Termination of Driver for Angry, Threatening Outburst Upheld

While delivering a piece of equipment to a customer, a long haul driver got into an argument with two of the customer’s employees because they didn’t help him unload. The customer complained that the equipment’s widows were dirty and there was dirt in the cab. The driver got angry and started yelling aggressively. The customer employees backed off, fearing for their safety. The customer complained to the driver’s employer, who fired him. The arbitrator upheld his termination. The driver couldn’t give a reasonable explanation for his conduct, which was very serious and included inappropriate language and physically intimidating behaviour. He showed no remorse and blamed others. And because of the incident, the employer lost the customer and $125,000 in revenue [Crawford v. Pacific Central Carriers Ltd., [2013] C.L.A.D. No. 71, March 15, 2013].