Police Called At Consignee

I know there have been multiple conversations about PC and when to use it, let me tell you a story. Last night around 1830 in Ennis TX I pulled up to my consignee to drop and hook. The place was closed save for a lone female in the guard shack, most of the lights were off in the parking lot and it was quite dark. There was a Landstar truck parked to the right of the driveway going in. As I'm checking in, sitting in my truck waiting for her to find out if I was in fact a D&H (I'd have to leave and return the next day if I was a live load since nobody else was there) a police cruiser pulled up with his lights on and stops to the left of me kind of behind me. The woman goes out and I can hear just bits and pieces but when done the cop backs up and pulls over to the landstar truck, facing the cab with his spotlight on. I ask her whats up. Apparently the Landstar driver was a live unload but showed up late. Since they were closed he had to wait till morning to be worked in. He was told he couldn't park on the property and he absolutely refused to leave. Told her he was out of time and was staying right where he was. She rightfully called the police who then made him move. Several things wrong here, 1. thats the main reason we have PC, to leave the customers property when we run out of time and seek a safe haven. 2, he still moved however now he is probably banned from the property because of his bad behavior, his company will surely be notified and may lose their contract with that customer. There was a Loves 5 miles out and plenty of other options really close so the entire situation was unnecessary.

Glad it wasn't you.

I know there have been multiple conversations about PC and when to use it, let me tell you a story. Last night around 1830 in Ennis TX I pulled up to my consignee to drop and hook. The place was closed save for a lone female in the guard shack, most of the lights were off in the parking lot and it was quite dark. There was a Landstar truck parked to the right of the driveway going in. As I'm checking in, sitting in my truck waiting for her to find out if I was in fact a D&H (I'd have to leave and return the next day if I was a live load since nobody else was there) a police cruiser pulled up with his lights on and stops to the left of me kind of behind me. The woman goes out and I can hear just bits and pieces but when done the cop backs up and pulls over to the landstar truck, facing the cab with his spotlight on. I ask her whats up. Apparently the Landstar driver was a live unload but showed up late. Since they were closed he had to wait till morning to be worked in. He was told he couldn't park on the property and he absolutely refused to leave. Told her he was out of time and was staying right where he was. She rightfully called the police who then made him move. Several things wrong here, 1. thats the main reason we have PC, to leave the customers property when we run out of time and seek a safe haven. 2, he still moved however now he is probably banned from the property because of his bad behavior, his company will surely be notified and may lose their contract with that customer. There was a Loves 5 miles out and plenty of other options really close so the entire situation was unnecessary.

This kind of reminds me of a saying which is:

Pick your battles wisely.

Seems like this driver should have thought about what his end game was, as far as possible outcomes. Did he really believe that he would be allowed to stay at the consignee simply because he said he was out of hours?

This leads me to wondering something of a theoretical sort. I have read posts on here from a couple of drivers I believe where a particular company has a policy that they don't allow the use of PC. I can't remember the name of the company. In that circumstance, if a company has a policy that forbids using PC, what is the driver to do? I know that the simple answer is to say contact dispatch for the company. Suppose dispatch stands firm. If a driver moves the vehicle on PC anyway, that's a serious problem because any damage to the vehicle or caused by the vehicle could be entirely the responsibility of the driver. I base this on paperwork that I signed with Dutch Maid Logistics, which states that moving a company vehicle when not under dispatch or not according to company policy, the driver is financially responsible for anything that happens to the vehicle or any other persons or vehicles.

Where I am going with the hypothetical here is this: The driver is out of hours. The company has a policy that does not allow use of PC. Dispatch is standing firm in not allowing PC. Law enforcement is giving an order to move the vehicle off of consignee property. What then would you see as the solution in this hypothetical situation? Should the driver move the vehicle against orders from dispatch and risk the vehicle not being covered by company insurance?

This is just something I got to thinking about when I read your post here and thought of those one or two posts where it was mentioned that a company has a policy to not use PC.

If law enforcement requires a driver to move the vehicle then you have two options. You go ahead and violate HOS , annotate it and let the log auditor sort it out, or, get arrested and have the vehicle towed.

He was still loaded therefore still under dispatch. But in your scenario, he leaves the property, in violation of HOS regulations and notes why he had to violate.

He was still loaded therefore still under dispatch. But in your scenario, he leaves the property, in violation of HOS regulations and notes why he had to violate.

Question, Mikey.

Were you, in fact, a D & H then? (Or did you leave, as well?)

~ Anne ~

ps: Sorry if I missed that, were it answered already!

He was still loaded therefore still under dispatch. But in your scenario, he leaves the property, in violation of HOS regulations and notes why he had to violate.

Question, Mikey.

Were you, in fact, a D & H then? (Or did you leave, as well?)

~ Anne ~

ps: Sorry if I missed that, were it answered already!

Yep, I was D & H!!! She opened the gate and let me in.

To be fair to the landstar driver, he probably had to get approval from the company so that decision might not have been his to make.

To be fair to the landstar driver, he probably had to get approval from the company so that decision might not have been his to make.

That's still no justification for refusing to leave a customer's property. If they want you gone, you have to go, approval or not.

Exit the private property when directed, then figure the rest out afterward.

It’s as simple as that. Not up to the driver what they can or cannot do when on private property.

To be fair to the landstar driver, he probably had to get approval from the company so that decision might not have been his to make.

That's still no justification for refusing to leave a customer's property. If they want you gone, you have to go, approval or not.

Exit the private property when directed, then figure the rest out afterward.