O.F.I. INC.

Discussion in 'Report A BAD Trucking Company Here' started by AL DEDMON, Sep 18, 2014.

  1. AL DEDMON

    AL DEDMON Bobtail Member

    6
    8
    Jul 15, 2014
    0
    This is a small company located in Atlanta, TX. I worked there 14 months because I had to re-build my reputation for being a dependable driver and one who would not just walk away for minor grievances. After being laid off in the Seattle area for 18 months I moved to TEXAS two years ago and wouldn't move out of TX for all the pay in the world. But back to reasons you don't want to go to work for this small outfit.

    Keep in mind I went to them for two reasons. First I am 74 years old and not too many companies will hire me due to my age. Twenty plus years of driving experience made no difference in the average companies hiring policies, and age discrimination is as hard to prove as a hooker claiming she was rapped. It can't be done. The other reason was due to my being out of work for 18 months in Seattle. It seems that length of time off work is a suspicious event in a driver's life. Even thought I have an excellent driving record and have all the security clearances one could need, I discovered that both of these conditions in my life prevented me from getting a quality driver's job. So I did what had to done and started with the a company I could live with for a long enough period to rebuild my rep in this area.

    I had'nt worked for a company that would steal from my paycheck for many years and forgot what the experience was like. But they where good at it for a small company. My pay was a percantage of the frieght bill with no other "extras". Layover time was always on me as was repairs on the road. Health care was non-existent and besides I have Medi-Care at my age. There were other charges against my miserly wages taken out of my check I was not used too. My surprise at this treatment was mainly due to my having worked as a mail haul driver on the West Coast for the previous 8 years until the lay offs began resulting from the closures of the mail distribution centers that put hundreds of us out work over night. The company I had worked for closed their doors shortly after losing the mail contracts and 250 people their jobs overnight.

    Two things I learned as a result of working for the crooks at OFI INC. Their CSA score was a 9 and they are on the brink of being put out business due to all the violations they have accumulated. Their score is so bad I was pulled in for six level III inspections in one year. They do not use E-Logs so I could control my time as needed and I went through a lot of pages at day's end trying to make sense out the scales I crossed that day. I drove many 700-800 mile days in "eleven hours" in a truck set at 65. HOS laws mean absolutely nothing to these people and they will work your butt to the bone for next to nothing in pay.

    When a company says they will treat you like "family" plan on your being the "red headed" step child that nobody wants including them.
     
    Last edited: Sep 18, 2014
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. MACK E-6

    MACK E-6 Moderator Staff Member

    45,827
    200,207
    Sep 19, 2005
    Baltimore, MD
    0
    No one can force you to run that hard. I hope you're not still doing that, because it can expose you to a civil lawsuit, and possible criminal charges after an accident.
     
    Lonesome Thanks this.
  4. superflow

    superflow Road Train Member

    2,036
    1,865
    Jan 2, 2014
    0
    We wish you well sir and want to encourage you to keep your chin up ,yes we all agree there has been major changes
    in this industry , this is a direct result of deregulation ....we slowly but surely approaching the day when we stand together to put a stop to this kind of thing by demanding to be heard and have frgt regulated once again , most of us have made great sacrifice ,bein on the job 24/7 keeping this nation alive and prosperous , and we are bein left out in the cold , not only less & less wages , but to bein flat out ripped off by crooks who keep getting away with it , while we are charged for DOT violations , jumping thru hoops and sometimes dying for our mistakes
     
  5. AL DEDMON

    AL DEDMON Bobtail Member

    6
    8
    Jul 15, 2014
    0
    I appreciate your sentiment expressed in the idea that no body can make me run that hard, but let me call your attention to a bit of reality you didn't read or forgot. At my age 74, there aren't a lot of options for me as a driver when it comes to finding an employer who will hire me. So that means if I want to build a reputation in a new location such as Texas, I had to do what I felt was necessary to let future employers know I could still do the work in a responsible, productive manner. In other words I had to pay some dues so a new employer who had a good paying job open woudl feel comfortable to give me chance to show them I could still perform the duties demanded by the work.

    I put up with all the crap for 13 months. This proved I was reliable and not a job skipper who would leave a job for any reason but a good valid one. I accomplished that goal and now I will go to work for an oil tanker outfit making more money than the law will allow but hey I paid my dues and now I reap the rewards. Thanks for your concern. AL
     
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.