Overdrive

April 2016

Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info

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Voices 4 | Overdrive | April 2016 Though 800- numbers on the backs of dry vans asking motorists "How's my driving?" haven't exactly gone the way of the dinosaur, they are less common today. In part, perhaps, that's a result of the relative ease of looking up company contact informa- tion on the Internet. Or it could be that many carriers have realized that such solicita- tions do little for obtaining reliable information about their drivers. Cue a meme making the rounds of the Internet recently that in a funny way belabors the latter notion. It pictures a very happy young four-wheeler smoking something that could be more than a traditional tobacco cigarette, with the accompa- nying text: SEES "HOW'S MY DRIVING" NUMBER ON 18-WHEELER CALLS TO COMPLIMENT DRIVER As recent polling has indicated in part, call-in complaints themselves haven't slowed down with the disap- pearance of those 800- numbers. A majority of Overdrive readers has re- ported at least some call-in-complaint activity over their careers. Some calls that purport to be complaints, as Jason Donahue notes in commentary under the poll at OverdriveOnline.com, are actually scam attempts: I have had people call my company (that I own) and expect payoffs for not turning my truck and driver in to the authorities for supposedly running them off the road – or claiming part of a load came off one of my trailers and damaged their vehicle – but then have them hang up when I tell them that I was personally driving that truck and I know that they are lying! Donahue goes on to share an an- ecdote about a motorist who claimed "two pallets of material fell out of the back of my trailer and hit her car!" It just so happened, Donahue says, that not only was he not missing any freight, the dry van trailer was new, sealed and padlocked: "This is why I strongly believe in cameras on your tractor and trailer to prevent fake lawsuits!" The recording of accident detail is a prime reason for the growing pop- ularity of dashcams, but in the same vein, camera evidence can quickly thwart bogus legal threats. Operator Mike Green of Elizabeth City, N.C., experienced two call-in complaints that soured his relation- ship with his leased carrier. Green's since found work with another com- pany, but says the calls left him with a bad taste in his mouth relative to what he sees as undue credence given to the complaints. One call featured a motorist claim- ing he'd passed her on the shoulder in a construction zone. In fact, he says, she'd jumped in front of him as they approached the zone and hit the brakes, slowing her car to 45 mph in the 55-mph construction zone. When he eventually passed her, her erratic behavior behind him signaled to him that she was angry. In discussions later on with the company, he says, "I'm telling them, 'Just think about it. I pay for my tires" plenty of incentive not to drive on a shoulder. "This is crazy.' " Calling a bluff on call-in scams Todd Dills "How's my driving?" callers sometimes are looking for an unwarranted payoff. Have you ever been the subject of a call-in complaint about an on-highway incident? OverdriveOnline.com poll Yes, it's happened once or twice to me 36% Yes, it's happened more than twice 20% Not that I'm aware of 43% No, but I've received complaints via email or social media 1%

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