Told To Drive When It's Obvious You're Too Tired.

I felt the same way Brett did after watching this video. I was going to respond in a like manner and then I decided I would sit on it and watch it again later. Each time I've watched it makes my mind up a little further that this guy is a joke. I mean which one of you videos his phone calls with dispatch? This whole thing seems to me like it was a set up just to make a jab at what some doofuses like to think of as "Big Trucking" evil empires. I call my self "Old School" because that's pretty much what I am and where I come from. I believe in hard work and honest values. This guy sounds like a pansy when it comes to driving trucks - his whole premise is that this is going on all the time and people are being pressured to drive while fatigued. I can't even begin to tell you how many times we get messaged over the qualcomm encouraging us to shut down if we are overly tired. I work for one of those large carriers who are always getting slammed on-line for being cruel and hateful to their employees and I've never been pressured into doing anything that was even remotely considered dangerous or unsafe.

Look, those of you who are currently drivers know we have to work long hard hours, it's what this job entails. If we wanted a different type of job we wouldn't be here. That guy doesn't belong in a truck. You Tube has got some awesome stuff on it, but for every useful video you find there are at least a thousand pieces of drivel there also, and this one falls into the category of drivel for me.

And unless you're part housecat, I don't know anybody who can sleep for 10 hours, be awake for 20 minutes, and go back to sleep for another 10 hours.

And unless you've got some serious health issues or you're the laziest human being imaginable, I don't know anyone that should need to! Is there a labor law or something about the makeup of human beings that says you have to wake up fresh and ready to go within 10 minutes of your work shift or you don't have to work that day? So he was up for 10 hours but wasn't working. Is it time for a full night's sleep again already???? Because I got up at 3:00 a.m. today and it's now 7:30. That's 4 1/2 hours. Does that mean I have 5 1/2 hours left in me and by 1:00 p.m. today I have to quit working and go to bed for the night?

This dude slept 10 hours, worked 20 minutes, took yet another 10 hours off but was so tired he needed a third 10 hour break in a row to go back to bed??? And people are defending this guy????

He had said he couldn't sleep the second 10 hour break because he was too well-rested from the first 10 hour break. Now he's too tired from the second 10 hour break to do any work so he has to go to bed for a third 10 hour break???? My God there's only 24 hours in a day and this guy is going to be in bed or relaxing for 30 hours out of a period of 30 hours an 20 minutes!!!!

And I stress again - this dude was too tired to drive, but he wasn't too tired to setup the camera and secretly record the conversation where he purposely tried to get his co-workers in serious trouble and embarrass them for doing their job. They encouraged him to drive and when he refused they re-powered the load to someone else. That's exactly what they should have done. Then they gave him a service failure and took away his guarantee, which is exactly what they should have done because that's what he deserved.

Notice the quote that's showing before the video runs, "I was threatened with my job for being safe." Do you feel that's an accurate assessment of what happened?

First of all, they didn't threaten his job. They never said he would be fired. They said he's getting a service failure for this, which he 100% deserves, and if it happens again in the next 90 days he could lose his job because that's the company policy. He knew about this policy when he signed up with the company. That kind of stuff is emphasized strongly in orientation and you have to sign paperwork acknowledging this.

Second of all, he wasn't "being safe". He was being lazy!. If they would have told him, "Hey, we'll give you a $200 bonus if you'll make this run." I'd bet an arm and a leg he would have done it and this video never would have made it to air.

So this guy works 20 minutes in a 20+ hour period, decides that's all he can muster, then sets up the camera to get his co-workers in trouble when they did nothing wrong to him whatsoever, and then he lies saying, "I was threatened with my job for being safe."

He's lazy, he's manipulative, he's sneaky, he's inconsiderate, he blames others when he fails to do his own job, and he's quite full of sh*t. He is everything I can't stand about the Modern American Worker. Far too many people nowadays lack pride, integrity, loyalty, and a solid work ethic. They don't want to listen, they don't want to learn, they don't want to work hard, and above all else they don't take responsibility for themselves.

These are the type of people blasting trucking companies and the trucking industry for unfair practices. He thinks 30 minutes of work in a 24 hour period is too much to ask and he's going to assassinate the character of his company, the trucking industry as a whole, and any individuals along the way that disagree with him.

On another one of his videos he said the guarantee they get at his company K&B is that he'll get paid for 2500 miles even if he runs fewer than that. All you have to do is be available to run that week and not have any late deliveries. So as I would expect from someone like this, he's out there trying to do as little as possible but get paid like he's a real trucker. Shocking he would pick a company to work for that will guarantee you a paycheck even if you don't earn it. Because he obviously has no intention of earning much of anything.

Modern American Worker.

He also said he was a trainer at Werner. Thank God. Hopefully he instilled his "work ethic" into new drivers so they have a perfect understanding of how a true professional truck driver gets the job done out there. For instance, you teach them how to secretly setup their unsuspecting co-workers by telling them that 20 minutes of driving in a 20 hour period is too much for you to handle safely even though they're guaranteeing you a 2500 mile paycheck every week. Then dispatch will look like criminals for suggesting you try to dig deep and muster up an entire hour of work out of yourself each day. When that fails and they say they won't guarantee you 2500 miles of pay and they're giving you a service failure for refusing to work, you say your job was threatened because you were "trying to be safe". Because we all know it isn't safe to drive after only 20 hours of rest. Those animals!

Ya know, people like this have made truckers and the trucking industry look bad for a long, long time. I'm glad this guy thinks he's clever and went out of his way to record that call to dispatch. I'm glad he's trying to ruin their careers and get his company in hot water with the DOT. I'm glad he's trying to make the trucking industry look bad in front of the whole world. Because "real drivers" like myself and the Moderators and experienced drivers here at TruckingTruth know how to pick this guy apart. His tactics are sad and painfully obvious. He's a joke.

Finally someone made an example out of themselves so that when people ask, "How come the trucking companies and the industry get such a bad rap?" we can say, "Because guys like this get to broadcast their opinions to the world."

I apologize if my rants about this guy have gotten tiresome. It's just that I've spent the past two decades of my life in this industry and as hard as the job is, it's afforded me a lifetime of solid paychecks, beautiful scenery, wonderful friends, and priceless experiences. A lot of us have put in many, many years serving these trucking companies, this industry, and our society. We sacrificed a lot to be out there doing what we did year after year. We took a lot of risks. We mustered up a lot of courage. And we pushed through a lot of trying times. But we got the job done and we're proud as h*ll about that. Yet 99.9% of the time we were treated like garbage. Why? Because of guys like this.

I loved my years in trucking. I also know how much respect drivers deserve for the role they play in our society and all of the risks and sacrifices they make. But all these years we've been overshadowed by the "undesirables". It's frustrating and disappointing. Somebody needs to call these guys out and as much as I love to get along with people and be kind and respectful, this person hasn't earned my respect - not as a truck driver - not as a person. Not with that kind of laziness and shady tactics. He needs to be called out by guys like myself who know what it means to be a true professional truck driver. I'm doing this hoping that those of you who are new to the trucking industry don't get confused about what should be expected of you and how to be successful out there. I don't want people to think that this is what truck drivers are all about any more than I want them thinking trucking companies are run by criminally ruthless dispatchers who don't care about you or your safety. Nothing could be further from the truth.

So I'll try to make this my last rant on this guy. I know I've made my point abundantly (and overly) clear.

But I suspect my stance on this matter will raise a number of questions in the minds of people coming into the industry so don't be shy about asking me to clarify anything I've said or help you understand things a little better. It's extremely rare I call people out or make an example of anyone. I hate doing that. There's almost always a better way. But in this case it's the lesser or two evils. I'd rather you think I was a bit over the top in my reaction to this guy than to have you believe he's an innocent victim being strong-armed by ruthless dispatchers.

Oh damn, Brett you're going off more than I went off in my journal about my DM getting fired at Central.

Brett, I totally enjoy your rants on the Modern American Worker.

Oh damn, Brett you're going off more than I went off in my journal about my DM getting fired at Central.

Yeah, it's rare I do that. But it's rare anyone gives me such a glaring opportunity to do so!

@Anchorman - priceless pic!!!! Love it!

@Deb - thanks Deb! I was raised by a small town, old-school, blue collar family of steel workers, auto workers, farmers, bricklayers, and mechanics. The thought of someone saying they're too tired to push on after working 20 minutes sandwiched between two 10 hour breaks and then trying to make their company, their co-workers, and their industry look like a gang of thugs - and calling themselves "RunHard", and calling it "The Ugly Truth Of Trucking" - well that was just too much! It set me off!

I'm going to start school soon and i promise i will not be that guy.

Brett,

I was thinking the same thing as I watched that video. But, I have never been out there yet so I did not feel I could be credible in saying what you did. How many times in life have any of us had a bad night sleep? Stress of work, family problems, illness, financial problems have kept everyone of us up a night before. The next day, did we call out sick? I guess some people would. I would not. But, then again, if he can't stay awake, he can't stay awake. Shut it down! The cameras tell me he had planned this all day because he was not happy about what he was being assigned and was finding a way to fight back and try to make himself look good. He said in the video he had talked about the back to back 10 hour breaks with management in the past. He has had an issue with this and used it to try and make the company look bad. Hell, I want to work for a company that guarantees me 2500 miles a week and then gives me 20 hours off for 20 minutes of work. I am betting if he actually did the load assigned, he would not have been close to 2500 miles for the week. Why? Because a set up like that allows drivers like this to milk the load they have been assigned. He can show up right on time and not have to worry about getting creative to get unloaded. He does not have to turn and burn because he is getting paid. He has no incentive to arrive early except personal pride in his work.

PRIDE... that's right i said it. Money is important but it is second to PRIDE. I take pride that I do my job to the best of my ability. I may fall short sometimes but it is not from the lack of effort.

What that driver did or did not do is not what grabs me. You have lazy drivers everywhere trying to get money for nothing.

What stuck out to me was the push regardless of the safety issues involved. Sure the driver did not get proper sleep. That's on the driver. But be that as it may the Blatant disregard that the driver said over and over that he was falling to sleep while driving. While the drivers fault for not getting enough sleep dispatch should not have tried to try and make a sleepy driver go down the road.