Not the company's fault that a specific truck had a mechanical problem. There is a set process to getting things fixed and as a team, the truck moving will practically eliminate the "hazard". This sounds like another feeble attempt to justify quitting the industry or the company.

 

Being late with Dunkin' Donuts...lucky they didn't get arrested. :?

Only 27k miles on the truck, so probably a good thing this driver was let go. Drivers like this you usually find going down the road with the right trailer door swinging in the breeze, and a shredded trailer tire wrapping a mud flap around the axle. :P

Ride with me after I've had a plate of beans :mrgreen:

Seriously though, a CO2 leak is very dangerous, but I agree, that now that you are aware of it, just keep fresh air in the cab, until you can make your drop. Being in the Salt Lake vicinity, you would be able to get a quick repair. I'm sure the dispatch will give you the time you need before you are scheduled for a backload.

Cowboy up. This is a baby size challenge. A Farmer/Driver would have tightened up the leaking connection himself, adjusted his Trailer brakes, shut the right rear door, and change his own flat, while his girlfriend opened a can of beans for him.

 

Since we're once again ragging on someone for something they thought was important to share, I thought I'd take the opportunity to point one thing out.

CO2 is Carbon Dioxide.
CO is Carbon Monoxide.

Only composition difference is one Oxygen molecule. However, that one molecule makes it an entirely different compound. A farmer/driver might not have known that, just like the OP may not have known how to do it himself.

 

:roll:
Thank you...I appreciate the correction.

Anytime you need a lesson in tongue and cheek humor, likewise, I'll be happy to straighten you out.

The OP doesn't need to make the repair himself. Especially on a Truck still under warranty.
But, he still over reacted, in my opinion...and that is my opinion...not yours...right?

 

I would fully agree that the OP did indeed overreact about an exhaust leak, at least judging by the tone of the post.
That should have been something that was caught with a proper PTI, I agree with that also.

Personally, I was a mechanic for 7 years prior to driving a truck (which I no longer do, but that is a story for another time) so I would have no problem fixing it to make it safe to drive as a "stop-gap" measure so that I could get it to a shop and repaired properly. As we all know, or should know, companies aren't really concerned with anything except for moving freight.

It doesn't surprise me that he was fired for delaying a load by 2 days. That is likely to happen pretty much anywhere with any trucking company.

My main point of contention is that some people on this site have a habit of being overly negative towards anyone who has a differing opinion on anything. OK, so maybe the guy did overreact, but that doesn't mean we have the right to bash him incessantly for something he thought was important enough to post on a message board.

Although, I do find it amusing that the last line in the OP's post about doing research is something he should have done long before signing on with CRE.

 

I didn't read it as it took him 2 days to repair, nor that he was 2 days late on his load. I read it as he found out 2 days later, they were fired. He must have been late for his appointment, and likely the load needed to be rescheduled, and often times this includes costs due to either a fine or fees to reschedule.

He was told this load had a "time is of the essence" status. They didn't tell him this on the spot. They checked the load status and got back to him, informing him, he needed to make his appointment. How many other drivers were now rescheduled, because his vendor was put off, on an already highly anticipated delivery. Also, the vendors customers may have been out of product, or dangerously close to that. This driver has no right to assume the value on someone else's loss, as insignificant. Companies loose accounts over things like this sometimes too.

His mechanical trouble was not enough, to warrant his insubordinate decision.

Another thing I failed to read in this thread, is CAD members being overly negative. We do tend to call things as we see it. It's not sometimes pretty.

 

Ditto on Jackass statement ....


If I was only a few miles from the shipper fine ,but if I was 10 hours or more then I'd be looking for repairs before delivery ...If you choose to drive in 20 degree weather for 10 hours with your windows open that's your call , And I'm sure the company is noting it on your record ,and currently making your key to the executive washroom for you humble sacrafice to the freight ... :wink:

 

Like somebody said before, the driver in this lease is the Captain of his ship. If he decides it is UNSAFE to drive then it IS. Its not up to the dispatcher to decide over this case. CRE should be sued depending WHAT kind of information they put in their record. If some of you guys could have fixed it yourself, good for you. Many of the guys bashing them now I guess we can thank for all the nice rules TODAY which make our driving down the road much harder. No sleep, brakes not working and other problems? I can wait it out, right? After I took my truck to the shop where the wipers were almost not working in a snowstorm I got told from one of the older drivers: I drove 200 miles in a snowstorm without wipers and made my delivery. LUCKY YOU! And he was proud of his stupid success. It worked out for him but if he would have killed somebody he would still do his time. So if the driver decides he dont feel safe to drive then he DONT. And there should be no reason to put something on somebodys record for this. There are already enough big companies who complain they cant get drivers but on the other hand if somebody leaves them because of bad equipment or pay why dont we just ruin his record quick so he cant drive for the competition? just my opinion.

 

Should I apologize for my deadpan humor?
This apparently is too offensive, and people are taking this joking as serious bashing.

I mention, I do not believe this driver needs to make this repair. This Truck would be under warranty, if it only has 27,000 miles on it. I wouldn't fix this myself. You are paying big bucks to keep driving, not wrench.

My guess.. this is a minor leak, being new parts...not some holes in the pipe belching fumes up through open floorboards. I also read this was a team Truck. That means it's going 55 mph most of the time. When you have to stop for fuel, bathroom, or whatever...shut it off...DUH!?

Most of the exhaust when the Truck is going 55 mph, will be following the wind direction under the Truck. A new Truck most likely has electric windows, cabin vents that operate, and a heater that will melt plastic. I think keeping fresh air in the cab is really no big deal, just crack the windows a little. This all seems blown out of proportion.

I think the OP opened himself up for opinions, by over exaggeration to begin with. I do agree it is a serious problem, that should be fixed soon as possible. Good thing they did find the problem. Most likely while the Truck was sitting being loaded and idling.
Hard to detect an exhaust leak unless you do a pretrip each day. Being a Team truck, this thing is most likely rolling most of the time...and the exhaust never gets a chance to say hello.

The comment about Captain of the ship and all...I also agree with that. If you want to dump your appointment, and get the repair, so be it.
Did he call CRE back and argued his case, and made the company aware he was getting the repair, and that is final? Since he was fired...may I assume he didn't do that?

May I assume further, and say I bet he not only didn't say squat to dispatch, but he probably never called his customer, and said, I can't make my appointment? Why else would they fire him? If he made his case as Captain of this ship, and declared this to be a life threatening situation…I have to wonder.

I don't really know, and none of us can answer that either. I do not know the facts. He could very well be a victim of the mismanagement. Or, he is not telling us what really happened.

I made some dumb humor, and may have misunderstood my share, but this continuing drama seems to be no joke.
How has this escalated into, no sleep, no brakes, some idiots like me destroying the whole Industry, and tall tales of Billy Big Rigger driving through a snow storm blind and could have killed someone?

Sounds like how this thread started. Two Bit Drama.