Trucking Company Takes Clients Own Advice and Fires Them After Calling Their Bluff

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Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Mar 22, 2023 12:00 AM EDT

"Why don't you just fire us then." is an empty threat that you should never make, somewhere along the lines of "If you don't do this I quit" or "Why don't you just leave if you don't like it." When one makes such threats they're saying it thinking they're in a position of power. 

It's a power move and manipulation tactic to force a subordinate (or someone you otherwise have power over) into reluctantly accepting whatever terms you are proposing. By giving them an "out", the person in power is psychologically manipulating them into resigning and becoming complicit with the power-wielders wishes. 

So, when this trucking company had it suggested to them, by the client themselves, that they should fire the client, it triggered a reflection that caused the trucking company to realize that they'd rather not service this client any longer. 

Keep reading to see screenshots of this story, as posted to Reddit's r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit this week by Reddit user u/Wildcatb. They've promised to post an update as things unfold, so we'll be keeping an eye out for it.

For more malicious compliance check out this CEO who laughed off a worker's request for a raise and challenged them to find a new job.

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  • 01
    Font - Posted by u/Wildcatb 6 hours ago 2 32 "You should fire us!" "Ok." LOC My family runs a small trucking company. Depending on where you are in the world, you might call us a P&D company, a Final Mile company, a White Glove company... basically we handle the kind of stuff that you might buy to have delivered to your home or business, that's too big for someone like UPS to deliver, but not big enough for a tractor trailer to haul, and/or stuff that actually needs to be brought into the home a
    via u/Wildcatb
  • 02
    Font - We don't get rich, but we've been pretty comfortable over the years. Our one major stressor has been a long-time shipper who has - or rather, had - become increasingly demanding as time went on. Now when I say 'long-time' I mean it. We made our first delivery for them over fifty years ago. Our company has been doing business with them longer than any of their current employees or management staff have been there. There was one point, not too long ago, where the retired guy who came in a f
    via u/Wildcatb
  • 03
    Font - We have been a small, but vital part of their network, for so long that almost no one there really realized how much we did for them. We've seen field reps come and go. Some have been great, some have been a little challenging, but most have - once they realized what was going on - largely left us alone to do our jobs. One even called when he took over our area to ask who we were, because his predecessor had no notes on us at all, because they'd never had to visit. We've just been (mostly
    via u/Wildcatb
  • 04
    Font - As I said earlier, the shipper had been getting more and more demanding as time went on. Systems had been getting harder to navigate, inventory had been getting harder to track, phone trees had grown into Banyan nightmares, more and more layers of bureaucracy had been added, and with every change they'd grown less agile, slower, more difficult to deal with. One day the field rep called because he didn't like how we'd answered an email. Not that we hadn't answered it, just that he didn't l
    via u/Wildcatb
  • 05
    Font - We started running the numbers, looked at all our other business, decided that we could, indeed, go on without them, and then I called the field rep to have a frank conversation with him. And then I wrote a short, polite, direct letter to our customer of over fifty years telling them that we were firing them. We didn't just pull the plug. We gave them a full 60 days' notice, so they'd have time to get something worked out. And... they didn't.
    via u/Wildcatb
  • 06
    Font - We've always been here for them. They've never had to worry about it. They had someone they thought was going to be a replacement, but... well... as of today most of their customers in this area haven't had deliveries in a week. Some, longer than that. Many don't know when they'll get their next shipment. That field rep might still have a job when all is said and done... but it's not our problem anymore. Our phone keeps ringing, people looking for their freight from that shipper. "Sorry,
    via u/Wildcatb

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