First I am not a perfect driver or person, but Marten has taken screwed over to the next level. I was on the CA, AZ fleet and was excited to be with the Bird. Each dispatch got worst and worst, no way to make the drop on time or legal. Spoke with dispatch and was told that the guys on the fleet new how to log it and if I had a problem that maybe I should go else where. So I bucked it up and said lets try again. Up and over the grape vine and on the north side at exit 200 (petro) I lost my air dryer. Called maint., "go to TA across free way" cant move no air, "oh, have Petro fix it". went to lunch to only return to find air dryer by-passed, Marten would not pay to fix. Back to yard to get air-dryer fixed, don't have time and you dont need it, was what the head of service told me. Have spoke to a few other drivers and mechanics and they did not agree, especially in February. Back to Phoenix, another load where I am to show 10 hour break while I am getting loaded to make delivery time in Phoenix. Load is late, home time is less than 24 hours, need a reset but was told no, make it work. Contacted dispatch via Qualcom and quit, placed truck in secure drop yard in Phoenix (we drop trucks and laoded trailers there). Had a 900.00 check coming for the week but that was taken for Orientation (I agree I owed that) but 700.00 truck retrieval fee is outrageous. They have drivers in and out of Phoenix and they could drive the truck back to California. Sorry for the length of this, I am trying to get another job but Marten has placed abandon vehicle on DAC (family of 5 to support). I am screwed. Randy Marten also sent me a wonderful letter, "smart you are not, thanks for the abandon truck".

I feel for you man try Q Carriers they seem great I can hardly wait to see what they have to offer they are out of Shakopee, MN. Anything is better than JB Hunt.

Did you ask where they wanted the truck?

If not, than that was your mistake. You must take it where they tell you.

__________________
Z-Lady's devoted hubby.

Hubby was with Marten for over two years- they were a great company- until there was a scheduled drp-hook that shouldv'e been in and out in an hour. Shipper released him 26 hours later- because they were having their Christmas Party. He never got paid for layover or detention- not a dime. Then in Jan- he put his truck in the Atlanta shop for a pm- on Fri- they finally got it into the shop on Tuesday- they paid for his hotel but not for food and wouldn't pay for him being down 4 days. He left the truck at the Atlanta yard-got on a bus came home. I don't know what happened, but we both loved Marten. I'm not sure if it was is dispatch or what, but it seemed to go bad fast.

PLEASE folks, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE pay attention to what your company considers an "abandoned truck"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Marten clearly tells you that when you quit you must return your truck to a COMPANY TERMINAL. Drop yards are not terminals. You picked your clean and ready truck up at a terminal didn't you?

Even if you just want to throw down your toys and stomp home, suck it up one more time. Tell them you're going to a terminal and leave the truck there. You don't want an abandonment on your DAC. I don't care how pissed you are that day.

*sigh*

Drivers don't seem to pay attention in orientation or read their employee manual. either one could of saved you the lost money and black mark on the DAC report. With 5 to feed I can't believe you acted so recklessly.

Your lucky they did not charge you more money by saying their was damage to the truck that was not there when you picked the truck up.

A friend of mine is planing to quit his job at a west coast carrier due to lack of freight on weekends and 2 much sitting between loads. The dispatcher told him to drop his truck in a yard and he called me to ask my opinion on whether he should do that or not, since this is the first time he quit a carrier. I told him to take the truck back to were he got it in OR. and to have it inspected and signed off by a manager as not having any damage (2008 Pete). No way would I drop a truck anywhere without it being inspected by the company and signed for at the terminal I picked it up at, or they can screw you with little recourse

I see this site's mission as being one that helps people avoid the problems that making mistakes can cause. By 'people' I'm talking about drivers, mainly, but also the creature known as 'insider'. Simple mistakes can be costly to you and your company, so try to stop making the damn mistakes.

Take this case with Grumpy. Grumpy is a driver with 5 kids to feed. Grumpy knows (or should know) how to return a truck properly. Grumpy simply parked his truck where he felt like parking it, and the company took it out of his behind.

Was the outfit justified? Yeap.

If Mr. Grumpy would have parked his rig on his great quit day where he was supposed to, this would not have happened. He would not have been hosed for the abandoned truck fee, his DAC wouldn't have this new DACmark on it, and Mr. Marten would not have had to fetch the truck from the Phoenix yard.
Sure, drivers leave Phoenix for Cally all the time, but their runs are planned so far in advance there's no accommodating a driver who decides to quit NOW and expects his rig to be taken back in a reasonable amount of time. If the truck sits, the company loses. If the truck has to be retrieved, the company loses. In both cases, the cost is avoidable.

When you decide to quit your outfit, always take your ride back to its proper place, check it over with an official from the outfit, and take plenty of pictures. You'll save yourself, and your outfit, some serious trouble and expense. And usually, if you saddle your company with unnecessary trouble and expense, the company will retaliate.

Do the right thing by "doing the right thing" when quitting time comes.

__________________
--Paved Dudley--

Yeah I drive a Swift truck
And that means one thing
It means she's slow
It's a typical company truck
It's just all show and no go

I'm gettin' passed by Yella
And even Overnite
I'm gettin' passed by ever' body in sight
46 days on the road
And I'm not gettin' home tonight

No, my hometown's nowhere in sight
And if you think I'm pissed off
You're right
46 days on the road
And I'm not gettin' home tonight


Love pissing off those trucking company insiders.

I also loved Marten Transport, have worked for them many times, Dispatchers have gotten worse each and every time, Drivers benefits and privileges cut each and every time, this last time they were nothing more than bully's, having drivers picking up loads that go 125 miles for next day delivery, trying to get drivers to drive with an extra day or two for delivery and refusing to let them drop loads, many drivers running between 1800-2200 mi per week, trying to get the drivers to do extra work with out pay, and continuously telling you how they are doing you a favor.
I told them that I was going to go home to take some time off, I had been out two weeks, I did not send them a time off macro 2 weeks in advance, I was told to pick up a load and deliver it, i told them no, I was going to take the truck home 175 mi and take a few days off, they said no, that if I went home it would not be approved and be considered out of route miles, Head dispatcher called me and told me that if I went home then I was going to be fired, I told him what ever he said, Then he told me to take the truck to Indianapolis IN to the yard, the truck was full of my stuff, if I would have taken it to the yard I would have to throw away most all of my stuff, not an option, I went home, and received another message on the qual-comm to take my truck to Joplin yard, where I checked it in, even have the sign in documents, and Marten Transport is trying to get me for abandoned truck and the $700.00, and Dear Mr Randy Marten Sent me a hand written letter telling me that he has been trying to get recruiting not to hire rehires as they are usually disappointments.
I wish that Mr. Randy Marten was half way curtious, if so he may make a few calls to his drivers and ask them what is happening, and maybe keep a few good drivers, but NO, he would rather write and send a crude letters. Basking in his glory about his bad drivers, instead of trying to find out what is going wrong and correcting it!

Sounds like some of the things they did to you were well within their rights. And never ever abandon equipment. You are branded unhireable for probably life.

I don't know anything else about how many miles the drivers are getting, because I'm still here at Con-way and I've noticed miles go up and down all the time. I'd still rather go back to Marten. One driver I spoke to said he had no troubles with them at all.

Ditto. I talked with a Marten driver recently and he spoke of the company in glowing terms.

The sad thing about these forums is, if someone gets fired for no reason, you don't really know if they got fired for no reason or if they got fired for the long list of stunts they pulled up to the day they got fired for no reason.