We received this question through our site.
My husband is a trucker who was told at his new job, “Go see what you can scrounge up” regarding trying to find a working truck and trailer amidst the junk on the yard with which to work.
To my way of thinking, this sentiment summarizes attitudes about
- the drivers (who have been treated disrespectfully);
- the equipment (which has not been maintained, repaired or replaced as needed);
- the customers (who have often been inconvenienced by loads that arrived late due to equipment breakdowns); and
- ultimately the company itself (which is gaining a bad reputation for its unreliability and continual driver turnover).
My husband had 1 delay and 3 breakdowns within one week which cost him a total of 15.5 hours of drive and delivery time.
One unloading situation caused him to have to do clean-up work twice because the equipment is failing.
Should he keep working there?
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Response from Vicki:
Thanks for asking a question about this part of truck operations on our site.
First of all, please let me say that I am sorry that your husband has faced a situation like this.
This is not only distressing to him but to you.
Your husband is fortunate to have a caring home support team member to want to do right thing by him and the reasonable thing by his employer.
Based on the scenario that you as a trucker’s wife have provided, I’m going to ask you some questions:
- How long has the situation above been going on?
- How long is it likely to continue?
- Has your trucker husband experienced any “bait and switch” situations since starting to work there?
- Has your husband ever felt unsafe working there?
- Has he expressed his concerns to management?
- If he has expressed his concerns to management, how have they been received?
- Can your husband find another job quickly?
Please refer to these pages of our site for more insight:
Your husband
- should never be placed in harm’s way on the job;
- must never drive — let alone be asked to drive — unsafe equipment;
- should not have to put up with an excessive number of breakdowns which harm his ability to earn money; and
- should never work for a company where he as a person and his credentials as a professional truck driver are disrespected.
There are plenty of trucking companies from which to choose.
Be sure to ask recruiters the right questions.
I wish you and your husband great harmony on this matter and hope that he successfully finds a truck driving job that is worthy of him.
Please let me know how this goes for you.
In the meantime, I wish your husband safe travels and lots of money saving opportunities on the road.
Best regards,
Vicki Simons
https://truck-drivers-money-saving-tips.com/
Note: This article — which was originally written and published on July 8, 2015, by Vicki Simons — was updated slightly in 2018.
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