Freight driver follows management's misguided orders resulting in excess overtime for everyone when they arrive to the depot late: 'The next day no one said a word'

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Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Aug 25, 2024 10:00 AM EDT

Some managers insist that their workers would take any opportunity to slack off, and this attitude is especially pervasive in any industry where staff are frequently off-site and operating in a multi-site environment, like in delivery or maintenance scheduling. Meanwhile, these same managers are comfortable at their desks obsessing over this single point and trying to thwart their workers from slacking while achieving very little themselves.

This cynical view prevents them from taking any feedback seriously, determined that every and any complaint is really just an attempt to get out of doing their job. This leaves the organization blind to potential risks that the lowest-level staff are all too familiar with. Of course, this attitude is really just a reflection of the manager's own work ethic and an admission that they themselves would be trying to get as little as possible accomplished in their worker's shoes. 

At any rate, their refusal to listen to reason creates plenty of situations exactly like the one in this story and is something that workers in these industries will see play out time and time again.

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  • 01
    5 80 ()
    via Han Chenxu
  • 02
    Doing exactly what I was told LOC I used to work as a driver for a freight company. We used to handle awkward sized items that no other couriers would touch. We delivered everything from Coffins to tractor parts. We also had to collect things from our customers for delivery the next day.
    via u/Seamo41
  • 03
    This company had a mixture of contractors and permanent drivers. I was a relief driver. I knew most of the routes so I covered holidays or sickness. The management of the depot consisted of a delivery manager and a collection manager. These two people didn't quite see eye to eye as sometimes getting the stuff delivered conflicted with getting stuff collected. And their targets reflected failures in a bad way.
    via u/Seamo41
  • 04
    This particular day I had to cover a contractor's route. I didn't know the route so as we had to load our trucks this took a little longer than usual. I had around 45 deliveries that day. Which is high for this predominantly rural route. I asked my manager (the delivery manager) if he knew the route. He replied that he did and ordered my route for me. So I was good to go albeit a bit late. I did say that with the volume I had, I may struggle and I asked him to keep an eye out for me. He said OK.
    via u/Seamo41
  • 05
    I got to near midday and realised that I wasn't going to be able to complete all the deliveries and the collections wouldn't get done either. I also noted that one of the collections was off- route and the contractor had a vehicle in that area anyway. I called in and spoke to my manager (delivery) and told him he had a choice of collections or deliveries. I also asked why the contractor couldn't cover the off-route collection. I was told to call back later and he'll see if can sort something out
    via u/Seamo41
  • 06
    I called back later and asked for help again. He said there was no help available. So I gave him the option of deliveries or collections as there wasn't time to do both (I will get to the time a bit later). He categorically said both had to be done. The delivery manager went home. So I called in again and got the collection manager. She reiterated that there was no help at all. So either I failed the deliveries or failed the collections. If that happened I'd have been hauled into the office the
    via u/Seamo41
  • 07
    I called into one of the collections and I asked what time they closed, 6:30 pm they said. So I said I'd be back later. I carried on with the deliveries. Which took me further away from that collection. At the appropriate time, I stopped delivering and drove to the collection. I collect 2 small parcels. That was all. I then drove back to where I had stopped and carried on delivering. This cost me about an hour. I finished
    via u/Seamo41
  • 08
    my last delivery at 7:15 pm. I had a a 45-minute drive back to my yard. As I was leaving the round I got a frantic call from the collection manager. She was wondering where I was. I told her what had happened and told her that I'd asked for help 4 times and was told I had to do everything allocated so I did and it wasn't my fault that it happened like this.
    via u/Seamo41
  • 09
    Here's where the trouble really started. The company's trunking system is a fluid one it depends on trucks leaving the depot at a certain time. For our depot the cut-off time is 7:30 pm. I wheeled in at just after 8 pm. There were 15 off guys on overtime waiting for me to turn up and an articulated truck waiting for these 2 parcels. This wait caused the whole trunking system to be late the next day. My routing was discussed when I got back as it was questionable at best. When I told the collecti
    via u/Seamo41
  • 10
    The next day no one said a word. I wasn't on that route and going forward, well for a little while, they either helped when I asked or didn't get me to do as much. Also as I had exceeded legal driving time they had to make sure I went home early for a few days so a bit of a win there. The biggest trouble these guys had was they always assumed that the drivers were after an easy day and even when presented with the evidence assumed that you were still trying to be fly. This time it bit them badly
    via u/Seamo41
  • 11
    NovelSimplicity 15 hr. ago Bravo. Let me guess, both managers had never actually done the job they managed. Seamo41 OP 11 hr. ago One did. but his father- inlaw worked in the office and made sure he wasn't overworked like the rest of us.
    via u/Seamo41
  • 12
    Seamo41 OP. 11 hr. ago At another company they were coninually giving us all more than we could deliver. This was to simply get the freight out of the yard. We all brought stuff back. In the morning you would collect your paperwork and the guys in the office would bad mouth the guys that brought stuff back and be say thing like 'they need firing' etc. you would walk out and think I brought more back what are the saying about me.
    via u/Seamo41
  • 13
    So one day I thought I would deliver everything they gave me. 9:00pm I got a call that went like this Office: 'Where are you' Me: '40 miles away and I got 4 more left' Office: 'Stop what you are doing right now and get your back to the yard. Do you know what the time is' Me: 'Yes but I have 4 more to do' Office 'Get back here now' It didn't get me any less stuff to do. I did have an easier next day tho. AND it at least gave them something to about.
    via u/Seamo41
  • 14
    • MiaowWhisperer 13 hr. ago edited 11 hr. ago My housemate just started working for a parcel delivery company here in the UK. On his first day, the software decided he didn't exist, so he couldn't start until really late - got back at about 10pm, totally exhausted. On his second day he was given two rounds; 180 parcels. The software told him it would take six hours. It took twice that. He's broken and in a very very bad mood.
    via u/Seamo41
  • 15
    RamblingReflections 14 hr. ago My partner works as the yard manager for a transport and logistic company and he very well could have written this. In fact I read it in his voice. I love the stories he comes home from work with, and he's a master of malicious compliance. Good job to you sir!
    via u/Seamo41

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