need help to settle argument

[david wild]

Buddy in tow biz. decides to open Heavy haul div. (first mistake) hires zero (I mean hero) to run it. zero (I mean hero) takes 50,000lbs dozer to Texas from GA. Dozer has 3 shank ripper, zero(I give up) gets to destination unchains, unhooks neck and pulls forward and sits in truck smoking cig. equipment co. employee hops on dozer and proceeds to rip up deck of 2 week old trailer with the ripper, gets to end of trailer drops onto ground and ripper breaks into deck catches last crossmember and tool /chain box. equipment co. agrees to pay for damage(their operator) I maintain zero is just as guilty as operator because it is his job to oversee loading and unloading ??? last trip out caught siderail on ?? and made a mess, driver side no less, oh by the way trip before damaged side rail on pass. side. any thoughts??

[Superdog]

Sounds like to me he better fire driver and sell truck or drive it himself,before the guy really screws up and costs him alot of money.

[RowdyRebel]

Zero would've been out the door after the 1st incident. Especially in heavy haul, "minor" incidents can be 6-figure mistakes. A guy prone to making mistakes can put you under pretty quick.

[hatcity]

^^^^^^^^ what he said^^^^^^^^

[PeterMack]

Sounds like to me he better fire driver and sell truck or drive it himself,before the guy really screws up and costs him alot of money.

I agree. I say he better drive it himself or find somebody qualified to do it. If zero keeps hitting more stuff or gets caught off route

or doesn't know all the ins and outs of heavy haul and all the different states rules for that business he could cause a lot of damage

and headache for the owner and zero will shrug his shoulders and walk away while the owner pays for it all.

[david wild]

Zero say's he is not at fault on ripper deal because he was in the cab, I want to know what you guys think of his denial of fault. I would have fired long ago but my Buddy thinks this guy's some Heavy Haul guru even though biggest trailer he ever pulled was 55 ton. our payloads don't even start till 100 ton plus. I think even JB Hunt would fired this guy. I have no skin in the game, I don't like wanna b's because they screw up and give everyone a bad rap. I want to show my Buddy that other people think zero is just that, a zero.

[RowdyRebel]

So if you borrowed his car, and parked it under a crane before the crane operator showed up to work. When he arrives, you simply turn your back and allow the crane operator to lift heavy items over zero's car that you had borrowed instead of moving the car or overseeing the operation to ensure the items being lifted were properly rigged. One rather heavy item slips loose, falls, and lands squarely on zero's car. Are you at fault? Technically, no. Are you RESPONSIBLE for the incident? ABSOLUTELY! You, being responsible for the car, should have kept an eye on the process to ensure the safety of zero's car. Crane operator is liable for the damages, but ya still ain't ever gonna borrow MY car.

[Red Horse]

I think your friend shouldn't be in business! If there is ANY question in this guys mind about the responsibility his "driver" bore for this incident says to me his thought process is suspect.

[mrsmackpaul]

I don't like wanna b's

Dunno Im no expert but we have gotta start some where in life as a "wanna b"

we can all point the finger at each other all day "not my fault he did" that isnt going to solve bugger all

the bloke that own's the truck is at blame partly because he's worker wasnt told or made to supervise loading or unloading

the bloke driving he's also at fault he should have been watching loading and unloading and should have known better than to sit in the cab while all of this is taking place

and the fella driving the dozer off well he is also at fault he should have made sure his rippers were up and also that ol'mate in the cab was out side keeping an eye on things before he unloaded

I was told as a young fella when I very first started work "Paul those that have never blown anything up have never tried" I always took that to mean we all have to start some were and we all make mistakes just dont repeat them and those that have never made a mistake have never really tried

If it was my mate I would just have a laugh at his misfortune (thats the Aussie way to laugh at each other) and move on I have enough of my own problems in life with out taking anybody else's on board but thats just me

good luck to your mate , his driver and the truck and trailer

seeya

Paul

[Gmerrill0516]

If the driver isn't responsible for seeing that everything that touches the rig happens properly, then who is? There are so many STUPID PEOPLE well intentioned people in the world you have got to rely upon yourself (or trusted Zero in this case) to make sure it goes right. Destroying a new trailer because you are so disinterested, uninterested or lazy to oversee it being driven off is an immediate termination if it were my stuff. I'd be even more pissed at the fact that he was not overseeing it and used laziness as an excuse to say "I didn't do it." Tell your next boss your an idiot...have a nice life. I've got a number of teenagers that follow that mindset. Must be the "new" generation.

[carlotpilot]

wow i see lots of dollars blowin in th wind

[Apple dog]

When I used to haul produce out of beautiful sunny Florida and went to a produce market if you were not standing on the dock watching them unload you. When they got done you would have bad, damaged, and be short on product. The broker took it out of the drivers pay no questions. No matter what I haul I always watch the loading or unloading. Zero Hero needs to pay for some of the damage before putting a boot in his butt and send him down the road.

[1958 F.W.D.]

Slpwlkr, what say you?

[gearhead204]

quite often you can just look at the rig the guy drives to work, if dirty, has unmatched tires, battle scars, and you can hear the brakes grinding a mile away ......you damn sure dont want them running YOUR IRON. every so often their is an exception, but not too often!

After hearing damn near every excuse from over 50+ truck drivers each year when i was road building, I could damn near pick out my problem drivers just by seeing what they drove to work, if they dont care about what they own they damn sure wont care about YOURS!

[RowdyRebel]

I'd hate to be judged by what I drive, because I usually drive my "beater truck" that I overpaid my brother for nearly 10 years ago (he was a broke college kid at the time and needed money, I needed a truck I could park at the company yard for months at a time) and other than welding up a grille with some scrap metal (he had rear-ended somebody and busted out the grille) and buying some square tube to fabricate a new bumper after I ripped the old one off dragging it behind the Mack, I haven't spent a dime on it other than gas and oil. Sure, it's butt ugly, the exhaust is rotted off, and the paint is peeling...but it fires up the first time I hit the key every time and it gets 25 mpg driving it like I stole it. Hell, the thing is 23 years old. Sitting at home in the driveway are 2 other vehicles that still look great...one is 19 years old, and the other is 25 years old. Those are both 4x4s, and only get 9-10 mpg...so unless I need the extra traction, or have something bigger I need to haul, I usually opt for the beater. I don't care what that little truck looks like, as it still does what I need it to.

[Lmackattack]

I always loaded/unloaded equipment that can move on its own.

[jackb61sx]

Any time I have moved equipment, I loaded it, secured it and unloaded it, First off it was my job to do that, second I am not going to trust anyone to move a piece of equipment on and off my trailer. The driver should have never sat in the truck and not been there. If that happened to me I would have been in search of a new job that day.

[Green Dash]

I don't care if it's a load of manure, the driver should be present (and at least somewhat interested) when someone else is in or on his equipment.

[gearhead204]

Rowdy: if you see in my post i said their are a few exceptions! their were a few that drove their daily p.o.s. because they didnt have to worry about a ZERO hitting it!