Covering oncall and using the work truck

**big boots mcghee** · January 17th, 2011, 07:11 PM

A coworker of mine was recently reprimanded for using the company truck while he was oncall for a full weekend day. He didn't run on a callout that day but the GPS reports showed that he drove the truck to two different locations. When asked by his boss why he thought that was okay, he told his boss that he wasn't going to take his personal vehicle 20-30 minutes across town, start to do some shopping or sit down to eat, then get a callout and have to drive 20-30 minutes back home only to turn around and respond to the callout within the required 2 hour response time. He told his boss that being oncall meant being ready to respond to a callout at any time and any where when oncall, not just while sitting at home. I've read some of the posts about the horror stories where guys got fired for using the company trucks for personal matters, however, when a person is oncall I don't think anything they do is on personal time since they can get a call at any time and have to respond. Does anyone else that works for USIC have issues with using the work truck while oncall? And can anyone reccommend a good website/forum/lawyer that might better clarify what the laws are for this situation? I sense these games will only get worse as the gas prices rise once again.

**ProfessionalLocator** · January 17th, 2011, 07:57 PM

Originally Posted by big boots mcghee

A coworker of mine was recently reprimanded for using the company truck while he was oncall for a full weekend day. He didn't run on a callout that day but the GPS reports showed that he drove the truck to two different locations. When asked by his boss why he thought that was okay, he told his boss that he wasn't going to take his personal vehicle 20-30 minutes across town, start to do some shopping or sit down to eat, then get a callout and have to drive 20-30 minutes back home only to turn around and respond to the callout within the required 2 hour response time. He told his boss that being oncall meant being ready to respond to a callout at any time and any where when oncall, not just while sitting at home. I've read some of the posts about the horror stories where guys got fired for using the company trucks for personal matters, however, when a person is oncall I don't think anything they do is on personal time since they can get a call at any time and have to respond. Does anyone else that works for USIC have issues with using the work truck while oncall? And can anyone reccommend a good website/forum/lawyer that might better clarify what the laws are for this situation? I sense these games will only get worse as the gas prices rise once again.

USIC is not the only firm to have this policy in effect. I also suspect that there are firms out there that have this policy in effect and those that run it are not aware of it. What happens is some district / area manager decides he / she does not like on-call people using the trucks and implements the policy for their area, the main office may not even know about it. Seen it.

**locator00566** · January 17th, 2011, 09:09 PM

USIC just fired a guy in my area for the same thing. He drove his truck over to one of his family members home since he was going to be over there several hours while he was on call on a Saturday. Monday morning he was told to come to the office and was fired on the spot. Another employee was written up for cranking his truck and moving it 10 ft in his driveway on a weekend. Ahhh... the joys of working for USIC. The sad part about this company is that its only going to get worse.

**ProfessionalLocator** · January 18th, 2011, 04:14 AM

Originally Posted by locator00566

USIC just fired a guy in my area for the same thing. He drove his truck over to one of his family members home since he was going to be over there several hours while he was on call on a Saturday. Monday morning he was told to come to the office and was fired on the spot. Another employee was written up for cranking his truck and moving it 10 ft in his driveway on a weekend. Ahhh... the joys of working for USIC. The sad part about this company is that its only going to get worse.

So he was required to take the company truck home. When it blocked one of his vehicles in the driveway he moved the company truck a few feet but did not "use the vehicle for personal use". This guy should get a lawyer and sue them. A tort lawyer works usually receiving 1/3 of the settlement amount and with a good suit like this one will take the case to get that money. If this one got in front of a jury you know they would find for him and a lawyer knows it too. The company lawyer knows it also and if they cannot get the case dismissed they will offer to settle out of court.

You noobies reading this, consider those that say working at USIC is not really that bad and remember the things like this.

Fired for; moving the truck in your own driveway when it blocks you own cars, fired for idling the truck in sub freezing weather, fired for stopping to pee on the way to or from work. The list goes on.

**Wingfoot** · January 18th, 2011, 07:25 AM

Originally Posted by locator00566

USIC just fired a guy in my area. He drove his truck to one of his family member's home while he was on call on a Saturday. Monday morning he was fired. Another employee was written up for cranking his truck and moving it 10 ft in his driveway on a weekend. Ahhh... the joys of working for USIC.

Ummmm 566 - Respectfully, I smell a little bullshit here. I don't know enough about the first issue to comment either way. But, about the write-up - The USIC GPS system will pick up the start 'n stop of the motor, but will not pick up the 10 feet. My first line told me it's okay to move the truck up to 100 feet at home to get it out of the way; it won't trigger a GPS red flag.

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**sprayandpray** · January 18th, 2011, 07:37 AM

Fired for; moving the truck in your own driveway when it blocks you own cars, fired for idling the truck in sub freezing weather, fired for stopping to pee on the way to or from work. The list goes on.

Locator 00566 said the guy that moved his truck in the driveway wasn't fired, just reprimanded. I move my truck to the front and/or rear of my house occasionally to clean it out, air up the tires, etc. To do this I have to drive approx. 1/4 mile to access the alley and then come back. I have never heard a peep out of my Supervisor.
I truly believe that these guys that get fired or disciplined over these small infractions are usually on the cusp of being fired anyway. Management uses any and all infractions to get rid of employees they don't want any longer. Right or wrong, that's the way things are done in many, many companies.
This reminds me of the guy that was fired several years ago over a Safety violation. He told everyone he was fired because he didn't put out his Safety cones. The truth was a Supervisor(not his) caught him without Safety cones, 2 manholes open, no manhole guard, no hardhat, no blower and no safety vest. Add this to the fact he was always refusing to help his fellow locators, argued with his Supervisor about everything and was generally viewed as an a--hole and he deserved to be fired.

I have been advised of the Company vehicle policies and while I may not agree with them, I understand them and follow them as a term of my employment.

**ProfessionalLocator** · January 18th, 2011, 07:41 AM

Originally Posted by Wingfoot

Ummmm 566 - Respectfully, I smell a little bullshit here. I don't know enough about the first issue to comment either way. But, about the write-up - The USIC GPS system will pick up the start 'n stop of the motor, but will not pick up the 10 feet. My first line told me it's okay to move the truck up to 100 feet at home to get it out of the way; it won't trigger a GPS red flag.

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It is not uncommon in the kind of operation USIS is described as operating for upper management to lie to their lower management. This way the lower ranked managers think they are telling the truth and freely spread the lie, seen it at another firm. So it is entirety possible that the red flag was sent when the ignition was turned on during hours that the employee in not regularly scheduled to work.

It is also possible that they started off with no red flag notice if the vehicle is started without being moved and this was added later and nobody told the lower managers.

Also some manager somewhere just decided to review the full records, not just the red flag notices.

**locator00566** · January 18th, 2011, 08:26 AM

Originally Posted by Wingfoot

Ummmm 566 - Respectfully, I smell a little bullshit here. I don't know enough about the first issue to comment either way. But, about the write-up - The USIC GPS system will pick up the start 'n stop of the motor, but will not pick up the 10 feet. My first line told me it's okay to move the truck up to 100 feet at home to get it out of the way; it won't trigger a GPS red flag.

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I was just going by what the guy told me. I'm sure it wasn't 10 feet it was probably more like 15 feet, lol. You are missing the point, the point is USIC has BS policies and I smell a lawsuit in the near future for all the border line policies the have. I understand some people, in other areas, are not having these problems. I'm just stateing the problems that I see in my district.

**Bad Robot** · January 18th, 2011, 08:55 AM

From what I understand, USIC is essentially a private equity firm masquerading as a company that provides a safety oriented service. Since it is by it's very essence a vampire, it's going to suck the life out of each and every one of you until you're dead. Face it, and move on.

**FiosKing** · January 18th, 2011, 01:18 PM

for 1 all of these locate companies are breaking the law... they are required to pay standby pay especially since you almost always get at least 1 call out... so that locator might want to bring that up

**Isotopes** · January 18th, 2011, 05:58 PM

I just wish someone would sue them asap to get them in line. The 1st little thing that happens to that I could sue for I would in a heartbeat. I love all this "safety safety" preaching they do and then they give you a truck with bald tire and plugs all in it.

**ProfessionalLocator** · January 18th, 2011, 06:14 PM

Originally Posted by FiosKing

for 1 all of these locate companies are breaking the law... they are required to pay standby pay especially since you almost always get at least 1 call out... so that locator might want to bring that up

What you want to bet that locator brings standby pay up and they get fired the same day? Do not for a minute think that they do not know they are required to pay standby pay.

**Turk182** · January 18th, 2011, 06:45 PM

Originally Posted by Isotopes

I just wish someone would sue them asap to get them in line. The 1st little thing that happens to that I could sue for I would in a heartbeat. I love all this "safety safety" preaching they do and then they give you a truck with bald tire and plugs all in it.

As soon as I find another job I intend to that for about 18 months worth of backpay, the law firm I have talked to wants to turn it into a class action.

**ohlocator** · January 18th, 2011, 07:09 PM

Originally Posted by Turk182

As soon as I find another job I intend to that for about 18 months worth of backpay, the law firm I have talked to wants to turn it into a class action.

I'm waiting to see what USIC's first Class Action suit is going to be.

**paintitnow** · January 18th, 2011, 09:36 PM

Back in the dark ages prior to GPS and usic when it was sm&p if I was oncall andwanted to go to like a family function I would call my supervisor and inform him that I had a family function I would like to attend and that by taking the company truck I could repsond quicker. He would allow me to do it. Also I heard of a supervisor on vaction came across another sm&p employee at the same lake. they way he knew was someone used their company truck to pull their personal boat to the same lake. I didn't stay home when I am oncall but if i left my house I stayed close enough where i could get back and get to any emergency with in the two hours. You may see it as no personal time, but the company doesn't see it the same way since you are not on the clock then not on company time
Grant it I to do believe we should get paid for oncall. Now playing the devil's advocate. Do you think the company wants to pay you to sit at home. If they have to pay you, they might split oncall into 8 hr shifts and require you to sit at the company office. No drive time to and from the office. No cable tv or just the bare stuff required by the law. require you to do something at the office to be productive. I am not sure how the utility companies handle this. If paying you for the weekend might just put you to work in the area. might have you not work acouple days during the week so as not to pay you overtime on the weekend. split crews so one can sit at office and wait for emergencies maybe even some during the day. Maybe three shift 7-3, 2-11, 11-7. go from taking a truck home to going to an office and pick up your truck. I know a company might not want to do this. the cost of space to hold all those vehicles. GPS came about because of idiots misusing their trucks, people screwing off, another way to prove that the locator never went to the site and billed it out when a damage occurs. The clock in and clock out came about because of a class action suit about getting paid to do that beginning of day, if my memory serves me right tonight. When they used dail up and it took like 20 minutes to get it all or getting faexes when they used paper tickets. . My self i would wake up and start the beginning of day, go do the shit, shave shower thng. Get dressed and make my lunch and then come look for the closest ticket. Just remember when lawyers get envovled always mean more stupid shit dropped onto the locator so the company covers it's ass.