I wasn't sure if this should go in legal, safety or here, but since its about trucks and dirvers with CDL's I decided here might give me the best answers. I'll run by something that happened and I'd like to know how you'd handle this situation, its a moral question sort of. While driving a truck loaded up hill on a no passing section of two lane road traveling the legal speed limit about to crest the top of a bilind hill, driver number two passes and almost makes it around truck number one before cresting the hill/as cresting the hill/slightly after cresting the hill, no ditches either side for anyone to take, no shoulder of the road either, makes it around and immediatly brakes hard to turn into the same place as driver number one went and just about the same time as a car was met, moments before this happened the entire works met a loaded school bus, right behind driver number one was left a third driver, also loaded and going to the same location and pulled in. Driver number three went to driver number one and asked if she had planned on pressing charges, then he try's to persuad her to do so since driver number two had done the same thing to him 20 miles before as they did meet an oncoming car and forced that car off the raod and onto the shoulder then he, driver number three stayed behind driver number two and witnessed this whole secerio. Needless to say driver three was upset beyond words and was willing to come forward and testify about what he saw, all informantion on the truck, driver and plate numbers were taken down so it could be called in, dispatch of the driver number two's truck was called to inform them of what happened, driver number one's shook up pretty badly but fine, driver three is torqued off beyond words. Now what would you do, file charges and proceed, or let it go, if let go would you feel responsible if he killed or injured someone else later on? He has a bad driving record and one more fine will put him out of the truck for about three months maybe longer, dispatch assured he'd be pulled out of truck and not allowed in agian if charges were not filed against the driver or the company, the dot got involved and wants driver one to file charges, along with the sheriffs office, stating just what I put in the last sentance or two about kiling someone else. If charges are filed he loses his job and income and probably won't be able to be picked up by anyone's insurance for two to three years, also losing his income for that long as well.
Two days pass and he's still behind the wheel for the same company, they did nothing to remove him from any truck, but did downgrade trucks he drove, business as usual. County attorney got involved, pretty good case he'll proceed if charges are pressed and probably get at least one conviction, enough to put him out of any truck for years and loses his cdl for months. He can be charged with at least four moving violations.
I'm wanting a serious answer to this as to what you'd do and why, its a moral thing for us to decide, it was my wife who was driving truck number one and she wants my answer on this soon, she'll do what I think is best, I"m just not sure what that is, I don't want to ruin anyone life, but don't want to feel guilt if maybe someone gets hurt and we might have been able to stop it from happening if we'd had taken action, this time nobody got hurt and nothing was damaged. She's pretty worked up as to what to do as well, more so than what happened once the whole deal was over, we've both had our cdl's for over 15 years and behind the wheel, but do have another source of income to fall back if it were us, losing our cdl's, this isn't the first time these things have happened from the same company, but the first time we've had a witness willing to come forward. It is possible the guy was having a bad day or something and might not happen again, but with his record, I'm not sure about that. She did brake hard once she saw what he was attempting to do otherwise they'd have been way over the hill before he got around, she was just shocked anyone would be that stupid in the first place and for what?
Your a descent bunch of people here and I do value your opinoin, please give it and explain why you feel like you do. Would you be upset if we didn't and your the driver he did this to the next go around and you did meet someone head on? Or do you view it as being a rat and leave things lie, he didn't get caught, so its not my problem, don't take a fellow driver off the road, he probably learned his lesson and won't do it again, give him another chance? Would you view it as he did get his second chance all in one day and nows time to do something, even though we didn't see the first time? Maybe driver three has a personall beef with driver two and made it up as to the first encounter to spark a response? Without a witness driver three can't do much on his own and knows it, niether can my wife and we know it, he'd get off. We've personally never taken away anyones livelihood before and this is what we'd end up doing, it might be different if it was his first strike, not his last, there is also the possiblity he'd get strike three before this goes to court, thus not needing it. Sorry for the long winded post but I thought I'd include everything I knew right off the bat. Thanks in advance for any input
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