I am p**sed off, literally!!!or maybe litterally!!!

[letzrockexpress]

I feel the need to vent here a little bit. I have witnessed one too many times the practice of leaving urine recepticals sitting in the common areas we gather to sleep, wait for loads, etc. I find this practice disgusting and reprehensible. Leaving a receptical behind is bad enough but What I witnessed last week was and is the last straw with me.
2 mondays ago I was sitting in the RV section of the Flying J just off I-65 in Indianapolis. A Landstar Sprinter was parked next to me. As I was sitting in my van reading the paper, the back doors of the sprinter suddenly opened. The driver leaned out the back doors, produced a full hospital type urinal, quite full I might add, and began pouring it onto the parking lot surface!! I almost couldn't believe it! Almost a soon as this began,it was over and the doors closed. I was debating on whether to approach this person and share my anger and disgust but I thought better of it as I might have gotten a little too agressive. a couple minutes later the doors once again opened and guess what? a brand new installment!! This was the last straw...
So here is the deal. From this day forward if I EVER see this behavior again from ANY expediter I will post their vehicle number on this forum along with what I witnessed. I have that violator's van number and if I witness them doing this again I will share it with you all. I happen to know this violator posts on this site so hopefully they are getting the message. Have some decency you vile pig!!!

 

[TeamCaffee]

I have decided to take a suggestion Leo made about getting the trucks number and company and taking the time to call them. I have also had enough of seeing this go on at the truck stops. The list can go on and on of what some of these pigs do and it is disgusting. It is no wonder some times that truck drivers have such a negative reputation.

 

[RichM]

I would call his company with his unit # and just report it and act as you are the FJ shift manager.

 

[LDB]

Call his company and turn him in. That's inexcusable and should be reported. I wouldn't confront him due to possible repercussions. I don't hesitate for a moment to call such things in though.

 

[greg334]

Sorry about that Letzrock but you have just reached the level of disgust that I have had for a long long time. I find it totally inexcusable and it does not matter who they are or what the reason is for it to happen.

Call the company and tell them what you saw but next time, call the cops.

 

[cheri1122]

To ignore it, is to give tacit approval - please speak up!

 

[Turtle]

So here is the deal. From this day forward if I EVER see this behavior again from ANY expediter I will post their vehicle number on this forum along with what I witnessed.

That's your word against theirs, and you'd lose. Calling into a carrier is dicey enough, as it's still your word against theirs. Anyone can make stuff up and call it in. The noting of a wrong truck number can have significant consequences for the other driver, especially when you post that information in a public forum. Unless you can prove it, you could be found guilty of libel, both to the driver and the carrier.

I'd have said something to the driver, actually. I have done that. I won't say anything if they at least dump it onto the grass (that's where all the other animals go), but they dump it onto the lot, and I see it, I speak up.

I won't get mad at them, to be confrontational (I mean, it's not like they have on a food stained shirt that barely covers their massive belly, or anything like that), but I'll suggest they at least dump it back off the lot somewhere in the grass.

 

[cheri1122]

You're braver than I am, Turtle! Or maybe more trusting of strangers? Psychopaths look uncannily like ordinary folks, though..... I would not confront a man about his disgusting behavior, for my own safety.
I understand the problem of, say, a wrong truck number - but those of us who have cellphone cameras can get a photo of the truck number and/or plate, and even if we can't - dispatch knows which trucks are where, pretty much.

 

[davekc]

If he is at the "J" I would have directed him to the RV dump and kindly asked him to dump "his" contents there.
If he was psychotic and needed some creativity, he could back his van up to the restaurant delivery door.

 

[miguy1957]

I didnt know expediters were such tattle tails ( they must of had a hard time in school) and so perfect that they have done nothing that they are not proud of, Man up and tell the guy to his face not tell on him...........

 

[greg334]

Turtle,
Being a witness to something that can be considered a crime in some places negates any liability one would have in reporting it, even if the proof was none existent. In my township, dumping human waste on the street and in the rain sewers is a crime and I think but not sure that the state actually does not allow it.

The issue is really would the carrier do anything about it?

I know of one case where the carrier actually did something, terminated the contract of the owner for the driver doing just that. I didn't hear any repercussion from either the owner pr the driver to the person who reported them.

 

[LDB]

I didnt know expediters were such tattle tails ( they must of had a hard time in school) and so perfect that they have done nothing that they are not proud of, Man up and tell the guy to his face not tell on him...........

Having the sense to know when to confront and when to report has nothing to do with "manning up" and everything to do with having some sense. I'm going to do something if I see a child or woman being abused. If I see a driver pouring pee out in the lot or leaving a bag of trash in the lot instead of taking it to the trash can I'm going to report it. Risking violence over those would prove nothing other than I'm smart enough to figure out how to "man up" but not smart enough to know when to do so.

 

[dhalltoyo]

Yeah. What Leo said.....

So how would you protect others on the road, and yourself, if you see a driver who is comitting an act of "Road Rage"?

Maybe I should race ahead of him, jump out of my truck and signal him to stop so I can have a face-to-face discussion with him.

Uh, not!

Call and ask to speak with the Safety Director. Criminal behaviors are usually not a one time ocurrance. They get enough calls, they will act.

 

[Turtle]

There's a difference between speaking to someone and confronting them. If anyone is unsure of the difference, don't do either.

If you're sitting in you truck and out the window you see someone dumping a bottle of what you assume to be urine on the asphalt, don't bolt out of your truck yelling, "Hey! Hey! Hey!" That's a confrontation, with you on the offense, and their only recourse is to become defensive. (Besides, it might be old apple juice that's gone bad. It's not what you believe, it's what you can prove. Circumstantial evidence is the weakest of all evidence.)

Instead of flying out of your truck, casually get out and walk over to them, if the opportunity presents itself (or, next time they have their window coverings down and you see them), and say something like, "Hi. I wonder if you could do me a favor? Next time, instead of dumping the bottles on the parking lot, could you dump it either over there on the gr**** or down the RV dump? I know a lot of others out here would appreciate it, too. These lots can get to stinking pretty bad after a while."

I've taken that approach a couple of times, and it's worked. If anyone is interested in the psychology of why it works, I'll be happy to expound.

Turtle,
Being a witness to something that can be considered a crime in some places negates any liability one would have in reporting it, even if the proof was none existent.

Not just in some places, but in all places (in the US), far as I know. But don't confuse the reporting of a possible crime to the authorities with the posting of the same information to a public Internet forum. When you report it to the authorities an investigation may be done, but when you post the accusation in a public forum, you've tried and convicted them all in one swoop, the damage is immediate, so you'd better be able to prove what you are alleging.

In my township, dumping human waste on the street and in the rain sewers is a crime and I think but not sure that the state actually does not allow it.

I think it's illegal most places. Tossing the bottles themselves most definitely is. Dumping out a pee bottle on private property (say, a truck stop) is different than dumping the same bottle out on a public street or down a public drain. Different rules apply in many cases, like, if it's dumped on a private parking lot and will therefore quickly run off into the city drain, or onto the ground where it will biologically degrade in a matter of hours. Whether poured urine is considered "dumping" depends on many things, not the least of which is the amount dumped, and where it's dumped. Any police officer or roadside worker will tell you, absolutely, they'd much rather you pour the bottle out on the side of the road than to toss the full bottle out the window.

Not that it's between tossing and dumping. Preferably, you'd toss the bottle into a dumpster at a rest area or a truck stop, or dump the bottle into an RV dump.

The issue is really would the carrier do anything about it?
I know of one case where the carrier actually did something, terminated the contract of the owner for the driver doing just that. I didn't hear any repercussion from either the owner pr the driver to the person who reported them.

The carrier canceled the contract of an owner solely on the sayso of a single he-said, she-said phone call?
Wow. I could see it happening if they had already had previous calls about it, but not on the basis of one possible crackpot phone call. There are people out there driving around with cell phones and nothing better to do than to call the carrier or the "How's My Driving?" phone numbers on the backs of trucks and make stuff up.

For me, the bottom line is, if you see something that should be reported, it should be serious enough to be reported to the police. If you report it to the carrier, because it's not serious enough for the police, that's being a tattle tail and generally minding someone else's business.

 

[miguy1957]

well said ,you are better with words than me

 

[Falligator]

Yep, that's definitely disgusting. I probably would have confronted the driver first asking him about the situation. Then probably would have either gone to store management, called the carrier or the police. please note: (If it was right by my van and it started stinking while I was sleeping or otherwise) I wouldn't be a happy camper and probably would have called police instead of confronting the guy. Then moved my van.

 

[buckeyewildman]

first of all that is just plain disgusting second its also plain lazy at the very least if he was to lazy to go to the restroom he could of dumped it in the grass which in my opinion is still disgusting but at least its not on the pavement i would not hesitate to call his company and i have went inside the flying j and reported it to the mgr in laredo tx. the mgr asked this person to kindly leave the premises so please people lets have some common sense

 

[48ST8s]

Simple really. 1. Camera phone with nice little pic of the action. 2. Nice little email with attached pic to Safety Dept of carrier. There is no excuse for this kind of behavior. Just pure laziness. I am not the type to "tattle", however, it is people like this who will ruin it for the rest of us when the "J" decides not to let us park in the RV parking because of instances like this!

 

[LDB]

Turtle, your thesis is well written and on the surface makes sense. I have to stick to my original position though because some people in this world are too unstable to "speak to". Some would just as soon punch you in the nose as breathe for having the gall to "speak to" them in that kind gentle manner you suggest. Some would respond in some way or another and then watch you and do something to your vehicle when you go inside.

No matter how you label it, you are confronting the individual. Confront: "present somebody with something, usually to accuse or criticize; "We confronted him with the evidence". Granted, you are being less hostile than running up with a tire iron and bashing out their window but you are in a confrontation none the less.

I suspect the incident Greg mentioned was not the first reporting of a problem. I suspect it's as David suggests, noted in the file and when a pattern emerges action is taken.

Reporting someone's misdeed is reporting it, whether to the police or the company. I don't know where this erroneous notion of tattling came from. "Tattling: aimless chatter; prattle; gossip; talebearing." Now, if the guy's curtain happens to fall down and you see him inside with his bra on and call it in I'd say you are a tattle tale. If you are calling to report citizenship problems you are just being a responsible citizen as opposed to his bad citizen.

For anyone who believes confrontation is the only way, I can only hope to not be present when you confront the wrong person.

 

[greg334]

Sorry Turtle, I got caught up in the moment of an very emotional issue and the cr*ppy French beer I had last night.

I went down to my wine cellar last evening and was going to grab a bottle of [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Mouton Rothschild '53 to open and enjoy in my $800 suit but instead grab a bottle of Fischer Alsace beer and had a small glass. well that was a big mistake, the beer decided to explode out of the bottle like the French running away from an issue[/FONT]

Well I digress

I meant outside of a public forum, or even a word of mouth moment.

Also the owner who contract was terminated was not just a single incident, it was three with one Pilot manager calling in on the driver. The carrier who will not be named, decided it was in the best interest to let the owner go.