What Would You Do?

I'd like to pose a situation thats been ongoing and see how others would've reacted to it. Keep in mind I'm a home daily driver but hotels are paid for by company if needed.

Route is 2 stores, roughly 500 miles round trip that should take about 11 hours. Its a Saturday, plans scheduled with the family for Saturday night and you're off work Sunday. You're supposed to leave the warehouse at 315am. Due to warehouse running behind lately due to short staffing (like most places) you show up at 3am knowing the load probably won't be ready. Call to check the status at 315 to be told you're one of the next trucks to load. Call again at 5 to be told you're the next truck to be loaded. Load still not ready at 7am they have 1 pallet loaded meanwhile you're down to 10 hours on your 14. 8am walk down to the dock door and see your trailer only has 3 pallets on it, 9 hours remain on your clock. At this point knowing you don't have the hours to return to the terminal how would YOU handle it?

There isn't a right or wrong answer but this is something you sometimes (rarely) deal with as a local driver.

Basing my answer on company policy.

I'm not going. FedEx says we can't be sent out if we're not going to make it back the same day (unless that's what the bid is). Things happen, but they try to avoid layovers.

I'll take something shorter if it's available or just go home and take the 5 hours of pay.

Basing my answer on company policy.

I'm not going. FedEx says we can't be sent out if we're not going to make it back the same day (unless that's what the bid is). Things happen, but they try to avoid layovers.

I'll take something shorter if it's available or just go home and take the 5 hours of pay.

Same exactly with Tom at FAB. If he's supposed to take a Napoleon/Campbell's (That Don so loves!) that's not even ready when he GETS to Mt. Vernon from our home, we know it's at LEAST a six hour turn, IF drop & hook.

If his clock has already run over 4 hours in, just waiting, it's a nope. This often happens when he has a first 'short' run, becaue Campbell's isn't ready yet. He'll take a Willard/Pepperidge Farms, even Fremont/Smuckers (still kinda long but always d/h) but refuses the Campbell's.

No 5 hours of pay if Tom just comes home, Banks. That's a plus for you!

~ Anne ~

No 5 hours of pay if Tom just comes home, Banks. That's a plus for you!

The 5 hours Banks is referring to is the time spent waiting before making the decision to go home. Thats what would happen where I'm at.

That's what I loved about my 2 year stint at Nissan Forklifts, if I showed up at the shop, and there wasn't any work for me and sent me home, I got 4 hours pay for the 1 hr rnd trip drive lol

And since they didn't like paying OT, once I had my 8 hours booked (labor time) I called in ask if anything else, or break down calls, NOPE, go on home ! I'd be done by noon-1pm

No 5 hours of pay if Tom just comes home, Banks. That's a plus for you!

The 5 hours Banks is referring to is the time spent waiting before making the decision to go home. Thats what would happen where I'm at.

Ah, gotcha! I guess Tom would get 'detention' pay . . aka $75.00 LoL.

Funny thing? This exactly happened tonight. Heinz not ready, took a Willard. Early off, I guess I should be 'happy!' No detention at the end of the day, ie: no time for the Heinz/Fremont without exceeding HOS.

That's nice d/time y'all get. FAB is only straight $75 at the 'office.' SMH.

~ Anne ~

Same as everyone else above, I'd call central tell them I don't have time and they would either have me take it to a terminal closer or just do a different run all together might give me the option to just go home as well.

They don't really like us to stay out overnight because it causes your home terminal to be short a driver and they have to cover that run.

So what ended up happening is I went home. Part of our job description is staying out overnight as needed but I wasn't having any of that. Back in October we rolled out a new dispatching system (I made a post regarding the frustrations with that) and they finally got most of the kinks worked out. However, now with the holidays bringing increased case counts and warehouse having staffing issues we've run into a new problem. It should be better after new years until our expansion opens in a few months.

After I seen my trailer was still barely loaded after 5 hours I walked into dispatch and in a calm, professional manner told them to find someone else to run my load because I'm not going out today, told them what 2 stores, told them give me a point (attendance point. 1 point per day fired for 9th point in a rolling year.) And I went home. The other 6 drivers that had been waiting as well couldn't believe I was going home and despite them saying they'd be right behind me nobody else left.

Cut to Tuesday I picked up an extra run to Kansas City and on my way back I receive a phone call from our VP wanting to talk about what happened Saturday. Again, in a calm professional way I voice my frustrations and we have a discussion about it and he understands. I tell him how the drivers get the short end of the stick in this situation because we literally can not make plans on days we work because who knows when our load will actually be done. I also tell him that although I'm overall happy if this continues I'll likely be looking new job due to interfering with my kids, that what I like about daily bidding routes is being able to pick how long of a day I'll have so I can get home earlier if need be. I don't pick layover routes but if a breakdown or bad weather forces me into one that's acceptable and understandable. Well, apparently me leaving on Saturday has gotten more drivers to be vocal about their frustrations because many people informed them of how their personal lives have been affected by the late loads, including the wife of a 30+ year for us driver calling in and voicing her displeasure.

After I got back to the yard and getting ready to leave for the day I received a call from my supervisor. He wanted to discuss Saturday. I told him I was turning in my paperwork and id be down to his office in about 5 minutes rather than doing it on the phone. There was an email sent out to all management asking if anybody had talked to me and he was unaware of the VP reaching out. Again, in a calm professional manner we discussed matters for 20 minutes and he was on my side as well. He was glad to hear I didn't hold back with the VP like most guys do. Why would I, how will you know what the problem is and how to fix it if I sugar coat everything. Turns out they're trying to force the warehouse management to create a mandatory overtime policy because as it sits right now after their 8 or 10 hour shift is up they go home regardless of the workload left. I've had 4 different warehouse jobs and you always worked til everything is done, and that's how the distribution center in southern Iowa does it as well.

Some guys stay home until they receive their automated text saying the loads ready. I, and many others, refuse to. I'm planning my life around my dispatch time. What time I go to sleep, plans I make the next day etc. Im doing my part being ready to work at a certain time and feel I should be paid. The warehouse running late isn't my problem despite an 85% turnover rate. If the loads are going to be late the dispatch time should be bumped back to reflect that. Plus I feel it's a Grey area of HOS because I'm still expected to be ready to head out the door. The load Saturday wasn't ready until 7 hours late. Had I stayed home and my day take the 11 hours I expected I'd be awake for atleast 18 hours when I returned. Studies say after about 18 hours awake your reaction time is similiar to a BAC of .1. Personally I'd have trouble going back to sleep worrying about not hearing my phone go off. Anyways, after the nice conversations I had with management and being told they knew I was upset because leaving is out of character I feel better about the situation. Supervisor mentioned in the email that although I actually went home there's atleast 100 (of 179) drivers that feel the same way I do.

Unrelated, 2 weeks ago it was mentioned we're expanding outside of our current region. Somebody leaked information, from a video the Hy-vee CEO sent all employees and subsidiaries, to the local papers and TV news stations about a new warehouse being built in the next couple years in Nashville TN, with 20 stores being built by 2025 including Knoxville, Memphis, Huntsville AL, Indianapolis IN, and some in Kentucky, possibly even Wichita KS.

I agree with you. Time should be respected on both sides. If the load was ready at 315, I'm sure they wouldn't be happy with you walking in 5 or 6 hours later.

The other 6 drivers that had been waiting as well couldn't believe I was going home and despite them saying they'd be right behind me nobody else left.

That's not surprising. I hear people talking about how they're going to voice their issues, but they never do. I pick my battles, but when I decide to battle I do it via email. I like a paper trail and I communicate better by writing. Some times I let it sit in the draft box and make edits as necessary. Don't want to have a "jerk store" situation like George Costanza.

including the wife of a 30+ year for us driver calling in and voicing her displeasure

That's something my wife would do. On my first run, I wasn't answering my phone because of nerves, so she called dispatch so they could track me and tell her where I was.

I had a similar experience multiple times each week with the DC management in Cheyenne. Could not plan the day or the next one because of consistently sitting around waiting on a dispatch that may or may not be upcoming. I talked to everyone I could find to no avail.

To make a long story short, things there did not change for me, so I'm currently finishing my final trip Friday. A couple weeks off on my paid vacation time, then I head to my next orientation on 11 Jan in Columbus. I'll be home for Christmas.😁