need advice on company demanding drivers drive in unsafe conditions ASAP

my husband has a situation with the company he works for right now, he is in Oklahoma city and a huge ice storm came through his truck was hit by a country stars tour bus due to the ice, luckily the only damage done was the drivers mirror was taken out, needless to say that even truckers who have been driving for 40 years are telling him that they are not driving till the roads are safer also I think there is a state of emergency due to the ice storms and my husband has to drive to NJ , these ice storms are going in the same path. Long story short my husband called the company to advise them of the ice and mirror situation he was told by the owner to drive anyway mirror or not or he and his partner will be fired, mind you this company does not offer insurance of any kind to employees they don't even take taxes out of their pay check they just deposit checks in their bank accounts and they are driving that companies equipment and going where they are told to go by the company. This is the second time they were told to drive with an unsafe situation the first time was there was a short in the truck somewhere causing all the lights not to work when a trailer was hooked to it which made driving at night unsafe they were told by the company to drive anyway or be fired . is there somewhere we can report this to cover both my husband and his partner in case something happens and they are fired by the owner of the company also isn't there a dot law about driving unsafe equipment ? my husbands license is his livelihood so he will protect that . BY the way they are not trying to get out of driving they were just calling the company to let them know they may be delayed. They are delivering a LTL to NJ

 

Just tell them to swing into a scale house (port of entry) and explain the situation to the officer.

OR

Have them tell the owner that is what they intend to do......got a feeling, that so called "owner" will think twice about having his truck/equipment getting a good thorough inspection and OOS order!

NEVER DRIVE FOR A COMPANY THAT USES THESE THREAT TACTICS!

 

If your husband gets out on the road and has an accident, the liability is his and his alone.

 

Doesn't matter if he has proof the owner threatened him. If he drives it, it's on him. The citations will be his responsibility to pay and the points will be his. Company only gets points.
Unless your hubby has serious issues with his mvr, PSP, CSA or DAC he should return the truck to the terminal and go elsewhere. Driving jobs are easy to find. Quality driving jobs not so much, but it seems like anything would be a step up from this.

 

Just say no. Unless your husband is a convicted felon with 9 speeding tickets and four accidents on his record their has to be a better situation for him. If he crashes the truck and kills or injures someone what is his career situation going to look like then? I know we're only hearing one side of the story but I'd run, not walk, from the company he is working for if even half of what you're saying is true. Sounds like the owner couldn't care less about safety or laws (including employment law) which is not going to end well for your husband regardless of the current situation.

 

Unrelated... 8thnote, is that Tony Iommis' hand on that guitar pic?

 

I will tell them !any advice is appreciated problem is this is his first job since he got let go in May 2013, he had a difficult time finding a job because last time he drove tractor trailers was in 80's ,since then had been driving mixer trucks for cement companies , then got his class A CDL so he took this job to get some experience but we are fearful of his ability to get another job should this owner decide to fire him because of an unsafe situation not of his doing

 

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/administration/w-blower.htm

Maybe start here.The tax deal should throw up a red flag.
Good Luck

 

when the state declares an emergency situation,he should not be on the road.simple solution.being on the roads during a declared state emergency without a driver side mirror will only compound the problems.the owner can send another set of drivers to replace your husband provided that the replacements can get there.

time for hubby to seek employment elsewhere when this load is over with.best of luck as ya'lls situation is not one easily dealt with.he can find another job however and should.

 

oh believe me this is very true the drivers are also told that any damage done to the truck whether its their fault or not they have to pay the deductible, there has to be something illegal going on here with this company , in any event my husband called and told me they are getting the mirror fixed and he and his partner are parking the truck til the roads are safe