| Want
to make some extra money? A little cash on the side? I think we all
do, but how far are you willing to go for it? Are you willing to “cook
the books,” as they say? Are you willing to lie, cheat, steal? Well,
unfortunately some are. Of course, most truck drivers are honest, hard-working
people, but like any other walk of life, there are those who would ruin
it for all of us if given the chance. But, we all do indeed pay for
it in the end.
According to Allen Wear at Nations Best Transportation in Vancouver,
WA (they employ about 60 owner operators and a few company drivers who
run up and down the west coast and points east), there’s always a pattern.
It’s usually the same drivers who always have too many expenses, flat
tires, over-priced lumpers, etc. all the time. They (carriers) know
their customers and what their lumpers usually charge, but along comes
a driver who somehow always pays a little more than everyone else. They
also keep track of which tires get replaced and somehow they wind up
replacing the same ones again. They also know how much reefer fuel should
be used, but somehow a certain driver uses more, but coincidently, that
driver seems to be getting great fuel mileage on the truck. Allen also
said that it’s usually the same driver doing all of the above. Then,
he’ll make some calls and find out the truth. It’s pretty transparent
to guys like him. It’s almost too easy sometimes. Still, some drivers
think they’re slick, or they think nobody ever thought of this one before.
I’ve got news for you - the carriers know.
Like any job with legitimate expenses, the temptation to pocket some
money for a legitimate-looking expense is too much for some people.
I came up with this “Top 10” list based on what I have seen and heard
over the years. I didn’t take a survey or anything like that, but I
have seen this stuff with my own eyes.
1) The fake lumper receipt. This has to be number one. A driver unloads
his truck himself and then writes a receipt that says he paid a lumper.
Then, he gets the Com-Check and keeps it, tax-free. Too bad that companies
almost always know what it costs and what the real receipts look like.
2) Other fake receipts. So, you bought a tool, or a part for your car
(or your truck, if you’re an owner-operator) and it looks like it could
pass for a trailer part or something that the company truck needed.
Or maybe you picked up one of those blank receipts that you can fill
out yourself, so you do. Isn’t it funny that you’re the only one who
always does that?
3) Selling fuel/chains/load-locks. How many times have you heard this
one on the CB radio? If only I had a dollar for every time. Do you really
think they don’t know how many miles-per-gallon your truck gets? Or
how many load-locks or chains you were issued?
4) Tire exchange. You notice a brand new tire or two on your company
truck or trailer, so you decide to sell it/them to someone who gives
you an old one or two to put on in its place. Or maybe you just buy
one, even though the one already on there is like new, because you can
then sell that one. Too bad tires have serial numbers. Tires are one
of the carrier’s biggest expenses. Do you really think they don’t keep
track of them?
5) Short delivery/keeping stuff. So, you have a trailer full of toothpaste.
If only you could keep one or two cases, you wouldn’t have to buy toothpaste
for a few years. Tempting, huh? If only they didn’t count everything
all the time. Hey, maybe you can open a box and take some out, that
way, it still looks like a full load. That is, until the store gets
it and opens it, then calls the distributor, who calls your company.
6) Over-charging customers. This is a big one for local drivers who
deliver to stores. Let’s see, I’ve got fifteen loaves of bread (fourteen)
and twelve Twinkies (eleven), that cost a dollar each (ninety-four cents)
- and you manage to slip that past the busy clerk. Too bad stores keep
track of what they sell. Isn’t it funny how the store seems to be losing
merchandise to shoplifters who only seem to steal what you bring?
7) Selling skids. So, you finish your delivery and the customer puts
twenty skids on your trailer that you know you don’t need at your next
stop. Look, there’s a place right up the road that buys them. Somebody
is going to have to pay for them and they will be looking right at you
when they start wondering where they went.
8) Expenses without a receipt. Hey, sometimes you just don’t get a receipt
for legitimate expenses, like self-serve truck washes and unmanned tolls
- but, all the time - every week?
9) Reefer fuel. This is a biggie for owner operators. They buy reefer
fuel, which the company pays for, and put it in their own tank. Free
fuel. Who’s to know? Everybody keeps track of miles-per-gallon these
days. Isn’t it funny how your truck went five hundred miles without
stopping for any fuel that day?
10) Using the company truck. So, your neighbor is moving and you’re
home for the weekend, with that big truck just sitting there. This one
works out pretty well, right up to the moment that your friend’s china
cabinet crashes down and dents the trailer.
Can you see the futility in all this? Don’t get mad at me for blowing
your cover. That’s not what I’m trying to do here. But, what I am saying
is you had better stop before you get caught. If you are doing it, it’s
only a matter of time. I am just trying to show you the fact that more
people know about all this than you would like to believe. If you stop
now, you might get lucky and get away with what you’ve already done.
But if you continue, I can almost guarantee that you will be caught.
The only question is when - not if. I am just trying to save you from
looking like a fool. Carriers know, believe me. For more trucking insights,
be sure to visit www.bigcitydriver.com.
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