[DEHT76]

Sorry for the title, but this issue is really driving me nuts today. I will try and explain this out the best I can. Just recently I applied to (a well known large carrier) for an over the road position. After they ran down my application, and checked my background, they seemed to have a good interest in me as a potential driver. There wasn't a problem until they spoke to my last employer, and this is what is bugging me bad. The company I worked for, told the company I had applied to, that I was (Local), never out of a 150 mile ratios on any given day. The company I applied for called to tell me they were rejecting my application, due to the fact, in their opinion anyway, that I did not have the twelve months of OTR experience they needed me to have in order to hire me. I was floored. I contacted the company I worked for, to ask them what this was about. I have that two years of logs, and at minimum, I did (regional) if nothing else. Nobody would answer my question, they just left me on hold. I've spoken to a total of fifteen companies today, all with the same policy, and thus far its my old companies word against mine. The only opinion from one company I talked to about this, was go back to a school, and start from square 1 again...... you're kidding right? So whats this driver to do?

other little details......
9+ years operating tractor trailers.
no accidents, no tickets.
a mix of otr, regional, and a lot of inner-city local stuff.
pulled reefer, dry box, flat beds, among other types of trailers.
visited a total of 38 states, in every kind of weather.
and not like it's done me much good, but as I stated, The two years of logs I have when I was driving for this company, I have a 12 state circle I covered in an irregular fashion at best, in other words, on average every week, maybe two days were inside of a 150 mile ratios, and right back. The rest of the week, there was no telling, I'd be south, or north, or out in the mid-west somewhere, and home most weekends.

If there is no hope for me, I guess I will find a way of dealing with it. Whats bugging me is the fact that I have my logs, and it seems that means nothing so far, what is up with that? Any opinions here would be great, or anyone else that has dealt with this situation maybe?

Thanks.

[GMAN]

I would talk with my former company if I were you.

[Orangetxguy]

Originally Posted by GMAN

I would talk with my former company if I were you.

And not on the phone..Live and in Person.

[Mackman]

Originally Posted by Orangetxguy

And not on the phone..Live and in Person.

And not empty handed. Bring a bat.

[Orangetxguy]

Originally Posted by Mackman

And not empty handed. Bring a bat.

Bat diplomaci isn't such a good idea...unless you like guy's damned Jethro and Bubba!!! :lol: :lol:

[Bumper]

You can always tell those Hoffa Union guys.....bring bats to meetings.....

[GMAN]

I consider local where you can leave and get back to your terminal in the same day. That could be 250 miles or more one way. Regional is usually several states, such as the Southeast, Midwest, etc., You probably are not going to get back home each night. In fact, you will probably be out about as much as if you ran 48 states. Some can manage to get back home weekly running regional. Over the road is running 48 states or sometimes into Canada, although crossing into Canada is not a prerequisite to being considered otr. You will usually stay out from 1-2 weeks at a time, sometimes a little longer. If you have proof that you were otr then I don't see that there should be a problem. I understand why some carriers would have a problem bringing a guy who has primarily been a local driver to going otr. They want to make sure you know how to manage your time and do your paperwork correctly. They want you to come to work for them already knowing the basics. If you have been running otr then you need to sit down with your former company and try to get it straightened out with them. Most prospective employers are going to believe your former employer in their evaluation. I have interviewed drivers who have told me that they have a clean MVR knowing that I will need to pull one. I pull it and there are moving violations, suspensions, etc., Not all prospective drivers lie, but enough to lean more toward the employer when a choice needs to be made. If you drove in several states and have proof, then you need to start with your former employer.

[DEHT76]

I can understand where you are coming from Gman, but it seems I'm not dealing with what some would consider, "An Ethical Company." I went back to my old employer today, to see if I could negotiate this problem, as I am seeing it anyway. Now the first thing I asked them was to pull out my logs for the last twelve months, and that alone was like pulling teeth. As I typed earlier, my run while at this company at minimum in my mind, should have been called regional if anything, but, again there was nothing ever about this company, that would resemble structure anyway. Usually I'd have 1 or in a rare happening, I'd have two days, usually Monday and Tuesday, where I'd run off the back hauls we would have in the yard, to their local destination. Usually after running off the back hauls, dispatch would have me pick up empty cable reels in the area around me, usually anywhere New Jersey, or eastern Pa. and run to where they were needed, and a load of cable reels were ready. In saying that I'd be out from that Monday, or Tuesday, and not see the yard in Elkton Md, again until Saturday morning, or afternoon, easily covering 3,000 - 3,500 miles on an average week.

Now back to my meeting with old company. They get my logs out from the previous year I worked for them, and it didn't take me long to set the very few local run logs in one small pile, and the big pile of the times I was on the road for longer then two days. I then asked my DM (Driver Manager) "Where in here did you get the definition I was a (Local) driver for the entire time I was working here?" Here is where the devil in the details pops out. Her answer..."Well you found it fair to quit when you knew we didn't have a lot of drivers we could depend on to take care of the heavy-haul loads when they pop up." This to me didn't sound like a Driver Manager I used to deal with, it was sounding more like a scorn ex or something.....it got creepy enough. Anyway I did my best to politely request that they be truthful to other companies when they request my driving experience. Nothing was changed by the time I left, because they were very vocal about my quitting, and that they chose to say what they wanted about drivers who quit working for them, like this little 30 truck flat bed operation was gods gift to the trucking industry. The reason I quit there just so nothing goes unsaid, was because they gave up taking care of their equipment properly, once fuel prices started spiking earlier this year. That was also the reason I gave them when I finally left, and I had thought there were no hard feelings, I left peacefully, and not while on dispatch, I even went as far as washing the truck inside and out, so as to not leave them any reason to use something against me...... well I know where that stands now.

All in all, thanks for the opinions, and info folks. Sorry to drag this all out here, but too, to the rest of the drivers, watch it out there. Even the smaller companies can bite you, one way or another it seems. I was sure to let my local (O.O.I.D.A.) rep in on this little ordeal, and there wasn't much they could tell me either, other then maybe a small claims case if I had time to kill, but that would be pointless. I'll just have to go back to hauling mushrooms again until I re-establish my (OTR) title in my experience resume..... :? All the same, thanks for the outlet to vent. Have a great weekend everyone.

[GMAN]

It might be worth it to try and get them to send a letter to every company where you applied and explain that you drove otr. You may even get a letter from them explaining your tenure and what you did. If they don't want to do that then you could get a lawyer to write them a letter. Getting a threatening letter from an attorney can often get their attention. If they are giving false information out to prospective employers then you could have grounds for a lawsuit. Frankly, I would probably try to avoid the litigation route and use the lawyer to get their attention. It should not cost much to have him write a letter to them. At this point you have nothing to lose.

[DEHT76]

You do have a point there Gman. Although due to my dwindling month vacation fund, I kinda need to get back to work, and get back to the rolling thing. :lol: They could have hurt me worse, but by the time I got it all settled in court, I will more then likely have a year of solid OTR driving in my record once again. I will still look into it just the same, because I still feel they shouldn't be able to say whatever they want about drivers who quit for viable reasons. Thanks again for the info.