Stranded

Posted by Wizard_with_a_Pipe@reddit | Truckers | View on Reddit | 80 comments

I was driving for a company whose trucks are governed at 62 mph. I got to my shipper and the load was not ready, so I waited planning to do a split which should give me just enough time to deliver on time based on the number of miles between the shipper and receiver. When I finally got called that my trailer was ready I did the math and realized that I only had 5 minutes to spare on my 14 hr clock. I called my dispatch and told them I didn't feel comfortable with such a small margin considering that my shipper was about 50 miles from the highway through several towns that required me to slow down to 35 miles per hour. My dispatch told me I had to try because it would be considered a service failure if I was late. Even though I was uncomfortable with such a small margin of error (against my better judgment) I decided to try to get there on time. Long story short along the way I was going down a mountain and got a stability warning they said was clocked at 82 miles per hour. When I got to my terminal a week later they called me in for a "counseling" and told me they had no choice but to let me go. Now I am stranded 1000 miles away from home, all of my stuff in the truck won't fit in carry-on luggage so I can't fly home. I'm trying to get a rental car but all of the rental companies either don't have any one way cars or don't accept my company's card. I guess I'm just ranting. The driver advocate said the truck shouldn't have let me go that fast because it should be governed at 62 mph but I admitted I was trying to make my deadline which they basically took as an admission of guilt. I'm sure I will find another job that pays more and offers more home time, but for now I'm kind of depressed.