The driver or the owner?
Who Determines when/where Truck Empty moves to and Goes out of Service?
- Thread starter T270_Dreamin
- Start date
Depends on the contract and relationship between the owner and driver, but generally those are driver decisions. Sometimes an owner's advice on where to move is good advice, indeed. If the owner is paying for fuel, then the owner should have a considerable say in that.
But when you go in and out of service, that should be a 100-percent non-negotiable decision of the driver. If the driver isn't physically or mentally able to safely operate the vehicle, for whatever reason, that's the driver's call, no one else's.
But when you go in and out of service, that should be a 100-percent non-negotiable decision of the driver. If the driver isn't physically or mentally able to safely operate the vehicle, for whatever reason, that's the driver's call, no one else's.
ebsprintin
Veteran Expediter
that being said an owner may not care to see a truck trying to layover in boise, idaho every weekend. an owner is usually expecting productivity from the vehicles they own.
Absolutely. Just because the decision is the driver's doesn't mean the owner has to keep an unproductive driver. If you want to drive and be unproductive, get your own truck.
Two examples: What if the driver wants a 4 day weekend? Course lotta drivers are scard to stay in service when they don't want to go beyond 200 miles from home when running for the cat because of the refusal policies.
A 4 day weekend doesn't bother me from time to time but when the driver is always complaining about being broke I like to stay in service and keep opportunity alive and active to work towards getting some $ in the drivers pocket so they are more happy and generally when money is in the drivers pocket they are move respectful and in a better mood is what I've noticed.
Also what if a driver wants to empty move 2500 miles and the owner wants the driver to wait but the driver takes off regardless because driver had a empty move authorized?
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I don't think a four day weekend is anything unusual unless they are doing it every weekend. With that said, a 2500 mile deadhead is quite a bit. Some of it would depend I guess on who is paying the fuel but there is still a pretty good cost for both parties. In my case, I would broker something at that distance. Have to remember, it is a partnership.
There's my penny in the pond.
There's my penny in the pond.
Good way to look at it, thanks Dave! We're all on the same team is what a driver told me once.
Thats rite, we are all on the same team. You do have to be workable as as an owner but we also have to keep costs in mind. Most of the issues are pretty resolvable. Most of the time they are non issues cause the drivers know what is expected of them and good drivers automatically do it. Good drivers get special consideration on things and other things are cut and dry. For the most part, unless sick or something else pertinent to safety, a driver should be in service after their 10 hr break till they finish their next load. That cycle repeats itself till their home time or until a need for something arises. We require our drivers to let us know about any unplanned OOS. We also require them to notify us of any non revenue making dead head that is more than normal after a load and all empty moves are done through us. Either we will ask for it on our own or the driver will ask us and we will ask dispatch but at no time do our drivers ever just dead head without notifying us. its a policy we have but our drivers are really respectful and understand the cost involved. Since we pay for fuel our drivers do a very good job of keeping fuel costs low. They are self sufficient, they dont run all over the place when empty and plan there needs accordingly to stay productive.
We consider ourselves very lucky, we have 3 fantastic, thoughtful drivers !!!!!!!!!!
We consider ourselves very lucky, we have 3 fantastic, thoughtful drivers !!!!!!!!!!
Thats fine if you are an O/O but a fleet owner cant have drivers only available 3 or 4 days a week.
Especially with a Cargo Van/Sprinter. We strive to do 1500 miles a week. If its 1200 one week and 1800 the next it all averages itself out in the end. If we were to lower our expectations the driver couldn't make it.