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Employers may wrongfully retaliate if truckers report job concerns

On Behalf of | Jan 21, 2025 | Uncategorized

Independence is one of the most appealing elements of a career in truck driving. Professional truckers do not have to deal with a manager who watches every move they make and constantly tries to engage in small talk.

However, truck drivers do need to communicate with their employers, especially when they have concerns about job conditions. Maybe the company has failed to adjust route schedules to reflect road work or seasonal weather. Perhaps deferred maintenance on fleet vehicles has led to truckers getting stranded on the side of the road or barely avoiding collisions.

Sometimes, even the most introverted and independent commercial driver has to address concerns with the trucking company that employs them. They likely expect management to take their concern seriously and to address any issues that they report. Unfortunately, some truck drivers end up punished for reporting their concerns instead of getting the support that they expect.

Retaliation isn’t a lawful employment practice

Employers generally need to comply with the law regarding how they treat their workers. When workers make use of their basic rights under the law, including the right to a safe workplace, they shouldn’t face punishment. Employers must allow workers to engage in legally-protected workplace activities.

Truckers have a right to bring up unsafe working conditions. If employers attempt to punish workers for their protected activities, the workers could reasonably claim that they experienced retaliation. Employer retaliation can take many forms. In some cases, employers find excuses to terminate workers who speak up about safety issues.

Other times, employers change the way that they treat workers. Retaliation can involve demotions, transfers and other unfavorable decisions about a worker’s opportunities. Truck drivers who advise their employers about job concerns should not have to worry about getting scheduled for fewer trips or transferred to a different route. They should not lose their jobs or face any other kind of retaliatory punishment for their actions.

Truck drivers who intend to report this conduct or safety concerns may want to keep records of their communications with their employers and how the company responds. They may then have the documentation necessary to prove that they experienced inappropriate retaliation. Truck drivers who experience workplace retaliation may have grounds to initiate a lawsuit against their employers.

The courts can order a company to reinstate a worker to their job or can award them compensation for the economic harm that retaliation has caused. Learning more about employment rights and legal protections for truck drivers can help people assert themselves and better ensure a safe working environment. Those in safety-critical jobs should feel confident speaking up about safety issues without worrying about punishment.