I feel trapped and I shouldn't
Ok Reddit, I have come to ask for some advice. Before hand, I'll give a little bit of context into who I am and why this is so concerning to me. I, (M35), have roughly 14 years of experience as a semi truck driver. I started on a farm at 15 and from there I've been all over our great country. However, a couple years ago, I was involved in a bad accident that left me badly injured. Since that accident, I tried to stick it out, but I didn't feel comfortable in a semi anymore. It just no longer felt like home.
Fast forward a couple years to now. I've since joined a union company doing some good ol fashioned blue collar work. Everything has been, ok at its best. But I recently discovered something that makes me even more uncomfortable. Each day, I meet with my foreman, (M58), and ride with him to our job sites. Most of our jobs are over an hour away, and some will not allow personal vehicles on the property. All fine and dandy. Except!....
I've recently discovered that my foreman, doesn't even have a driver's license. From what I've gathered, he hasn't had one for almost a decade. And the company we work for has already "solved" their end of the issue. Rather than giving him a company vehicle, I found that they give him a monthly allowance of $400 to use his own vehicle, and they just give him some magnets to put on it that have the company logo and name on them.
All this being said; they know, they condone, and they kept it from me. I feel not only disrespected, but very angry. What happens if this guy wrecks his truck while I'm in it? What if I pass away from the accident? Will me wife get paid still? But more importantly, what steps can I take to get this situation changed? And no, I will not drive his truck for him. I'm an apprentice. I don't get paid to drive the work truck. That shouldn't be my responsibility.
Now I could go on and on for days about this man's behavior, but I'll save you all that drama. Let's just say this; he spends about $500 a week on scratch off tickets and we receive a $2,400 check from our union every 3 months. He has zero excuses for not having enough money to get his license back, he just won't. I'm sorry, but the company should be held responsible right?
Please everyone, any help would be amazing. I take driving very seriously and I know my wife is very unhappy now too. I just don't know what grounds I have to stand on. I drove a semi for so long that I don't know how these kind of companies operate. All I know, is that I don't like it. If I say something to my supervisor about being partnered with someone else, I know it'll stir up a real storm. I'm his 5th apprentice in 3 years. They've got this guy's back.
Posted Mar 12, 2025, 8:00 PM UTC