Is that load worth going to prison?

Hey I think that was very well said and I never thought of saying as such Can I steal this phrase for my training purposes? I can put copyrighted by: basscase_2000. :smt044

I dont mean this as a joke; I really mean it

Have a great night!

 

Not so many years ago we were expected to run, no matter what. Get that load there and be ready for the next dispatch which in most cases (for me anyway) was before I ever got the one on off. I did this as many of us old timers have. It's "just the way things were done" back then.
I thank God that I never harmed anyone else or my self doing this, God was truly watching over the others out there and me.

These days I KNOW that habit is there and it's HARD to control it, it's like quiting smoking to some of us, dang near impossible. But I do and that's the way it's going to be period. I've been called many times to try to "fix" someone else's screw up and do an almost impossible load to save the company a huge fine from a shipper or the loss of a shipper. I did those things, because I could.

Unfortunately I don't sleep much, never have never will. I take "naps".
I can say that I do go to sleep when ever I am unloading loading and I'm not required to be on the dock, which is never these days.

About 10 years ago after I had been home for a week taking care of the stuff that never gets done; I took a load just outside Knoxville, TN. My rule is if it's over 3 hours from the house I leave early so I can take my nap there and be first. Any way I'd done that and got unloaded and reloaded headed back to Birmingham for a midnight delivery.

I was easing across West I-40 just coming up on the 1st Athen, Tn exit, I was in the left lane getting ready to pass an old couple from MI and as my rule I was in the left lane when I am near exit/entrance ramps, simply because it lets the traffic flow better.

Traffic was light it was a dry clear day. There were no other cars within 2 miles of us at least.
There was old man driving the car, his wife had looked at me thru the back window as I came up on them, we made eye contact.
I watched for them in the mirror as I always did, maybe in case the draft sucked at the car so I could move farther away I really can't say all the reasons why.
I looked at the gouges, left mirror then the median,then back to the right mirror, they were gone

I assumed that they had exited because I lost them in the mirror. About that same time I felt what I thought was a tire blow on my dump trailer,which really didn't surprise me as I had just loaded at a metal scrap yard and it was almost normal to get steel in a tire in those places, no matter how hard you check things you'll miss a piece sometimes and blow a tire. There was an entrance ramp 1/4 mile from me around a curve, I knew I could get there and get off the interstate. I looked for anyone next to me and eased over and slipped off the ramp.

I was loosing air pressure fast so I figured the tire busted an air line or air bag when it blew. I got stopped, pulled the flashers out and got down, walked to the right side of the trailer.
The front axle was crooked the tire was blown, air bag was busted, I"ve been driving many years and I've never seen a tire blow out do that. but then I've never blown out many tires either.

Then I noticed the spare tire rack was crooked. I was trying to figure it out as I walked back to the truck and grabbed the co radio and called the shop to let them know what happened and what I needed. They decided since the damage that I described was pretty extensive they'd send out head mechanic out to fix it.

I'd got back in and caught up my log book showing the breakdown and decided to go lay down and read maybe catch a nap.
Suddenly there was a pounding on the door, there was a Tn State trooper standing there and I could tell he was HOT about something.

I rolled the window down and he laid into me about leaving the scene of an accident. I looked at him an said I haven't been in any accident, trying to explain about the scrap yard. He told me to hand him my log book, and documents, I did. He was almost screaming at me and told me to come back to his car NOW, I got my boots on and got out. He told me to get in the car

I did. He took off burning rubber, and flipped in the median going back to the exit ramp which was about 3/4 of a mile away from the truck. There were Ambulances, wreckers and cops and cars everywhere. He said "You almost KILLED those people!" I said I have no idea what you are talking about. Then I saw the blue Ford Taurus that the old couple had been in, it had rolled about 3-4 times, it looked bad.

He screamed at me "You ran OVER those people!" I told him no I hadn't. I won't go into deep detail about the abuse I suffered from that State Trooper because most wouldn't believe it if I did. It suffices to say that for 4 hours I was held by that trooper and screamed at, threatened with jail because he said that I intentionally hit those people and then attempted to leave the scene. I refused to talk to him or sign ANYTHING. Eventually he wrote a ticket and took me back to my truck. The one thing I know saved me later on in court was the log book and receipts showing that I had been home and what time I left.

The couple were taken to the hospital and eventually recovered.

From what MY attorney and investigator found out from the couple, the old man had started to exit , changed his mind, over corrected INTO my tire rack which kicked them into the tire and OFF the interstate. This ALL happened in less than a micro second, I didn't see it, the bump I had felt was him hitting the tire rack and then the tire, I was looking at the left side because as far as I knew he had exited.

The company that I worked for at the time did NOT instruct their attorney to defend me, they left me hung out to dry, told me to get my OWN attorney which I did. The Company's investigations later proved as well that I was NOT at fault, they ate crow and I left there a few months later. It cost me thousands to defend myself against the ticket and charges. They were all dismissed and I was vindicated.

The morals of the story is that your log book and reciepts can either hurt or help you. I was fortunate enough that they helped me in this case.
The other moral is that NO ONE at ANY COMPANY is YOUR FRIEND when it comes to situations like this. So when you THINK that you have a good relationship with the company, you better re think that because it's not in their best interest to take the fall WITH YOU.
So practice CYA, with a tape recorder, notes,pictures, reciepts, Qual COM what ever it takes because when the dust settles and it's time for court YOU ARE YOUR ONLY DEFENSE

BE SAFE, SLEEP ,DO YOUR LOGS
Until nest time
Happy Trails

 

WOW nightwind. that is a scary story!! all of you were very fortunate.

 

If it keeps one newbie from falling asleep behind the wheel, my job is done. Feel free to use it, it's common sense, not a copyright. lol.

 

Ditto that.:smt081

 

I know I was being silly and trying to ummm make you umm feel better If I was you I would have charged me a small fee! l.o.l.

 

LOL how much was you gonna pay for it cause it was one of those "Priceless Ones" that Master Card should use.

 

Well I "WOULD" have paid quit a bit of money, but since I already know I can use it for free; well guess what, I DON'T HAVE TO PAY! HA HA! :smt038

 

Very sad story indeed....and I'm sorry but I take issue with the 2 comment you made that I've highlighted in red.....I am a Dispatcher with a trucking company running over 500 trucks...and used to be a dispatched for a company running over 10 thousand trucks.....and I find it odd, perhaps even outlandish and the thought process some truckers seem to have about their dispatchers, driver managers or what ever want to call them...From what I see here...Dispatchers are to blame for a lack of miles, missed home time, breakdowns, poor road conditions, and now apparently running illegal to get home and killing 5 people.....As a driver is it not your responsibility to run legal? I will not deny that I have heard about managment pressuring a driver to deliver a load, although it is not a practice I promote...but ultimatly is it not the driver who makes the call to run illegal? And also to some degree shouldn't a driver be held responsible to make sure the vehicle he/she is driving is free from defect and able to operate in a safe manor...also known as preventative maintenance? I'm sorry for the rant, but it really drives me nuts to read a story like this and see a driver trying to put the blame on dispatch...it is the driver's responsibility to run the log book, and to do so leagally and safely....if he was over his hours it is no one's fault but his own for what happend...if any of my guys call in and tell me they are sleepy....even if they are log legal....always....always...always will I tell them to pull it over...there is not a load that is hot enough...or important enough to have one of my guys put themselves in a position where thay are impared behind the wheel....so just remember guys...before you rag on dispatchers...we are here to make you money....because if you don't make money....I don't make money.....

 

sorry i missed this the 1st go around....but ### is that???? Your dispathcer goes home at night after asking you to place yourself in harms way???? This is what I am talking about.....why all the negativity on dispatchers....is it my fault that you choose to drive a truck and I choose to have an office job and be home everynight? I don't think so...and why in the world would a company or dispatcher come to his rescue? He was trying to get home...when he should have been sleeping at a rest stop...I can appreciate the desire to get home and see your family....but as an OTR driver your 1st and foremost responsibility is to operate your rig safely...I can't count the times that due to delays at shippers or consignees, poor road conditions, or breakdowns that I have seen drivers run out of hours on the road the day they were suppose to be home...I'm sorry, but that is the nature of the beast...As a driver you should have known full well that there was a chance things like that could happen, and that you may not be home when you wanted to be....just as I know full well that it is my job to tell you that you will not be able to make it home because you are out of hours....lemme tell ya...there is nothing I hate more than having to tell a guy that something beyond his control has made him run out of hours and he can not see his family as soon as he would like.....but hey...thats my job....and its his job to follow the laws reguarding his log book...if he violates them to get home and kills 5 kids in a bus...then yes...he should swing for his crime....and no...the dispatcher should not be running to his aide....the driver chose to break the law...not the dispatcher or the company