truckingBORED
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I’m not letting a voice from Arkansas “force” me to do anything…
FedEx Freight | Road Driver Questions
- Thread starter Streaker69
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Streaker69
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I hear ya and normally that'd be my move, but it's Friday and I'm losing money on the holiday so I did it. I didn't care for the tone, though. I ended the day with 702 miles, 3 hooks, 4 drops, 1 tractor only and an hour delay. A 15 hour day.
Steward of the Rock
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It‘s not the “voice” you have to worry about in Arkansas. It’s when you hear the dueling banjo’s in the background. Then, it is time to start worrying. “Force” takes on a whole new meaning at that point.
Legally, one cannot be forced to use their short haul exemption.
Streaker69
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It‘s not the “voice” you have to worry about in Arkansas. It’s when you hear the dueling banjo’s in the background. Then, it is time to start worrying. “Force” takes on a whole new meaning at that point.
I guess I'm buying a banjo on Friday. It'll be like when Homer joined the stonecutters, but instead of a handshake, I'll pluck some strings.
Streaker69
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That's what I figured. They viad me to the wrong drop yard. I got there and the trailer I needed wasn't there. I called and they insisted it was there so they called the driver that left it. They added him to the call and as he's describing where he left it I cut him off to tell Central they sent me to the wrong place. I told them I didn't have the hours to back track 30 miles and some supervisor insisted I had to go back because that freight had to get there. I almost got myself fired because my inner hood almost came out. I almost said "this retarded "female dog' has me all the way 'fudged' up".
1984Sideways
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So you are out of hours. Trailer is 30 miles away, you can go get it tomorrow.
They can always fire you. Document everything. Who, what. why, how and when etc. Bring your logs.
File against the company when you get home. You will have your unemployment.
If there was any firing to be done it will be the nutter in dispatch that sent you to the wrong spot and wasted precious company resources and time creating more problems taking people away from the business of rolling trailers.
They can always fire you. Document everything. Who, what. why, how and when etc. Bring your logs.
File against the company when you get home. You will have your unemployment.
If there was any firing to be done it will be the nutter in dispatch that sent you to the wrong spot and wasted precious company resources and time creating more problems taking people away from the business of rolling trailers.
Streaker69
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I'll pass on unemployment. 450/week isn't going to help me.
Trailer was 324 miles away from it needed to be, 30 miles from where they said it would be.
Their logistical errors and negligence created the errors. It was a hassle, but I don't mind too much because I get paid for everything.
My question was more for future reference because it didn't sit right with me that they tried to force me to do it. I would've done it if they would've said "we messed up, can you do this because if not it'll be a cluster". Cool. But don't say "supervisor said go get it and use your extension or get rescued". We're not doing that.
1984Sideways
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I understand the principal of being told to go fetch something over your working hours and told how to do it like a child. Thats not you. I understand that the trailer is a long way away and not where its supposed to be to boot.
Thats a problem for another day. IF the company has a room full of drivers at the yard who have plenty of hours complaining of no work they can dog whistle one of them into a tractor at the shop to go fetch the blessed trailer. But no. They are for whatever reason focused on you.
If you are living a lifestyle that 450 is not enough money and you must have twice that or more each week to take care of everything, then you are working too damn hard at something that will eventually fail and see you fired.
When I was driving my entire possessions fit into one briefcase and one suitcase. I still have that exact suitcase to this day somewhere ready to go after my school days of the dormitory.
My money needs is x number of dollars a month to pay whatever in trucking. A bowl of chili three times a week and a couple of jugs of iced tea was plenty in lean times. There was no house to speak of, forget raising a family and so on. Dont even keep a formal girlfriend or wife who demands whatever you make that week. That ***** expensive.
You could be fired for anything at any time in trucking, disposed of. YOU dont matter.
When I hear Drivers say that 450 is not enough in unemployment as you have said then there is your problem. You are trapped in the current work and the company probably knows it now. You will use the exemption on paper to go get that trailer because they told you to go fetch it.
And maybe your bosses fire you for getting caught. The fact that you are caught doing something they told you to do does not matter because no one in the management will admit to that. It didnt happen.
You are disposable Driver.
Now... I applaud the idea of not doing this. Wonderful bravo. But be careful. That may be the hill you die on. The next driver hired to replace you will go yes suh. and go fetch the trailer.
My position has been very simple. Whenever Boss in trucking company orders me to go do something I know is not legal, lawful or "Right" I simply say no.
The little word "No" has been a powerful one when applied correctly.
As a temp years ago I used to be told to fix something right now that they didnt do. I tell them its not my problem. They hate that.
Thats a problem for another day. IF the company has a room full of drivers at the yard who have plenty of hours complaining of no work they can dog whistle one of them into a tractor at the shop to go fetch the blessed trailer. But no. They are for whatever reason focused on you.
If you are living a lifestyle that 450 is not enough money and you must have twice that or more each week to take care of everything, then you are working too damn hard at something that will eventually fail and see you fired.
When I was driving my entire possessions fit into one briefcase and one suitcase. I still have that exact suitcase to this day somewhere ready to go after my school days of the dormitory.
My money needs is x number of dollars a month to pay whatever in trucking. A bowl of chili three times a week and a couple of jugs of iced tea was plenty in lean times. There was no house to speak of, forget raising a family and so on. Dont even keep a formal girlfriend or wife who demands whatever you make that week. That ***** expensive.
You could be fired for anything at any time in trucking, disposed of. YOU dont matter.
When I hear Drivers say that 450 is not enough in unemployment as you have said then there is your problem. You are trapped in the current work and the company probably knows it now. You will use the exemption on paper to go get that trailer because they told you to go fetch it.
And maybe your bosses fire you for getting caught. The fact that you are caught doing something they told you to do does not matter because no one in the management will admit to that. It didnt happen.
You are disposable Driver.
Now... I applaud the idea of not doing this. Wonderful bravo. But be careful. That may be the hill you die on. The next driver hired to replace you will go yes suh. and go fetch the trailer.
My position has been very simple. Whenever Boss in trucking company orders me to go do something I know is not legal, lawful or "Right" I simply say no.
The little word "No" has been a powerful one when applied correctly.
As a temp years ago I used to be told to fix something right now that they didnt do. I tell them its not my problem. They hate that.
Streaker69
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I have a family. 450 a week is not enough to survive today. My lifestyle is what it needs to be for my family to be comfortable. A lot of what I do is to ensure that I can retire sooner rather than later and it's very calculated. Please do not make assumptions about my personal life. I understand that you get your jollies telling war stories nobody else will listen to, but please avoid discussing my life and what I need to do.
He has a point. Per one of your earlier posts, you were willing to do the questionable due partially to holiday pay. And that’s fine for you I suppose. Make no mistake Driver, Central has found themselves a new one. Good luck.
Streaker69
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I keep a balanced budget. Making 200 dollars less for a week throws that off. That does not mean I'm living an extravagant life or that missing that I will feel losing that money. I don't have any toys and I get new clothes at the end of May when it's time to burn my uniform allowance.
I am not the government. I account for everything and at the end of the month the numbers need to be what I need them to be.
As for central, I've told them no plenty of times because the via they put on me wasn't profitable enough for the time invested. This was a different scenario and my question stemmed from demands being made of me.
I get what you are saying.... you have bills, but you also want to pay yourself every check a certain amount for your retirement...... smart move driver....
They cannot force you to do something beyond your available hours. When talking to the entry level employee in Harrison, who knows not thing one about any of the thousands of rules WE all have to follow, insist on speaking to a Mgr. When said dikweed gets back on the line and says the Mgr just confirmed what he/she just told you. Mention that besides not knowing the regs they must also be hearing impaired. I want to speak to a Mgr. If you can't put him on,I can't move. All these conversations are recorded, no Mgr is going to direct order you to run out of hours. The worst part of the whole system. You know what you can or can't do plan accordingly. Include those morons in only when you're done or past the point of no return. Just fyi, the only skill those nitwits are required to have upon hiring are computer skills. For about 25k a year. Hence their complete lack of knowledge about everything from rules to just simple geography. Shame on them this time driver, but if you let it happen again, then that would be shame on you. Put up with nothing from those bots.
1984Sideways
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There is no jollies gotten.
No assumptions made. Your words, 450 unemployment is not enough. Therefore you are not free from wahtever is costing you more than that.
My story here is simply this. YOU are to go get that trailer if you want to keep your job. If you quit or otherwise refuse to on a workaround you wont do to go get it when told to... well...
That lifestyle will be at risk.
Driving is the most dangerous situation to be in around the USA. You can plan for retirement in the future and all the things and so on. Leave out of the yard one day and 10 miles later clobber that rig into the wall or some other object and lose your life or kill a family or get maimed to where you must have 24/7 care.
Or trip over something on the dock and end up with 20,000 dollars in trauma billing etc.
Ive lived it, Ive seen it happen. Ive seen people crushed, killed or otherwise ruined in a variety of ways and MANY have families, children, houses, boats and so on.
The worst things happen to drivers who are hauled off in cuffs. Now they have a problem and no one to help them for the time being and its just got very expensive.
Assumptions No. Real world from what I have seen other drivers ruined by a moment when something comes up and takes away all of that future.
When I started driving school so many years ago, I made one important decision. Its me only. No one else. And I kept that always.
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1984Sideways
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Yes indeed.
If you are out of hours per DOT Regulations... Manager cannot tell you to do :
:.What part of out of hours do they not understand?
But exemptions...
Bullshittery.
Out. Of Hours. You go enjoy the rest of the day Mr Driver, you put in a good days work.
In Railroading I think the train crew has 16 hours to get from A to B. IF the 15th hour and 59 seconds that choo choo needs to be brakes on, train stopped in a safe spot and idling.
Managment knows the crew is finished. There is a dog catcher coming to fetch them.
Its not going another inch until the original crew is rested.
There is usually another crew legally rested on the way to get the train rolling. That :
: is too valuable to leave sitting.In the old 10 hour logging, I had one perfect load in my lifetime. Including pretrip, post trip etc. It was out of Seabrook NH to Baltimore Travel Plaza in Maryland. I pulled the red and yellow buttons on the dash 9 minutes to the 10th hour. Perfect on paper logs back then. Even with the traffic all the way down 95, toll tickets and so on. All of that mess.
I still have that page on the shelf back home somewhere as a example of what is possible when the bosses leave me alone to just do my 10 hours without pestering me to break the law.
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GirthQuake
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We need a 150 character limit on posts.