BEWARE Boyd Bros.

[navguy05]

If you like short runs, lots of sitting waiting for loads, beat up equipment with lots of problems, 60 mph trucks that wont climb a hill over 35, these are the people for you. They tell you when and where and how much to fuel, if you deviate, no fuel bonus. If you don't make 6.7mpg or better a month, no bonus. They use combination tarps with 5ft drops instead of lumber and steel tarps. They're too small for a lumber load and too big for a coil. On a typical lumber load, you have to turn the tarps sideways and use all 4 that they issue you to cover it. But dont worry, they'll show you how to do that at the end of orientation. OH, and you only get $18 to tarp a load. Their little fuel mileage nazi, Jayson, in Birmingham is a treat. When I did my road test with him, the first thing he says is "forget whatever you think you know about driving a truck, I'm gonna show how to drive." And learn to shift your truck between 1000-1300 rpm every gear or you get nasty grams on qualcomm about "watch your speeding and shifting". And pretty much anybody that doesn't like you or you have a disagreement with, can send you home. I don't know about all the dispatchers, but mine was always "waiting on the sales department, I'll get back to you." I have a 100mph dispatcher with a 60mph truck, if you know what I mean. When you get unloaded first thing in the morning and have to sit and wait till 3 or 4 or 5 pm to get your next load, it's hard make any money. I've worked there a month and half and haven't made a paycheck over $500 yet and thats with living in the truck 1 to 3 weeks at a time. Come Thursday or Friday there's "no freight moving up by your house right now." I called my dispatcher and the ops coordinator and told them that I'm turning my truck in today because i couldn't live and support my wife and two kids on $350 a week. I was told "if you want to quit that's ok, we don't care, but we need you to pick up this load and bring it to yard with the truck or it'll damage your DAC from now on." My truck's going back empty. They've already cut off my fuel card so I hope there's enough fuel to get it there or I'll have to call them and tell them on the side of what road it's sitting. I've run into some other former Boyd drivers who've had similar stories, but this, of course, is just my personal experience. Feel free to PM me for any additional information.

[BanditsCousin]

If you can get it in writing about picking up the final load, then I'd do it, especially if they gave you a free pass out of the deal. BOL in your hunt for a better quality/paying job.

[Double R]

Boyd Brothers is still in business? I haven't seen their trucks in a long time.

[1catfish]

If you like short runs, lots of sitting waiting for loads, beat up equipment with lots of problems, 60 mph trucks that wont climb a hill over 35, these are the people for you. They tell you when and where and how much to fuel, if you deviate, no fuel bonus. If you don't make 6.7mpg or better a month, no bonus. They use combination tarps with 5ft drops instead of lumber and steel tarps. They're too small for a lumber load and too big for a coil. On a typical lumber load, you have to turn the tarps sideways and use all 4 that they issue you to cover it. But dont worry, they'll show you how to do that at the end of orientation. OH, and you only get $18 to tarp a load. Their little fuel mileage nazi, Jayson, in Birmingham is a treat. When I did my road test with him, the first thing he says is "forget whatever you think you know about driving a truck, I'm gonna show how to drive." And learn to shift your truck between 1000-1300 rpm every gear or you get nasty grams on qualcomm about "watch your speeding and shifting". And pretty much anybody that doesn't like you or you have a disagreement with, can send you home. I don't know about all the dispatchers, but mine was always "waiting on the sales department, I'll get back to you." I have a 100mph dispatcher with a 60mph truck, if you know what I mean. When you get unloaded first thing in the morning and have to sit and wait till 3 or 4 or 5 pm to get your next load, it's hard make any money. I've worked there a month and half and haven't made a paycheck over $500 yet and thats with living in the truck 1 to 3 weeks at a time. Come Thursday or Friday there's "no freight moving up by your house right now." I called my dispatcher and the ops coordinator and told them that I'm turning my truck in today because i couldn't live and support my wife and two kids on $350 a week. I was told "if you want to quit that's ok, we don't care, but we need you to pick up this load and bring it to yard with the truck or it'll damage your DAC from now on." My truck's going back empty. They've already cut off my fuel card so I hope there's enough fuel to get it there or I'll have to call them and tell them on the side of what road it's sitting. I've run into some other former Boyd drivers who've had similar stories, but this, of course, is just my personal experience. Feel free to PM me for any additional information.

don't pickup the load,for one your working for free,and there going to trash your dac anyway. just because you get it all in writing,there gonna do what they want.

[chain binder]

I have driven flatbeds for a few years.Freight is slow in the flatbed area.I can tell you are upset,but don't quite under a load or do anything that will go on your DAC,unless you don't want to drive anymore for a reputable company.You are at their mercy until you get the truck back to the terminal.Have you tried to talk to anyone in managment, go over your fleet manager head,and talk to someone higher up.Jobs are getting harder to come by.Alot of companies tell you where to fuel and how much to get it is called fuel management.Hope you the best.

[navguy05]

Ok, just got my last pay stub from these "jems". Not only did I not draw anything for the last two loads I hauled for them, They charged me $818 for taking their truck back to the terminal. Said it was $2 a mile for 409 out of route miles. I asked my ex-dispatcher about this, he said "you should've brought that last load to the yard, then quit."

I said "so I could have a quit under load on my DAC?"

his response "oh no man, it don't work like dat."

my response "If I'd have known you were going to charge me that, you would've found that POS in a cornfield somewhere. Thank you, have a nice day."

I did what I said I would, brought the truck back in better condition than when I picked it up (at least it was clean upon turn-in), with all the assigned equipment, at the time and place I said I would. I did have the mechanic that I turned it into sign that everything was turned in and in good working order with the time and date and make copies for me and the terminal.

As far as I'm concerned, this is company is just another bottom feeder, somewhere well below Swift, JB, Werner and Schneider (whose trucks will all pass a Boyd truck, by the way). I wish them the worst of luck and hope how soon they loose their authority to operate in the US. Flatbedders BEWARE this company, they WILL starve you and your family and make you go broke.

[jagerbomber3.0]

Most other people i have spoken with or known that drove for these guys had pretty decent things to say. As far as being starved out right now, thats almost all bigger flatbed companies right now. I left Western Express flatbed earlier this year and they were in the same sahpe freight wise. I have a friend driving for TMC right now and he isnt running hard all of the time either and he says when he is running hard he still isnt making much because the rates are low and he is on the percentage pay. It's tough all over in trucking and especially in flatbed with housing,construction and automotive in the toilet. Sorry you had a bad time and you got your pay wrecked from returning the truck, but i gotta say, if you bounce on over to any of the other big companies right now you are probably in store for much of the same story. I know it's frustrating as all hell, i have been through it as well.

[BanditsCousin]

Should've taken the load like they told you to. As far as $2/mi, that's insane. With flatbed rates for commodities in this market, ask them if they get that for, let's say, lumber. If they do charge that, they still have to pay a driver too! They shafted you.

But, again, should've taken the final load.

[navguy05]

Why take load have way to the destination and quit with it on my trailer? To me, that's definitly "quit under load". Maybe I'm wrong, but it's ok. I'm not going to argue the right or wrong of not picking up that final load. I did call the broker for the load and told them that I wouldn't be able to pick it up after all. That I was getting shafted by Boyd Bros and I didnt work for them anymore. They said that's been happening alot lately with this "company".

I'm just putting out my bad personal experience with a lousy "family run, family oriented" company. The only family they're worried about is the BOYD family.

I did hear about 2 almost back to back roll overs when I turned my truck in. Luckily neither driver was hurt. Would like to hear more about them, if they really happened and what not. If they, did, I hope Boyd's safe stat scores are deeply affected.

[jagerbomber3.0]

Should've taken the load like they told you to. As far as $2/mi, that's insane. With flatbed rates for commodities in this market, ask them if they get that for, let's say, lumber. If they do charge that, they still have to pay a driver too! They shafted you.

But, again, should've taken the final load.

$2 a mile seems steep but every company i have driven for has stated an outrageous number like that for truck recovery or un-authorized miles. That is one of the first cases of actually being charged for it that I have heard though. I can almost promise you that somewhere during orientation Navguy signed a paper stating that he agreed to these charges whether he realized it or not. Almost all of the big companies have this in the fine print somewhere if not right out in big bold print on an individual form. Not saying I agree with it in every case but just saying I am willing to bet you signed a paper saying it was ok.

[danske]

Ok, just got my last pay stub from these "jems". Not only did I not draw anything for the last two loads I hauled for them, They charged me $818 for taking their truck back to the terminal. Said it was $2 a mile for 409 out of route miles. I asked my ex-dispatcher about this, he said "you should've brought that last load to the yard, then quit."

I said "so I could have a quit under load on my DAC?"

his response "oh no man, it don't work like dat."

my response "If I'd have known you were going to charge me that, you would've found that POS in a cornfield somewhere. Thank you, have a nice day."

I did what I said I would, brought the truck back in better condition than when I picked it up (at least it was clean upon turn-in), with all the assigned equipment, at the time and place I said I would. I did have the mechanic that I turned it into sign that everything was turned in and in good working order with the time and date and make copies for me and the terminal.

I don't know if they could have legitimately charge you for the OOR miles for refusing the load and DH to the terminal, but $2 a mile is way high. $2 a mile maybe what they get for loaded miles, but it does not cost them that to operate a truck. Plus you drove the truck, so there was no driver mileage pay(plus payroll taxes) to figure into that $2 a mile charge. If they had to get a driver out to the truck to recover it 409 miles away, perhaps this would be more in line. It sounds like to me that they made profit off the charge.

Perhaps there is some way in your state that would require Boyd to account for recovery charge. I don't think a lawyer will take a case for such a small amount, but maybe the labor department or small claims court could. BOL

BTW, when looking for another job(driving or otherwise), I would try to put a positive spin on why you left them; Future employers are not going to be impress if you slam Boyd for your reason in leaving them. Future employers will look for and want to know that you can positively represent yourself and the company to their customers.

I am really sorry for your experience.

[avc]

I wonder what the anti union guys have to say about horror stories like this that you read all the time on these forums.

This is just another reason for a national truckers strike to shut morons like this down for good, you guys are not making any money anyway, so a strike organized would be the best thing in the world.

I know, it will never happen because there are drivers that want to work for nothing and love to be slaves working for unjust wages and terrible working conditions.

[zipy46]

Why do you insist on handing you power over to a Union ?

Simply turn the tables around on the whole Industry...

a DAC in reverse so to speak.

Create a firm or company that 'rates' carriers as to whether they are a decent and

functional place to go to work.

A fellow want to go to work for 'so and so' truck company... he connects with the data

only to find out they are crooks and users...kinda like booking a ticket on an airline

that crashes alot....he or she might better find a better airline.

A crummy company will quickly end up with no drivers.

Kinda like the info we have here at the forum...but a little more official like DAC services

or something.

Get a handle on the ugly truth of some of these companies and let drivers protect themselves.

[avc]

Why do plumbers and electricians have a union ?

How about telephone line workers, ask any of those guys if they want to give up their union and see what they say.

The trucking company executives read these forums, they know what their reputations are on these boards, that is why they churn and burn new drivers, because the good one's move on as fast as possible to better companies that pay more money.

[Uturn2001]

You need to contact the labor department in the state that Boyd Bros is headquartered in and file a complaint about that $818 taken from your check. Make sure to hang on to that settlement sheet and make some copies.

I do not know the labor laws in every state, but in some it is totally illegal for an employer to withhold money for losses or damages caused by the employee unless the employee agrees to it, in writing, at the time of of the withholding.

[1catfish]

Should've taken the load like they told you to. As far as $2/mi, that's insane. With flatbed rates for commodities in this market, ask them if they get that for, let's say, lumber. If they do charge that, they still have to pay a driver too! They shafted you.

But, again, should've taken the final load.

thats only your opinion, they where gonna do him any way it went down.

[jagerbomber3.0]

thats only your opinion, they where gonna do him any way it went down.

Yeah they might have done him either way but i would rather have my DAC jacked up and keep my $800 than pay them $800 and still get my DAC jacked up. I do realize though it's hind sight and he probably didnt realize at the time they would take a plug out of his ass to the tune of $800 dollars. I do highly doubt he will have any recourse though as I said before he more than likely signed a paper in orientation regarding this type of thing.....and trust me they will be able to twist this situation into fitting into the parameters of whatever he signed regarding un approved out of route miles or however they put it.

[repete]

[QUOTE=avc;455494]Why do plumbers and electricians have a union ?

How about telephone line workers, ask any of those guys if they want to give up their union and see what they say.



WHY?? Because many of them want 8 hrs pay but are only willing to work 4hrs. Unions have outlived there usefulness and seem to fatten the pockets at the expense of the members and companies that hire them, while protecting lazy union members who sit at the local bar while still on the clock. People like that have a lot of pride in the union but not themselves

Yeah I guess I'm anti-union but what does this have to do with Boyd?

[bentstrider]

This company seems to run itself much better than two of the smaller companies I tried out after my Swift incident.
While pay and such seemed to be an issue with Boyd, how were these guys safety-wise?

Did they make you run over hours?
Did they make you run over-weight and care less about you getting ticketed?
If you called and asked them for better contact info, would they scream back at you for "not knowing your way around, you better find it!!"(both of these companies didn't have Qualcomm)

Since I'd much rather drive for the love of the job, these guys don't sound all that bad if they're not making you do illegal things.

[avc]

Why do plumbers and electricians have a union ?

How about telephone line workers, ask any of those guys if they want to give up their union and see what they say.

WHY?? Because many of them want 8 hrs pay but are only willing to work 4hrs. Unions have outlived there usefulness and seem to fatten the pockets at the expense of the members and companies that hire them, while protecting lazy union members who sit at the local bar while still on the clock. People like that have a lot of pride in the union but not themselves

Yeah I guess I'm anti-union but what does this have to do with Boyd?

Duh !!!

Because if the company was union this would have never happened.

There are people like you in this business who will work for nothing, and are working for nothing right now and that is the way the trucking companies want things.

You just don't get it, do you ????