Left Arrow Trucking

[married to the road]

I have woked at Arrow for the last 18 months. I know flatbed gets slow in the winter but this winter it has been nothing but sit for a day, get a 500 mile furn, sit for a day, get a run for the weekend that might be 800 miles and 3-4 days before you can deliver. This was not really worth my time, plus I had many things that I have been putting off, being out on the road all the time. So I asked to take a leave of absence and brought my truck back to Tulsa.

I called my dm and told him I was ready to come back after close to a month off. He got me a bus ticket and had a room ready for me for when I got to Tulsa. The next day on the way to the bus station I get a call from him and he says the safety dept. will not let me come back because I have had 2 preventable accidents.

Both were because I did not swing wide enough when pulling into a place. One time I bumped a pole and the only thing that had to be fixed was a bent rim, which they replaced and then took out of my check. :shock: the other one was worse, I caught the gate to the fence going into a place and bent it. They never took anything out of my check for that.

My question is, are those really that serious? Will this make it hard for me to find another company to work for? The police were not called either time and like I said, they made me pay for the rim. :sad:

Thanks for any help and if anyone has questions about Arrow, just ask...

One time I bumped a pole and the only thing that had to be fixed was a bent rim, which they replaced and then took out of my check. :shock:

You've got to be fricking kidding!?!?!? I'm no lawyer, but I would tend to think that's illegal...unless you signed some sort of waiver when you hired on...which would mean you're not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Coolie OTR carriers are all the same. Why you people pull for these *****bag outfits is way beyond me.

[Sealord]

What's your USIS/DAC say. If they kept the accidents in house, shouldn't have a problem with future hires as long as you state you had two preventibles with Arrow. BOL

[ronjon619]

[quote="married to the road"] One time I bumped a pole and the only thing that had to be fixed was a bent rim, which they replaced and then took out of my check. :shock:quote]

WOW......i agree with the CFM, thats just not right.

[married to the road]

Yes, a little after the time I hit that pole, I started noticing 50 dollars a week was being taken out of my check for a cash advance. I asked my dm about it since I had not taken out a cash advance and he said it was for the rim, because it was an accident. I signed a lot of paperwork in orientation. I don't remember signing any kind of waiver, but it has been a while back.

But back to my question, is 2 minor preventables in 18 months going to be a problem with a new carrier?

[tootie04]

GET A COPY OF YOUR DAC NOW!!

I have a friend that drove for Arrow and they put SEVEN preventables on his DAC!! He cannot get a job anywhere. He has hired a lawyer and is in the process of getting his DAC straightend out.

tootie

[Mr. Ford95]

Ever heard of telling a little white lie about how the rim got bent if nobody else saw it? "It was like that when I got it." If nothing was wrong with the tire itself and it was holding air fine, then why say anything? Keep hammering, you have to think about yourself with some of these companies and look out for Numero Uno, YOU. The company isn't going to look out for you, they are going to stick it to you on the little things.

[zipy46]

Leeching off the drivers is common in the world of trucking.

Too bad it is this way. :sad:

Maybe some day drivers will wise up and find a voice in all this
put these companies on notice and simply not work for them.

I would fall over laughing if some big company shut down because no one wanted to work for them...

...but it will never happen :wink:

[married to the road]

Ever heard of telling a little white lie about how the rim got bent if nobody else saw it? "It was like that when I got it." If nothing was wrong with the tire itself and it was holding air fine, then why say anything? Keep hammering, you have to think about yourself with some of these companies and look out for Numero Uno, YOU. The company isn't going to look out for you, they are going to stick it to you on the little things.

The rim was bent enough that it let the air out of the tire. Also, the customer saw it and called Arrow and made sure they knew about it even though it didn't damage the pole enough to have to be replaced. This was close to Sac. CA, and went to the 49er t/s and it cost around $200 for a new steel rim.

[married to the road]

GET A COPY OF YOUR DAC NOW!!

I have a friend that drove for Arrow and they put SEVEN preventables on his DAC!! He cannot get a job anywhere. He has hired a lawyer and is in the process of getting his DAC straightend out.

tootie

I hope nothing like that happens to me. My dm and I got along well, don't know if that makes a diffrence on what gets put on my DAC. I wrote the letter to USIS today and should have it back by next week.

[Uturn2001]

If I were you I would contact the Oklahoma labor department and inquire if it is legal for a company to with hold pay to cover damages and/or losses done by an employee.

State laws differ on this and I do not know what OK law is in this matter. In Illinois, and a few other states that I know of, this practice is illegal unless the employee agrees in writing to the deductions at the time the deduction is made.

So if any of you ever go to work for a trucking company based in Illinois and they go and take your paycheck to cover losses, even if you signed a paper in advance, it is illegal.

[tootie04]

seems to me alot of employers (big companies and ittle guys) think they can take your paycheck for ANYTHING and get away with it....some do especially the small employers.

NEVER WORK FOR A SMALL CARRIER AS AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR YOU WILL BE SCREWED!!

tootie