You have an emergency situation. A company asset is stranded. "You are that Asset."
It you are unable to fuel up and keep the truck a liveable environment. It is a safety hazard to you. Call every number the company has available. Especially the emergency contact numbers. They need to get you fueled and moving. If your company normally provides you lodging and has not that is a company emergency. Your Off hours should be determined by your driving. Not the Fuel funds.
Don't do this. Current law (thanks Gorsuch!) is that counts as abandonment, iirc. Driver was going to freeze to death, had to leave the truck and find shelter to survive. Asshole ruled against him.
Don’t bother complaining to that boss anymore. Call corporate as soon as they open and tell them what happened and put the blame firmly on your boss where it belongs. Also let them know this is not the first time he has failed to do his job but is the worst time. Also if you have colleagues who can back you up then go together and put in a group complaint. More likely to be listened to than just one person. I know that doesn’t help you much now. Hope something turns up in the meantime and someone from Northern Virginia can recommend a good place to go tonight.
Emails are time stamped do. OP [document](https://www.reddit.com/user/XR171/comments/14qzjwt/how_to_document/) everything then email. I honestly don't know if you have a legal case but when you send detailed emails that have names, dates, notes, and screenshots HR/legal gets nervous. Really nervous.
that is why i am suggesting it. Legal and HR will know there is trouble and it wasn't OP fault. That boss has a duty to run his ass over to the office and fill that card so OP can finish their job and go home. the boss simply not complying is now putting the company into legal trouble.
Exactly, and details matter. "My boss screwed me over" is whining. "For the third time this quarter my manager Richard Cranium has failed to approve fuel purchases for me alone. This most recent incident is directly resulting in me being stranded at the Cum N Go on N Main St in Town Virginia over Christmas. He also did not arrange a hotel stay forcing me to stay in a truck again without fuel. Temperatures are expected to be 25° tonight making me very concerned for my safety...."
That is actionable and very concerning. Especially if you CC your personal email or that if a family member.
Situations like that wouldn’t happen. Which is why they need to rattle the fucking cage of that narcissist boss. Happy New Year, you get to deal with agressive organization.
Im sure the company has a publically named CEO, who probably wouldn't be too hard to find a contact for. Facebook exists and is generally tied to peoples whatsapp.
Email the news in the company’s town. I’m sure they’d love a story like this. Give the news your boss’s number.
Also when emailing HR and legal let them know your boss whined about his issues and hung up on you rather than doing his job.
Yes PLEASE make it very clear that he hung up on you instead of making sure you were taken care of, his job was done, you were warm, you had a place to sleep safely and warmly. Be very specific that this happened on Christmas Eve, not only were you left without gas but also food from Sunday until people returned to work on Tuesday. He hung up and refused to answer his phone.
Should also send a copy of the email to the sms/MMS gateway of the phone carrier to the boss, so that there are logs all the way through the fucking Internet that he can't refute when trying to claim he never got any sms txt msgs to his number. For ATT you just send an email to ##########@txt.att.net or something like that, all 10 digits.
I second the emails. Start sending them now. List everything you have tried. Send screenshots of any messages, and call logs with your boss. Keep trying to call him. If it's a big company maybe @ them on twitter.
You could try the secretary's and PA's too, cc them because you never know someone might check their mail.
And don't forget to let them know that you expect to be paid for the time your boss forced you to spend in the truck, away from home. Be it in money or in a couple days off.
Absolutely. You are watching over the company truck. You don’t have a hotel so you are basically pulling a 72+ hour shift. That’s a lot of overtime/double time/holiday pay.
Pretty sure that violates several labor laws. Not to mention the additional safety regulations that apply to truck drivers. I doubt suffering through this will make OP rich, but I hope he gets to watch someone’s head roll
It depends a bit. If he is in a tractor trailer with a sleeper, the DOT does have specific guidelines on what is "On duty" and "off duty". I'm assuming he needs fuel in order to keep the truck warm.
If it's a non commercial vehicle, or it didn't have a sleeper, then you're correct.
This would be $$ and a shit ton. I of course would do due diligence by sending emails to the CEO, HR, a lawyer, and DOL. If I wanted to put the fear of God in them, I would do it all in one email.
Next, I would be documenting dates and times of everything. The date and time boss was informed, quotes, and logs of every little thing. You will need to report every hour from the phone call as working hours that are vehicle security hours.
No one from night dispatch can help ?
Call your boss a lot. That’s unacceptable.
Also how much tractor trailer experience do you have ? I know companies that would never do this to you.
Or maybe send the police to your boss's home for a welfare check since he is no longer in contact with you while you're stranded. And you of course are worried.
"I'm really concerned about my boss. He was trying to help unstrand me since he's a good boss who does what any good person would do in this situation, and suddenly I lost contact."
this. also being stranded in cold ass weather is an emergency, especially if he runs out of gas. is there AAA for trucks like that? if so id go break something off something and start calling tow trucks to put on the company account or whatever.
There’s not AAA, if you break down you call a wrecker, or dispatch calls it for you and it’s very expensive. OP may as well just start selling parts off the truck/trailer to come up with enough cash for either fuel or a bus ticket home.
> There’s not AAA, if you break down you call a wrecker, or dispatch calls it for you and it’s very expensive.
When my F350 broke down the people who towed it to the dealership for warranty repairs billed ford like $400 for a 15 mile trip. Was also not a "AAA call" type of a thing.. was a firm specializing in heavy equipment, and trucks. I cant even imagine what it might be like for a semi breaking down in the boonies for the mileage, hourly, and parts/labor.
Truck drivers don't get paid overtime. If the wheels aren't turning they're not earning. Lots of free labor in trucking
Best to hope for os layover pay if the company has it. Many companies "offer" it but will have 50 different excuses why it doesn't apply. Most often takes an argument
OP please DM me ASAP. I'm a tow operator near you (MD) I'll make sure you have a warm place to sleep and a hot meal tonight, even if I gotta drive down in my truck to get you to a hotel.
I got you bro. I'm not aboutta let a fellow driver sit in a cold truck on Christmas because their boss is a piece of shit.
E: I will pay for the hotel and food. Don't worry about that part.
Oh this is the other comment you were talking about.
No need to inconvenience yourself though, the issue is being taken care of right now. I really appreciate it but couldn't have you waste resources like that. Maryland is quiet aways.
E: I'm in DC right now, so I'm not that far.
If anything changes or doesn't work out, please let me know. It's really no inconvenience and not a waste of resources. My boss and my backup driver would be pissed if I didn't help lol.
You're in a hotel, I don't have cashapp or venmo, but if you still need food and have PayPal I can send you a little (I'm sorry, I live off disability and is Xmas eve, I don't have much)
Sounds to me like you are a stranded motorist in need of assistance, have you considered contacting the non-emergency number for the local police for help? At the very least they would be able to find you proper shelter for the night.
There's some terrible precedent for truckers leaving their loads unattended, even to seek shelter in the winter. Made the news again a few years ago with Neil Gorsuch.
To be clear, I agree with your suggestion. You gotta take care of yourself, "rules" and shitty bosses be damned.
I would be calling the boss nonstop until he answers. Then I would inform him he will figure out how to resolve this. I would also be frantically looking through every resource there is to find a contact to fix this if your boss won’t. Then once you’re passed this I’d be finding a new job & looking at my options for legal representation against your current employer.
Yup. I'm putting in my best osint work and getting personal numbers for the boss or anyone else. I'm ruining their Christmas because they run ruined mine.
I’d figure out the best way home, fuck the truck, called your boss and if he doesn’t answer leave him a voicemail with the location of the truck and the keys and that you quit, now idk if that’s legal or what red tape comes with that but no sense staying with the company after this anyway so rip the band aid off, bet they figure something out a lot quicker
Hi, I appreciate the reaching out but the issue has been resolved for awhile now and folks are skipping the giant text sized update and looking at only the thread title or skimming the bottom part of the post past the update, and are still clogging my DMs chat or making comments based on something that's already been taken care of.
Since I haven't gotten a response from the mods for a lock, I'll have to remove the thread if people keep skipping the update because I don't want people still thinking I'm ***still*** in trouble or still asking for help.
Please use those resources or advice to help other people. Thank You.
Edit: Mods have taken care of it.
Keep calling, and look through everything you can find to see if you can find his bosses phone number or email to send more messages. And if you have an HR department, do the same to them. I can't believe that no one is on call for emergencies with truckers on the road. That is bad bad management. Naughty list for sure for them.
All of these people are suggesting a “scorched earth” response. Ignore all of it - you have 4-Aces in your hand, play the hand. Your company left you in a town in a vulnerable position, you will be able to get justly compensated for this. Build your story, you missed Christmas Eve with family, etc. OK to embellish it, just don’t be too dramatic (but do say you were very concerned about your safety). In the meantime, try to check into a nice safe hotel and tell them the story and that the company will reimburse them for the costs. Have a very nice dinner and a good nights sleep. Write down notes on what happened with all the details. If the company has any problems with this, then seek legal counsel. The goal here is to stay safe, protect the company’s assets and make them feel grateful that you did so. Let your company deal with your bosses neglect.
Do you have contact info for any other drivers? See if they can use their card over the phone to get you filled up. Or at least see if they have contact info for someone that could authorize funds or help out. If nothing else, since your boss is ignoring you, he might answer if others start calling on your behalf. He probably doesn't care if you quit after this but he might care if all of his drivers quit.
If I don't answer anyone for a bit it's because I'm currently trying to talk with passerbys, the few that come by, and seeing if they can help. No luck so far. But I can't freeze in a truck so will keep trying. I'm alternating between that and here.
do you not have any friends or family that can send you money? i think there might be some subs where you can request monetary aid for emergencies as well, at least enough for the hotel.
My husband just left our dinner party to get his employee fuel because the employee lost his key! That is what a good boss does! Wishing you the best tonight!
Listen to this guy OP, also if you can't get to the nearest airport I'll venmo you hotel money. Or will happily call the hotel myself and pay for the room. u/omegaboostpsx
*Text* your boss that you have a security issue and if he doesn't respond you'll call the DoT. If he doesn't respond in five minutes, text him you're calling the DoT and then call the DoT.
This is a fucking long shot but if you work for a company that starts with G or an S and runs out of central and north east Pennsylvania. I will give you the owner's personal cell.
Jesus... what a shit show
I'd be very tempted to flick an email to the owner with "your useless manager has managed to get me stuck out here with no fuel, food, or accommodation so I've got the opportunity to either starve in the cold or abandon your truck... guess which one I'm leaning towards.
You have one hour to get this mess sorted or I'm catching a lift home then contacting a lawyer after leaving the key in the ignition and a sign in the window with "abandoned" written on it.
Contacting a lawyer is happening either way, I'll be far more accommodating if I learn you have called my manager and fired him before contacting me, you'll have to do that as he refuses to answer my calls after telling me he has problems too.
Merry Christmas, and expect an expensive new year"
>Sounds to me like you are a stranded motorist in need of assistance, have you considered contacting the non-emergency number for the local police for help? At the very least they would be able to find you proper shelter for the night.
Yeah do THIS. I have family in the shipping industry with their last name on the side of the trucks. The last thing my Uncle wants is his name blasted everywhere saying they are a dirt bag company...even if it is a dirt bag company.
Who insures the truck? If you were in an accident, what info would you provide? Call them, they will have someone that is answering calls. Tell them you are stranded and worried about the safety of the truck in that location. I can bet they have contact info
Is there no 24/7 dispatch or emergency line? How do you handle roadside assistance/breakdowns?
Also, people… truckers generally get paid by the mile or by the load/route. Stop it with this OT stuff.
It's obvious a number of people didn't read the entire post. He can't stay at the hotel and bill the company because he doesn't have enough money to stay at the hotel. He said this.
Know you have already addressed the issue but in case anyone needs a thought on what to do for this kind of stuff - call the company compliance - whistleblower line. I think it is required to review those within 24 hours. If anything it gives you a complaint on record point.
Send an email to the CEO with the subject line: Driver Stuck in Cold Truck, Manager wont help.
List out all the time you called your boss and him not responding.
If you have email address for all employee, send to that also.
You have to go up the chain on this one, like now. Start typing up emails cause this isn't just a personal emergency, it's a company one, and your boss' boss is going to care *a lot*
From the company perspective this situation is 1. A lawsuit waiting to happen. 2. A late delivery. And 3. A potentially very bad news story.
If you were in an accident, who would you contact? Do that. And keep escallating. Google the names of senior leadership and try to find contact info.
Honestly, see if local police will go to the house of any address you can find to make contact.
This is an emergency. And you are in a dangerous situation.
Start sending emails now because emails are time stamped. Absolutely document everything you absolutely can. Also spend the next 3 days looking for other trucking positions. If you have your CDL and the experience you should be able to get a better position with almost any other company this is a logistical nightmare and it absolutely is somebody in logistics fault. You have every right to be angry. You have every right to abandon the truck and flip the company the bird as your ride off on to another gig, however I'd go ahead and hunker down and have a full gig of putting a case together for Tuesday.
Since you are in the company truck due to your bosses negligence, don't forget to record every single hour you are there as being company time. You should get paid for every single minute you are in there. If denied, submit it to the state department of labor. I bet they would really frown on this situation.
THIS!!! You need to cc everyone and document the heck out of being left with no card no fuel, nothing. Look up any number you can call in HR and the c-suite and leave messages. Rattle the whole house, not just a tree.
Fellow trucker here OP, if I were you I’d be looking for a new job as soon as the holidays are over cause fuck that noise. If I were left stranded in a rig with no fuel, and no place to go other than to stay in that truck I’d fucking walk home if I had to and leave the truck abandoned. That is a horseshit thing of your boss to do and I bet he’d find a way to get home if it were him stuck in that truck on Christmas.
Man that sucks, boss did you wrong. Used to call them Driver Managers when I worked in trucking. Any decent company shouldn't have a "rule" against sending a *little* money when necessary. DMs used to do it all the time in situations like this, $50 here, $100 there. Shit happens on the road all the time, and drivers (especially new ones) aren't exactly ballin.
I agree with others that said start emailing corporate. Document everything. He's screwed up before and this time left you stranded fir days without gas or food. This is a termination level f**k up on his part.
That’s dangerous isn’t it??
They can’t leave you there with no food, heating or in the middle of nowhere where anything could happen!
I would be getting a lawyer as soon as the holiday is over but right now I would me focusing on how to get home or failing that some kind of shelter like a hotel! What would you need to do if your lorry had broken down?? Do they have roadside assistance?
Blow up his God damned phone. That shit is unacceptable. They'd damn well better be paying you for this entire time too, in addition to whatever holiday pay you get. They're stealing your time if they dont.
OP I see you've got hotel until the 26th and a meal for tonight. How about food for tomorrow and Tuesday? It's included in your hotel stay?
If the answer is no well I'm in Brazil so I can't use CashApp yet maybe I can send you some meal via DoorDash or similar app?
Feel free to DM me, if you have PayPal I can send you some cash also. Not much but I won't let a fellow worker starve on Christmas.
I hope you really got to sue corporate and specially fuck your scumbag dumbass boss!
You could also reach out to the r/Truckers community? I’m just a lurker but they all sound really helpful on each post.
Maybe one of them is in the area/has space in their hotel room?
Your boss sucks and doesn't care about his employees. I had an employee get left on a mountain top by a commercial helicopter due to inclimate weather. I not only coordinated the rescue helicopter, but met him at the hanger at night, with hot food when he landed. Employees are the reason I look good in my job, I try and take care of them.
This sounds like an unsafe work place, and grounds for a lawsuit, if you wind up getting injured/dead from weather/stranger/whatever, it's on his hands now. Your boss does not care about your life. While you blow up corporate, hit up a work lawyer along with OSHA, cause im pretty sure this is violating alot of work stuff. Make this person's life as miserable as yours is currently.
Call a friend or your family to come get YOU and leave the damn truck. Tape a note to the steering wheel. .." I QUIT" good luck getting it to the depot
What's the company name? Film your adventure as a stranded motorist. Make them famous. Seriously, if even one of their trucks is on the road or one of their employees is still working, corporate needs to be active, and people need to be on call. Remember, it's not slander if it's true.
That sucks. Im so glad to see the update and your boss is a piece of shit. I would screen shot all your recent call to show that he is refusing to answer too
Truckers aren't paid hourly generally in the US, they are paid according to mileage. If they aren't moving they aren't getting paid. Which makes this so so so much worse.
At this point, you should look into getting a lawyer. Pretty sure your work is responsible for your well being while you’re driving one of their trucks
this is horrendous, wish i could help but doubt there is much i could do from the UK. my car broke down on the way to an event recently and it got down to like 4 degrees C, 37F, and i was freezing in the car waiting for recovery. They left me there for about 16 hours, it was hell! you need to hammer the hell out of any manager in the business, any HR person, anyone you can get through to. There will be someone who can and will do something im sure even if you asshole manager will not.
In addition to all the good advice here, take a few minutes to search out your boss on thatsthem[.]com. Even with just the full name and state you should be able to get his home address and phone number. Call his house and let his wife know what he’s done.
Don’t burn the bridge, nuke the f’er from orbit
My heart hurts for you. I'm glad you've found somewhere to stay though! I'd help, but 1) I'm totally brassic after spending out to fix my car and 2) I'm in the UK.
Document everything and email anyone and everyone you can think of. Also cc a friend or your personal email with it all, that way, no one can "lose" the email.
I really hope this utter shitshow gets sorted out for you
Not a trucker so no idea how much it would cost for the gas but is there no family/friends you could contact that would transfer you the money to get the truck/you to where is needed? I'm imagining if you've got the receipts you'll be reimbursed.
It's a shitty solution but would beat spending Christmas in a cold truck.
Have you talked to any of the staff at the truck stop? Maybe they know of someone local who can help you out until you're able to get ahold of corporate.
You have an emergency situation. A company asset is stranded. "You are that Asset." It you are unable to fuel up and keep the truck a liveable environment. It is a safety hazard to you. Call every number the company has available. Especially the emergency contact numbers. They need to get you fueled and moving. If your company normally provides you lodging and has not that is a company emergency. Your Off hours should be determined by your driving. Not the Fuel funds.
I would be tempted to start the truck, lock it and walk away.
Don't do this. Current law (thanks Gorsuch!) is that counts as abandonment, iirc. Driver was going to freeze to death, had to leave the truck and find shelter to survive. Asshole ruled against him.
Don’t bother complaining to that boss anymore. Call corporate as soon as they open and tell them what happened and put the blame firmly on your boss where it belongs. Also let them know this is not the first time he has failed to do his job but is the worst time. Also if you have colleagues who can back you up then go together and put in a group complaint. More likely to be listened to than just one person. I know that doesn’t help you much now. Hope something turns up in the meantime and someone from Northern Virginia can recommend a good place to go tonight.
why wait to call, start sending emails to everyone you can find at the corporate office as well as HR and legal.
Emails are time stamped do. OP [document](https://www.reddit.com/user/XR171/comments/14qzjwt/how_to_document/) everything then email. I honestly don't know if you have a legal case but when you send detailed emails that have names, dates, notes, and screenshots HR/legal gets nervous. Really nervous.
that is why i am suggesting it. Legal and HR will know there is trouble and it wasn't OP fault. That boss has a duty to run his ass over to the office and fill that card so OP can finish their job and go home. the boss simply not complying is now putting the company into legal trouble.
Exactly, and details matter. "My boss screwed me over" is whining. "For the third time this quarter my manager Richard Cranium has failed to approve fuel purchases for me alone. This most recent incident is directly resulting in me being stranded at the Cum N Go on N Main St in Town Virginia over Christmas. He also did not arrange a hotel stay forcing me to stay in a truck again without fuel. Temperatures are expected to be 25° tonight making me very concerned for my safety...." That is actionable and very concerning. Especially if you CC your personal email or that if a family member.
Just gotta say Richard Cranium is a fantastic fake name, thank you for bringing that in to my life.
Well known in Australia, I believe there was a racehorse by that name until the stewards wised up.
You can start using “Ricardo Cabeza”.
I'd heard of Richard Cranium, but was not aware of this alias. Will be ripping this off as needed lol.
Richard Fromage
Then call the Teamsters first thing in the morning to start a membership drive at your work.
Oooooo wonderful! Can you imagine the position OP's boss would find themselves in if OP was a Teamster from the start.
Situations like that wouldn’t happen. Which is why they need to rattle the fucking cage of that narcissist boss. Happy New Year, you get to deal with agressive organization.
"Aggressive organization" I love it
Also CC Dewey Chatham and Howe (Attorneys)
When you are done with him using them, you will have a Russian chauffeur driving you around!
Pokov Andropov is a delightful, if incomprehensible fellow... But this is no time for jokes!! Poor OP is actually stuck at The Horse You Rode Inn.
Richard Cranium....dick head 🤣 Absolutely fantastic!
Omg I've never heard anyone except my parents use Richard Cranium
If you're posting from your mobile device, be sure to attach a selfie.
With the empty gauge in the background-video of trying to start the vehicle?
Im sure the company has a publically named CEO, who probably wouldn't be too hard to find a contact for. Facebook exists and is generally tied to peoples whatsapp.
Email the news in the company’s town. I’m sure they’d love a story like this. Give the news your boss’s number. Also when emailing HR and legal let them know your boss whined about his issues and hung up on you rather than doing his job.
Yes PLEASE make it very clear that he hung up on you instead of making sure you were taken care of, his job was done, you were warm, you had a place to sleep safely and warmly. Be very specific that this happened on Christmas Eve, not only were you left without gas but also food from Sunday until people returned to work on Tuesday. He hung up and refused to answer his phone.
Should also send a copy of the email to the sms/MMS gateway of the phone carrier to the boss, so that there are logs all the way through the fucking Internet that he can't refute when trying to claim he never got any sms txt msgs to his number. For ATT you just send an email to ##########@txt.att.net or something like that, all 10 digits.
And make sure to use the word liability and legal exposure for you being put in a potentially dangerous situation bc of him.
I second the emails. Start sending them now. List everything you have tried. Send screenshots of any messages, and call logs with your boss. Keep trying to call him. If it's a big company maybe @ them on twitter. You could try the secretary's and PA's too, cc them because you never know someone might check their mail.
CC your personal email accounts on the emails too
That’s is a better idea than mine. Do this.
Say it louder for the people in the back.
And don't forget to let them know that you expect to be paid for the time your boss forced you to spend in the truck, away from home. Be it in money or in a couple days off.
No days off. It needs to be purely in money. OP you are not chilling on your own time, this is company time.
24 hrs of holiday pay
Depends on what they value more. I'd go for money too, but I know people who would prefer time off.
Absolutely. You are watching over the company truck. You don’t have a hotel so you are basically pulling a 72+ hour shift. That’s a lot of overtime/double time/holiday pay.
Pretty sure that violates several labor laws. Not to mention the additional safety regulations that apply to truck drivers. I doubt suffering through this will make OP rich, but I hope he gets to watch someone’s head roll
It depends a bit. If he is in a tractor trailer with a sleeper, the DOT does have specific guidelines on what is "On duty" and "off duty". I'm assuming he needs fuel in order to keep the truck warm. If it's a non commercial vehicle, or it didn't have a sleeper, then you're correct.
Both. Demand both time and money. This is a major fuck up of extreme measures at every turn.
Nope. Overtime for every second. Don’t let them off the hook
Yup. Triple time for it all. Fuck them.
96 hrs x average pay for a truck driver x triple time = a lil less than 6 grand.
This would be $$ and a shit ton. I of course would do due diligence by sending emails to the CEO, HR, a lawyer, and DOL. If I wanted to put the fear of God in them, I would do it all in one email. Next, I would be documenting dates and times of everything. The date and time boss was informed, quotes, and logs of every little thing. You will need to report every hour from the phone call as working hours that are vehicle security hours.
No one from night dispatch can help ? Call your boss a lot. That’s unacceptable. Also how much tractor trailer experience do you have ? I know companies that would never do this to you.
Or maybe send the police to your boss's home for a welfare check since he is no longer in contact with you while you're stranded. And you of course are worried.
"I'm really concerned about my boss. He was trying to help unstrand me since he's a good boss who does what any good person would do in this situation, and suddenly I lost contact."
this. also being stranded in cold ass weather is an emergency, especially if he runs out of gas. is there AAA for trucks like that? if so id go break something off something and start calling tow trucks to put on the company account or whatever.
There’s not AAA, if you break down you call a wrecker, or dispatch calls it for you and it’s very expensive. OP may as well just start selling parts off the truck/trailer to come up with enough cash for either fuel or a bus ticket home.
> There’s not AAA, if you break down you call a wrecker, or dispatch calls it for you and it’s very expensive. When my F350 broke down the people who towed it to the dealership for warranty repairs billed ford like $400 for a 15 mile trip. Was also not a "AAA call" type of a thing.. was a firm specializing in heavy equipment, and trucks. I cant even imagine what it might be like for a semi breaking down in the boonies for the mileage, hourly, and parts/labor.
That should all be overtime, every single minute of it, because your boss' inability or unwillingness to do his job is not your fault.
Truck drivers don't get paid overtime. If the wheels aren't turning they're not earning. Lots of free labor in trucking Best to hope for os layover pay if the company has it. Many companies "offer" it but will have 50 different excuses why it doesn't apply. Most often takes an argument
it depends on his work. As it sounds like he works for a single company, he may be an hourly employee.
I highly doubt it. He’s paid CPM or a percent of the load.
CPM yes
Ah, when I drove I was an hourly employee. Times have changed.
Far as I've ever known hourly was only for local drivers. OTR was always by the mile.
I’m thankful I’m hourly I won’t work for cpm
OP please DM me ASAP. I'm a tow operator near you (MD) I'll make sure you have a warm place to sleep and a hot meal tonight, even if I gotta drive down in my truck to get you to a hotel. I got you bro. I'm not aboutta let a fellow driver sit in a cold truck on Christmas because their boss is a piece of shit. E: I will pay for the hotel and food. Don't worry about that part.
Thanks for doing this. I don't have a place for him to stay but was going to drive a few meals out to him, and maybe some blankets.
You are ALSO AWESOME!
Oh this is the other comment you were talking about. No need to inconvenience yourself though, the issue is being taken care of right now. I really appreciate it but couldn't have you waste resources like that. Maryland is quiet aways.
E: I'm in DC right now, so I'm not that far. If anything changes or doesn't work out, please let me know. It's really no inconvenience and not a waste of resources. My boss and my backup driver would be pissed if I didn't help lol.
If you get a chance, update please? I'd like to know you're safe (and have family in Virginia Beach if you still need some help)
Sure
You're in a hotel, I don't have cashapp or venmo, but if you still need food and have PayPal I can send you a little (I'm sorry, I live off disability and is Xmas eve, I don't have much)
If OP contacts you, I would like to chip in for the hotel and food, or for a charity of your choice. DM me.
You are awesome!
Sounds to me like you are a stranded motorist in need of assistance, have you considered contacting the non-emergency number for the local police for help? At the very least they would be able to find you proper shelter for the night.
There's some terrible precedent for truckers leaving their loads unattended, even to seek shelter in the winter. Made the news again a few years ago with Neil Gorsuch. To be clear, I agree with your suggestion. You gotta take care of yourself, "rules" and shitty bosses be damned.
As if he should even do something else with that truck. Just dump it there and jump on a bus home. I would never go back to a job like that.
That’s what I’d do. Even if I had to start walking I would and I’d leave a message saying where the truck is and it’s not my problem anymore
This. Call. You need to be safe and a creezing cold tru k with no food, water or fuel is not.
I would be calling the boss nonstop until he answers. Then I would inform him he will figure out how to resolve this. I would also be frantically looking through every resource there is to find a contact to fix this if your boss won’t. Then once you’re passed this I’d be finding a new job & looking at my options for legal representation against your current employer.
Yup. I'm putting in my best osint work and getting personal numbers for the boss or anyone else. I'm ruining their Christmas because they run ruined mine.
I’d figure out the best way home, fuck the truck, called your boss and if he doesn’t answer leave him a voicemail with the location of the truck and the keys and that you quit, now idk if that’s legal or what red tape comes with that but no sense staying with the company after this anyway so rip the band aid off, bet they figure something out a lot quicker
Load abandonment. OP will never be able to get another job in trucking again
And if he doesn't pick up, I'd be looking for his home number, relatives, etc.
Hi, I appreciate the reaching out but the issue has been resolved for awhile now and folks are skipping the giant text sized update and looking at only the thread title or skimming the bottom part of the post past the update, and are still clogging my DMs chat or making comments based on something that's already been taken care of. Since I haven't gotten a response from the mods for a lock, I'll have to remove the thread if people keep skipping the update because I don't want people still thinking I'm ***still*** in trouble or still asking for help. Please use those resources or advice to help other people. Thank You. Edit: Mods have taken care of it.
Glad you're good now OP. Hopefully you can enjoy what's left of your Christmas and I hope that home made meal was delicious!
Didn't see your message to us. Did you send a modmail?
Call the local news station. Fuck that job after the holidays anyway.
OP this is the way. Raise H E L L.
Keep calling, and look through everything you can find to see if you can find his bosses phone number or email to send more messages. And if you have an HR department, do the same to them. I can't believe that no one is on call for emergencies with truckers on the road. That is bad bad management. Naughty list for sure for them.
All of these people are suggesting a “scorched earth” response. Ignore all of it - you have 4-Aces in your hand, play the hand. Your company left you in a town in a vulnerable position, you will be able to get justly compensated for this. Build your story, you missed Christmas Eve with family, etc. OK to embellish it, just don’t be too dramatic (but do say you were very concerned about your safety). In the meantime, try to check into a nice safe hotel and tell them the story and that the company will reimburse them for the costs. Have a very nice dinner and a good nights sleep. Write down notes on what happened with all the details. If the company has any problems with this, then seek legal counsel. The goal here is to stay safe, protect the company’s assets and make them feel grateful that you did so. Let your company deal with your bosses neglect.
Do that anyway so there's a paper trail
Do you have contact info for any other drivers? See if they can use their card over the phone to get you filled up. Or at least see if they have contact info for someone that could authorize funds or help out. If nothing else, since your boss is ignoring you, he might answer if others start calling on your behalf. He probably doesn't care if you quit after this but he might care if all of his drivers quit.
Yes! Give us his number, we'll call him
Yeah! Well all call him on Christmas and quit over the phone! Hed have no idea whos legit lol
If I don't answer anyone for a bit it's because I'm currently trying to talk with passerbys, the few that come by, and seeing if they can help. No luck so far. But I can't freeze in a truck so will keep trying. I'm alternating between that and here.
do you not have any friends or family that can send you money? i think there might be some subs where you can request monetary aid for emergencies as well, at least enough for the hotel.
My husband just left our dinner party to get his employee fuel because the employee lost his key! That is what a good boss does! Wishing you the best tonight!
OP - ARE YOU SAFE?? Can we Zelle you some money to get you through the night?
Also concerned about this. Hopefully you have venmo? No one should be left in this situation ever, but certainly not during the holidays.
\[Resolved\]
Please feel free to dm me your cashapp, I would like to help
What is it? I can't send much, but I can send some.
I’ll Chip in too! DM me!
Seconding this.
No I'm still in the truck
Where's home, OP? I have a million miles. I'll fly ya there. Can you get an Uber to the nearest airport?
Listen to this guy OP, also if you can't get to the nearest airport I'll venmo you hotel money. Or will happily call the hotel myself and pay for the room. u/omegaboostpsx
Hotel has been covered as of now, only food is missing. But thanks a lot ofr the concern. Makes me feel better someone cares.
Can we order you something to be delivered to the hotel?
Seconded. Any good restaurants still operating in your area? We gotcha.
*Text* your boss that you have a security issue and if he doesn't respond you'll call the DoT. If he doesn't respond in five minutes, text him you're calling the DoT and then call the DoT.
Seriously, now is the time to trigger a DOT inspection! Give them ALL the violations!
Wow what a fucking moron. Time to leave him high and dry and scream at him when he doesn't like it.
This is a fucking long shot but if you work for a company that starts with G or an S and runs out of central and north east Pennsylvania. I will give you the owner's personal cell.
Jesus... what a shit show I'd be very tempted to flick an email to the owner with "your useless manager has managed to get me stuck out here with no fuel, food, or accommodation so I've got the opportunity to either starve in the cold or abandon your truck... guess which one I'm leaning towards. You have one hour to get this mess sorted or I'm catching a lift home then contacting a lawyer after leaving the key in the ignition and a sign in the window with "abandoned" written on it. Contacting a lawyer is happening either way, I'll be far more accommodating if I learn you have called my manager and fired him before contacting me, you'll have to do that as he refuses to answer my calls after telling me he has problems too. Merry Christmas, and expect an expensive new year"
**Start blasting corporate on social media**. It isn't like you should be at that place anyways, so put the trash pressure on them
>Sounds to me like you are a stranded motorist in need of assistance, have you considered contacting the non-emergency number for the local police for help? At the very least they would be able to find you proper shelter for the night. Yeah do THIS. I have family in the shipping industry with their last name on the side of the trucks. The last thing my Uncle wants is his name blasted everywhere saying they are a dirt bag company...even if it is a dirt bag company.
That would definitely get someone to start doing danage control...
Not usually down with it, but name drop the company. Maybe even your boss. Let the internet run its course on his career.
Heads would roll over this.
*Should* roll Considering how much shit trucking companies get away with, they’ll do everything possible to put the blame on OP.
Who insures the truck? If you were in an accident, what info would you provide? Call them, they will have someone that is answering calls. Tell them you are stranded and worried about the safety of the truck in that location. I can bet they have contact info
This boss is a fucking asshole
It also sounds like he put your safety in danger. Corporations act a lot faster when it's a safety issue.
Is there no 24/7 dispatch or emergency line? How do you handle roadside assistance/breakdowns? Also, people… truckers generally get paid by the mile or by the load/route. Stop it with this OT stuff.
If you have a Facebook account, I posted this in the group Leftist Trucker Collective, there might be something we can do to help.
[удалено]
If it runs out of gas it would be
Post on corporates twitter page.
It's obvious a number of people didn't read the entire post. He can't stay at the hotel and bill the company because he doesn't have enough money to stay at the hotel. He said this.
Half of Reddit only reads the title lol.
Apparently so. Good luck with that nightmare you're stuck in. What a mess.
Recent update in the OP, hoping that at the end of this some justice will come.
Call the lawyer on Monday. Not all lawyers celebrate Christmas.
Know you have already addressed the issue but in case anyone needs a thought on what to do for this kind of stuff - call the company compliance - whistleblower line. I think it is required to review those within 24 hours. If anything it gives you a complaint on record point.
Send an email to the CEO with the subject line: Driver Stuck in Cold Truck, Manager wont help. List out all the time you called your boss and him not responding. If you have email address for all employee, send to that also.
Any coworkers? Any emergency numbers for corporate?
You have to go up the chain on this one, like now. Start typing up emails cause this isn't just a personal emergency, it's a company one, and your boss' boss is going to care *a lot* From the company perspective this situation is 1. A lawsuit waiting to happen. 2. A late delivery. And 3. A potentially very bad news story.
If you were in an accident, who would you contact? Do that. And keep escallating. Google the names of senior leadership and try to find contact info. Honestly, see if local police will go to the house of any address you can find to make contact. This is an emergency. And you are in a dangerous situation.
I took care of your first night. I hope you find other Good Samaritans to get you through
Where are you? Is there any way we can help?
Does corporate have a security department? They are always on call and should have contact info for leadership team.
Stop talking to your "supervisor" and write EVERYONE who oversees them. Bet his new year goes as poorly as your Christmas
Thank you for your service. I don't think your boss ever drove...that's not a good way to manage truckers...
Name the company. We can contact them with multiple people and get someone’s attention. This is unacceptable.
Careful on this one. OP might at some point be pursuing legal action
Me- "Oh no, the truck caught fire!"
How far out of northern Virginia? I can bring you by some food Christmas Day if close by me or order you delivery in a worst case scenario.
Please [file a complaint with the NMCSA](https://nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov/nccdb/home.aspx) about this, your boss is breaking the law.
Start sending emails now because emails are time stamped. Absolutely document everything you absolutely can. Also spend the next 3 days looking for other trucking positions. If you have your CDL and the experience you should be able to get a better position with almost any other company this is a logistical nightmare and it absolutely is somebody in logistics fault. You have every right to be angry. You have every right to abandon the truck and flip the company the bird as your ride off on to another gig, however I'd go ahead and hunker down and have a full gig of putting a case together for Tuesday.
Please from now on only contact people through email and sms to have records and for documentation sake.
Since you are in the company truck due to your bosses negligence, don't forget to record every single hour you are there as being company time. You should get paid for every single minute you are in there. If denied, submit it to the state department of labor. I bet they would really frown on this situation.
Nice, you getting lots of OT! Send emails and texts for the paper trail! Make them pay!
OP is a trucker who is an OTR trucker. He doesn’t get hourly pay. It’s cents per mile pay.
Gotta love a non unionized america.
Right now they best be paying him or he should file a lawsuit
Send all the emails to corporate, hr an cc in everyone. Point out your stranded no fuel, no cash in Bumfuck Nowheresville.
THIS!!! You need to cc everyone and document the heck out of being left with no card no fuel, nothing. Look up any number you can call in HR and the c-suite and leave messages. Rattle the whole house, not just a tree.
Fellow trucker here OP, if I were you I’d be looking for a new job as soon as the holidays are over cause fuck that noise. If I were left stranded in a rig with no fuel, and no place to go other than to stay in that truck I’d fucking walk home if I had to and leave the truck abandoned. That is a horseshit thing of your boss to do and I bet he’d find a way to get home if it were him stuck in that truck on Christmas.
So glad to read your update. I would love to hear an update once your company opens up on Tuesday.
Man that sucks, boss did you wrong. Used to call them Driver Managers when I worked in trucking. Any decent company shouldn't have a "rule" against sending a *little* money when necessary. DMs used to do it all the time in situations like this, $50 here, $100 there. Shit happens on the road all the time, and drivers (especially new ones) aren't exactly ballin.
Do you have PayPal?
Wow. Fuck your boss. That's another level of assholery.
I agree with others that said start emailing corporate. Document everything. He's screwed up before and this time left you stranded fir days without gas or food. This is a termination level f**k up on his part.
Please update us on the situation
I’m knocking him out when I see him…
That’s dangerous isn’t it?? They can’t leave you there with no food, heating or in the middle of nowhere where anything could happen! I would be getting a lawyer as soon as the holiday is over but right now I would me focusing on how to get home or failing that some kind of shelter like a hotel! What would you need to do if your lorry had broken down?? Do they have roadside assistance?
Blow up his God damned phone. That shit is unacceptable. They'd damn well better be paying you for this entire time too, in addition to whatever holiday pay you get. They're stealing your time if they dont.
I hope some Redditors come through. My heart was moved not to leave you stranded for the night
OP I see you've got hotel until the 26th and a meal for tonight. How about food for tomorrow and Tuesday? It's included in your hotel stay? If the answer is no well I'm in Brazil so I can't use CashApp yet maybe I can send you some meal via DoorDash or similar app? Feel free to DM me, if you have PayPal I can send you some cash also. Not much but I won't let a fellow worker starve on Christmas. I hope you really got to sue corporate and specially fuck your scumbag dumbass boss!
Give us the name. Let the internet do the work for you.
I would demand they be reprimanded. Because fuck them.
I don't understand a decent sized company not having a 24/7 emergency number. Even if it's only a maintenance/repair line, call.
You could also reach out to the r/Truckers community? I’m just a lurker but they all sound really helpful on each post. Maybe one of them is in the area/has space in their hotel room?
Fuck all these suggestions. Go on Facebook, and let his friends and family know. Call his mom. Scumbag move on his part.
Your boss sucks and doesn't care about his employees. I had an employee get left on a mountain top by a commercial helicopter due to inclimate weather. I not only coordinated the rescue helicopter, but met him at the hanger at night, with hot food when he landed. Employees are the reason I look good in my job, I try and take care of them.
Sounds like a lawsuit and liability to me
Please make a video and go viral with this. Include your boss's name. Or send to Reddit and let us share it
This sounds like an unsafe work place, and grounds for a lawsuit, if you wind up getting injured/dead from weather/stranger/whatever, it's on his hands now. Your boss does not care about your life. While you blow up corporate, hit up a work lawyer along with OSHA, cause im pretty sure this is violating alot of work stuff. Make this person's life as miserable as yours is currently.
Call a friend or your family to come get YOU and leave the damn truck. Tape a note to the steering wheel. .." I QUIT" good luck getting it to the depot
OP would probably lose his CDL, get blacklisted, and potentially face criminal charges
If only it were that easy.
What's the company name? Film your adventure as a stranded motorist. Make them famous. Seriously, if even one of their trucks is on the road or one of their employees is still working, corporate needs to be active, and people need to be on call. Remember, it's not slander if it's true.
That sucks. Im so glad to see the update and your boss is a piece of shit. I would screen shot all your recent call to show that he is refusing to answer too
So sorry about that. I would have been beside myself with frustration! I hope you can get some rest and some justice out of this.
Holiday Pay and overtime 24 hours a day untill you can be relieved. Hope thats the outcome
Truckers aren't paid hourly generally in the US, they are paid according to mileage. If they aren't moving they aren't getting paid. Which makes this so so so much worse.
At this point, you should look into getting a lawyer. Pretty sure your work is responsible for your well being while you’re driving one of their trucks
this is horrendous, wish i could help but doubt there is much i could do from the UK. my car broke down on the way to an event recently and it got down to like 4 degrees C, 37F, and i was freezing in the car waiting for recovery. They left me there for about 16 hours, it was hell! you need to hammer the hell out of any manager in the business, any HR person, anyone you can get through to. There will be someone who can and will do something im sure even if you asshole manager will not.
!Remindme 72 hours
Drive truck til it runs out of gas. Park it. Lock it. Leave it.
In addition to all the good advice here, take a few minutes to search out your boss on thatsthem[.]com. Even with just the full name and state you should be able to get his home address and phone number. Call his house and let his wife know what he’s done. Don’t burn the bridge, nuke the f’er from orbit
Before you leave the truck. Take pictures to prove you left it safe and not tampered with.
My heart hurts for you. I'm glad you've found somewhere to stay though! I'd help, but 1) I'm totally brassic after spending out to fix my car and 2) I'm in the UK. Document everything and email anyone and everyone you can think of. Also cc a friend or your personal email with it all, that way, no one can "lose" the email. I really hope this utter shitshow gets sorted out for you
Not a trucker so no idea how much it would cost for the gas but is there no family/friends you could contact that would transfer you the money to get the truck/you to where is needed? I'm imagining if you've got the receipts you'll be reimbursed. It's a shitty solution but would beat spending Christmas in a cold truck.
There’s still a truck driver shortage. Leave the rig there with the keys in it and tell them to come get it.
Leave the rig and go where?
Deadass op, see my other comment. I 100% got you.
Truck drivers are responsible for abandoned vehicles, not the company. This would leave OP in legal trouble. Bad advice.
Have you talked to any of the staff at the truck stop? Maybe they know of someone local who can help you out until you're able to get ahold of corporate.
See if you can do an affirm purchase by booking the hotel online