Passed a scale.

wmt

 

Ever heard of "breakdown pay?" I don't turn the key without it.

When I hauled fuel locally, I got stuck out on the highway on a hundred degree day, with the owner of the company telling me to fix the problem myself. I told him I would call a cab and drop the keys off at the office on my way home.

The wrecker showed up soon after.

While I was waiting, I wrote in a couple hundred bucks on my time sheet for my trouble. I was paid for my time and was never asked about it again.

It's the owner's/mechanic's job to fix problems, not the driver's, and besides, unless a driver is a certified mechanic, he would just be exposing him or herself to liability if there was an accident or mishap that could be traced back to the "repair" work done. A driver would be foolish to even go anywhere near a wrench, even if he was "certified."

The driver has his job. The mechanic has his. There are very, very good reasons for that.

Unless you are an O/O who does his own work, you should never get under the hood for anything more involved that a pre-trip check. and dog help you if you are an O/O who does his own work and that work is traced to an accident. Even if you are certified to do the work, a good attorney will take you apart piece by piece, and there won't be a thing you can do about it, certified or not.

As to these "kids" who drive computerized wonders? Hell, I'm a 57 year old kid who drives them and absolutely loves them. The only trucks I drive now are brand-new units, right off the assembly line. But I don't have a clue as to how most of the things on them really work, and when they break, the only tool I reach for is the cell phone.

And even brand-spanking new, right out of the factory they can, and will break. Happened to me about a week ago. It was three hours out of my life, sitting in the AC while listening to music and reading the news on that little computerized wonder that I make phone calls with. While getting paid.

First, I am not going to expose myself to the wrath of the courts if that repair I effected caused a mishap resulting in injuries, or worse.

Second, there is no way in hell I am going to take a chance on invalidating a warranty worth thousands and thousands of dollars to the company just because I wanted to show the boss I had initiative.

To that, if I were the boss, my first question would be: "Are you certified/qualified to effect that repair?" Not, "Why can't you fix it yourself?"

 

I believe company drivers already give alot time for free. We need companies to pay drivers somethings for their time, no other industries except so much free time. Working 80 hrs but getting pay 60 hr drive time is crazy. But like you i would fix and go not because i like working for free but it is better then sitting god knows how long in truck stop.

 

Sad thing is that as a fresh, 18 year old mechanic, I knew more about trucks than most of the drivers with the company I worked for. One guy told me he need his brakes adjusted.

My response was: "Are they out of adjustment? How much applied stroke do you have?"

Driver: "??????"

Me: "Well crawl under and check them, its part of the pre trip you're paid to do."

Driver: "I don't know how to"

Me: "Well how'd you get your license and air endorsement? You need to know how to check brakes to have gotten your license"

Driver: Turns around and leaves to find my boss. Boss comes back and tells me to check his brakes for him lol.

 

That's just it, give it an x amount of time into the future when everything will be disk and no more shoes and drums, this thread will be obsolete.

 

This is huge problem in this industry. Owners want you to do work for free, then threaten to fire you if you won't. The gall some of these small-business owners have is just amazing.

Last time I looked, being forced to work for free was against the law. I'm pretty sure it still is.

On the other hand...

We have a big problem in this industry with people who think that they should do the work for free, as a condition of employment. And then have the nerve to point out the ones who are not willing to play that game.

If you want to fix your stuff, go for it. Just let me know, just in case they ever ask me to drive your truck so I can refuse get in it. You aren't qualified to repair it, so I'm not taking my life into my hands.

I'll let the mechanics do their job, so I can do mine. If the boss doesn't like that, tough.

And besides, the mechanics have families to feed too.

To the OP, I feel for you. You're new in the biz and the pressure to run with bad equipment is huge. Most everyone on this forum had the problem when they were new, and did the same thing you did. I know I did.

But I learned to say no, and once I did, the pressure immediately came off. Yeah, they threatened to fire me, take away miles and other stuff, but I figured that not making money was a lot better than being fined, getting sued, or worse, getting killed. Once they realized I was not going to run immigrant, then they left me alone.

Unfortunately, what they usually do is find another new guy to pick on.

 

I'm an O/O do all my own work. Triple master ASE certified, which a dollar and all those certificate's will buy you a cup of coffee most places. I would gladly like to have a top notch attorney tear me apart on the stand. I'll leave him standing looking stupid in front of a jury. To add they aren't gonna trace cause or concern back to my trucks safety.

 

What I can't wrap my head around is the "its not my job to check and adjust my brakes." Far as I'm concerned if a driver signs off on his pretrip the onus is now on them that the brakes are adjusted. If they didn't check them, well he/she just falsified their pretrip. Besides, when you roll up to a brake check at the top of a hill, it is supposed to be to check that your brakes are functioning and adjusted correctly before going down. Does anyone honestly believe that any company is going to send a field mechanic out to check and adjust your brakes at the crest of every hill? Not at all.

The mechanic should hold little to no legal liability for brake adjustment because at the end of the day, it is the driver's job to make sure his rig is safe to operate.

 

Really? That's great and I'm sure you are very successful and do great work maintaining your truck/trucks.

Is it correct to assume that you are insured to the hilt and that the statement about taking a trial lawyer on in dep or open court is nothing more than bluster?

Been there, done that, learned my lesson.

Reason I ask is because no business owner I know ever wants to deal with litigation. I also know this because in another lifetime I was a business owner in an industry where lawsuits seemed to be a monthly occurrence. Litigation in that industry made trucking litigation look tame.

I learned a long time ago that the only lawyer you ever want to talk to is yours.

 

That's just like saying that the wheels will roll with the spring break, and nothing be wrong with the brakes. When I pull my breaks at the brake check, my loaded truck doesn't roll off. What am I missing lol.