If you quit while on home time...

And you left the truck and trailer at the terminal but the trailer is loaded will they charge you with abandonment?

 

Yes

 

Short answer was just posted.

Longer answer: If you quit at any time while under load then it will count as abandonment since that company will have to assign the load to another driver.

Did you just quit while you still have a load in your (or used to be your) trailer?

 

No, but I was curious. That sucks.

 

If you do plan on quitting a company, especially an OTR company, do it while on home time with your equipment totally empty and in a company terminal.

Makes it much harder for them to pin random crap on you that way.

 

And take pics to prove the truck was undamaged and left clean so they can't try and pull any bs.

 

It's always best to at least offer an advance notice that you're leaving, even if you never intend to return. It looks more professional to future employers. That way, if they refuse and say you can leave any time...you did it right.

 

People that would abandon a load on the middle of delivering it are just irresponsible.

 

I've told this story many times. I was at a truck stop just east of Birmingham on I-20 having dinner. A driver sit next to me and I could tell he was upset. I learned he was a driver for USA Truck and his wife was coming to pick him up. He was planning to abandon a loaded rig and go home. He was unhappy and was planning on sticking it to the company. I spent several hours telling this guy he was about to make a horrible mistake. I advised him to call the company tell them he was sick and ask for a repower. Then once the load was accepted by another driver no matter how long it took then quit, turn in the tractor and leave the Atlanta yard. I think he followed my advice. I mentioned in another thread about mentoring young greenhorns. This is one example of this. I calmly explained the situation and did not come across as superior. Hopefully I saved a career if not at least I tried. Moral of this, NEVER NEVER NEVER ABANDON A TRACTOR OR A LOADED TRAILER ANYWHERE ANYPLACE AT ANYTIME. The company might have royally screwed you over, but if you abandon they will screw you over big time.

 

As to the question there are no absolutes. Depends on the company and how they want to handle it. If you leave a load in a terminal and they can easily repower it they might just repower it and drop it. Most of the time there are always somebody in a terminal either coming off home time or having work done that this is not hard to do. Just be forewarned however. Some people can be very vindictive and will report it as an abandonment just to screw you over.