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The dos and don’ts of quitting your Trucking job!

So you're thinking about quitting your job and want to just leave your current company with no hassles. How do you do it with out hurting your new job? How do you do it without making your current employer mad? Is there a way for everybody to win?  The answer is “Not really”. As you read this article you may pick up a few tips from a witness that has seen many drivers leave their job and go to another, me.

Over the years I've watched drivers for many reasons turn in their notice of quitting in many ways. Some leave what they think is the respectable two weeks notice and some leave one week and some leave none. So what is the correct time period for a notice of resignation?

The answer is there is no correct time. It really depends on the situation you are in when the need to quit comes and how long of a notice to give, if any. For example one driver might be quitting because of an incredible offer he just received. Another driver may be working for a carrier that has not lived up to their promises. Maybe the current carrier promised a certain wage and had changed it after employment started or maybe a carrier promised a driver a certain dedicated run and it fell thru leaving the driver with running OTR. As you can see not every situation deserves a 2-week notice whatsoever. If you are a driver that accepted a job only to find out that everything you were told was false then very little notice if any would be expected.

Lets say a driver is happy with their current job but has been offered a better opportunity. This situation should come with a respectable notice after all we did say this is a happy driver and you would not want to burn a bridge with a good carrier. Your new carrier should understand the need to leave a good notice behind.

We are by no means suggesting you “not” leave a notice for a carrier you’re not happy with after all most reasons for quitting is because you are “Not happy”. Even if they lied to you or broke a promise, which is, pretty much the same thing. The reason you are better off giving some kind of notice is they have the power to give you a bad reference, which can be very important in the nearby future. In the case of the employer that broke the promise in the first example you might want to find out what their reputation is when drivers exit their company. You also might want to sit down and talk to the safety director and ask him/her what kind of reference you are going to get with a short or no notice. Maybe explain to them the circumstances behind your quitting.

Besides leaving a notice there are other ways to do the right thing when quitting a job. Here is a quick outline

*  Make sure you bring the truck back to the agreed terminal. That way you are not getting “abandonment" on your record. Abandonment's in the industry are very frowned on and many carriers will not hire drivers with recent abandonment.

* Make sure the truck is clean. Having a reference that says you destroyed or brought back damaged company property is also something that can keep you from getting that real good job in the future. Also make sure the carrier inspects the Truck and get a copy of the inspection just in case.

* Make sure there is no discrepancy with money especially fuel cards. Many drivers have tried to grab cash advance before the fuel card gets shut off and if you quit with owing the carrier money they can put “Misuse of company funds” on your DAC/Hireright