Repeated Distracted Driving Offences Is Just Cause to Terminate Trucker

A driver complaining that the warning lights of his vehicle were sending out false alarms and misinformation used his cell phone to snap off a picture of the dashboard to document his concern. The problem is that the photos also clearly showed that the vehicle was moving. “All I did was press a button,” the driver protested when scolded for violating the company’s distracted driving policy. But this was anything but a first offence. And given the driver’s history of progressive discipline for safety and distracted driving violations, this turned out to be the final straw that got him fired. The union grieved but the BC arbitrator ruled that the company had just cause to terminate [Sysco Canada, Inc. v Teamsters Local Union No. 213, 2021 BCLRB 4 (CanLII), January 8, 2021].