie Depot.

Driver Tim: You know I will, boss.

CUT!!

OK!
Scene 2
Take 1
Not Instruction Example
QUIET On The Set!!
Lights, ... Camera, ... Action....

From Homie Depot':
Tim calls CEO Paul.
Hello, boss?. It's me, driver Tim.
How are you this morning?
Yeah, well, ... the reason I'm calling is I gave away the load. --

CEO Paul: --

CUT!!
That's a wrap.
Can it, I'm outta here.
Actors! Nice work.
Last one to leave --
turn off the lights.

Driver Tim wasn't instructed NOT to give away the load either. It was an emergency load of material desperately needed.

Would it have been logical to leave the emergency with the desperately needed material still on the trailer because Homie wasn't home?

I don't think
so.
​

 

I see , I misread . Tim , informed them after his decision. that right there shows he knew he was wrong.

 

I figured that's what happened.]

He knew what he should do even if he was wrong for doing what he did.

You really need to read all the posts.
Driver Tim has maintained since day one that,......
"I knew going in that there was a good chance I would lose my job, but the safety of families far outweighed the cost," he said Thursday.
Sounds to me like driver Tim tends to agree with you, it was wrong for him to give plywood away that belonged to a Western Express customer.

Is it wrong
To do what's right
When what's right
Is lawfully wrong
?


​

Let me ask you this Mr. J,-- If driver Tim had received permission from Western Express to give away plywood, prior to giving it away, would distributing that plywood to those needing it badly, be wrong? In your opinion.

I can only hope that when I do wrong, it turns out as right as driver Tim's wrong.

If I owned a Big truck truckin' company, and one of my drivers was in a like situation but handled it differently by taking the load and runnin' it out of there to high ground, ....

I'd have a serious sit-down with said driver to determine why they made the decision to leave the emergency area with the emergency load of emergency material desperately needed there in the Emergency Disaster Area
Key word here is Emergency.

I would expect a driver of mine; under an Emergency load going to a disaster area, would cowboy-up and git-'er-dun!

I would expect my driver to do what it takes to muster up all their senses and know failure is not an option they're going to accept without good reason, through no fault of their own. A sense of duty, if you will.
Or a personal challenge.
Relentless Determination.
Confidence would be a plus.

If my driver was just in a hurry to get outta thar, ... so they would be home by Saturday night so as not to miss the re-run ball game on TV,.....
With the load still on the company Big truck truck trailer parked in their driveway.
They and I need to have a conversation.


And if that driver was of the opinion that driver Tim is a thief, or what Tim did was the wrong thing to do at that time, ... I'm fixin' to give 'em the boot. If I hear, "I'd never do anything that stupid", .... they're gone if their record with my company isn't spotless. Any blemish, and ---->

I'd fire a driver who had the opportunity to do what driver Tim did, and chose to ignore the situation.

I think driver Tim is the soldier who covers a live hand grenade with his body, -- jumps right on it, --- to save the lives of those in the blast area.

YeaH, ReallY!

​

 

Remember this?
Contrary to current headlines, Western Express did not fire one of its drivers, Tim McCrory, for giving away a truckload of plywood to a community in the path of Hurricane Irma. In fact, the company has been trying to reach Tim, who quit after the incident, to offer him his job.

“We understand what was probably going through his mind during these extraordinary circumstances, which is why we did not fire him, and have no plans to do so,” said Western Express CEO, Paul Wieck. “Ideally, he would have let us know he was giving away the plywood, but we understand he was trying to do the right thing, and we’d welcome him back on our team. I’ve personally tried to contact him several times over the last few days, but have not been able to reach him.”

Background facts:

The load of plywood involved in this instance was intended for delivery to The Home Depot – carried by Western Express. The truck had a flat tire that took seven hours to be repaired. Therefore, the load missed its delivery appointment. The companies involved are happy to donate the plywood.

Paul Wieck

President and CEO, Western Express

http://www.westernexp.com/#toggle-id-1

 

They only changed their tune AFTER public outcry. This was on the original Facebook post of one of the residents who was there, broke the story and later started the gofundme for Tim.