need advice on company demanding drivers drive in unsafe conditions ASAP

He needs to try Swift of Maverick, both offer refresher courses for free I believe. He also needs to quit and find another job. I can't believe your husband puts up with this. Besides, when he goes to another job, do you really think this company is going to verify his employment with them? NO. He is wasting his time.

 

What is the latest regarding the OP?

 

As a city driver I don't have the luxury of parking it when the weather goes south. No place to park.

That being said, I'm going to try to put this as friendly as possible. You're paid to drive the truck, so drive it and stop coming up with excuses not too. You're going to have to get used to driving in all kinds of weather, to include ice and snow. You're in Oklahoma, so you don't have any mountains to worry about. Drive, and take your time.

 

Ummm, I don't know where to start here. There are times where people should not be on the road. As far as being paid to drive the truck...how well did that go for the people in Atlanta during that big storm? How does that work out when theres a blizzard and you're stranded on the road or can't go faster than 15 MPH? Really poor advice.

There is driving on ice and snow, I've done it, I'm sure we all have. But, there are many variables. You just give me a head ache thinking of ways to reason with you. I don't know if its greed or ignorance. Yes, it is possible to drive in ice and snow. But come on, when you're having an ice storm or major winter event, there are times where its time to park it and not try to prove something.

PS, just because you can drive it safely doesn't mean someone else can't. Case in point, a tour bus ripped the mirror of the mans truck. He is lucky that bus didn't slam right into the drivers side door and kill him. When do you put your life above what you're being paid to do?

 

Well said, freightlinerman. RubberDuck198 might like playing the tough guy act, but he should also realize that a decision to drive in lousy weather also puts other people's lives at risk in the event something does go wrong… just ask the families related to anyone who has been killed in a storm related accident.

 

The only job where I can think of where you put your life above all else is being in the military or public safety jobs (police, firefighters, EMS) the latter three usually when people fail to heed the warnings or not thinking safely. The police and military only do that when the situation calls for it. When it comes to hauling, or anything else for that matter, it is rather foolish to put money over lives. Our troops get paid far less than what they should get, our public safety workers, though paid much better than in years past, they fit in the same boat. In some states they will impound the rig to make sure that the roads and the truck is safe. I look at two things when driving in less than safe conditions the safety of me, my truck, and everyone on the road and the possibility of damage to my load. If the road is slippery it can cause the cargo to shift, regardless of how secure the straps and chains are the load can still shift, and cause damage to all or part of your load which means calling your insurance company and seeing your rates go up on your insurance and the rates of your hauls staying the same. So if money is what you are interested in more than anything, so is risking lives and cargo damage where your profit (that is if you get in an accident and end up being sued and you have any left) is reduced worth it?

 

I know how it is to be a driver for a company of this kind. I just quit one. I drove in 3 snow storms and 2 ice storms this winter. Each time being told what a great job I had done. The only time I said No to dispatch the owner of the company called himself to cuss me out because it was air freight on a timed run. No matter how great a job you do most of the time the one time you can't get the job done is all people like this cares about. So don't put your CDL's on the line for them. They don't care about there drivers just money.

 

I would find another company to work for ,and agree he should report the company to DOT before someone gets hurt or killed, be a whistle blower,be the HERO