Accused of damaging trailer tire!
#1
Rookie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 4
I just quit this company and find out my pay check was 95% gone. Anyway I spoke the driver manager and he explained why my check was really low. He mentioned that I damaged trailer tire from the other day. I spoke with Safety and he told me "Report came out and found skid marks that cause the blow out. After that he telling me how I don't do my pre-trip and explained further what to do when the brakes freezes. Anyway after hearing all that, I told him when I picked up the trailer...I checked all tires and everything. I hooked up and brakes was find, I pressed my trailer brakes in. The day the trailer tire blow out, I didn't see any smoke or smell the brakes. I remembered very well the trailer brakes was pressed in. If it was locked I didn't notice anything. My trailer pressure gauge was good. Nobody told me about this report until I found out today why my check was low. I am really angry about this and concern this piece of S**T company most likely will report that on my DAC. I am thinking of seeking legal actions to get my money and more. I driven for 4 winters and I never had this problem before. If anyone can help me with some advice or something...I'll appreciate it.
Thxx, BlueDog
#2
Did you look to see that all of the wheels were actually turning when you pulled out?
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#3
Senior Board Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Somewhere between Rochester NY and Gaults' Gulch
Posts: 2,698
I assume that the brakes were frozen and didn't release? If so and you drove off then it was your fault. But even with that being said I really don't so how they can take it out of your check legally. Check with your state labor board.
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#4
Rookie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 4
Yes, when I took off the wheels was rolling. I am certain it's an old skid mark and it was a matter of time before a blow out. If I was dragging the wheels....I would of felt it driving and saw smoke. Anyway I got out and look and I see no smoke and smell no brakes. I will contact the labor dept. Also, I am concern this might be report it on my DAC. I see they are getting back at me because I didn't want to drive the other night in CO I-25. The road was slick and couldn't see the lanes well, I told dispatch that why I'm shutting down and he got upset and he kept telling me to keep rolling but at slow speed. I am told him "no, the road is not safe to drive". I am saying this because why nobody told me about that tire but waited for my last day to take it off my check....
Thank you guys for replying.
#6
Board Regular
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 228
Dust yourself off and go back to work elsewhere.
#8
Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Mt Juliet, TN
Posts: 116
Where did you blow out the tire? Was it actually on the yard? The way I am taking it you hooked up the trailer and started driving and it blew out the tire on the yard. I've never seen a tire blow out on a yard that wasn't the drivers fault especially if you just hooked to the trailer. I can see if the tire actually went flat but a blowout I doubt it. Now I say that because you stated you did a pretrip. I take it that you inspected your tires for defects and your tire pressure. So you had a perfectly legal tire blow out in a yard where you can probably only go 5-10mph. If all this is true I would say you are at fault for either dragging a tire or not doing a proper pretrip. I would say you didnt have a brake unlock and drug it in which it blew. Again I am stating this on the info you are giving us. By the information I gather from you is it is your fault now if you would have done a proper pretrip and seen a defect or low tire pressure and brought it to someone's attention you wouldn't be dealing with it (if a defective tire is to blame). If you drug the tires because of locked brakes it is also your fault. Tires don't always smoke when being drug it all depends on the surface and the conditions.
Now does the company have the right to deduct it from your paycheck? They could I would look at the employee handbook and see what you signed. If it is clearly in there and you recieved one then you are on the hook and you can do nothing about it. I don't know about where you are at but here in TN it is illegal to hold a persons pay for anything unless a written agreement is in place (like an employee handbook that you would sign saying you recieved it)
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#9
Senior Board Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Redneckistan
Posts: 2,831
We had a driver pull a trailer out of the lot, (trailer was parked on grass) drag the trailer across a 100' concrete driveway. then made a left turn and continued down the highway for close to a mile before he noticed that he had the trailer brakes still set.. the tires were all new (put on the day before).. and he dragged them all down to the metal. He simply released the brakes and continued on.. when he returned to the yard that night, he assured his partner that everything was OK and off she went.. got a call that morning that she felt something wrong with the trailer and it was "shaking"... He didn't have the stones to even tell his partner about it.. I had the priveledge of firing him the next day when he came in.. he still claims that he never noticed anything and never stopped... even though the black skid marks clearly show where he pulled over... He called back a few weeks later wanting his job back.. after all.. he only screwed up this one time... The cost of four brand new trailer tires and the labor was a lot more that he was worth..
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#10
Rookie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 4
Where did you blow out the tire? Was it actually on the yard? The way I am taking it you hooked up the trailer and started driving and it blew out the tire on the yard. I've never seen a tire blow out on a yard that wasn't the drivers fault especially if you just hooked to the trailer. I can see if the tire actually went flat but a blowout I doubt it. Now I say that because you stated you did a pretrip. I take it that you inspected your tires for defects and your tire pressure. So you had a perfectly legal tire blow out in a yard where you can probably only go 5-10mph. If all this is true I would say you are at fault for either dragging a tire or not doing a proper pretrip. I would say you didnt have a brake unlock and drug it in which it blew. Again I am stating this on the info you are giving us. By the information I gather from you is it is your fault now if you would have done a proper pretrip and seen a defect or low tire pressure and brought it to someone's attention you wouldn't be dealing with it (if a defective tire is to blame). If you drug the tires because of locked brakes it is also your fault. Tires don't always smoke when being drug it all depends on the surface and the conditions.
Now does the company have the right to deduct it from your paycheck? They could I would look at the employee handbook and see what you signed. If it is clearly in there and you recieved one then you are on the hook and you can do nothing about it. I don't know about where you are at but here in TN it is illegal to hold a persons pay for anything unless a written agreement is in place (like an employee handbook that you would sign saying you recieved it) Thank goodness I have copies of both invoice and called them about it. On the invoice for the trailer #1 was "ran to destruction flat spotted". I called the manager and told him about the comment and what I'm accused of the company. Well he did explained that "the breaks could of lock up while driving and it only takes a second for it to blow out especially with the skid marks. Far as the skid it's hard to prove if it was you or an old skid". They can't just finger you that's your fault I explained to him I didn't notice anything wrong with the trailers tires when I picked up in TX and throughout my trip to CO. Invoice for Trailer #2 TA comments: "Torqued lugs to 475 FT LBS-Driver and TA Witnes sed-replaced the RFI TRL TIRE - New Stem and tire - 100 PSI - Also RFO Tire is OK at this time I inflated to 100 psi and checked for leaks - No leaks at this time. TA Tech comments continue "Likely went flat when the first tire failed due to the tire inflation system not functioning correctly and allowing air to bypass the tee out of the inner stem". From my 4 yrs experience I do my pre-trip to the best of knowledge. With these inflation system I can't check the tires PSI. I know it's retaliation when I told them I am shutting down while under a load due to amount of snow in CO,with black ice. Dispatch argued with me "to keep going and it's all cleared up north and 200 drivers up there said roads are good". I told him NO and I've seen few trucks in the ditch and not taking that chance. After things got heated and he threaten my job, I gave my 2 weeks notice the next day. From day 1 out on the road with them people been nasty,disrespectful. I didn't do my homework well with this company before working with them and now I seeing similar complaints how they treat drivers and screwing DAC reports. This company put on my DAC report "Equipment lost" is making hard for me to find another driving job. I won't mentioned the carrier name because I am taking action about this. If anyone can give me some ideas that can help, I'll appreciate it. Thxx |

