My driver ran out of fuel

As bad as I hate to say it welcome to the world of hired help/professional drivers. You may hear I didn't hire out to do ...... Next. I agree it's his stupidity but as the truck owner it's your financial responsibility not his. That sux too I been there. I have seen many a good O/O sell out to slow down take a job for somebody like us and you wonder how they made it lol. It's like if it ain't there's screw it

 

Sorry, but I own my truck ..... Fire him !!!!! You already said you don't like his attitude.

 

It would not bother me so much that he ran out of fuel, everyone makes mistakes. But I don't like all the excuses and shenanigans. that would tell me he is gonna try to cover up and lie about every mistake. I can deal with a guy who makes a bonehead move from time to time, but a guy I can't trust from the word go ?

 

and we're off!!!!

I've seen plenty of this. Stolen fuel or selling fuel? I've never run out of fuel in 20 yrs of driving, run very close to it, but made it as another driver said.

Even on an old truck with gauges working half the time, I took it upon myself to physically open the fuel cap and check with a flashlight and sometimes with a stick. No excuses for running out of fuel. NON.

But... that's just me.

ps. i'm not making money as a driver sitting on the side of the road. it behooves me to make sure truck/trailer are in good working order, prior to turning the key.

 

Here's the deal. Any driver should know his truck after 2 fill ups. For example, I know that at 900 miles, I better be thinking about getting fuel. At 950, I better know where a fuel stop is pretty close. At 1000 miles, i better be pulling into the Pilot.

 

The driver deserves to be disciplined through reprimand, suspension or termination. The company accepts the financial lose of the drivers mistake. I think that trying to hold employees financially responsible for their mistakes is a poor practice. The dollar amount of a mistake and the seriousness of a mistake don't always go hand in hand.

 

As a business owner your kinda stuck with your drivers screwup(s)...It ain't right but that's the way the world turns sometimes.

I wouldn't fool with his paycheck...Labor Board would be all over you. Least in Tx. they would.

Maybe give him a chance to make it right or fire him.....Your call

 

But the dollar amount might make him think twice about doing it again.

 

The cost is on you -- just like if he forgot to set the parking brake and the truck rolled into a new Tesla or something...

If he was otherwise reliable and forthright, I might pay this time & tell him next time he pays for the road call or he hits the road. But if you already think he's an idiot, why keep him around -- especially if he is dishonest.

 

If you pay him percentage then that cost would be deducted from the loads pay would it not? Are you paying % of gross or net? I would suggest a split and see how he reacts, I would have stopped and eaten it myself out of shear embarrassment but that probably not what everyone would do....
It will go a long way toward driver/owner relations to offer some sort of deal from the drivers side, also would indicate whether he's a valuable driver or just a guy doing a job...