Lied to over and over and over and over and over

[greg334]

OK if that's the case, it is the dispatchers problem, not mine. If it was my contract, then I would understand that but to ask for details outside "I have icy conditions and I am parking" is all I should have to explain.

 

[Turtle]

Of all the big carriers, I've never heard of there being a problem with a driver not wanting to risk driving in unsafe conditions, even if another driver made it OK over the same roads. The fact that another driver made it safely on the same roads, in a different truck at a different time with different weights and different tires and different all kinds of things is irrelevant. If a dispatcher tells a driver to keep going after the driver says it is unsafe, then the dispatcher and the carrier immediately take on a serious chunk of liability if anything were to happen, whether they realize it or not.

Every time I've talked with dispatch and mentioned bad driving conditions, the response I get is generally along the lines of, "If you feel it is unsafe to continue, do not hesitate to pull over until conditions improve. If you don't think you can make it, don't try."

I've driven in bad weather and pulled off to get fuel, and come across other drivers from my carrier who were parked there waiting for better conditions. Happened just a couple of weeks ago. Even though I continued, those drivers felt it wasn't safe, for them, to continue, and the carrier didn't have a problem with that.

Just because one driver is comfortable driving in certain conditions doesn't mean another driver will be, or even should be, comfortable in the same conditions. No one should ever feel pressured to drive in conditions in which they are not comfortable.

 

[Crazynuff]

Turtle,to some of these guys that live in the north west,the storms we get around here aren't that bad.I don't wrory to much about snow,but Ice will put me in the motel.You can control your truck,but not the guy that gets out of control and runs into you.Never use someone elses road report,just keep an eye on the weather and adjust for it.

Worry about the other guy is more relevant now than ever . I've never had an incident related to poor driving conditions . I determine whether to go on in varying conditions depending on my abilities and confidence of the abilities of the other drivers on the road .
The past couple of years I park much sooner because I have no confidence in the abilities of the growing numbers of inexperienced drivers .
More and more older carriers go out of business and private fleets disappear as companies turn their freight over to the megacarriers .
I sat in the Customs parking lot at Sarnia 2 days last month because I heeded the warnings of westbound truckers advising drivers to park if they had the chance .
I saw drivers on tv that had been forced to get in a helicopter and abandon their stranded truck . One said " I knew I could make it but somebody ahead of me got stuck " . Exactly .
You can be the best driver in the world but if you're six miles from an exit and somebody 3 miles ahead wrecks and blocks the highway you're stuck .

 

[layoutshooter]

WE decide for OUR TRUCK when it is safe or unsafe to drive. WE determine our risk based on what WE are willing to accept. It does not matter if another truck is willing to run when we are not. It is OUR truck and OUR lives. NO LOAD is worth damage or loss to either IF it can be avoided.

 

[purgoose10]

That will show me that the company doesn't want to professionals in control of the cargo, just people who don't care but will do the job no matter what. When there is an issue with weather, if the driver doesn't feel right about driving, then the driver should not have a hesitation to say "I don't trust the roads, I'm parking". And if there is retaliation by the company, then it can be a bit of a legal issue because they now made you an employee.

That's very good advise. After 40yrs of trucking I have learned one valuable lesson. If it's bad for one driver it's not so bad to the next. One inch of snow might seem like 1 foot to a rookie, to each his own. I don't listen to CB reports about weather, only if the roads closed. Like Elk Mountain Wy. If its closed go around on the river road and you will get through. I guess that's experience though.