DRD Motorsports Inc. - Mt Clemens, Mi.

David Derderian dba DRD Motorsports in Mt Clemens MI is a crook. He badgers drivers to violate HOS and falsify their logbooks to cover-up. He requires drivers to drive far more than their allowed 14 hrs per day ("Every good driver has to average 700 miles or more per day" ~DIRECT QUOTE) He requires drivers to haul OD loads without the necessary permits to do so. If he has a problem (like his credit-card being declined for fuel purchases) he will often call then scream and cuss at happless fuel-clerks who are doing their jobs by refusing the credit card.
He will scream and cuss at shippers if they are late, receivers if they are late and especially drivers if they are late, no matter their reason. Bad Traffic be ######!
None of his equipment would pass a good DOT inspection, and the repairs are often slip-shod self done jobs. He only replaces a tire when it blows out, even when the tire has steel belts showing.
If he fires you (for refusing to violate any law) he will issue a "stop-payment" on the previous check if he can and refuse to pay you the rest of the money he owes. I know, it took me over 14 months to get my money out of him, even after the State of Michigan Department of Labor; Wage and Hour Division ordered him to pay me. When I filed for unemployment, he reported my income as $2200 (which wasn't enough to collect unemployment) but reported over $4400 on my W-2 form.

 

Not exactly true, ANY company can badger an employee to falisfy logbooks and run illegally (as I was)and I agree that the driver ultimately has the choice to "violate" or not, but I chose NOT to run illegally. I had continous arguments with David Derderian about this, the last one I recorded (the one where David Derderian fired me in Newburgh NY for refusing to run straight thru to Newark NJ after already driving for 10 hours). I called the Michigan State Police, and all said they would was send Mr Derderian a copy of the law, they REFUSED to surrepticiously listen in on any phone calls. And refused to become involved even after I was fired for refusal to break any (more) laws.

If you have ever hauled an OVERSIZE boat, you would know that much of the boat is NOT oversize, but only the top edge of the hull, which is 8 to 10 feet off the ground most of the time.
I had never hauled boats before, and my previous experience with oversize loads was limited to loads that were obviously Over Size, (including 14ft wide machinery from Port Washington NY to San Diego). From the side of the load, it is impossible to tell if the boat is oversize.
On the FIRST load I hauled, I was NOT informed the boat was oversive (and due to my ignorance of hauling such loads, I was not aware it was oversize) and had hauled the boat from Michigan to Iowa before I got one of those "Oh-by-the-way" phone calls. I should note that I "picked-up" the load (pre-loaded) about 10:30 pm the night before. David Derderian (or his previous driver) had hauled the boat in question from New Hampshire to Michigan with-out oversize permits.
That particular boat was only about 9 1/2 feet wide and even standing behind the load, it wasn't easy for someone to tell it was oversize. David Derderian stated/bragged (after I knew the load was oversize) that he "NEVER" permits a boat that is less than 10ft wide. (Unless he gets caught)
While I admit that I did haul that particular boat from IOWA to California without the necessary permits (AFTER I knew it was oversize, much to my dishonor), I refused to do so again from that point on, as well as refuse to violate any HOS regulations, including falsify my log book to cover up those violations.

In email and phone conversations with two other "ex" employees of DRD Motorsports, they said their experiences were similar to mine, with the exception; one ex employee was not a driver, but only the Secretary who worked in the Office, who at one point was charged with several criminal offences for following David Derderian's "orders".

David Derderian has been cited in the past for FALSIFYING permits and/or Documents in the State of Ohio and has even spent time in jail there for that. David Derderderian had at one point lost his Authority to haul thru the State of Ohio.


On the load I took that had steel belts showing, there was only a "half-dollar" sized flat-spot initially on the tire. I noted it on my logs and showed it to David Derderian. He told me to get the tire replaced on the road. When the steel belts started showing, he told me to continue, that the tire would "last" until I got back to Michigan, another thing we argued about in my short employment there (1 month). I finally convinced him to replace the tire in Santa Rosa NM, he instructed me to replace it with a USED tire I purchased at a tire shop next to the TA. That tire blew after 5 miles and caused damage to the boat I was hauling.

I only worked for him for 1 month, and at the point I was fired, I was going to quit next time I was in Michigan, but as we both know, quitting under load for any reason, justified or not, can put a very dark "BLACK MARK" on your DAC Report that is impossible to explain away. I believe they call it "Abandoning a Load", or something like that.


Revenge Sites??
Gripe Sites or "BEWARE" sites, perhaps, but not "Revenge" sites. I have no need to "get" revenge, as people who do business as DRD does, usually get what they are due at their own hands and without someone taking "revenge".

I have MUCH more information about the "business" practices of David Derderian, but at this point I am not free to discuss because they are important to a civil action being taken by one of DRD Motorsports former customers (who lost a $600,000 boat ~UNINSURED~ due to David Derderian's negligence ~faulty maintenence and falsified recordkeeping~ ), but when that civil matter is adjudicated, I will have access to it. (I can DIVULGE that much because THAT is a matter of Public Record)

THAT being said, if my website helps in any way to bring David Derderian closer to being out of business, as much as he thumbs his nose at laws we all follow as well as placing the General Public in danger, don't you think it is worth it?

I certainly do.

 

Definately NOT your typical "small business owner with problems". David Derderian actively THUMBS his nose at the laws and regulations we all follow. He is a CRIMINAL, a SCOFFLAW. Plain and simple.