Rentals and Air Breaks

gamer282

Go Packers!
What would be the policy of Management getting rentals during peak and the vehicles are equiped with Air Breaks?
We had several of them that have come to my attention and the drivers were sceptical about using them but I was told that management said it was ok. Well one of them was involved in an accident and the driver told the supervisor before getting in it that he was uncomfordable driving it. 10 seconds later severe and noticable damage was done. The driver jumped out and said "see I told you I was uncomfordable with driving that", there were several witness. That evening the driver confronted the manager about filling out an accident report and the manager said "don't worry about it I took care of it". The driver since has shown his concern and is worried it will come back and bite him in the ass.
Shouldn't they have Class B or CDL license?
And is the driver cleared of any further discipline, it did happen on the property?
 

scratch

Least Best Moderator
Staff member
I thought that you have to have a Class B Commercial License to drive with air brakes. I still have one because I used to drive an old Ford straight van 20 plus years ago, I just renew it whenever it comes up.
 

Captain America

SuperDAD to the rescue
I am pretty sure it is a weight issue over 22,500(?) needs a class B. We had isssues with our air shuttle with the company not telling guys the needed a B, until they got caught. The driver on that job said no thanks I have enough endorsements and bumped back into regular driving. Now all new bid coverage drivers need to have a B, not that they respect the weekly bid.:punk:
 

raceanoncr

Well-Known Member
Of course they have to have an air brake endorsement, but what do you expect? Not to get into a big rant on management again but we've seen it here too often. They will say driving a truck with NO brakes is OK if it gets their packages out of the building! Sad to say, we have had to resort to looking up and copying DOT, DMV and local regs to physically show them where they are wrong before they accept it. We've even had to call the DOT 800 number a few times.

Now, this local center manager was wrong to let this driver take this truck. He didn't have to, with no fear of reprisal, outside of local harrassment, which could be taken care of with proper procedures. This local center manager was wrong to "take care of" this incident. Was it an accident or not? Could he have gotten his arse in a sling if it was reported? Probably so. Hence, it was "taken care of".

This driver was wrong to take it out. It was illegal, period! Is he/she scared of future repercussions? Probably. But, you say it was witnessed by other drivers. The best thing to do now is just drop it. BUT, get some statements from those drivers NOW that said they witnessed the whole thing, including his reluctant to take the truck out. Sit on these satements for a long time. Remember, the company has a long memory when it comes time to fire you but a short memory when it comes to yesterdays dispatch.

Others can go ahead and recite their examples here and flame all they want but we've seen this happen time and time again here. You just have to cover all the bases and watch your back from now on.
 

over9five

Moderator
Staff member
That's a tough one.

Usually you would have to WAD, and grieve later. However, this could be seen as a safety issue (indeed it was), and as such the driver could have refused to drive the vehicle.
Except that the driver didn't know it was illegal for him to drive it without an air brakes endorsement. He expressed his concern to management who told him it was OK to drive it.

I'm sure the reason it was "taken care of" was because the CMs head would have rolled had more come of it.

I'm with Raceaoncr. Have the steward get statements from everyone now.
That's as far as I'd go. If managements swept it under the carpet, fine. No ones hurt, no ones got blamed. Just remember next time.
 

raceanoncr

Well-Known Member
Along with Cach's and Over's comments on "work as directed"...yes, you do have to work as directed in non-safety related directives. Grieve later. I neglected to mention that in my comments before. Never refuse to perform work. UNLESS...you know it is a safety issue and you think your or the publics safety is at risk.

This comes along with, tho, knowing what the safety regs are too. If you aren't sure, then you better brush up on them in your area of expertise. There was another time we were confronted with this and we had to work as directed because we weren't quite up on our regs at the time. We were in Dallas, instructed to take a load that had expired Federal inspection sticker. Federal inspection system was still pretty new then and my partner and I didn't pay much attention to picky details of it. We just knew if date was expired then it was bad. Company said, "You have 30-day grace period". We KNEW we didn't but didn't have proof. We didn't have DOT 800 Hot Line #, we didn't have squat! We had to take it.

We got home, got current DOT book, looked up appropriate reg, grieved it, won it and got a written apology from company. If we would have had that info at the outset, we coulda refused to pull. WE dropped the ball there but never again.

Bottom line: ALWAYS work as directed, UNLESS you KNOW it is a safety issue.
 

tieguy

Banned
Sounds like some automotive supervisor screwed up when he picked up rentals with air brakes. Your center manager probably jammed them with the accident for picking up the wrong type equipment.
 

1989

Well-Known Member
My old center has 2 or 3 trucks with air brakes. Under 26000 lbs I think it is with no class B license needed. They are great for loading pallets right in. Fits 6 or 8 pallets at a time.
 
J

JonFrum

Guest
. . . Well one of them was involved in an accident . . . it did happen on the property?

Strictly speaking, there was no DOT violation (yet), since the accident happened on UPS property. It wouldn't become a violation of law until you go outside the gates onto the public roadways. You don't need a license of any kind to drive on property. This gets UPS off the hook for the first hundred yards or so.
_ _ _ _ _

"Air Breaks" --- When a driver races the engine inside the building to build up suficient air pressure in an air brake system, the surrounding workers have to go outside for an "Air Break."
 

raceanoncr

Well-Known Member
My old center has 2 or 3 trucks with air brakes. Under 26000 lbs I think it is with no class B license needed. They are great for loading pallets right in. Fits 6 or 8 pallets at a time.


I'm no expert on straight trucks but I'll bet you'll find that "6 or 8 pallets" ain't gonna amount to less than 26,000 lbs. Back when I was in p/c, I used to pick up a metal shop. Loaded on the back, I swear that the steering wheels were bouncing off the pavement driving back to the hub. And what are p/cs licensed for now? I don't know, it's been so long since I been in one.
 

Johney

Well-Known Member
My old center has 2 or 3 trucks with air brakes. Under 26000 lbs I think it is with no class B license needed. They are great for loading pallets right in. Fits 6 or 8 pallets at a time.
No class "B" may be required, but you still must have an Air Brake endoresment right?
 

raceanoncr

Well-Known Member
Strictly speaking, there was no DOT violation (yet), since the accident happened on UPS property. It wouldn't become a violation of law until you go outside the gates onto the public roadways. You don't need a license of any kind to drive on property. This gets UPS off the hook for the first hundred yards or so.
_ _ _ _ _

"Air Breaks" --- When a driver races the engine inside the building to build up suficient air pressure in an air brake system, the surrounding workers have to go outside for an "Air Break."


OK, strickly speaking, there was no DOT violation YET! Does that prevent him/her or anyone else from refusing to pull or drive equipment that does not meet DOT requirements until they are off UPS property?

What about me? I DO hold a valid CDL with every endorsement. I hook to a trailer in the yard with a serious air leak, one or more flat tires, leaking hub seals, whatever. Do I have to pull outside the yard for it to become an issue? Technically speaking, I'm not in violation of DOT regs, YET. If I do, you know who gets dinged? I get the issue addressed or fixed before I leave the yard. If management ORDERS me to pull unsafe equipment, I refuse on the spot, property or not! DOT violation or not!

This person had the right, DOT, CDL or not, to be trained and certified for the equipment that they were required to drive and NOT be forced to leave the yard until they were.

You know, when I was trained in p/c many yrs ago, it used to be that you were certified for that equipment. For instance: I was trained in, what was then called a P600 (don't know what designations are now). If they put in a P800 for one day or switched me to a P800, I had to be certified for the bigger 9 (Wow!) p/c or I didn't take it out! Is it still the same today? Or, obviously, you can take out anything?
 
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over9five

Moderator
Staff member
It flies in the face of safety. Even if an air brake endorsement was not required:

Was he trained how to determine if air pressure was adequate?

Was he told what the low pressure alarm was?

Was he taught how to test it?

Was he told what to do if the low pressure alarm sounded?

Was he taught how to evacuate water from the system?


It sounds to me like he was sent out without ANY sort of training.
 

1989

Well-Known Member
It flies in the face of safety. Even if an air brake endorsement was not required:

Was he trained how to determine if air pressure was adequate?

Was he told what the low pressure alarm was?

Was he taught how to test it?

Was he told what to do if the low pressure alarm sounded?

Was he taught how to evacuate water from the system?


It sounds to me like he was sent out without ANY sort of training.


Ten years of driving an air brake car, all I know is to let in run to build air pressure...Didn't know there was anymore than that.
 

IWorkAsDirected

Outa browns on 04/30/09
I thought that you have to have a Class B Commercial License to drive with air brakes. I still have one because I used to drive an old Ford straight van 20 plus years ago, I just renew it whenever it comes up.

I agree, in my state you have to be air brake certified and it does require a CDL. I have a class b CDL with passenger and school bus and had to take the air brake certification.
 
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