Well I Sort Of Confronted My Supervisor

Just an update on my situation, some of you may remember I asked for advice about what what my next move/ play would be concerning the suspected lies my supervisor had lead me to believe. In short; during my training for class A road test on 2 occasions he said the plan was to move me up and demote one driver because of reckless driving. However, this didn’t pan out as the new trucks starting arriving.

Some of you suggested I not be confrontational but definitely approach my supervisor and see what was going on. So on Tuesday I did just that and struck up a conversation with him and in the middle just simply asked; Ok now that I have passed my road test and fully licensed class A driver when is the plan to move me up? Obviously caught off guard he simply said, I don’t know when that will happen. I brushed it off and continued to conversation as if it didn’t bother me. In reality it did. So for the next couple of days I pondered real hard on what to do next so on Friday evening I decided to try one more time. I roll into the terminal at around 4 pm only to find that he had left for the weekend.

So instead of letting me get frustrated and ruining my weekend off I decided to approach his boss, the owner of the company, and ask her because since from the beginning of my training he said she was on board with the move and transition. I asked her and she said; This is the first I have ever heard of this. I laughed and said; I thought he had been lying to me all along. Long story short, we discussed what all was said between me and my supervisor during my training and she said, Don’t worry about this during the weekend and when you return Monday evening we will confront the supervisor together and get this done. I informed her that I had another job opportunity, which I do and not lying or bluffing, and she assured me that this would be taken care next week.

Now my stomach is churning and in knots because the supervisor in question is a good friend. I’m afraid he may be fired or demoted himself back to a driver because another driver also approached the owner about lies he had told them. So any suggestions or advice as Monday approaches? So for the long post!

If this supervisor is truly a good friend of yours, should he not have been upfront with you before next week?

Brian, did the company owner actually use the word "confront" when saying everybody would get together next week? That does not sound like how most owners would approach things. More than likely, she will take a NON-CONFRONTATIONAL approach because she wants to keep everybody happy.

As PackRat pointed out, if your supervisor is really your friend, he should be happy to see you advance. If not, then maybe you need to re-evaluate who you consider to be a friend.

Now my stomach is churning and in knots because the supervisor in question is a good friend.

Are your sure about that? Your gut is telling you otherwise. Listen to it.

There must be mutual trust between friends. If everything you stated is true, your so-called friend betrayed your trust. If you are moved-up, will this same person be your direct supervisor? If so, your relationship is likely compromised.

I’d keep other options at this point...it may not end well or the way you think it should. Your supervisor/friend had a reason for lying to you... Without knowing the true motivation for that, the outcome is questionable.

Good luck.

Welcome to trucking. plans get changed, miscommunications happen..sometimes well meaning people take on decisions to help you and issues then arise. Someone in dispatch once made a decision regarding me and then i was asked who granted me permission to do that. i didnt want to rat him out, but everything was in writing in my qualcomm , so it would be easy to discover.

It is possible your friend wanted to do as he said but things happened and he hadnt the guts to tell a friend. it may not have been a lie but wishful thinking.

Now we have several things to look forward to next week. Be sure to stay tuned to find out: What will be Jamie's fate when he returns to the terminal for the long awaited secret news? And what will happen to Brian when the company owner has to decide who lives and who dies? Who will be left standing when all the smoke clears? Don't miss a single episode of "Survivor: Trucking Truth Island"

Now we have several things to look forward to next week. Be sure to stay tuned to find out: What will be Jamie's fate when he returns to the terminal for the long awaited secret news? And what will happen to Brian when the company owner has to decide who lives and who dies? Who will be left standing when all the smoke clears? Don't miss a single episode of "Survivor: Trucking Truth Island"

Now my stomach is churning and in knots because the supervisor in question is a good friend. I’m afraid he may be fired or demoted himself back to a driver because another driver also approached the owner about lies he had told them.

Wow. Your definition of "good friend" is certainly different than mine. My advice? Go with the plan made by your/ his boss. You need to look out for yourself in this world. You put in the effort for the promotion, you deserve it. HIS consequences for HIS actions are HIS problem, not yours. Does he consider you a good friend? I believe you'll find out on Monday!

If you think your friendship is in jeopardy over this you can always lead the conversation between you, your supervisor, and your manager toward "a misunderstanding" or "miscommunication". That way it doesn't make it appear as if you are calling your friend a liar.

First of all let me thank everyone for the advice and wisdom your shared. Yes, in my opinion, I considered him a good friend and thought he felt the same but obviously I could be mistaken.

If for some reason I do advance and start driving a tractor for this company he will still be my supervisor unless he gets mad and resigns, or gets fired, and even demoted himself. If he stays as supervisor I realize I will be under the microscope and every move I do will be examined very closely and scrunizied. Perhaps to the point of seeing if he can get me fired for any reason.

Confront perhaps was not the best choice of words I used. After speaking to her I said I would speak with him on Monday and that’s when she said, No, we will do it together. There are two sides to every story and perhaps she wants to get his version and thoughts about this situation.

I do know however part of the reason for his hesitation in not wanting to “demote” this other driver. This gentlemen has been given every chance in every field at this company. He once drove years ago and was pulled off because customers called in complaining about him and his driving. He was even caught doing doughnuts in a straight truck in one’s lot. This gentleman gives the impression that many said would be someone who would shoot up the place if he ever was fired. My supervisor told me one day while out training that and I quote; I am going to try and be friends with “name” because I want him to remember me as a friend if he ever does something.

And props goes to you, Bruce K. That’s was an awesome intro into the wild and wonderful life of trucking! Thanks again!