NAPA Transportation

Discussion in 'Report A BAD Trucking Company Here' started by redcougarbutterfly, Jun 12, 2009.

  1. redcougarbutterfly

    redcougarbutterfly Bobtail Member

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    Jun 12, 2009
    waterfall PA
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    Napa no t to be confused with NAPA auto parts, but NAPA Transportation out of Mechanicsburg PA. I got a raw deal here. They had **POORLY** maintained equipment from 1999 freightliners, and would do no repairs out on road. We are always told "drag it back to the yard." and if brakes are completely down to less than 2/32" they would adjust the brakes way up and send you back out. Needless to say, i get loaded in MA with scrap paper and tell them it feels like i'm stopping with all tractor brakes. What am i told? Drag it back. So I get off the exit to scale out and what happens, can't get stopped. I rear-ended another truck. I was ok despite having blurred vision and a severe hematosois to the forehead, a sprained wrist. They put at-fault rear-end collision on my dac and then it had taken them from aug. 1 til oct.13 to fire me, only because they had got a fax from another company to verify my employment with them.!!:biggrin_25512:
     
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  3. aladdin sane

    aladdin sane Medium Load Member

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    If you hit someone from the rear, it is always your fault irregardless of what your excuse is.
     
  4. dieselbear

    dieselbear Road Train Member

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    That is why, if something is mechanically wrong you should not drive it, period. The company will tell you to, until you have an accident and then they will want to hang you out to dry. It's a bad situation with some of these jack a $ $ companies. It's fine and dandy to "drag it back", but let something happen and your left holding the bag. Seems like NAPA is a fine outfit.
     
  5. outerspacehillbilly

    outerspacehillbilly "Instigator of the Legend"

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    The Who's Your State
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    I worked for a very small outfit at one time that was the same way. But I refused to go anywhere till things got fixed. After about the 5th or 6th time when i refused to drive a truck that had steering box problems ( just had a new one put on )she ( the owner ) put me in a different truck and sent someone else out in my old truck. I warned the other driver about the problem but he said i was just being a sissy scared to truck. Well he changed his mind after the steering box locked up while he was in the middle of a turn and he hit a car head on. It was at slow speeds and nobody was injured but he was fired over the accident and the boss said she had no knowledge of the problem :biggrin_2555:. When the truck was inspected the "new" steering box that the mechanic had put on it was the wrong one. I quit the next week. CYA :yes2557:
     
  6. redcougarbutterfly

    redcougarbutterfly Bobtail Member

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    Jun 12, 2009
    waterfall PA
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    well..i was on my way out the door but didn't make it back. i was actually headed home that night. You did a good call on that one, taking the truck back and get put in another one. I wasn't the only driver to gt the rough deal either. without mentioning any names a driver goes into the shop to get trailer tires fixed, the tread was worn and gets not even 100 miles up the road and the both left rear trailer tires came flying off. A car ran into them and do a job to that boys car. Guess who gets the blame even though it was the mechanic who just had those tires off. The DRIVER!! even though this mechanic has tested positive !!
     
  7. crAzy white boy

    crAzy white boy Bobtail Member

    wow, im new to this forum, by the way, and im really interested in a lot of the posts on here and i can directly relate to this crap thats goin on with these small outfits. yes, you get the small company feel and a little more hometime, but the maintenance practices are dreadful. the small outfit i worked with out of gallatin, tn had such s@##@y equipment that i remember being pulled into a scale in pennsylvania about a year and a half ago and getting the trailer inspected and i had 7 out of service violations on the trailer alone. the truck was ok because it's a lease truck. (i'd hated to see what goodies they would have got me for if it wasn't a lease,lol) but, the inspector added up all the fines and after i finally left 5 hours later, i had a 450$ repair bill for worn out axles on one side, bad slack adjuster and air hoses that were dry rotted from the air chambers all the way up to the front of the trailer. i was pullin a potential hand grenade of sorts,haha. the fines added up to over 700$ bringing the grand total of the experience to about 1150 bucks. now, here's the kicker, when i got back in and we went to discuss the malady that occurred, it was brought to my attention that it was my fault. i said why? of course. the sack o s@@t owner told me that if i had not stopped on an exit ramp to catch up my log,then i would not have been pulled into the scale and the whole thing would have not happened. his big thing is, don't attract attention to yourself, (that also includes complaining about equipment in general, was a few drivers got canned because they would not leave the yard with a trailer with bald tires and no brakes just because the load was hot and he neglected to fix the trailer a long time ago) now this was just one event that got me to finally leave this company. i worked for them for over 3 years and tried to hold it together but it just got worse. im looking for work right now and it's really frustrating but ill manage. i learned the BAD side of trucking very well and i wouldn't want to see any other drivers have to go thru this but its out there. the only advice i can give to new guys wanting to downsize and go local is to look, i mean, really LOOK at the equipment, and if the company doesn't mind, inspect a random truck and trailer or more than one and look for little stuff that goes by the wayside repair wise because that can fall back in your lap as a driver. i learned the hard way that these small companies, there are good ones out there, (don't get me wrong) have serious problems with the maintenance and this economy is not making it any easier. it's making these guys who have been running outlaw able to do it easier and fall through the cracks because more and more larger companies are adapting similar maintenance practices. im sorry for the pontificating post, but it really hit home with me reading this stuff and maybe my experience can help someone out someday i hope
     
  8. redcougarbutterfly

    redcougarbutterfly Bobtail Member

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    Jun 12, 2009
    waterfall PA
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    These trucking companies really do take advanage of us. And they'll do it as long as we allow it!! They tried getting me on another one like that, and i turned them in to the labor relations board...believe it i have the check to prove it...i got every cent back.:biggrin_25525:
     
  9. rjones56

    rjones56 Heavy Load Member

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    Jul 15, 2008
    staunton va
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    NAPA used to be North&South.Raggedy equipment and compulsive liars to boot.You won`t miss anything by leaving.Hope this teaches some of you guys not to drive equipment that you know to be beyond questionable.Fill out the daily inspection report and deadline the truck.If it leaves company property before being fixed-call the DOT boys.Maybe ps anderson could shed some light on what we could do as drivers.
    Personally,I used to think that my company wouldn`t hang the driver out to dry since he was following directions but now I know different.When it comes down to them or you,its gonna be you EVERY TIME.Most will try to get you to do something that will ruin your life and deny ever saying it.Its time for all drivers to cover their ###-tomorrow may be too late.
     
  10. badsey

    badsey Medium Load Member

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    Oct 9, 2007
    Green Bay, WI
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    You can drive to any scale or DOT and ask for an inspection. -As a driver you need to protect yourself and others on the road. -Why put yourself or others at risk.

    You can also look at the DOT records of these companies before you hire on.
     
  11. whtlinefvr

    whtlinefvr Light Load Member

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    Aug 14, 2007
    PA
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    where can we find Dot records for companies? I'm possibly going to drive for Fraley and Schilling. I'd like to check it out. thanks.
     
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