what can a driver do if his boss says drive a truck that will not pass a dot inspection

Yeah, driver, we need more info. I've fixed plenty of little things on company trucks, just for my own peace of mind.( and I even think I got an "attaboy" once) What's the issue?

 

So you're telling a driver--who is stating the truck is non-compliant--to drive said truck on the highway to a scale and have it inspected. Do you see the problem with this advice?

 

If your boss is demanding you drive a failing truck, one thing you can do is pull in to the first open weigh station you find, show them what you think is fail, and tell them you showed your boss but he said you should drive it anyway. Be like you are asking for help, like what your boss said didn't sound right so you want clarification whether or not it is really ok to drive. All fines go to the company.

 

Ahem, It wont be the first time oh look here scales are open. Whoops inspection time. Have at it. Start writing, Im more than happy to deliver the stack to the owner.

Tell me this, which is cheaper? Fix the truck or pay a stack of citations, tow or send repair to scalehouse? This is the one sentence that I used a couple of times in letting company know that truck needs fixing right and it will be much easier to fix it here at the yard shop than it is out there.

I have a habit of pushing the company. Ive been fired so many times that it does not bother me. You can kick a driver many times and if he or she does well, it wont hurt. Much.

 

And then he company's safety record goes through the roof and he loses important customers and you get less pay. People need to learn teamwork to get these situations resolved. If the boss isn't smart enough to realize the liability of running unsafe equipment, maybe start looking elsewhere, but have something lined up before you quit. The slow part of the year is coming up.

 

What do you suggest?

 

That's one of the reasons we don't hire anybody with less than three years experience. By the time they get to us they've usually made all the normal dumb rookie mistakes. Not always, but usually.
Most of our guys can diagnose and fix minor problems like lights, broken air lines, cammed over brakes...little stuff like that. The drivers all carry tools and some of them work in the shop when things are slow.
Every truck has a spare parts box with air fittings, air line splices, glad hand rubbers, tape, and electrical fittings.
We figure that they can tear up somebody else's equipment while they're learning and we'll benefit from their mistakes.
Yeah, I know...that's kind of a selfish attitude but it works for us.

 

Don't drive it

 

It worked for me.

Sunday was church in the shop, wrenching on the old Cabover with that awful 300 cummins. I learned many things which served me well all my life in that little shop. I taint certified mechanic anything but them old trucks, they were a joy to work on. And there was a little bit of... custodial ownership interest because some of your blood, tears and pain is part of the truck assigned to you.

ALL drivers should have basic tools and understanding how to handle the small stuff and be allowed a kindergarden sandbox in one end of the shop if they are inclined.

 

This might be a stupid question but I'll fire away anyway. How is a cammed over brake a minor issue? I thought it only occurred when the brakes were worn badly enough to allow it to go over, which means you probably needed a brake job months ago. Am I wrong?

In the interest of honesty, in five years of driving I've never personally seen brakes that cammed over.