what happens when a driver refuses to haul unsafe load.

http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewAr...ack=.gmp_2045323.gde_2045323_member_110918826

 

That decision tosses out any common sense to me, but hey I am just a truck driver.

 

{Dr Jekyl} Yep, written up by the DOT, load shifted into cab. Drive it or go home. Then fired for going home. How is it not malice?

Sounds like someone was paid off. $100K is better than $200K.

So drivers go ahead and report these violations. Tie up five years of your life. Absolutely ridiculous ruling for someone trying to do the right thing and almost killed in the process.


{Mr Hyde} Then again it's the drivers responsibility to make sure the load is secure. You don't cry about it. You supervise and tell them how you want it done.

His own actions/lack of actions contributed to the problem. It was okay enough to drive it to get the tickets.

 

The reason why I posted this was, there are many who say if a load is not safe, do not haul it & there is no excuse to haul unsafe load. cause if you refuse d.o.t, state, court e.t.c. will back you up. well this proves trying to do what is right turned out to be wrong for this driver. he got punished, for what this whole c.s.a. thing is supposed to be about. Safety.

 

His biggest mistake was leaving the shipper with that load....Once you turn the key to the right and head out....You own it.....

Perhaps he would be better off being a "Door-Slammer"....
Flatbedding is for the Professionals......

 

I took it as this guy was trying to keep his job, while being safe at the same time. sooo many drivers do not drive 100 % legal. why? cause this industry is set up that way. running over on log's, keeping more than 1 log book, is just as unlawful as what this guy was doing, maybe. but for the same reason. how to please the boss & the customer, while doing what is right. if he just refused the load & another driver took the load & delivered it without incident, that would make the driver appear less credible. the tickets & the load shift proved this guy's point. so he was in a catch 22 haul it & take a chance, or get fired. I am not going to pile on this guy. if he has a family that count on him for food & shelter, he had a hell of a decision to make.

 

I wouldn't fire a driver who called me up to tell me he felt his load was unsafe....Before he took off from the shipper....

Lumber mills are notorious for sneaking on an extra lift as a "favor" for their customers.....(Come on...Everybody "knows" we can haul 55K on the wagon right?)
Construction companies like to ship lose crap in homemade crates from 1/4" plywood held together with 4d finishing nails.....

Just two examples of what I would refuse to haul.....

 

This isn't a business to be shy in, sometimes you have to ease your nose out to stop traffic so you can use all lanes to back into a place and sometimes you need to speak up and tell someone, "uh uh, that aint safe, fix it"...If you're at a shipper and feel they're doing something unsafe, CYA with your company by sending a QC message telling your company what's going on...Calls are nice, but something in writing(per se) is what will protect you...I know with my company as soon as you say "unsafe"(whether it be load, truck or trailer), you're covered and backed by company...And take pictures, most people can with their phones and if unable to do that, use your emergency camera, they're cheap and it's not like you're using the entire roll...

And as WCP said, DON'T LEAVE THE SHIPPER until the problem is corrected...Tying up their dock will, in many cases, get them to resolve issue quicker...

 

If a company fires you for refusing to run in an unsafe manner, you're better off without them.

 

Weather it is "legal" or not is only something you can decide. At the "end of the day" (and I hate that trite little phrase) only YOU have to get up, look in the mirror and face yourself. If you kill a family of 4 because you choose some money over what is right and safe, then YOU have to live with that, not me or anyone else. It's called ethics, something lacking in the trucking industry because everyone thinks, I'll just do it this time. And then "this time" becomes a way of doing things every day. And it ALWAYS catches up with you. Over the years I have refused more "favors", more "just help me out this one time will you ?" than you can count. More just "take it as it is, it'll be fine"...And, after 35 years, I have been proven right time after time. Has it cost me money and maybe a job or two ? Absolutely. But, do I get up in the morning and not want to look myself in the face ? No, not at all. If some company wants me to run unsafe equipment/logs/loads/etc, you just say NO. Your license is your ability to earn a living. A job, ANY "job" is only temporary. Sometimes, you just have to take a stand or nothing will ever improve.