Handling hometime issue - what would you do?

I have been driving for what I consider a great company for seven months and it is my first driving job.

They have always been good about getting me home and giving me my earned hometime when there; often a few hours more than my earned hometime.

However, last week I was put on a load through the house which would have called for a sacrifice of about twelve hours of my 72 hours earned at home. I argued with the dispatcher and told him I hated to sound insubordinate but I did not want to do that load because it would cut into precious home time which means a lot to me. We argued about ten minutes over possible solutions such as working out a relay (which he would not do) or getting more time on the load (which he could not do). Finally when he forced the load on me (which by our company's rules he may do) I told him I would pick it up on time (which I did) and I would have it at its destination (which I did four hours early) but I would not go home. I would sit with it and take my time on it, even resetting at some point midway between pick up and delivery. That way I would have at least one more day at home once he got me there in the next week. I realize it turned out to be a slow load where I did not make much money, but money does not motivate me beyond having bills paid and a few simple wholesome pleasures of life, and I had a good time exploring some small towns while en route.

A good new driver does not want to be known for causing trouble in his company, or as a whiner, but this good new driver insists on every moment at home he has earned.

Is there any other way some of you have learned to handle these situations? It was slightly inconvenient getting home a week later than due, but it was nice to get an extra day home. It was annoying to sit on a truck for four days on a two day load, but hey this is trucking and we all have to sacrifice something for the good of the company sooner or later. What would some of you had done?

I thought about going to the dispatcher's boss but I feared that would not be worth getting my name known for controversy.

Thanks

 

One thing I forgot to mention is it was an "appointment" load where they would not (and also COULD not) take it early.

 

It's Roehl Transport. As I said, they have been good to me and I don't consider this issue to be grounds to stop working for them; only something that I handled the best way I could but kept wondering if there was a better way. Some of our drivers upon hearing my story urged me to handle it by going to the dispatcher's boss but the more I think about it the more that course seems best reserved for the big issues. Part of the reason I handled it the way I did was my consideration of how fair they have been in the past and they said they really needed this load done (?).

Once in a while they send a load "through the house" with the understanding that you get your hometime while under a load, with permission to safely and legally park and log off duty while home. In the past I have always gotten the appropriate amount of time, and once in a while even gotten some extra time for my trouble; all without begging or pushing for it.

I am usually out 11-13 days and home 3, which by industry standards for new drivers is pretty good.