A Hard Truth Realized
Topic 6498 | Page 2
First off, RT glad your son is doing OK. Prayers for you guys. Secondly, as was asked above, what would you do in this type scenario. Myself, anything involving my immediate family is way more important than any load out there. I'm driving straight home. I personally don't believe any officer in their right mind is going to say much if I get pulled into a weigh station and explain the situation if I'm out of hours or on break. Just my .02.
Really sorry to hear that... Keep up and all the best to your son.
Glad your son is recovering and going to be OK.
I know I'm going to get flamed, but here goes:
From a professional perspective, you CANNOT on your own authority abandon a load, drop the trailer, divert to a terminal , etc. You will likely be terminated. I understand the feelings - I spent 20 years in the military and went through several deaths and illnesses while overseas and/or deployed. Work within your system - escalating as appropriate - to get a resolution that gets you home AND preserves your job and license. Companies will blackball drivers that abandon loads.
As far as LEO - he's going to bust you if your are in violation. Family emergency is not a valid reason to break the law - no matter how strongly we feel about it!
YMMV! Handle these emergencies in a professional manner - not like a civilian - your CDL means your are a professional and will be held accountable.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Glad your son is recovering and going to be OK.
I know I'm going to get flamed, but here goes:
From a professional perspective, you CANNOT on your own authority abandon a load, drop the trailer, divert to a terminal , etc. You will likely be terminated. I understand the feelings - I spent 20 years in the military and went through several deaths and illnesses while overseas and/or deployed. Work within your system - escalating as appropriate - to get a resolution that gets you home AND preserves your job and license. Companies will blackball drivers that abandon loads.
As far as LEO - he's going to bust you if your are in violation. Family emergency is not a valid reason to break the law - no matter how strongly we feel about it!
YMMV! Handle these emergencies in a professional manner - not like a civilian - your CDL means your are a professional and will be held accountable.
I'll be the first to say, if anyone flames you for that advice, then they've got problems. Lol. An excellent reply!
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
God Bless You & Your Family RT!!!!
Sorry you had to go through that sir. I don't know how it feels exactly but it's never easy when you want to help but are so helpless.
My wife's grandpa almost died one night and she was devastated. I felt so awful for not being able to comfort her, definitely one of my most emotional nights.
I hope things will get better for you!
Thanks again for all the prayers and responses. I just got back from spending the evening with him and he will be fine. He is still hard headed and goofy like his father. I found out from the girls that he got out of the car right after the hit and pulled the driver out, had seen that the other girl got out then went and checked on the driver of the car that hit them. Then the adrenaline wore off and down he went. It makes me so proud to hear that he put others before himself in a situation where no one would have thought any different if he didn`t.
In response to the different scenarios that can happen in a family emergency for us drivers, I honestly can not say what would have happened if any part was different. I am a professional which means I will think through as many different possibilities as I can with respect to the company I am with. Like I said earlier, I know for a fact that my FM would have gotten me home no matter what. There was a question and answer that came up during my OTL training that immediately came to mind when I got the news: What would happen if we are in the middle of a run and there is a family emergency? The answer was one example of what has already happened: (paraphrased) We told the driver to let us know where is, and, to park the truck at the nearest rest area/truck stop. We sent a taxi there as soon as possible to take him to the airport and we flew him home. I know this is true because I talked to the driver they did this for.
This is the only company I have worked for so I don`t know how others assist their drivers when this comes up.
Fm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
yself, anything involving my immediate family is way more important than any load out there. I'm driving straight home. I personally don't believe any officer in their right mind is going to say much if I get pulled into a weigh station and explain the situation if I'm out of hours or on break. Just my .02.
Of course family is more important than any load, but this is not the way to handle that kind of situation. It doesn't help the world if you get in a wreck and kill someone's family trying to get home to tend to yours. So the idea that "laws be damned" and "the DOT will understand" is not the right approach to take.
This is....
From a professional perspective, you CANNOT on your own authority abandon a load, drop the trailer, divert to a terminal , etc. You will likely be terminated. I understand the feelings - I spent 20 years in the military and went through several deaths and illnesses while overseas and/or deployed. Work within your system - escalating as appropriate - to get a resolution that gets you home AND preserves your job and license. Companies will blackball drivers that abandon loads.
As far as LEO - he's going to bust you if your are in violation. Family emergency is not a valid reason to break the law - no matter how strongly we feel about it!
YMMV! Handle these emergencies in a professional manner - not like a civilian - your CDL means your are a professional and will be held accountable.
...well said.
Anytime you're facing a challenge of any sort you have to be aware of the decisions you're making, most importantly whether or not you're about to make things even worse. In an emergency your company will work with you to get you home. If need be they'll let you park the truck somewhere and catch a cab to the airport. That way you'll get home quickly, you're not going to endanger anyone else, you won't break any laws, and you won't lose your job.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Great info concerning situations that could, and most likely will, affect a lot of drivers. My thoughts at this point are to discuss this with your company ahead of time. Then you will know what options are available for the level of assistance you need and the proper procedures for getting help. "Be prepared" is more than a motto for the Boy Scouts its real life.
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RT sorry to hear the news. Take care, keep us posted on his recovery.