The switch up

Well to the OP, I assume you are paying the driver under a 1099. If so what does your contract say about cash advances?

If you don't have a contact, guess what? You can not do much about it.

You need to deal with drivers as anything else, with solid policies and contracts. You can't just hire someone off the street and expect them to work out.

You can't call the cops unless there is a written policy and a means to prove that he "stole" the money and then it takes time for them to react so it is a grey away and between an employer/employee, they don't get involved with this type of disputes.

He still is moving towards the drop so the cops can't even consider it stolen.

BOLO?

Seriously guys/gals, this doesn't happen unless there is a serious criminal activity.

The scales are not going to do a thing, again it is between an employer/employee, so they are not going to hold anyone.

This is what I'm thinking, this is why we have so many crap drivers because of the lack of knowledge in the industry who are just arm chair owners.

I only agree with this IF there is a solid contractual obligation to move freight, but I am betting the OP is using a load board or something to get ad hoc loads which means he should have enough money to idle the truck for a couple weeks until his other driver gets his crap together.

I am thinking he is a small fleet, arm chair operator at best.

Now that said, I had problems with two drivers last week (yes I am a grinch when I get crapped on). One on the east coast and one on the west. I flew two drivers out to do a recovery, the one on the west coast vanished off our tracking scene so it was important to get the truck back. The east coast truck was recovered without any drama, the driver was stuck in NJ and had to get the home to Ohio for Christmas. The west coast truck was found in a T/S parking lot, the driver was in the place eating or showering and the recovery driver with the help of the cops removed his personal property, took pictures of everything, including the damage then did his pretrip and waited for the driver hand him the letter of terminating the contract. He had a fit, accused the recovery driver of stealing the truck and so on. He had to get back to Florida which was his problem, not mine.

 

My safety girl talked to the shift supervisor of the city the truck was in, it was explained what was going on and if they could assist, she said to the shift if the local cops didn’t the sheriff would be called. They agreed to help but limited the involvement to keep it safe for all involved.

there was no bolo, they don’t do bolo anywhere for a single truck unless it is a real theft like a highjacking, what you explained doesn’t qualify for their involvement until you locate the truck.

the one thing is your lawyer should have been asked the question of how to deal with this.

 

It CAN be done, just not with that ‘meat in the seat’ mentality. You get two kinds that look at the industry and think they will get rich:

A.) Type one is the lurker who reads all over TTR, thinks that we are all stupid, and that all he/she has to do is buy a truck, any truck, and suddenly money starts rushing in. “Oh, I read all the horror stories about the megas and have decided that I am going to pay for my own schooling and buy my own truck. The truck I am looking at only costs $35k! When I buy the truck, what do I do next? Duh-Huh! Thanks!”
B.) Type two is the person that has the same ideas as the first type, but has no desire to do anything trucking. “I will buy a truck, hire a driver, let that idiot do all the work, and I rake in the money. Hmmm, how do I figure out what I should pay the driver? I know! I will search the internet and join a trucking forum and learn from lurking around idiots.

Good drivers are
1. Positively charged.
2. Actually good at the job, performance wise. No handholding necessary.
3. Almost ALWAYS employed.

The odds are pretty good that if you have a driver apply for a job, that driver is garbage. You have to steal a good driver from another employer. Talent costs money, therefore most opt for the meat in the seat option. After all, it’s just driving, right?

 

I would be to. No way I put a guy like that in a truck. Sometimes you have to take credit for the stuff that happens to you. This is a prime example of being burned because he either does not care or wants to hire the cheapest labor he can get to run a business. Just a shame either way!

 

You are 100% correct, good people that are good at what they do aren't looking for a job . Anymore if you find someone that you want to hire you've got to offer them something better than what they have. Not really stealing them just , the way business works now.

 

You gave him a card with cash on it. Been there many times, it's a civil matter.

 

Well,I guess I should subscribe to this train wreck....

 

Way back I worked at a small tank carrier that required the owner op to supply the 'standard'
34 feet of 2" discharge hose and short 3" 'whip' for suction [we had nose lines for pump offs and 50' 2" that fit the spare tire rack we signed out as needed] and the whole barn suggested the new guy approach Chem Leaman and Matlack union guys to get two good discharge hoses cheap, often as low as $20.00 each, before going over to Girard and having a whip made...

The new owner op usually had two, new looking, chem-solve hoses by the next day...

 

If he has a phone and can google his name, he will find this thread and know what your up to. I'd find him where he is NOW and end it, or it could get real expensive.