Question:
Can someone drive from Gary, IN to Baltimore, MD in 10 hours?
He left Gary at 5:30 last night and arrived in Baltimore at 4:30 today. He's run into construction and fog during this run.
He called the dispacher and left a message that he was running late due to fog and asked her to contact the company because he was unable to reach them.
She's called him a lier about the fog saying "don't tell me it was foggy throughout Ohio!". That's the same type of comment she made last week when he was stuck in PA during their storm ("you can't tell me you can't get anywhere because of a storm, it's not snowing in Ohio!).
She yelled at him and told him that he (on his own) lost a contract that the company had for 7 years. Then started screaming at him about not contacting her. When he told her he left a message, she said she hasn't checked her messages yet.
We're just trying to figure out how she is doing the calculations. I he the one who's wrong or is she?
We're also trying to determine if this is the company to stay with. He's only been driving 3 months now and has logged on over 20,000 miles.
Opinions please - Tabikat

Answer:
It is always the driver's fault. That's trucking and it's what you make of it. Now he'll get to deal with that on his DAC record, most likely. Good luck trying to explain it.
"I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being the President. Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation." George W. Bush, to bob WoodwardJay Gould
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This post coming to you live, from Jesus Land !!!

Answer:
Short answer...yes, it can be done, by averaging 70mph along the way. The trip (681 approximate miles) would take 10 hours, 1 minute.
It cannot be done legally in a CMV, however, especially through Ohio AND on the pike, at that.
Now I will say that it WAS foggy in Ohio last night - in the central part of the state. I have no idea about the northern part, which is where the route SHOULD be...have no idea if that's the way that was taken or not...
And my mind thinks by not checking her messages first, the dispatcher is partly to blame for this...
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I'm not a truck driver, I'm a professional tourist!

Answer:
Very easy answer is no. Not enough time and scheduled to tight. (He must be one of their best drivers to get those great tightly scheduled loads.) What did he do all day yesterday, did he have an 8 hour break before starting the trip? Did he have to load before the trip? Being honest I would say he was out of hours long before the trip was over. So the answer is no it can't be done legally. Add some fog and your dispatcher is totally at fault for rediculous planning. Maybe 20 hours, 10 on and 8 off with some loading and delay time. That of course is not how dispatchers and most companies think.
The other side of the coin is that the driver is at fault. He should have said he can't do it legally and won't do it unless the schedule is changed before he ever put the load in his trailer. He might get fired but doing favors and taking impossible loads might also land him in jail.
If they have an "open door policy" as most companies claim. I think I would be right in the owners office or as close to the owners office as I could get real fast. If he has the same attitude give him notice and go get some boxes to pack with. They aren't worth the trouble.
Of course as Dominos said it's always the drivers fault. So if your going to get the blame anyway and you know you can't make it. Get all the fussing and name calling over before you load. Just say no right up front.
Good Stuff
"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of all who threaten it"

Answer:
Heres the situation -
He was at 7 hours driving time by 3am yesterday.
He picked up loaded trailer and stopped off to eat from 3-4 am. At 8 am he stopped truck to try to sleep. He was fried.
His paperwork from the dispatcher only stated that the load had to get Baltimore and that he was running late already. The load was to be in Baltimore late today.
He started again at 4 pm from Gary, taking I 65 then I 70. He drove his 10 hours. He arrived in Baltimore at 3 pm. this afternoon.
He tried to call company load was going to but couldn't get through. He called dispatch and left a message that he couldn't get through due to fog and construction work.
When he got to destination, they told him he was 10 hours late. They also told him that his dispatcher said that she didn't know where he was cause she hadn't talked to him all day.
he finally got in touch with her this morning telling her about running late due to problems with fog and so forth. She flipped out screaming at him cause he never called her. When he explained that he had called and left a message her response was "I didn't get my messages yet".
Then she called him up 5 more times today just b*tching about everything. She's told him that they were just going to bring him home and run local with him.
He truely doesn't know what to do. Just this week 2 of the companies he dropped off at were so pleased that they wanted him to do a dedicated run.

Answer:
and that his dispatcher is doing that in a big hurry. It is highly possible that his dispatcher is in trouble for having too many of her trucks late or not doing other aspects of her job such as notifying customers of delays due to weather, breakdowns etc, or simply knowingly dispatching trucks on runs that they cant make. She may be in hot water with the big boss and is trying to shovel all the blame onto the drivers.
Now then your husband isnt totally blameless in this. For starters you can't legally do 680 plus miles running through In and Ohio, PA, MD, etc. in 10 hours. He shoudl never have taken this load without making it known that he couldn't do it legally and insisting that appointment times being changed.
Now what to do. I would go above the dispatchers head. If for nothing else just because of the abusive treatment she is dishing out, but also because of the load(s). This needs to be done in a very professional way though. If he goes in acting like a raving lunatic himself he will lose before his case is even heard.
One last thing. If the truck is equipped with any type of in truck communications (quallcomm, highway master, etc.) all notices of problems with a load need to be sent in this way. It is fine to call but there is no written record of a phone call where there is on sattelite comms.
Only two things I know of are infinite. The universe and human stupidity, and I am not real sure about the universe.
Answer:
Going into the Bosses Office is a great idea but guess what.
It's his wife and he pretty much has the same additude.
They own this company of I believe 7 trucks (4 straight and 3 semi).

Answer:
It's their way or the highway. I would start looking for the highway. Luckily DAC probably isn't used
Good Stuff
"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of all who threaten it"

Answer:
I know I would be looking for friendlier pastures in a heartbeat.
Only two things I know of are infinite. The universe and human stupidity, and I am not real sure about the universe.
Answer:
It's time for Hubby, to start packing his bags & looking for a Better Carrier.

Answer:
The driver should get as far from this company as fast as he can.

Answer:
Most definately find somewhere else to work, it ain't worth putting up with all that crap.
I've driven for about 10 years and I don't put up with it, even if a newbie you shouldn't have to.....the dispatchers fail to realize without YOU THE DRIVER...they wouldn't have a job !!!
Especially if she didn't believe about the snow storm she definately needs her head examined...even people in other countries probably heard about that
Best of luck to you finding a REAL company...
GREG - a.k.a. Married Man
"Hakuna Matata...Means No Worries"

Answer:
Poor planning on the side of the company planners and/or dispatchers does not constitute an emergency for a driver.


Answer:
Its time to move on, this company isn't worth the effort, sounds like all they care about is the freight, not being safe. In this case the grass has got to be greener at some other carrier.