Now, I REALLY Don't Know What To Do ...

Long story short: I was put on the dock by the terminal manager/corporate until I could be re-road-tested due to a minor, preventable accident. I started immediately, that day, on the dock and then was told by the dock manager to start showing up at 3:00am (that night). A few days later, the dock manager, who is subordinate to the terminal manager, sends out an email to his supervisors that drivers wanting to work on the dock must call at 3:00am first, to find out if they are actually needed and there's enough work to bring them on for a few hours. There are a few drivers who voluntarily work on the dock a few hours and then go drive in the city when their route is ready. But I'm not one of those drivers, at the moment. I was put on the dock because I'm not allowed to drive until I pass my re-test.

My re-test time keeps getting extended out, later and later. First it was going to be a 3-week wait. Now it's going to end up being 4 weeks, maybe longer. I've already worked through that part, mentally.

My dilemma is that I'm not getting any hours on the dock and I'm going to go broke really freaking fast. This is kind of holding me hostage. I only worked 3 days last week and my paycheck yesterday was wow ...small. I only worked 1 day this week. My paycheck next week is going to be really, really small. I've called in every morning at 2 or 3 am and they have nothing for the drivers.

I don't know if the dock manager knows/cares that I'm on the dock for a suspension or if he thinks I'm still driving a truck and just looking for early hours to start working like the other drivers, or what. One driver said to me the other day, "Well at least you're getting your 10 hours every day," and I said, "No. That's the problem. I'm not."

The terminal manager is a good man as are most all the leaders in this terminal and the company has an open door policy. I don't want to appear to be complaining or cause a stir. I don't want to give the impression I'm considering quitting or that I'm disgruntled but I'm in a real bind, here. I'm already starting to look for temporary work (driving or not driving, I'm starting to not care if it's non-driving), somehow, but the last thing I want to do is get my tail fired by working for someone else during this time.

I promise. I'm not going to stor in to the terminal manager's office, saying, "Dude, what the hell!" (like I want to). I'm way more diplomatic than that. There must be a reason the dock manager put out the new rule of drivers having to call first before showing up. I don't know. Maybe his budget is different from the drivers-side budget .... So I don't want to cause a stir either but ...dang. What the hell?

Help me out here, Guys.

What do I do?

-mountain girl

*storm

I'm guessing, it would be against company policy for me to take a temporary truck driving job anywhere else. I'm looking that stuff up in my handbook right now. Maybe I just quietly take temporary work doing something other than driving and lay low at my company till this suspension period pans out ...?

-mountain girl

Following! Being "stranded" for any reason is one of my fears!! Hoping everything works out!

Simply ask someone higher up if this applies to you since you're not currently a driver. Explain that you would like to be able to work full hours so that your bills are taken care of. You could simply have been an oversight.

Ok. I'm on my way. Thanks, Realist. I did exactly what you suggested. I called the terminal manager; spoke very nicely and positively; told him I wanted to continue to work full-time and I understood the ebb and flow of the freight business; asked him if this call-ahead policy applied to me since I wasn't currently working as a driver...

He said to call him at 4:30 am Monday morning when he gets in. (Yeah, you know what? I'm calling from just outside the gate, just in case they want me to work. lol. The second they ask me, "When can you be here?" I'm gonna' be standing right in front of them. lol.)

Sounds like you were right. The call-ahead policy was probably not exactly applicable to me and the dock manager may not even be aware of my suspension status, la la la.

I think I'll be good.

I'm gonna' take some antacid medicine and have myself a good weekend.

-mountain girl

Ok. I'm on my way. Thanks, Realist. I did exactly what you suggested. I called the terminal manager; spoke very nicely and positively; told him I wanted to continue to work full-time and I understood the ebb and flow of the freight business; asked him if this call-ahead policy applied to me since I wasn't currently working as a driver...

He said to call him at 4:30 am Monday morning when he gets in. (Yeah, you know what? I'm calling from just outside the gate, just in case they want me to work. lol. The second they ask me, "When can you be here?" I'm gonna' be standing right in front of them. lol.)

Sounds like you were right. The call-ahead policy was probably not exactly applicable to me and the dock manager may not even be aware of my suspension status, la la la.

I think I'll be good.

I'm gonna' take some antacid medicine and have myself a good weekend.

-mountain girl

I'd venture to guess that the Dock Manager doesn't want too much extra help so he can ensure the Dock workers have enough to do and get their hours in before somebody who is looking for extra hours is allowed to come in and cut them short of their regular hours. Glad to hear this should work out for you since you are technically a Dock worker right now and not a driver.

And here I was looking forward to the visual of you storming in, eyes ablaze. Oh well. The calm option was probably the better one.

Good luck.