Truck drivers are required to keep accurate logbooks to prove they are following the law when it comes to Hours of Service (HOS). So, what happens when a company tries to force its employees to work over hours and falsify their logbooks? If the employees are smart, they will refuse to work a schedule that makes them break the law. And, if the employer is a real scumbag, they will fire them for that.
So goes the story of Donald Fannin, who chose to deal with the situation by filing a lawsuit against Meyer Distributing Inc. and its general manager Brian Farley. According to the West Virginia Record, Fannin claimed that company management requested he violate DOT rules on multiple occasions, including working long driving shifts and falsifying DOT logbooks. After Fannin voiced his concerns, he was fired.
Truckers have to bear a lot of the burden when it comes to federal regulations. They are the ones who have to keep accurate logbooks, and they are the ones who get in trouble when they don’t. So, any time an employer tries to take advantage of this situation, it’s important for truckers to know their rights and to realize that they have some recourse for such abuses.