skateboardman
Member
damn, had to post again, I am absolutely flabbergasted at the moment.
Driver Had a Stroke, Need to get Truck Home
- Thread starter Injun
- Start date
Duck
Sarcastic remark goes here
I forgot I censored the pictures I took in Stanley when I picked up the truck.
I guess it's no longer necessary, LOL. The first thing I did when we got there was take this picture. That's @DubbleD checking out the interior before we even went inside the Black Sands, LLC shop to get the key.
I KNEW you were checkin' me out!
If Mercer is at all interested in creating a fund (and I still think it should be called ... Mercer Fund.. for obvious reasons...) then so be it. I will donate $100.00 to the fund and request all the loudmouths here on TF match or beat me.
Secondly.. the first request for assistance from said fund....
....Repay Injun every penny. No individual should have to bear a cost as substantial as she has for the debacle caused by an uncaring spokesperson of a company.
My contribution was absorbed by a wiley dispatcher at Magnum Companies - Nick, and accommodations for Duck's stay were provided by Magnum Companies Safety Dept. Neither of which questioned why. Doing the right thing comes naturally to us midwesterners.
Tim
U.S.Constitution
In a refrigerated warehouse breaking down pallets of produce.
Making fun of me now aint yeah Ducky.
Last edited:
Sinister
pari animositate
This is actually a pretty valid point. As I recall some of the issues to be worked out with moving Julians truck were legal ones, and it'd be a good idea for all owner operators to consider this.
That said, I also think Mercer could have done more to assist Julians family.
Duck
Sarcastic remark goes here
Now we're looking at Google Earth & stuff trying to figure out if he can get this truck within walking distance of the airport. I'm kinda tempted to wander over to Mercer & tell them the least thing they could do is give me a ride to the airport in a company van or something. But I'd probably just end up stranded there just like Julian's truck was in ND.
Powers of Attorney are null and void upon the death of the person issuing them.
A separate document stating who Next of Kin are, in order, would be a more useful piece of paper in the event of death on the road, as well as a "beneficiary" for who will receive the property in question. Beneficiary documents trump everything.
If you set up a beneficiary for your truck, make sure it's in a secure location where the person can find it and make sure it's notarized and witnessed. It should include a description of the vehicle(s) and VIN number(s). That named beneficiary will become the owner of your truck (and trailer) upon your death. It will be up to that person to take possession and arrange movement. It might not be a bad idea to talk to some of your truckin' friends and see if they'd be willing to help out in a case like this.
Keep in mind, there are a lot of people who say they're friends, but when push comes to shove, they're nowhere to be found. This happened in Julian's case. There were all kinds of people in Julian's phone, but I was the only one willing to at least try. I got lucky with the contacts I have here. Really lucky.
Mercer proved you can't count on a company to help in situations like this. Five or six drivers died last year. With a multi-million-dollar-per-month operation, Mercer couldn't spare a few hundred bucks, maybe up to a grand for each driver, to move their trucks home. It's pretty fucking sad that $10,000 couldn't be carved out of executive bonuses each year to set aside for the guys who are making the business work. Yes, it's all owner/operator and O/Os need to be responsible and plan ahead. However, NOBODY plans to die suddenly on the road. Most families are not prepared to incur the cost of moving a truck immediately after losing their main source of income. Most families have no idea how to even go about it.
I'll be sending a kite up the flagpole here at Swift to see what, if anything, they have in place. I believe they do have something, as previous experiences have shown, but I just want to be sure.
Swift Charities covers a lot of this sort of thing for company drivers, lease operators and owner operators. I'd just like to see whether there is something officially in place.
A separate document stating who Next of Kin are, in order, would be a more useful piece of paper in the event of death on the road, as well as a "beneficiary" for who will receive the property in question. Beneficiary documents trump everything.
If you set up a beneficiary for your truck, make sure it's in a secure location where the person can find it and make sure it's notarized and witnessed. It should include a description of the vehicle(s) and VIN number(s). That named beneficiary will become the owner of your truck (and trailer) upon your death. It will be up to that person to take possession and arrange movement. It might not be a bad idea to talk to some of your truckin' friends and see if they'd be willing to help out in a case like this.
Keep in mind, there are a lot of people who say they're friends, but when push comes to shove, they're nowhere to be found. This happened in Julian's case. There were all kinds of people in Julian's phone, but I was the only one willing to at least try. I got lucky with the contacts I have here. Really lucky.
Mercer proved you can't count on a company to help in situations like this. Five or six drivers died last year. With a multi-million-dollar-per-month operation, Mercer couldn't spare a few hundred bucks, maybe up to a grand for each driver, to move their trucks home. It's pretty fucking sad that $10,000 couldn't be carved out of executive bonuses each year to set aside for the guys who are making the business work. Yes, it's all owner/operator and O/Os need to be responsible and plan ahead. However, NOBODY plans to die suddenly on the road. Most families are not prepared to incur the cost of moving a truck immediately after losing their main source of income. Most families have no idea how to even go about it.
I'll be sending a kite up the flagpole here at Swift to see what, if anything, they have in place. I believe they do have something, as previous experiences have shown, but I just want to be sure.
Swift Charities covers a lot of this sort of thing for company drivers, lease operators and owner operators. I'd just like to see whether there is something officially in place.
skateboardman
Member
injun, it all depends on the power of attorney, a power of attorney can be specified to take effect or remain in effect under a variety of circumstances. and while no one plans to die suddenly, it apparently happens more than we might imagine.
the best thing is to have a will and yes everyone should prepare.
and I also realize that to many of you the actions of mercer are awful, but it is a good company. I know to someone that hasn't been here that may be hard to understand under these circumstances, but Julian must have been happy here to be here for several years. I love it here and wouldn't go anywhere else now. I like getting paid within hours of dropping off a load, etc. that being said I also know not to rely on someone else, that's why my Bil and cousins all have agreements to help each other in the event of a event like this. I also am married to a gal whose dad was an O/O , she knows the business well. in fact my driver screen at mercer has a notation in the comment section that's states "wife finds loads" I am a fortunate fellow in that respect, my wife has me booked solid thru the 28th of may.
Of 2014?
Dang, she's good!
Okay, I checked with my Swifty contact and here's how they handle situations like this, regardless of driver status...A recovery team is sent out to retrieve the truck and take it to the nearest Swift terminal, where it will be secure until the family can figure out what they want done with it. If it's an IEL lease truck or company truck, the family has the option to get the driver's belongings themselves or have it all shipped to them. If it's an outside owned and leased onto Swift truck, the family can do whatever they want, including hire a driver to run it under Swift's authority. If the family chooses to take the truck home from the terminal, this is kind of a gray area. I'm researching this now. What I'm hearing is a recovery driver may be dispatched to deliver the truck as long as all the legalities have been met. They do not charge for this, as far as I know. Even if they do, the family can apply to Swift Charities to cover the cost. I can't imagine them getting turned down under these circumstances.
Julian was happy at Mercer, for the most part. However, the treatment he and his family got would surely have given him pause. I realize the office people were following "corporate policy" when a lease is terminated. However, there are times when corporate policy should be set aside. Otherwise, Mercer isn't any different than any other megafleet company, except they have no truck payments or maintenance to deal with.
As @blackw900 said, "Family oriented, indeed!"
As @blackw900 said, "Family oriented, indeed!"
Tim
U.S.Constitution
I sure hope she routed some of them loads thur your home 20 Mister, if not someone is gonna be a horny lil' feller come next May!:hottubfun:
skateboardman
Member
injun, I was told this incident was not intentional and things are being put in place to make sure this never happens again.
skateboardman
Member
Something positive is coming out of this.
I believe all of these companies, regardless of size or type of operation have some responsibility to the men and women who are pounding the pavement, making the business work. Drivers are responsible to the company for making sure freight gets to its intended destination on time And, in so doing, make the company a shitload of money. There is no reason a company shouldn't show some compassion for those hard-working men and women.
It certainly would not hurt their recruitment and retention efforts...and it would cost them so little to do.
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