Rush Trucking - Wayne, MI - My Full Experience

I am posting this to share my detailed experience with Rush Trucking. The corresponding videos and reports from IsMyDrivingSafe.com can be found in the following separate thread; http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...u-decide-ismydrivingsafe-com.html#post3062315

I was hired by Rush for a dedicated run between Seneca, SC and Dearborn, MI at .33 CPM. I provided my own transportation to orientation in Louisville, KY. Orientation consisted of watching safety videos and completing paperwork. There were four other drivers in orientation with me and none of us were given a road test. Orientation was brief and informal. I was never informed about certain policies and procedures (Qualcomm related) that dispatch and safety required me to follow. This would hurt me down the road. I was assigned a truck located in Wayne, MI. I arrived at the Wayne terminal the following day to retrieve my truck. It had not been cleaned and the previous driver's trash was all over the place. It was a 10-speed, eLog equipped and governed at 62 MPH, no PrePass. I made it home late that night and cleaned everything.

I drove the same dedicated route six days a week only spending two nights per week (my 10 hour breaks) in the truck. I was paid roughly 2,650 miles per week but drove closer to 3,100 because Rush allows drivers on this account to go home several times throughout the week and I lived out of route. I had time for a 34 every weekend. My pay was always correct. Sometimes loads would be cancelled with very little notice leaving me with a few days off and a smaller paycheck for the week. It only happened once but I had three consecutive loads cancelled leaving me with no pay for 1 1/2 weeks.

Rush utilizes a points system to track driver performance. If you don't turn in a log, you get x number of points. If you get a speeding ticket, you get x number of points, etc. The more points you accumulate, the worse you are ranked. After about two months at Rush I received my first report and saw my rank was only "Fair" despite never being late, never missing work, no tickets or violations, nothing. After calling safety I found out every single point I accumulated was for an improperly logged fuel stop. Thank you, orientation. Once I knew the correct Qualcomm procedure the issue was resolved. The same thing occurred with submitting my DVIRs. If these procedures would have been told to me at any point, I would have done them. It's nothing major, just switching from On Duty to On Duty-Fueling when pumping fuel. I never had to do that at my pervious company. So anyway, by the time I started using the appropriate fueling and DVIR policies, I had accumulated enough points to be ranked as an "Unacceptable" driver. Nothing more than not pushing the right couple of buttons on a Qualcomm is unacceptable to Rush. It really struck a nerve with me because I take a lot of pride in my work. I always show up early for my appointments, I keep the equipment maintained and clean, I'm professional with everyone on the phone and in person, I never miss a day, I have a good attitude but I get a piece of paper in the mail from my company that tells me I'm doing an unacceptable job. I asked but Rush would not alter or remove the points from my record.

While I was driving I received a phone call from Rush’s safety manager stating I had been recorded speeding and following too closely on Interstate 40 in Tennessee. He warned me that Rush has been letting drivers go left and right for speeding and that I was lucky he was going to cut me a break this time. He told me I had to take a couple of online safety classes about speeding and following distance (which I completed that weekend). His attitude was extremely condescending and while I maintained professionalism and addressed him as “Sir”, he addressed me as “Chief”, “Buddy” and “Partner”. I was emailed copies of the report and a video documenting my “unsafe driving”. Rush’s safety manager told me I was unsafe and lucky I wasn’t getting fired for driving exactly how you will see me driving in the video. He told me 1 MPH above the speed limit will not be tolerated under any circumstance and if I don’t adhere to this I will end up losing my job. The company Rush uses to record drivers is IsMyDrivingSafe.com. I will post the video in a separate thread. Basically, it shows me staying in the slow lane (the entire time) straight as an arrow, traveling a few MPH under to a few MPH over the posted speed limit (hilly terrain), 55 MPH for trucks and 65 MPH for cars.

The next couple months I was constantly worrying about my job security. Instead of being able to keep my full attention on the road and in my mirrors I had to spend extra time watching my speedometer and applying more than normal braking power just to prevent my truck from going 1 or 2 MPH over. This practice is not exactly conducive to a safer driving environment for me or the vehicles around me.

I received another call from Rush’s safety manager. When I picked up the phone he said, “I tried to warn ya but you just didn’t listen”. He told me I was recorded “speeding all over the place and driving unsafe again” and he’s not sure if there’s anything he can do about it this time. His supervisor was looking over “the facts” and that he would have to let me know if I still had a job sometime in the next couple weeks. I was not polite like I was the first time he called to harass me. I asked to speak with his supervisor several times. He never gave me a name or phone number. No one at Rush would provide his supervisor’s phone number and I have yet to speak with him. This second video is also posted in the separate thread. It was recorded on the same section of interstate as the first video. It clearly shows the IsMyDrivingSafe.com employee accelerating toward me which increases the speed shown on his GPS device resulting in an inflation of my speed. My following distances range from 6 to 15 seconds and again I was traveling a few MPH over to a few MPH under the posted speed limit, depending on what side of the hill I was on. At one point the IsMyDrivingSafe.com employee calls my speed at 58 MPH, his GPS device says 58 MPH but he writes 60 MPH on the report he turned into Rush Trucking.

A couple weeks passed and I still hadn’t heard anything. I had just delivered in Dearborn, MI and was asked to take my truck to the Wayne, MI terminal to have a bunk heater installed the following day. A red flag went up however as always, I did what was requested. The next morning I was sitting in the shop while my truck was being worked on. I received a call from the same safety manager. He fired me over the phone and told me someone would drop me off at a bus terminal somewhere in Detroit, 500 miles from home. I had no way to carry all of my equipment, tools, electronics, clothes, everything else. He told me to box it up and mail it. It’s absolutely disgusting that Rush would treat an employee like that. Like I said before, never late, never a problem, no tickets or citations, good fuel mileage, just those two ridiculous videos and this is how Rush Trucking treated me after reliably moving their freight 6 days a week. I called my dispatcher who apologized for what was happening. She told me she didn’t agree with any of this and that I was a good, dependable driver. She stated how she tried to reason with the safety manager but he wanted me gone. She secured me a load so I could take the truck home then leave it at a secure location Rush frequently uses not far from my home. The safety manager went over my dispatcher’s head and stopped it before I could leave the terminal. He told security I was not allowed to leave in a truck. I ended up waiting for another driver that lives near me to come to the terminal that night. I wrapped all my equipment in blankets and stuffed it in the back of his trailer. I cleaned out my truck completely and handed the keys to security on my way out. The disrespect and complete lack of consideration from Rush Trucking’s management makes me sick. I tried speaking with someone in person however the office staff is located on the other side of town, separate from the driver’s terminal.

Despite what happened, Rush Trucking is not bad place to work. I liked my run and enjoyed good miles and good home time. My problem wasn’t necessarily Rush Trucking as a company. It was the actions and decisions of a few individual office employees. In my opinion, Rush’s safety manager has absolutely no business being in a position to fire drivers beyond question. I am also fairly certain he trashed my DAC report (I’m waiting on a copy to arrive in the mail and I will update this post with proof if he did). He comes across like he has a problem with truck drivers and everyone I’ve spoken to employed by Rush agrees. If you’re considering Rush for employment, try to take all of this into consideration. I was not the first and unfortunately I won’t be the last driver to deal with this.

Please view the videos and reports here; http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...u-decide-ismydrivingsafe-com.html#post3062315