A trucker has won more than $17,400 from his company, after being written up for refusing to drive on two occasions when he was medically ill.

According to a document obtained by LiveTrucking.com, driver Joshua Bailey filed a complaint against his company Frito Lay Transportation, Inc., Rick Pederson, its Senior Transportation Manager, and Traci Wiegert, the Logistics/Transportation Manager, with the Secretary of Labor. According to the document, he alleged in both instances that they retaliated against him in breach of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act (STAA).

Bailey refused to drive a commercial vehicle while he was fatigued and ill on separate incidents in November 2015 and February 2016, the document states, which are considered protected activities. The document notes that Bailey presented evidence including notes from his doctor as well as medications that can cause drowsiness and fatigue.

However, on December 1, 2015, Bailey received a “book-off’, which the document describes as an “attendance occurrence”, and was put on Decision-Making Leave. Approximately two months later, he was given another book-off and put on Written Status.

The Acting Secretary of Labor found that the protected activity contributed to the action against Bailey. The document notes that the only way he could have avoided discipline was to drive the vehicle while ill, a decision that it says “harms drivers who choose to follow the safe course.”

According to the ruling, the respondents must pay Bailey $10,000 in punitive damages, and $1,500 in compensatory damages. They must also pay his attorney’s fees, which total nearly $6,000.

“The law is clear: Drivers have the right to refuse to operate commercial vehicles for legitimate safety concerns, without fear of retaliation. OSHA did correctly found that Frito Lay’s attendance policy, as applied to Mr. Bailey’s work refusals, violated the STAA,” said Paul Taylor of Truckers Justice Center, which represents Bailey, in a press release.

Meanwhile, this is just the latest case a trucker has won against an employer. In a similar situation, a woman was terminated after reporting multiple issues to her employer. As LiveTrucking.com reported, she ultimately won nearly $43,000.