How to get a recruiter's claims in writing?

[nrvsreck]

I'm currently considering an OTR flatbed carrier out of Oklahoma. It's a smaller company and there's not much info on here about them. They seem to be in a bit of a rush to get me going, but that in itself makes me suspicious. Companies that rush the driver in like that are typically "outlaw" companies which I want nothing to do with. I do need to get to work though and I've always considered working for them. I want to get everything the recruiter says in writing first. What would be the best to go about it? Email, fax, snail-mail? And how much leeway would I actually have in holding them up to thier claims?

[Sheepdancer]

Just because that smaller company is rushing you doesnt mean they are an outlaw company. Hell, I work for one of the largest companies and I rush drivers all the time. The reason for this is: The freight and customer wont wait for the driver. If I have a dedicated run that only needs 1 or 2 drivers, Im always going to rush the driver. It might not seem fair, but thats just the way things are. We have many other recruiters here, and if I cant get a driver in a job quickly, then someone else will.
Now...Like I said the freight wont wait on the driver. If I need a driver on a postition, that means not all that customers freight is getting hauled in a timely manner. I dont know of any companies that would tell a customer..."just wait a few more weeks while the driver gets ready to come work for us" That would be a great way to lose a customer.

As far as putting things in writing...Personally, i just dont do it. There are many reasons for this. But my main reason is it just takes way too much time. Between the time I schedule someone and the time of orientation a lot of things can happen. With any company, you dont have the job until you are done with orientation. For me to put all of that in writing with all the stipulations would take hours. I will pass....in the time I write all that out, I could find two other drivers for that same run that dont want it in writing. Once again, this isnt that Im trying to hide anything or lie about anything. When Im recruiting someone they are welcome to record me. That doesnt bother me a bit. Im just not going to take the time to type out every little thing for a driver. Like I said....by the time I type everything out....send it....the driver reads it....calls me back....THAT DEDUCATED JOB HAS LONG BEEN FILLED.

[Bigmon]

A recruiter can have a template and fill in the blanks. It's no big deal. You can even dictate it.

[Sheepdancer]

But here is the thing.....You dont have a job until you get through orientation. Anything can happen.....you could fail the drug test....fail the driving test.....you could decide you want to go crazy at orientation and cuss everyone out and get sent home (yes thats happened more than once)...Thats the thing with "Pre-hire".
Hell....Ive never seen this happen, but right in the middle of orientation the company could lose the account. Like I said....with all the stipulations that could happen, I would have to write an essay to cover all bases. Im just not going to take that much time to do it. You know in the many years Ive been here, Ive only been asked to put it in writing about 5 times. Most of those drivers I told..."Look...I could spend the next hour putting this in writing....send it to you...you could look it over...call me back and want the job and my recruiting buddy beside me will have already filled that postition. Do you want the job or not?" 95% of the time the driver will just go on and get set up for orientation.
But...like I said before...if you dont trust me...just go ahead and record me. I have no problem with that.

[dollarshort]

What a bunch of crap! You don't have time to put it in writing? Then I would say I don't have time to come and work for you. The real reason a recruiter will not put anything in writing as because they can't remember all the lies they told you during the process to get you to come aboard.

[starman5196]

If you were to go to work in another industry how much of what was said or promised would you get in writing? It seems to me that if you feel the need to make sure things are on the up and up by getting everything in writing that maybe you really shouldn't be considering that company. What happens to all the "little things" that aren't thought of in the writings?

Just doesn't seem like good business from either side. And I'm basing that feeling on decades of working in a variety of different industries.

[flyncasafo]

You took the time to put all of your thoughts here in writing here. Why can't you place the high lights of your phone conversation into writing? You must have a schpele that you give every driver? If you don't have a general outline for the converstation that tells me your have something to hide. What are you hiding at JB Hunt? Maybe your turnover rate would be much lower if you put it in writing. But then you would not get your commision for every driver you bring in. Then you would be asking prospective companies for your job in writing.

[Sheepdancer]

What a bunch of crap! You don't have time to put it in writing? Then I would say I don't have time to come and work for you. The real reason a recruiter will not put anything in writing as because they can't remember all the lies they told you during the process to get you to come aboard.

You're more than welcome to say that. I have tons of dedicated jobs that open up every day. If I call a driver with a great local job and he says "screw you I want it in writing"and hangs up I will just get the next driver I talk to. Now....who lost out? I sure didnt. The driver who signed up for the job sure didnt....I guess the guy who lost out was the one that got all angry and hung up, because he didnt get the job.
Like I said in the first post...THE FREIGHT ISNT GOING TO WAIT ON THE DRIVER. Dedicated jobs need to be filled fast to keep the customers happy. OTR is another story....If you want OTR pay in writing, I would just tell a driver to go to our website....print off the page and "POOF" you have it in writing.
Example from just today: About 11:00am this morning, I had a great local job open up in Houston Texas. I hardly ever have local jobs open up there. We needed 5 drivers. I personally put two drivers on it. It filled up in about 15 minutes and closed for hiring. All of those drivers are going to be in orientation monday. Now, what if I would have taken the time to write everything out to send it to the first guy I talked to? This is what would have happened...THAT DRIVER WOULDNT HAVE GOTTEN THE JOB....AND PERSONALLY, I WOULDNT HAVE TWO DRIVERS GOING INTO ORIENTATION ON MONDAY.
Like it or not, this is just the way things are....good jobs dont wait on drivers. First come, first gets the job.

Knowingly lying to a driver will get me fired faster than anything around here....This is my career, Im not going to risk it by lying about a job.


And once again...if I was lying about anything why would I say I was OK with people recording me?

[Sheepdancer]

Once again...this is all a moot point anyway....I hire hundreds of drivers a year...ive been doing this for many years and Ive only had about 5 times where someone has asked for it in writing. It just doesnt happen.

How about this.....How about you drivers do this for me. When I schedule you, put in writing "I promise I will show up to orientation, pass the physical, pass the drug test and driving test and if I get sent home from orientation for any reason that was my fault I personally will pay Craigs commission anyway"
That works for me...

[starman5196]

sheepdancer - ever get anything in austin? I wouldn't even make you put it in writing!!

[dollarshort]

I would gladly do that. I would also put in writing that I will constantly work harder than my company day after day. Then after giving them a 6 month period to maybe put forth the same effort for me as I am for them I will then put in writing my resignation. :wink:

[Sheepdancer]

lol.....The only dedicated job ive ever seen open up in Austin is the Home Depot local job. It hardly ever opens. But if it does, I will PM you.....Wait...that would be in writing...I will telepathicly message you will my psychic mind rays! :twisted:

That brings up a good point...although I wont post spacific job information on public message boards...I have many times sent someone a PM about job info...I guess that would be putting in in writing. I will always take the time to do that. What Im getting at is when I need to fill a job quickly...Im going to be filling it quickly.
I think the term "YOU SNOOZE, YOU LOSE" fits quite nicely here.

[Scoe]

When I was a recruiter at Gordon Trucking we ALWAYS put into writing what the details of the job that we were offering was.

PAY
HOME TIME
REGION
TRUCK PARK LOCATION
HOME TERMINAL

Yes, it was a template but the blanks had to be filled in prior to the recruit attending orientation. Another thing, contrary to what Sheep Dancer mentions about JB Hunt, at Gordon Trucking you were HIRED if you were invited to orientation. The only people who didn't make it through orientation were those candidates who failed the road test, the agility test or couldn't complete the paperwork required during orientation. To be invited to orientation you had to have already passed Gordon's drug test, physical and your previous employment was already verified as was your background check performed. Only then were candidates invited to orientation. It really held up some candidates as sometimes it would be 2 to 3 weeks before I could get them to orientation from the time I received their application. They also had to supply a recent MVR from ALL states they had been licensed in in the last 3 years.

I don't know if any of these policies are still in place at Gordon but that's how it was as of March 2004.

[Sheepdancer]

This has been a fun thread.
But IM OUTTA HERE!!! WEEKEND!!!!!
Really drivers....its not that im trying to hide anything. GOOD DEDICATED JOBS FILL REALLY FAST. IVE SEEN JOBS OPEN UP FOR ABOUT 2 MINUTES. Im all for asking questions when looking for a job....Personally, I wouldnt change jobs without asking tons of questions. But unfortunately in this business sometimes the guy who gets the best jobs is this.
ME: Hello Mr driver, this is craig. Im trying to fill a good local home depot job.
Driver: I WANT IT...SIGN ME UP FOR MONDAY!
Believe it or not...THAT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME.

[Sheepdancer]

When I was a recruiter at Gordon Trucking we ALWAYS put into writing what the details of the job that we were offering was.

PAY
HOME TIME
REGION
TRUCK PARK LOCATION
HOME TERMINAL

Yes, it was a template but the blanks had to be filled in prior to the recruit attending orientation. Another thing, contrary to what Sheep Dancer mentions about JB Hunt, at Gordon Trucking you were HIRED if you were invited to orientation. The only people who didn't make it through orientation were those candidates who failed the road test, the agility test or couldn't complete the paperwork required during orientation. To be invited to orientation you had to have already passed Gordon's drug test, physical and your previous employment was already verified as was your background check performed. Only then were candidates invited to orientation. It really held up some candidates as sometimes it would be 2 to 3 weeks before I could get them to orientation from the time I received their application. They also had to supply a recent MVR from ALL states they had been licensed in in the last 3 years.

I don't know if any of these policies are still in place at Gordon but that's how it was as of March 2004.

Once again...that sounds like an OTR job....if a driver wants an OTR Job in writing they just have to go to our website and print.
Im talking in general about dedicated jobs where I only need a few drivers.

[nrvsreck]

Wow! I started a real thread! How 'bout that!

I'm just talking about an OTR job that I don't know a whole hell of a lot about. A small company with shiny Petes, but I want details, not chrome. I want a signed document saying I'll be home most weekends for at least 48 hours. I want a guarantee of five loads per week or 2500 miles, whichever comes first. I don't ask for much, just to be treated like a human with a life outside of trucking. I want something I can hang over the head of my FM when I'm due home Friday afternoon and he trys to get me to take a load to Brooklyn, delivering Monday morning. Hell no! I guess if doesn't work out it doesn't work out. As long as I can drive a nice truck, get home weekly (for the most part, I know s**t happens), and bring home at least 600-700 bucks a week, I'm good. 8)

[whorutommy]

If sheep dancer was that good with her offerings & straight... She wouldnt have all those job openings... No offense sheep dancer but im pro driver and your pro head... If it sounds 2 b 2 good 2 b true it is

[Useless]

:shock: I just don't have time to put it in writing?? :shock:

:shock: If a driver requests it in writing, I just hang up?? :shock:

GEEEEEEEEZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!

:P Lying my ass off??? I have PLENTY of time for that!!! :P

If I took the time to put everything in writing, then there would actually be documentation to prove what I had promised, which means that you picky-ass drivers would have a means by which you could hold me to my word, which means that you wouldn't be so likely to get pissed off because I lied to you, which means that the wonderful company that I work for would have to actually honor the promises that I made to you, which means that you wouldn't be so likely to get sick and tired and pissed off, and then quit, which means that I wouldn't have to recruit as many drivers for all of these wonderful dedicated runs, which means that the wonderful company that I work for would retain more drivers that I worked so hard to recruit, which means that the wonderful company that I work for would need fewer recruiters, which means that I could find myself out of a job!!!!!

And Now, back to my hard earned, well deserved weekend off!!

Have a nice day, (somewhere else) you demanding picky-assed ingrate!!!!!

Love,
Sheepdancer

[dk132]

I dont know If you tell me its going to be this way and that way and I ask you to put it in writing and you have some lame excuse. You are obviously full of it. ... Just ask if you get some bs go to the next company on your list. IMO they all lie or fail to tell you something :? Think about it.

[Sabine]

not to highjack this thread.....but I have a friend who just started and quit JB all in the same 7-10 days.

The recruiter just told him whatever it took to get him there, but when he got there, it was a completely different story.

The health insurance was higher than quoted, the home time less, the truck would have to stay at the yard and not go home, and of course be cleaned out, even though they assured him, 3-4 days off every two, and take it home. The mileage pay was less than promised, etc, etc, etc.

It just confiremed the way I think about them.