Has anybody have any issues with drivers being charged with a preventable accident for hitting tree limbs! We have a brother who's on his third chargeable in the last 7 months 2 for hitting tree limbs making house delivery's which caused extensive damage to the trailer both times.They charged him with hitting an over head object.We try to argue the point that were peddling in residential neighborhood with 13'6 trailers,they said your the captain of the ship and if it's not safe don't do it! Now we have I.R. Involved and we're fighting for this mans job! We already filed on the letter he got for the first tree limb he hit.Any input would be appreciated.
ABF | Preventable Accident
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What is I.R. (industrial relations)? This could be a tough one but his job he shouldn't lose in the end...yet. This situation exemplifies the condition of our industry. They tell us to go there, they push us to go there and they give us :
: if we say we can't or won't and the assholes tell us we're not "professional" either way. It's a lose lose situation for us. Ultimately he hit a stationary object and like it or not you have to agree. These limbs must have been monsters, I have hit some pretty big ones and not done enough damage to get anyone's attention. But then I have seen a couple where it looked more like they hit a bridge than a tree and I do believe that letters being issued is standard procedure and that elusive contract that we supposedly have outlines the disciplinary procedures. With a little luck someone who has been through this will come along and tell you exactly what you can expect.Thanks for your input Brother! Industrial relations,Labor relations same :What is I.R. (industrial relations)? This could be a tough one but his job he shouldn't lose in the end...yet. This situation exemplifies the condition of our industry. They tell us to go there, they push us to go there and they give us ::
:! The T.m. Already has a hard on for this guy so he's looking to can him. Ain't happening! We will take it to the next level if we have to meaning arbitration.I'm hoping to get this guy off the street and onto a dock bid so he could be off the radar screen for a while.I'll find out Tommorow where we stand after the T.M.has his little pow wow with the labor man! Stay tuned.
In the meantime everyone at your barn should be refusing to do any delivery that even remotely looks like a twig could be harmed.Thanks for your input Brother! Industrial relations,Labor relations same ::
That started today!
D
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It is situations like this and others that makes me ask, "Is it really worth it? Is the risk worth the reward?". These days the reward for the jobs we do is diminishing while the risks are ever increasing and it does look like the word is getting out as finding newcomers to take the jobs is getting more difficult.
canaryinthemine
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I would hope that the entire barn stops, puts their four way flashers on, and gets out to measure any overhanging obstacle that is over the travelled portion of the road. As we all know, municipalities are strapped for cash for the last several years, and tree trimming over highways and roads seems to be the first item to go on the local budget. Are they relying on trucking companies to do it , at the expense of their equipment? I would go and measure and photo every tree he hit, and if there was discipline involved, I would contact a local attorney and have him meet with the township supervisor and describe how , if your driver loses his job due to that township's failure to maintain ALL FOUR CORNERS of the Right-of-Way,......top, bottom, and sides,...for legal equipment,........legal action may be started. Ask that township supervisor what same-height moving vans do in those areas?
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Someone is supposed to keep them cleared, whether it be the local highway dept or the resident. But I have never heard of anyone getting cited for failing to do so.
we get cited for camper in driveway, cars not being moved (inoperable), boats, lawns too high, cars parked in grass.. yep guess you could say, Tight A$% community.. but we keep trash out..
I would say they said it best, they have it out for this driver.. its hard to drive safely with your head out the window looking up, ask one of their ex-highway patrol safety men.
I would say they said it best, they have it out for this driver.. its hard to drive safely with your head out the window looking up, ask one of their ex-highway patrol safety men.
canaryinthemine
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As we all know,......Usual story...Someone else wasn't doing their job,...so the DRIVER takes all the blame,....Years ago we had a guy go on a construction detour, and almost had a temporary stoplight go through his windshield,....they had hung it so low.....Hey! ..Cars came through O.K....
screwy louiey
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Had an ABF brother hit a power line that was too low & knocked out the power for some 7,000 residents for three days. Made the news and showed the unit with the power line on top of trailer. company started to fired him but after the BA talked to the company it was reduced to an incident.
Problem I have with that brother the TM has a warm and fuzzy for, could it be he is trying to single him out. Is there are any records or notes regarding any previous employees who had similar situations what was the discipline issued. You'll be surprise what the past brings up.
I'm dealing with a similar situation also where we requested the company get a straight truck to make those residential deliveries and especially those limited access areas. For the very point you stated "running 13'6'' trailers thru residential areas is an accident waiting to happen. Make the point that without proper equipment to handle this new freight shipments being made on line and being delivered to the door step requires certain type of equipment to get the job done. Put it on management for not addressing this problem and make it their problem not the driver trying to perform his task they sent him to do.
Problem I have with that brother the TM has a warm and fuzzy for, could it be he is trying to single him out. Is there are any records or notes regarding any previous employees who had similar situations what was the discipline issued. You'll be surprise what the past brings up.
I'm dealing with a similar situation also where we requested the company get a straight truck to make those residential deliveries and especially those limited access areas. For the very point you stated "running 13'6'' trailers thru residential areas is an accident waiting to happen. Make the point that without proper equipment to handle this new freight shipments being made on line and being delivered to the door step requires certain type of equipment to get the job done. Put it on management for not addressing this problem and make it their problem not the driver trying to perform his task they sent him to do.
The jury is still out and have a meeting tomorrow morning with the T.M. Mean while I read the weekly Accident/injury report that ABF likes to post on the board in the drivers room.There was 5 incidents for striking a over head object. 1 bridge and 4 tree limbs. The bridge was found to be non-preventable which means its not chargeable. (Go figure) and 2 of the 4 trees hit were also non-preventable! One of the terminals listed was mine which is the man in question! Now my question is who in the Hell from Saftey and security makes these decisions with out seeing or hearing evidence of what really happened.Each terminal needs to have an accident review board of its own instead of some yahoo down in fort smith locked up in some cubicle!
My gosh, you have windows look up, just like a low bridge, get your driving skills together. take your time you are paid by the hour!!!!!
I was delivering sold trailers a while back. A buyer wanted one to a residential area. I asked him several times if there was anything in the way he repeatedly said no all I had to do was drive in, drop & he would open a gate & I wouldn't even have to back out. When I got there & started to pull off the street, there were limbs hanging but I couldn't back out on the street & backing would break the fairing. There was a wire that turned out to be a telephone line touching the windshield & limbs that would break the windshield. The buyer said he had a hand saw & a chainsaw that had to be sharpened but he had a chain file. I sharpened the chain & cut my way out. I made a pole out of a limb for the buyer to hold the line up to clear the fairing. He said he drove his pickup in & all the time & didn't have a problem & didn't think there would be a problem getting a 13' 6" trailer in.
D
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Unless we are on private property those power and utility lines are, by law, supposed to be at 14' minimum and nobody at our place has gotten any kind of write up for them. Sort of makes me believe that those limbs out in the highway should fall in the same category. Every spring when the trees sprout new growth and it rains the limbs are all lowered a foot or so and there are certain roads where we make a lot of noise just driving down them...crash, bang, boom. Really not much we can do.
A comment like that tells me that you are not one of us, if you were you'd know better.
And you didn't even get an 'attaboy' and your picture in the ByLines.
D
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Good luck in that meeting and I'm sure we'll hear how it goes.
Thanks Brother!
In a perfect world power lines & old overhead traffic lights would all be 14' or higher off the street. I know at least one town where the streets were resurfaced & nobody considered that the distance between the street & lights had changed. As ABFer said limbs do grow back over time. It's easy for people who have never driven a commercial vehicle to criticize those who do. Trailers have been rubbing low limbs forever, The curbside top trailer light is referred to as the limb light in the shop. If you look at any trailer you will see marks there from limbs. If warning letters were written for every time a trailer had the limb light knocked off the company would have to budget more for paper.
Everything turned out ok for the Brother.No discharge,no time off. We were able to keep him working on a dock bid to keep him off the street and get this bullshit behind him.He was happy with the deal so both sides agreed. He's lucky enough to have enough seniority to hold a dock bid other wise it would be a tough situation! Time to move forward. Thanks for all your input!