How to deal with bad dispatch? My hellish experience vent.

I got a job at a kinda shady 1099 small trucking company. Was promised loads mostly to Texas back to Maryland. $1500 a week minimum and home full weekends. The truck is the nicest I ever drove, a decked out Kenworth T680 with a nice inverter too. I know these 1099 but still employee jobs need to be avoided. I am just in a tight spot financially and wanted to run maybe 6 months to get some cash saved up and experience. I drove for about 6 months in 2020, then stopped after being injured in a rear end accident. Never renewed my medcard out of ignorance and lost my entire CDL since it was expired more than a year. So I went back to CDL school to get my license all over again. And knew that allot of companies would not let me go solo yet since I been out of the game a few years.

I got to the yard Wednesday at 10am to sign my paperwork and get moved into my truck. Got my fuel card and was told I should get a load shortly. I sat there 29 hours, kept calling dispatch and them telling me they are having a hard time finding a load. It pisses me off because I am only 2 hours away from the lot. I could of just waited at home. They finally tell me they got me a load going to the Bronx NYC. Pickup at 4pm and deliver 8am next day. I say no I am not taking that, this is my first load in over 2 years and I was told no NYC. I called the person who owns the truck that got me hired on. And he is like "wtf no, we don't do NYC, don't take it and let me talk to them". They go back and forth, and I was told that if I don't take the load, its the only one until Monday. So like a idiot, I say okay. I go 2 hours to pickup the load, (mind you I been up since 6am). And I start driving towards NYC. I drive as long as I can, around 10pm I am exhausted, had to park on a onramp and start my 10. I get stuck on the George Washington bridge traffic over 2 hours. Driving in the city being out of the game so long, I could literally feel my blood pressure raising, never been so stressed in my life. Barely making turns, people parked in travel lanes. GPS going crazy rerouting all the time, missing my turns, get lost a few times, literal nightmare. It was insane, I finally find the receiver, I had to pay 35$ to even enter the receiver lot. Which pissed me off because I came into this job broke as hell from paying CDL school. So I went negative in my bank account from this.

I go to check in, only to be told "We already talked to the broker, it was rescheduled for Tuesday. (I was there Friday). So I am frustrated as hell, from driving that NYC hell and now being told this. I call dispatch, they tell me to either wait or bring the trailer back to the yard for another load. I call the owner and ask what is going on, and I better still be paid for this. He assures me I will be paid for every mile I drove. I run out of my 14 in NJ. Exhausted and start my 10. Dispatch calls me 4 hours into my 10 while I am asleep asking my ETA. This pissed me off so much, I told him and then put my phone on do not disturb.

I wake up at 5am, and get back to the yard at around 9:30am. Drop the trailer and was given a apology, how its never like this. That they will get me a load running out west to let me run and get miles shortly. I sit waiting all day. At 6pm they give me load information, saying to pickup this load and deliver to Ohio, and I will get a load to California right after. Pickup was the next day at 4pm and delivers the day after at 8am. I tell them unless I can get loaded earlier, this load will be late. I been up since 5am and sleeping soon, I cannot drive overnight tomorrow and make it. Dispatch makes a big deal about it. And I just say ya know what, I am driving my car home. When you get a load that has me actually run let me know and I will drive back. Dispatch makes it seem like if I don't take this load, I am going to be fired, he implied it without actually saying it. I call his bluff and say I am 1099, I have the right to refuse a load. Going to be talking to the guy that owns the truck here shortly. I want to give it another chance because I am a idiot and NEED money like yesterday. This has been utterly HELL.

If you read all this, PLEASE give me advice. I am not lazy, I run my clock and drive well. I don't think it is unreasonable to not want to be awake 24 hours driving a 18 wheeler while I get warmed up to driving again. I will not risk my life, others lives, or my license I worked hard and spent allot of money to get again. I am at my breaking point, almost in tears. I just wanted this to work, just for a short while, pay my debt and bills. #### man.....

 

I think you know all you need to know. Now, whether or not you act on what you know is up to you.

 

I seriously doubt it will get better.

 

Welcome to 1099 hauling.

 

I was with an outfit in 2020 that was pretty sweet. Upstate NY to Salinas California and back, constantly going. I put in a application to drive there again but never heard back. I know this 1099 #### should be avoided, just wanted to do it temporary to make a few bucks and experience for resumes so I don't have to team drive at other companies.

 

If they’re finding their loads on load boards and don’t have their own freight it probably won’t get any better for a while. To me it sounds like they’re booking loads late in the day that have a tight delivery schedule because that will get them a little negotiation on the rate in this tough market.

 

1. Call them
2. You don't necessarily have to team at a big company. Maybe for a week or two of training, but that's it.
If you'll tell us where you are @Chinatown can hook you up.

 

In one post you said you have a few years experience and in another you said you have 6 mos. experience.
Was part of that teams and part solo driving~
We can help you find a better job than you have now that's also W-2.

 

Been there done that , if it starts off like that , it won't get better.
Know your hurting for cash and its a way to get back driving but i think what was said on the first reply was correct . A- disp doing the old unstated threat of firing, B- the " no load " thing , or only a ####ty load. As a 1099 your not getting much to start , and when tax time comes , it will really suck. i did that 16 years ago and it was a Really bad idea. If you can , start looking again and if your gonna stay , then go talk to the owner and disp together so that your all on same page. If that can't happen then time to go and try someone else. Lots of places that will give you better treatment. I'd reccomend schnieder for what you might need