Refusing a load pissed your advice

Not sugar coating this, Not a job well done, Not unemployed, Live and learn. Small ding and life goes on. Pat yourself on the back for not quitting.

 

Better learn to cool your jets.Only one you're hurting is yourself.If you don't make deliver not a problem just tell your dispatcher ahead of time so they can contact the customer.You still had hours left,why didn't you hook up and go?

 

See Werner hasn't changed.They're swap and split happy.But they're also good about drivers and late loads as long as you tell your dispatcher ahead of time.They know weather can be a factor or giving u a load that's already late.Does'nt do any good to get mad though.But if you have hrs to run then do it.Forty miles is only a hop skip and jump away you could have stayed at your deadhead location.At least get closer to wherever you're going if you have the hrs incase theres bad weather in the forecast so u can possibly get past it.

 

If they treat you good and the FM is real nice, Sure as heck gave them the finger, FM has zero confidence now. Piss poor excuse.Screwed a 3.5 legged pooch now Moving onto bigger and better things, moved yourself 2 steps reversed, It's flapping dang werner. Other "bigger better" employers won't put up with this petty crap and good bye employment and questionable reputation.

 

Sorry, but as a part time office monkey (and part time driver) I have to say that is completely the wrong attitude to take, and one of the bigger reasons carriers have the turnover rates they do with drivers.

Look, I get it. Dealing with drivers and customer service reps and load planners on all sides of you can get extremely frustrating at times. Yes, there are drivers who will jerk your chain just because they can, there are customer service reps who are completely disconnected from the drivers making impossible promises and dropping everything in your lap. Yes, it does suck. But you never, NEVER take it out on the driver! That driver is the only person in the entire chain who making the company money. You know, the money that keeps the lights on and gets your paycheck cashed? Yeah, that money. If you don't have a driver in the truck, you DO NOT have a trucking company. What you have is a pretty truck sitting in a lot somewhere and a bunch of office employees looking for paying work.

There are reasons beyond HOS or weather that will cause a driver to turn down a load, perfectly valid reasons. If your driver has been asking for hometime for a week or two (or a month with some outfits), that driver is going to start turning down any load that is not going to let him go home. That is a valid reason. If a driver has been held up at a shipper/receiver for twelve hours, walking back and forth trying to get loaded/unloaded, calling in to keep you updated, basically doing anything other than resting, and now needs to take a ten to get something to eat and some rest, that is a valid reason to refuse a load. And there are a variety of other perfectly valid reasons for a driver to refuse a load, these are just two situations I've been involved with on BOTH sides of the desk.

If you've been a driver, you know that very little in this industry goes as planned and things happen on the road that the driver has no control over. If you haven't, I suggest you spend some time talking to your drivers outside of just work-related issues and get an idea of what their job is like.

 

Maybe. Then again maybe not. Depends on the driver.

A driver might be a break even proposition. If he is only breaking even and he is taking too much of my time, or other employee's time.... then it's not likely to get better. The break even guys are only there to get scouted. If they get better then they might be keepers. If they don't, well no great loss because there's no money in breaking even.

I'll go out on a limb and say the mega'a...EVERY mega would be more profitable if they fired the bottom 1/3rd of their drivers, dispatchers and their least profitable accounts.

Those drivers are in the minors waiting to get called up or released or hoping to get a sweetheart deal in free agency but not likely.

 

Got one or two of those myself. They generally get weeded out, or move on fairly quickly. We have zero patience with drivers who will not work. However, a working driver is the money in the bank for a trucking company.

 

Yep. They always seem to be the ones that have troubles. Moody. Truck problems. Late. What to know why nobody cares about that poor truck driver? Because he just ain't that good.

 

If we were talking football, you would be looking for a championship. My kind of company. Trim the fat and make a much more efficient team. Suddenly, you would have the lowest safety score, lowest turnover rate, the most satisfied customers, could offer the best pay, and you would have a waiting list to get into the door. That's how you make a run to the top.