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FedEx Freight | Overweight on City Routes

skippy

skippy

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Quick question guys. What should a city driver do when he is overweight? I have been overweight 3 times in three weeks, but I get told I am just creating a problem. I was 7640 over on my drive axle yesterday. The trailer had 26K of freight in the first 18 feet of trailer, and only 4k in the last 30 feet! I have talked to my terminal mgr, but no solution there. What is my next step? :chairshot:
 
As long as they cover the possible fines, roll with it. It's against the law for them to punish you in any way for refusing to violate a federal regulation (being overweight) but they will make you miserable and it'll be up to you to prove they are retaliating for refusing to go overweight. Good luck.

One thing to think about, even if they pay the fines, you still get points against your safety rating. You just have to figure out if this is a battle you want to fight or not.
 
We pull overweights every day out of some of our customers. The bosses don't worry about it asking as nothing happens.
 
don't get in an accident, if you do, and you are at fault while overweight, the company will likely fire you. If someone is seriously hurt and they have a good lawyer, you could see jail time. point being, is it really worth taking this risk for the company? Call safety!!!
 
I used to have that problem being a line driver/road driver way back when . I started bringing in my log book for them to sign OK to leave overweight ... funny ... never once got them to sign it ..or leave overweight that way :stir:

Remember ..even if they sign it, which they will not ..its your baby on a ticket.

It would be best to just call safety ... and ask them how to handle it. :thumbsup:

:poke: get ready for all the hand and 2 wheeler freight ... the mall route
 
I had the same problem the other day. I wasn't that much overweight, but like you said the points and this new csa thing coming out is going to have to put a stop to this kind of thing. The driver gets the points on his record for a long time and the company just pays the fine and is ok. Something ain't right there! I'd have to say its cya because of csa! I thought the same thing call safety and well get ready for the mall and hand freight and anything else crappy they can throw at you. There should be a company points system instead of a driver points system, but I guess they want to get rid of most of us American drivers anyways and let some illegal aliens come in and take over for half the pay! Fubar!
 
[quote author=cwnut link=topic=81478.msg840756#msg840756 date=1277582952]
There should be a company points system instead of a driver points system,
[/quote]

Actually there is. The company will get points too. The reason the DOT went to the CSA system is because the driver is at the front of most of the violations. I think they are hoping we will put a stop to the violations if we have a vested interest in it.
 
[quote author=zathlon link=topic=81478.msg840740#msg840740 date=1277580114]
don't get in an accident, if you do, and you are at fault while overweight, the company will likely fire you. If someone is seriously hurt and they have a good lawyer, you could see jail time. point being, is it really worth taking this risk for the company? Call safety!!!
[/quote]

This is exactly what my argument is. If I get into an accident and there is a fatality, I would be charged with vehicular manslaughter. If I am overweight, the charge would be increased to aggravated vehiclular manslaughter and would probably involve some prison time because of my negligence.

It is a much more serious offense than the company wants you to believe.
 
go up the ladder with your problem. that don't happen at our barn, it gets reloaded, no questions asked. that should be on the route planner and loader to get it right. 7k is not acceptable!!
 
Not sure of who is correct,or not correct here guys,but skippy,you are probably close.If you knowingly take a unit out on the street,either with say safety defects to the truck,or trailer,or overweight,and get involved in any type accident,you just violated Federal law,and no matter who is at fault,the lawyers will probably find out,and guess who will be held responsible,along with the company.Not sure what your pre-trip forms look like,but ours states that you have inspected the unit,and found no defects,or found defects.Don't try to be the hero.You end up looking stupid.
 
Running overweight on the drive axle with a 48 footer and single axle tractor happens a lot more than we and the DOT knows. I did it a LOT at CF. Running around town or around the scales with 42,000 in a trailer at night pulled by a single drive tractor is hard to spot.. But I would'nt leave the terminal on a peddle run during the day knowing I'm over on the drive axle. The dock people need to know how to load the trailer for a single axle tractor.
 
This is the bullsh*t they have pulled for years. Oh we do it all the time, there are no scales, everyone else does it. Well you are the best as long as nothing goes wrong, but you can bet they will pull out the old rule book when something goes wrong. Look your honor it states right here in our policy handbook that drivers will follow all laws. So be a company :buttkisser: and haul it for them and hope nothing goes wrong. But if it does remember you kill someone being over weight you go to jailand get a boyfriend named bubba, they pay a fine and go home to their family. Don't do it and if they try to force you call your state police and tell them what is going on, that will fix their ass. They do have the wistle blower law to protect you. This topic has always pissed me off! :rant:
 
[quote author=skippy link=topic=81478.msg840727#msg840727 date=1277577249]
Quick question guys. What should a city driver do when he is overweight? I have been overweight 3 times in three weeks, but I get told I am just creating a problem. I was 7640 over on my drive axle yesterday. The trailer had 26K of freight in the first 18 feet of trailer, and only 4k in the last 30 feet! I have talked to my terminal mgr, but no solution there. What is my next step? :chairshot:
[/quote]

Read your post again. The manager knows he is sending overweight vehicles out on the road? And won't do anything about it. Take a picture of the scale readout the next time your over on the drive axle and go in and show the manager. At least you have proof.
 
[quote author=Barney link=topic=81478.msg840912#msg840912 date=1277608033]
[quote author=skippy link=topic=81478.msg840727#msg840727 date=1277577249]
Quick question guys. What should a city driver do when he is overweight? I have been overweight 3 times in three weeks, but I get told I am just creating a problem. I was 7640 over on my drive axle yesterday. The trailer had 26K of freight in the first 18 feet of trailer, and only 4k in the last 30 feet! I have talked to my terminal mgr, but no solution there. What is my next step? :chairshot:
[/quote]

Read your post again. The manager knows he is sending overweight vehicles out on the road? And won't do anything about it. Take a picture of the scale readout the next time your over on the drive axle and go in and show the manager. At least you have proof.
[/quote]

Get a print out of the scale ticket ... if your scale service center has one or go to the truckstop and pay 9 bucks to prove a point ... documentation is the key in a situation like this
 
sometimes it's pretty odvious anyway, like when you have 13 bills on the trl and the idiot that set it up puts 6 totes as your last stop, so you got 15000 on the nose. The only way they seem to learn is to have to redo it over and over again missing his close time.
 
We have customers that load 50,000 lbs of paper and another that loads and double stacks hazmat at 60,000 lbs plus. The bosses know it, the customers have been told not to do it but when it comes down to it they are not willing to lose a customer like they are a driver.
 
I remember a time when one of our city drivers crossed the scales over axle and over tag.
The trailers sat until reworked right on the spot, and the truck did not move until retagged from 54,000 to 80,000
:shift:

funny thing ... I know of 3 other times he got nailed at the scales .... hmmmmmmmm.... he doesn't run a route that goes across the scales anymore. ...I just wonder WHO learned there lesson.
 
Your management team sucks if they won't help you be legal. The men I work for would help me out. Demand a scale in your yard I did and we got it !
 
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