Scam of the Covenant

[sunset]

Now if the company had anything they wanted to add to this they had a lot of time. I worked for them for 5 months. The accident happened in month one. I took their classes, I met with safety. I followed every company procedure.

In the meantime I stated opposition on the Qualcom over being dispatched to areas where chains are required by law. I argued over being threatened over the Qualcom that if I did not buy chains (in opinion a responsibilty of the company) that my loads would suffer and I would not have the same opportunities as those who were willing to buy them.

Somewhere between then and now company rules and regulations changed. They did not inform me or anyone else. Only now am I finding out that I am being subjected to rules and regulations that I was A) never aware of and B) never agreed to

[sunset]

For arguments sake lets say you are a smoker. You drive for a company for 5 months. In your first month you accidently drop your cigarette in heavy traffic and it burns a hole in the seat.

5 months later. You are charged for a new seat. Why? Because the company changed it's policy a month prior. You werent aware of this because you were out driving the truck. Noone ever told you the policy had changed, however because the company decided to begin charging drivers for ANY damage to the truck whatsoever, this new rule effects your paycheck through deductions. Had you known this before taking the job, perhaps you never would have taken the job in the first place. Or perhaps you would just happily pay stating "oops, they got me! I'm guilty as sin".

[ssoutlaw]

OK ssoutlaw, youre absolutely right. I really dont want others on here to find my concerns as overstated or to be skeptical at all. I would really like to use this an opportunity for others to be able to understand what I feel is wrong.

I am going to give you the details of my accident and then I'll let you decide and judge this for yourself.

The parking lot where the dock was located was too small for a truck to back into. The only way drivers could do it was by driving up over a curb and into a yard. On this day the yard was very muddy. The only hole they had open was wedged between trailers and dump trucks. Very little wiggle room.

I was stuck in the mud and could not pull the truck back. I had my team partner outside watching the rear of the trailer. I had two dock workers watching the front of the truck where I was stuck in the mud helping to guide me back.

Putting my faith in the ones outside the truck I revved the engine in reverse and it caught on solid ground. When the truck rolled back to the left after coming down off the curb and back into the parking lot the front left fender hit the edge of the dump truck causing no damage to the the dump truck but dented the fender of my tractor.

I immediately followed company procedure and went inside to talk to the owner. He stated that he must apologize because many drivers were getting stuck getting into his dock. He could not move the dump truck because he didnt have the keys. I took photos and made an accident report.

I read the procedures of a first accident in the book provided by Covenant for company policy. Then time passed. They changed the rules and were now stating that the driver will pay an insurance deductible. I had no knowledge of this until they began charging me.

I'll agree I dented the truck. If the company wished to sue me for damages, then that was their perrogative, however I never once agreed as a company driver to pay for an insurance deductible. One could aruge that this is less than the total amount of any damage, however I NEVER agreed. This was imposed on me after the fact. Now again I could argue at any job I will ever hold in the future. Where does my responsibilty begin and where does it end? Again, if I am to work for a warehouse and drive a forklift, if I have a mishap, am I responsible for damages? Does a company have the right to impose new rules AFTER the fact?

I just dont believe so. However, I am going to let you judge this based on the facts. I cant argue over having an accident. I can however argue that I was never informed of the true consequences.

Was I careful in my driving? Of course I was. Was I careless? Perhaps. But did I do the best I could at the time of the incident? I think so.

Thank you for answering the question. You have to remember, company's will most always blame the driver for any damage, you now know this!
Its up to you to keep yourself away from any situation where damage will occur. If you have to drive over a curb to get into the dock and other vehicles are in the way, I myself wouldn't put myself into that situation.
Running over a curb is not good on your tires at ALL.
Now go back and re read my posts about They can not charge you for this. They however have the right to terminate you. If they take money from your pay, Quit and seek legal action. I think most company's will try to bully you to pay them, its the same anywhere! Did you do the best thing, I think not, you dented their equipment. You should not have put yourself in that position, nor should your trainer! Remember something, damage is damage, no matter how small you may think it is! You have to cover your own ass all the time in this day and age. If you continue to work there they will want you to pay, if you don't they can and will terminate you. This is nothing new in this industry, and you will see it most everywhere. Go to another company, and the same thing will happen to you again. DON'T damage their equipment and you wont have this problem. I don't know what else to tell you, but life is a bitch where ever you go. Keep having these little incidents and you wont have to worry about paying, you will be kicked out of the industry all together!
I guess what I'm trying to say is, It doesn't matter if you think they are changing the rules, there not, its pretty much standard in this business when you damage their equipment. In my opinion your posts sound like you are crying on how bad you were treated. If you would not have put yourself in the position of denting their equipment you would not be in the position you are now. I'm rambling now, you have my opinion, so stop trying to portray yourself as the victim, its their equipment that was damaged, not yours. As far as the chain thing, if you don't want to buy them, then quit, I would!!!!!!

[homer]

i never considered working for covenant or buying snow chains for a big trucking company.they used to be a safety hazard when they were having their daily roadsicde sermon.trucks pulling over on dirt shoulders parking on the fog line.better say your prayers.

[homer]

i would never read a post a whole page long by sscoutlaw let alone re-read it..i hope your retired so you have to type all that.i was telling that one fellow he opens a can of worms suing a trucking company.you go into a rant how in a million miles i never hit snow with a tt what ever that was in the canada rockies and stevens pass everyday for a year.musta been something else.not to mention the last month in the geat nw.what a hoot! your to funny!

[ssoutlaw]

i would never read a post a whole page long by sscoutlaw let alone re-read it..i hope your retired so you have to type all that.i was telling that one fellow he opens a can of worms suing a trucking company.you go into a rant how in a million miles i never hit snow with a tt what ever that was in the canada rockies and stevens pass everyday for a year.musta been something else.not to mention the last month in the geat nw.what a hoot! your to funny!

First of all, I am not retired, had knee surg. in late Aug. and on the 7Th of this month having another. Yes, I do have time on my hands.
In one of your posts YOU SAID you have not driven a T/T in snow, and in the same post you say you have, which led me to believe you were like some of BSers on this forum.I didn't make this up, and really cant remember our conversation about it, but this is what you said:


homer

Senior Trucker


Joined: 22 Nov 2006
Posts: 134
Location: wa
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:37 pm Post subject:

""I have never driven a t/t in the snow either and really haven't even seen much rain. I wouldn't think to step on the gas if the trailer starts to come around me, I probably would have just stepped on the brakes. But I guess it does make more sense to accelerate. Someone told me once too that if I blew a front tire that the worse thing to do would to brake.[/qu mars.usually dont get to that point.but once on 97nb passed goldendale wa at 10pm i topped hill at 25 mph and trucks were on the side so i touched the brakes and trailer was across the road ! black ice! throttled it straight,now im going into klickitat canyon. i felt the need to go slowly.and repeated the manuever several times.once i tried the trolley and same result.i finally got to the bottom and people on the cb were sure i blocked the road and were cursing me because they got chained up and the wsp that followed me down was laughing at me.i drive in snow every year and people razz me for going so slow down the hill ""

Back to you neighbor.......

[merrick4]

First of all, I am not retired, had knee surg. in late Aug. and on the 7Th of this month having another. Yes, I do have time on my hands.
In one of your posts YOU SAID you have not driven a T/T in snow, and in the same post you say you have, which led me to believe you were like some of BSers on this forum.I didn't make this up, and really cant remember our conversation about it, but this is what you said:


homer

Senior Trucker


Joined: 22 Nov 2006
Posts: 134
Location: wa
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:37 pm Post subject:

""I have never driven a t/t in the snow either and really haven't even seen much rain. I wouldn't think to step on the gas if the trailer starts to come around me, I probably would have just stepped on the brakes. But I guess it does make more sense to accelerate. l ""

Back to you neighbor.......

these were my words not his, he was quoting me and answering me.

[ssoutlaw]

First of all, I am not retired, had knee surg. in late Aug. and on the 7Th of this month having another. Yes, I do have time on my hands.
In one of your posts YOU SAID you have not driven a T/T in snow, and in the same post you say you have, which led me to believe you were like some of BSers on this forum.I didn't make this up, and really cant remember our conversation about it, but this is what you said:


homer

Senior Trucker


Joined: 22 Nov 2006
Posts: 134
Location: wa
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:37 pm Post subject:

""I have never driven a t/t in the snow either and really haven't even seen much rain. I wouldn't think to step on the gas if the trailer starts to come around me, I probably would have just stepped on the brakes. But I guess it does make more sense to accelerate. l ""

Back to you neighbor.......

these were my words not his, he was quoting me and answering me.

From the way he wrote it, it looked like he was contradicting himself, oh well my bad...lol

Is it not a DOT requirement that chains are a piece of SAFTEY equipment and therefore the company is REQUIRED to provide them. I know all the companies I drove for during the chain law season that they were issued to the truck and if they were lost or damaged oh well cost of doing business and a new set was issued. I had one set break off over Donner on Thanksgiving eve in 97 since that was the only way out of the state that night HAZMAT spill on Techaphi I was halfway in between Bakersfield and Sacremento and could go either way since I was going to Chicago. I hit Donner and Chained it up lost a set on singles told the company about it they said will replace it at the yard when you get here. Covenats policy of forcing drivers to buy chains or you will not get to go west is duress and illegal. If a company driver was a member of OOIDA and showed them what they are doing OOIDA would have a BALL with them call illegal markups and corecian illegal under section 49.

[One]

Skull, sunset- will you guys settle you personal problems prvately? this constant back and forth is making people dizzy

[ssoutlaw]

Skull, sunset- will you guys settle you personal problems prvately? this constant back and forth is making people dizzy

What problem are you talking about, and when did you become a MOD here?
If you didn't like reading it, you could just stay away from this topic!!

[homer]

i see what your talking about.that was mars but its all one paragraph.they are kind of long .i try not to spend too much time here ,in and out.in enjoy the too and fro tho.ill always be a rooky,its better than the alternative.get healed soon.

[ssoutlaw]

i see what your talking about.that was mars but its all one paragraph.they are kind of long .i try not to spend too much time here ,in and out.in enjoy the too and fro tho.ill always be a rooky,its better than the alternative.get healed soon.

Thanks, I will....

[rvrjr7]

theres an easy solution about not having to buy chains to run west. if they tell you you have to buy your own tire chains tell them you WILL NOT BUY equipment for the company such as tire chains and if they wont provide them you wont go west. i am an owner operator and with my company im leased to i just sign a set of chains out and if i dont return them then i get charged for them. if i would have paid for them i would have not taken the load i am not gonna carry tire chains on my truck all the time i am carrying enough extra weigh around

[BettyAnn]

There are 2 reasons companies want the tires back when they are replaced on the road.

1. Is to ensure that the tire really needed replacing and to try to determine the reason for the failure.

2. They may get credit for the tire from the manufacturer depending on the age of the tire.

As far as the charging you, financially for accidents, that is totally BS. I know some companies like to do this, and in many cases it is an illegal practice, but since many people do not know what labor codes really say, and since these laws vary a little state to state they figure they can get by with it.

It can be a big PITA trying to get unlawfully deducted money back when you live in one state and the company is based in another.

LOL...I have to agree with Uturn2001... Well said.
Just keep on truckin.... *smiling*