First job - big mistake!
 

I got a job with a small company (less than 20 trucks) and the owner seemed like an honest and up front guy. WRONG!!! This guy tries to do everything himself and expects the impossible. He tried to tell me that one of his guys made it to a stop in Warren, MI two hours after me and my trainer did and was at mile marker 19 in IN by the time we made it to Kalamazoo, MI! We (me & my trainer) only stopped in Ann Arbor to fuel up and get something to eat, which we scarfed down while driving. Does that sound possible? He doesn't care if you run illegal - probably because it's your butt on the line and not his. The kicker was being told to pull around back at a weigh station in IN, and the first thing that we heard was that our company doesn't have a good record at all. Passed the inspection only because of a glitch in the system - brakes on the tractor driveline axles were out of adjustment. Time to look for another job. The job gives drivers uniforms after 90 days, and I haven't seen one regional driver wearing a uniform!

What's the name of the company that you work for?

It should be Revolving Door Trucking! Seriously though, it's K&D Distribution.

Re: First job - big mistake!
 

should've done your homework!!! check them out on the FMCSA website and see their record for violations, OOS orders and such......
live and learn but watch out for fly-by-nights (or by the SOP.....seat of the pants!)

Geez..they DO say that no question is a dumb one so here goes...What is an "O O S Order? I'm a recent driving grad (3 weeks w/ cdl-a) haven't even talked to a recruiter yet.

O O S Order

Means out of service and you don't Move until whatever is wrong is Fixed.
The Tractor or trailer can be OOS and so can the Driver.

Thanks Yoopr.....I know outta service...didn't know the abbrev. :?

Re: First job - big mistake!
 

Yeah, I should've, but I was thinking that this was only going to be temporary until something better came along. I went and got my stuff out of the truck that I was driving last night, turned in my Comdata card, key to the building, and called this morning to let them know (the owner is confrontational). Hopefully, he won't try to throw any low blows by shorting me on my check. We'll see.........................................

EasyRolln....I would agree with what Yoopr says...CYA. If it were me, I would write a resignation letter citing THEIR illegal/poor procedures sign and date it, give the copy to them in person. Save the original for yourself for future employers. I would think that this would prevent any confrontation and show your future employers that you ARE a "Safe and Professional" driver. (But then again I'm a noob so......)[/list]

New2This,

Good idea, but instead of going out there (80 mile round trip), I'll just send it to them notarized and by certified mail. I'm not even going to put them on my resume - I only worked for them for three days. If I have time next week, I'm going up to my school to let them know not to send any more graduates their way. I tried to check them out on the FMCSA website like traveler15301 suggested, but they didn't pop up. I guess they haven't had any major incidents - yet.

sorry for using the abbreviation...and you were close...the only stupid question is the one you do NOT ask.....rough translation to me means...if you DON'T know something and don't ask cuz you are afraid of being perceived as stupid...then you are stupid for NOT asking!!! No one should ever put you down for asking something if you don't know...if they do.....they need to grow up!!!

Every company with a USDOT # is on SAFER....
and if your guy is running freight he BETTER have one!!! (or be operating under somebody's....either way...get the # off the truck and type it in....

If I were a better man I'd post the link in here fer ya...but I don't know how!!!!

If I wanted to know I suppose I'd ask (see above!!!) but I'm really not all that interested in that aspect of computer use and frankly I don't want to.....

just google FMCSA and poke around until you find the safestat or SAFER link....its usually on the first page.....

or perhaps one of these much better informed good folk on her might "step up to the plate".....(and maybe tell me how to post a link.....although, let the record show....I didn't really ask!!!)

Traveler,

I found the FMCSA website, but K&D isn't showing up under their DBA. If I really want to know, I'll just call the guy who was training me and ask him what their DOT# is. Right now, I'd rather put it behind me as a lesson learned and find a better job.

Easyrollin...............get the Hell away from that company ASAP.
As far as their DOT number.....just look on the side of any tractor, it's required by law.

Im afraid !!!

Re: First job - big mistake!
 

Don't ever allow anyone to make you run illegal because that is correct, its your butt on the line not theirs. Just like a ship, you are the captain of that truck, refuse to move it if you are going to be illegal. Any problems contact the DOT and report them. Same thing if you feel something is unsafe on a truck itself, tell them and don't drive it.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I am sorry to hear about your difficulties with the new company, Easyrolln. In order to check a companies safety record you will need either the name, DBA, MC #, or DOT #. If you only have the company name or DBA then you will also need to know which state in which they are based.

As far as I know the only thing which determines a company safety rating is DOT inspections. If a company fails several inspections then they could have a negative safety rating. If they pass their inspections then they are likely to have a good safety rating. As far as the website, try this www.safer.fmcsa.dot.gov. Good luck.

Re: First job - big mistake!
 

Thanks ghost_ryder, don't have to worry about it now. I quit because the jerk wanted me to run up to Green Bay with a 102+ fever or go see a doctor and bring him a doctor's note. I told him that I didn't have any benefits and couldn't afford to go see a doctor, and his reply was that he couldn't afford to not have his load not make it up to Green Bay. I said that I didn't know what to tell him, I certainly didn't plan on getting sick, but I can't afford to go see a doctor and I'm certainly not driving. He repeated himself about his load and said that he had to go to take care of it after blaming me for his problems with his biggest customer (Hello! I just started on Monday!). Putting this all behind me and looking for another job.

GMAN,

Thanks for your support. By some miracle they're passing inspections (computer glitches I suspect). The truck that I trained on had a bad steer tire (uneven wear) on the driver's side and bad brakes (they locked up when you used them to gradually slow down), and the trailer hand brake was inoperative. The truck that I eventually wound up driving just had a bad steer tire with the same wear as the truck that I trained on. The so-called mechanic (turned wrenches on a farm as a kid, no formal training) that they had said that truck tires wear that way. That was a new one to me, because none of the trucks that my dad drove or the ones that I trained on in school seemed to have that same problem.

here is the link
http://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/CompanySnapshot.aspx
you can enter either dot number or name and see what kind of record the company has

Uneven tire wear on a steer tire can be caused by a number of factors such as tire pressure, shocks, tie rods, king pins, alignment, or a bad or defective tire. It is difficult to tell without having a good mechanic check things out. In any case, good luck.

By some miracle they're passing inspections (computer glitches I suspect).

They can't pass a VI with a Computer Glitch

You're much better off not being with those clowns. They give legitimate trucking companies a bad name.
DOT DOES pay attention to companies who repeatedly fail Inspections and normally a FULL DOT audit is not far behind.

Best of Luck to you, but as I have said many times, LUCK is a phenomenon that occurs when the threshold of opportunity converges with the threshold of preparation!! 8)

Shipping off to Des Moines, IA next week to start orientation/training with TMC. I should've done this in the first place, but the wife wanted me to try elsewhere first. Well, you know what they say about hindsight...........

Congrats EasyRolln, TMC is definitely a big improvement from your last job. :D

Yes, it is!

Well, I finally got my check from the "clowns" that I trained with, and not surprisingly they screwed me. I'm pi$$ed, but not surprised that the owner chose to go this route. I only got paid for one day, and it should've been three. On top of that, they made sure that they took money out of my check for the drug screen and a $25 advance. However, they only included the paperwork that I filled out for two days instead of three. They can't even screw me over right!

Bright and early tomorrow, I'll be in my CDL school's office with check/paperwork in hand to show them how bad the company is and that they should stop doing business with them. After that, I'm going to write a letter to the Dean as well.

Does anyone know how do I contact D.O.T. to let them know that they're running illegal and how to catch them? They make sure that their logbooks are correct, but the company paperwork is a another story, and doesn't correspond at all to their logbooks. On top of that, I know their primary freight lanes. If I can't get to him through D.O.T., I have connections in the IRS, and I think his company needs to audited. :)

The FMCSA/DOT complaint information and procedure can be found at:

http://www.1-888-dot-saft.com/HotlineIntro.asp