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Trucker said he was fired because of his religious beliefs

FALFURRIAS, Texas  — A Rio Grande Valley, Texas, man said he is out of a job because of his religious beliefs. The truck driver said he was fired because he wrote "Jesus" as his co-driver in all his driver logbooks.

Television station KRGV in Weslaco, Texas, reported this week that Ramiro Olivarez said he is not worried about being unemployed. He knows he will get another job soon, but what bothers him is what he was fired for.

Every truck driver you see on any road in the United States is required by law to keep a logbook.

He said, the logbook shows a place for the “driver's full signature and then just a co-driver name. It says nothing about a signature, just a name.”

Olivarez is a veteran trucker. He has worked for several companies in several states driving in the oil fields.

In his last log, a graph details his entire day.

“The graph on there is strictly Ramiro Olivarez. And Jesus is my co-driver, and that's my belief. That He's with me,” Olivarez said.

He said this religious statement got him fired.

The letter of termination from his former Falfurrias employer states he was told to stop "submitting incomplete documentation and falsifying legal documents." It also stated writing Jesus as a co-driver is a violation of federal and state laws.

Federal law said falsifying logs makes the driver and carrier liable to prosecution.

A spokesperson for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) said what Olivarez did would be considered falsification of a logbook.

The television station said it contacted the company for which Olivarez drove, but received no response. It did not publish the name of the carrier.

KRGV said it had reached out to Department of Public Safety, and in a statement, Sgt. Johnny Hernandez said drivers often falsify hours to get away with driving more than they are permitted.

Olivarez said nothing in the logbook is false.

“Jesus is my co-driver, and I have no shame in that,” he said.

He wants to challenge other truck drivers to stand by their beliefs. “I strongly encourage you to put Jesus as your co-driver. Let's make a stand,” he said.

Olivarez said no one with the company ever told him to stop writing Jesus in his logbooks. He said if they had, he would have stopped and opted to put a cross there or nothing at all.

The Trucker staff can be reached to comment on this article at [email protected].

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