How do you get your boss to listen?

I’ve always thought a thickly wooded median on the Interstate would be a great place to hide a body.

Do you unload your own? If not, could that be a good time to spruce up inside? That would leave only washing the outside. If you have a good place along the way to have that done, maybe you can make arraignments with someone for you to call that you are coming in like ten minutes, so they can be ready and set go.

Could you let go of some of the work in order to give yourself a bit of extra time- say once or twice a week? Do the least so you can’t get grief for not trying at all.
Do not do overtime to do this- boss will expect it then as a given.
Sounds like the other 10 hour driver needs to pitch in and help also.
Ask others if anyone is getting grief from the same boss. Information may be the key.
Hang in there. Good luck….
If not, _Seek _ has a great idea on how to handle it all.

@msh , he is an OTR trucker. You have to drive how long it takes to get there.

Ok, gotcha, I wasn’t aware…. but then why not give the second driver one of the other trucks who have the time to clean, because of less miles to be traveled, the second route of what was SQUEEKY2’s truck? There is no time between truck drivers. So it’s moot to have any ideas, unless asking some other drivers for what they think, having been around this pluperfect ass of a boss also.
Or, if hassled- go over boss? But that will cause trouble also. I genuinely wish that some ideas would help. I was hassled at work. It’s hard enough doing the job itself without getting jumped by the pettiness of boss. How to help?
Arsenic in boss’s mug? If not that, itching powder on the old keyboard?
Not that I, personally have ever even dreamed of such. too often…

Oh, SQUEEKY2, I’m so sorry I haven’t better ideas than stated. I hate boss-stress.
So take care of you first, ok? Contrary to previous customs- there are no gold watches at the end when you retire. It’s a myth.

Here_2_4, thank you for letting me know about the situation. I do appreciate it. A definite ‘duh’ on my part…

You use K’s to refer to the distance you drive not so sure what your OTR regulations are and absent a Union you might belong to….I have to say your boss is treating you like a bad mule. The laws here in the USA limit OTR drivers to 11 cumulative hours driving in a 14-hour period, following a rest period of no less than 10 consecutive hours.

IMO tell your boss if he expects a cleaner truck to clean it himself.

What kind of cleaning do you mean? I’m thinking it’s cleaning the outside of the truck and the hold rather than the cabin, which I’m sure you keep clean and tidy as you go along.

Where do the other drivers clean their vehicles? Can you do the same?

Can you clean the outside before you unload and have the equipment (eg brush or mop) ready to give the inside a quick going over after you unload?

Are there any other drivers in the same position as you that you can ask for ideas?

Could you approach your boss at a low stress time and say that you’d appreciate his ideas on how to clean the truck as you are finding it hard to find the time?

Or, throw balloons at all the other trucks. Fill the balloons with mud, clay, or manure. Then you will have the cleanest truck there. :-D

Let me get you filled in on my day, it starts at 5am I do a pretrip then drive 5.5 hours ,then get in a large wheel loader and load that takes 1.5hours then check weights,to make sure its legal, then fuel up that takes 15minutes, then drive back that takes 6 hours,it takes longer back because its loaded now,arrive 15 minutes for post trip and paper work,at this point the cross shift driver wants to get going, 13.5 hours no breaks where am I supposed to do this cleaning???

If you need a stunt chick-with-flat-tire to distract the other drivers while you’re dumping the body, I’m your huckleberry.

@SQUEEKY2: If I were you, I’d tell the second driver you need to clean the truck, and when he gets mad, or runs late, maybe the boss will get wind of it and then comprehend.

@jca The night guy has access to the washbay but there are no lights there and he is there in the middle of the night,and also what is expected of him he can just get his run done in his running time, it also doesn’t help that the drivers that are on that 11hour run and get it done early are bitching about our truck looking so dirty.

@SQUEEKY2: I am not sure if you understood what I was saying. You tell the driver that you need to get the truck cleaned before he can take it.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m doing the best I can.” Repeat ad nauseum.

It’s just a suggestion, which may or may not be effective in your case. This way you’re not directly opposing him, and you can get on with your day. Just file it under “boss management.”

Eventually, something will change, and it’ll be a moot point.

What sort of cleaning are we talking about? Does he want you to wash the truck and vacuum it out (vac the cab), or remove your rubbish and leave it tidy? What does ‘cleaning’ constitute?

I’d really like to know the answer to my question, but my response would be to set out your work day to your boss. Calmly and simply. Boss, this is how my day goes. I get up at 4am, do my pre-drive checks (30 minutes), drive 5 hours to xxx. Have a loo break and get a cup of tea. This is legally required by the government. I then get back in the truck…etc. etc.

Boss, now you have a clear understanding of my day, where would you like to fit the cleaning tasks in? What would you like me to miss out in order to return the truck in a clean state at the end of my 13 hour drive? Put the problem in his hands. How would he resolve this issue. Suggest he could perhaps organise for a cleaner to be available when you get to your destination to clean the truck before the next driver takes over.

^ Won’t let me edit, but I’d type up your daily routine. Don’t just speak to him. Go in with it written down…

4–4.30am – Pre-drive checks.
4.30am – 9.30 am. Driving Vancouver to xxx.
9.30am-10am. Mandatory driver break.

Put the problem in his court.

@Earthbound_Misfit I did to him as well here, like in a few posts above explained exactly what my day is and it still falls on very deaf ears.

As for cleanliness a washed truck and detailed inside the cab.

You explained, or you took in a piece of paper with your whole day’s activity on it? I’d say, ‘Boss, I’ve taken on board your complaint and I’ve been looking for space in my day where I can fit the cleaning. I’ve logged my whole week’s activities. I need your help to see where I can fit the cleaning in. Can you tell me what you’d like me to stop doing so I can fit in the cleaning. I estimate the cleaning will take xxx minutes per trip.’

If you’ve just done a 13 hour drive, it’s totally unreasonable to expect you to then clean the truck. Emotion isn’t going to work for you though. And he isn’t listening, so you need to give him facts and in a form he can’t dismiss. Leave the paper with him. Keep a copy for yourself. Just so you can use it against him if you need to!

If the boss doesn’t listen, and second guy likes to complain, then second guy screwed himself because now he has to wait for the truck to be cleaned properly. Tell him this is the boss’s directive.