Tom,

Sorry to hear all this that Roehl has been putting you through. This is why our industry has so much turnover.

Two things: First..... what in the HECK did you talk about that day at lunch to get this guy down on you? :shock: :roll: :lol:

And second..... I have a similar situation with my back. If properly managed, it will cause us no problems with this job except maybe for flatbed. You should NEVER have mentioned it on your application, OR your medical if possible! NEVER give out more information (especially medical) than is absolutely necessary. If they find out down the road? Well..... could it be worse than it is now?

Also, about the V.A. I am also a vet and can get free medical at the local V.A. but, as you know, it can take weeks! You have lost several weeks pay! For about $60 bucks you could have bypassed the V.A. and gone to a local Osteopath or Chiropractor. The Osteopath would be better, as he is an MD. He would have asked you a few questions, put you through a few simple tests, and wrote you a letter saying you were fit for duty! If any restrictions were noted, they wouldn't have been at a paltry level of 25 pounds! That NURSE really screwed you!

I would have done this BEFORE it came down to retrieval of the truck!

Still..... it seems as if they are giving you a "legal" amount of time to produce the letter. If you want to stay with them, forget about the V.A. and go spend a few bucks towards your job and career!

Yes, what they were doing was probably illegal, discrimination and all AND against veterans preference laws. But, they covered their butts pretty well, and you HANDED them that on a silver platter.

It's too late to say you have NO problem, but you can be in a doctor's office tomorrow and get the letter they are requesting! Remember, it's all about INSURANCE! They need that letter to ensure their protection from liability.

Do not waste one more minute on the V.A.!! Spend a few dollars and be done with this!

Hobo

 

Osteopath, huh? I'll have to check into that. Most people I talk to won't touch it because I had surgery a year ago, but I haven't done that much digging.

As far as what I talked about...well, myself and the other driver going through the course were exchanging stories about different situations we were in...I didn't think this was out of line at all....but alas, he said I told too many "war stories" and used that as a basis for not letting me do my job. :x

The REAL reason, I believe, is that i'm only 23 years old, and the youngest trainer in the company...and he's over twice my age...I think that's his biggest issue with me. Oh, we've gone round and round about these issues over the phone, and in person...but I've NEVER lost my cool with him, and I have ALWAYS stayed professional.....not sure what I've ever done to deserve this..... :roll:

 

Osteopath is a doctor specializing in the back, spine, etc., with the ability to prescribe drugs. But I actually prefer a chiropractor for the very reason that they cannot prescribe drugs! But, for this purpose, they probably won't accept a letter from a chiropractor. Ostepathic surgeon, I believe SHOULD be the type of doctor that did your original surgery.

As for the "talking." Just to take the devil's side..... if you guys were swapping war stories about previous companies and stuff, well..... you can see why he might think you'd tell trainees things about THIS company that might not present the "company line." I had a trainer once who badmouthed the company all the time. Wasn't real professional of him. Maybe, you can do or say something in future conversations to convince him that wouldn't be a problem.

Best of luck!

 

Ahh...good point...but nothing...and I mean NOTHING I ever said was contrary to the "company line". To be honest, at that point, I was happy as a clam with Roehl, with virtually no complaints...my, how things have changed! :?

We'll see... :roll:

 

Well, bit of an update...

On Tuesday, i went over to the VA clinic in Dayton, and it was almost a complete waste of time and gas. I spent about 10 minutes there with a doctor who is putting in a referral for this physical capacity exam they seem to want. She told me they'd call me with a date and time, and thus far, haven't heard anything!

I got frustrated, and this morning was finally able to convince the doctor that did the surgery up in NY to write me a statement. It said that I could not lift over 50 lbs, and that I can't do repetitive lifting. I was excited, faxed it in to Roehl, and called the lady in Safety that's been handling this matter. She called me back and told me a couple things. First, that with a restriction of 50 lbs, there was no way they can let me stay in the Curtainside division. Not happy about that... And also she expressed concern about the "repetitive lifting" segment. She said that she needed the doctor to clarify this position, and that I needed something in writing authorizing me to be able to get in and out of the truck(!!!) and crank the landing gear of the trailer!!! :evil: Back to the drawing board.

Unfortunately, i have doubts as to whether or not I can get the doc to write such a letter, as he hasn't seen me in over a year, and he's 560 miles away from me!

They seem to be going an awfully long way towards making me a disgruntled employee!!! :x

But...I was doing some digging and I think I may have found something. Are any of you familiar with the Americans with Disabilities Act? There are apparently a lot of regulations on the things they can do to me, and the "reasonable accommodations" they are required to make.

One of the things stated that if they have doubts as to whether or not I can do the job, they can send me for an exam...at THEIR cost...and does NOT say they can put me out of work over it...

There is a hotline about the ADA that I am planning on calling during business hours to find out if what they did is illegal...and if it is, I'm planning on driving to Marhsfield this weekend.... :twisted:

 

TomB

Were you able to make it to Marshfield and get your issues worked out?

 

Not quite. :sad:

I went back and forth with them for almost a week. At first, they suggested getting seen by the surgeon that did my surgery...the problem there was that it would mean a 600 mile trip to get there! I was able to schedule an appointment last tuesday. After getting frustrated with the lady at Roehl, who had the attitude that this was all MY problem, and that they weren't going to help, I called her supervisor. Laura, her supervisor was very nice about everything, and insisted they could do better than having me travel 600 miles for a visit. She told me that she would make some phone calls, send some emails, and see about having Roehl set me up an appointment locally to get everything looked over and to make sure I could do my job. She insisted she would call me early Monday morning.

Well, unfortunately I never heard from her on Monday. I tried calling many times, only to get her voicemail, so I never got an answer Monday. I never heard from her until Tuesday morning...the date of my appointment! She said that they weren't going to do that, and that they wanted me to provide more documentation, which I sent to them...but wasn't enough. So, I missed my only opportunity to see my doctor...and their next appointment was a month away! :evil:

Long story short, we went back and forth for the next two days, with no result...and she told me that she couldn't have me on Dispatch Hold for too much longer with no result. We discussed everything, and by this point she was hardly even listening to what i had to say. She told me that they had doubts as to my credibility, accused me of trying to circumvent the system, and told me that unless I saw my doctor again, that there was nothing they could do. This was when she brought up her suggestion that maybe it was time for me to leave the company. She told me that I could quit now, or after another week of a stalemate possibly get terminated.

I took the opportunity to leave, on my terms, rather than sit around loosing more money, and likely being let go anyway.

So, as of the 25th, I am no longer a Roehl driver. I'm very upset about all of this...I never wanted to quit, and I really wanted to work everything out....but maybe this will work out for the better.

I am working temporarily for a measly $13 an hour, driving locally until I get hired on with another OTR company. I have been calling and applying at everyone with a terminal in Columbus...including Schneider, Robinson, Knight, Con-Way Truckload(CFI), and Superior out of Cincinnati.

Schneider offered me employment, but questioned me about my medical history. When told of my back problem, they wanted a doctor to sign off that I could perform the job, which is taking me awhile because the VA doesn't do ANYTHING quickly! Con-Way never asked me about my history, and when I brought it up to the recruiter, told me as long as I can pass their physical, which involves lifting 75 lbs, I should be fine. I can do that, so I'm proceeding with Con-way, and I'm scheduled for orientation in Columbus next Monday!

Anyone know much about these companies that I looked at? How 'bout any choices I didn't mention in the Columbus area? :idea:

Thanks!