Truck Abandonment

There are companies that use it as a get even with you for leaving us etc.



swift screwed me sorta. they put on my dac that is drove 85 miles out of route unaurthorized to go home and clean my truck ... then went to say he returned the truck in 110% condition, but had 1/8 tank fuel, and never gave a 2week notice.

 

Never gave a two week notice? Like if you had they wouldn't have told you to go right then? Maybe you should just have turned the truck back in as filthy as I've seen other Swift trucks turned in. I feel sorry for the guys that have to clean those pig pens out at the terminal after I saw a few that hadn't been cleaned yet. 1/8 tank of fuel? Did it need tires and an oil change too? #### you driver! #### you!
Sorry, but those comments on your DAC should have been tossed out by a laughing employee of HireRight/DAC.

 

getoverit,

You say that you don't like unions but then go ahead to espouse their line and say we need them. I don't. I am a #### good driver that is conscientious and work hard to get my job done correctly and on time. If I don't like the way a company treats me I simply let them know that won't be tolerated by me any more than they would tolerate it from me. I am a free man and I don't need someone else to protect me. The greatest weapon you have is to not allow yourself to be taken advantage of in any situation. If everyone would do that then these companies would have to treat people better simply because they couldn't get away with less. IMO unions simply protect the lazy and inept.

 

If you don't like your job...quit.

 

Its easy to say just quit! I did now no one will hire me. you now they 90 probation period for us to see if we like each other thats crap! I left a job after a month because it was not what I was led to believe. Nice way of saying it sucked. now when I apply and explain that the job wasn't what I was told people say have a nice day. so yes we have no say

 

Well, it's just not a driver's market right now. Until it is, I would give the advice to do the best you can, deal with the crap your company is dishing out for now and make your move when the job market turns around. Never, ever, ever quit a job without first having something else nailed down and make it clear to your new employer that you wish to give a fair two weeks' notice.

There are so many quality, experienced drivers on the job market with no marks on their records that if you end up with something as serious as an abandonment on your DAC, you might as well go apply at Taco Bell.

Unauthorized Location is almost as hard to overcome as if you had straight up theft on your record. My advice to those skating on thin ice is to not take the truck to the house for any reason. Take it to the yard when you want to go home. Yes, it's more inconvenient. But if the company decides to let you go while you are home, you will not end up with an Unauthorized Location on your record. If you want to unload a bunch of stuff, have your ol' lady or a friend or someone meet you somewhere with the pickup. Better make it the one-ton if you're anything like me.

To those looking for work, I wish you the best. I hope you find something that will suit you. For those unhappy with their current company, go ahead and put your toe in the water...but don't take the plunge until you are sure what's under it. Just my own dos pesos.

 

update to above,called marten they told me that it was out of their hands and that they did'nt know what was put on my dac because it is setup as an AUTO response.WTF?wow they like to f up peoples dac with an AUTO response?then i asked did it mean abandonment? she said no UNAUTH WITH NOTICE means you either went somewhere they did'nt know about OR you dropped the truck off at the wrong yard or somewhere other than where they told you to go.UNAUTH WITH OUT NOTICE means abandonment.

since then i have had 3 job offers from the big companies.none that i really want to go with but looks like i have no choice cause all the others won't touch me since i don't meet there "recent exp" cap.

 

Truck abandonment is one of the crash landings I like to call "professional suicide". The reason it's a big deal? Abandoning one's job is pretty unprofessional, but in the case of a trucker... He's also abandoning some VERY expensive equipment. If there's a load?... He's also ditching potentially vital/valuable property of a company who did nothing to the guy. The customer could face some snowballing consequences as a result. A hypothetical "worst case" example: The customer is waiting on the abandoned truck, the future of their business somehow relies on the product that's not coming... The consequences could mean financial ruin for dozens of families.

Trucking is an industry that sells a service. Service failure can have catastrophic results, so... Hiring a driver who shows a total disregard for the consequences of his actions is... Foolish. There are also liability issues for the owner of the abandoned equipment.

Other big no-no's for drivers:
1.Quitting under a load. (obvious reasons)
2.Misconduct involving vehicles. Trucks are not only 80,000lbs of lethality, they're also huge targets for million dollar lawsuits. People will risk death in order to generate that type of income. That makes employers justifiably skittish.
3. Lane change and backing accidents. They usually only happen because the driver failed to exercise appropriate caution. Get Out And Look will prevent an expensive insurance claim.
4. Acts of "moral turpitude". A driver is often entrusted with very valuable and inviting cargo. Theft, fraud, etc. are warning flags to a company hired to haul 500 gallons of liquor or $500,000 in plasma screen T.V.'s.
5. Tardiness.-- I trained with a driver on a dedicated fed-ex route. A service failure would result in a $10,000 penalty. That's how big a deal it can be to miss an appointment. In this economy, customers are NOT going to cut any slack where $ is involved.
6. "job hopping". Driver turnover is a constant and expensive problem in trucking. Many companies are notorious for being dirty and corrupt, so quitting may be justified, but there are also a lot of drivers who.... have an exaggerated opinion of how they should be treated.

All of this type of information is compiled by a company called "Hireright". Most companies use a service they offer called "Drive-a-check" (DAC)

 

guess it's a good thing i have done none of those things.......i think the list needs an update tho.i think you need to add to that companies that make up #### to black ball you just because they can.....

im pretty sure anyone with a brain should already know the why's of why you should'nt do those things...wait scratch that im pretty sure most don't these days cause most in america don't care about anything but themselfs these days.most can barely write there name these days wow what was i thinking lmao my bad.

 

How should drivers be treated? Should drivers be looked down upon based on their profession? Should drivers have to worry about their office team lying to them and not paying to them for work accomplished (mileage, sitting, waiting, wanting hometime without someone "forgetting", etc.)? I'm a firm believer of the golden rule. If I get respect I usually return respect. But once someone crosses the line, goodbye professionalism. Enough of this one-sided garbage. I've seen a driver get fired for talking back to someone at a shipper who was just as disrespectful. Two wrongs don't make a right, but for me there is neither time nor room for drivers to become spineless floormats.

In closing, "treat others the same way that you want to be treated". Most drivers want just that. What exaggerations have you witnessed out on the road from other drivers? I ask because I've never seen an issue with this.

Don't forget about worrying about a company "blackballing" you if you upset them. They can lie and put whatever crap they want on your driving record. Then, what can the driver do in retaliation besides spending money on a lawyer? This is also so one-sided it's not even funny. Never was.

*Edit*

To stay on topic, never abandon a truck. It doesn't matter if you want to continue to drive or not in life. Show your company that you're the better person by doing the responsible thing.