Beware of Foodliner

Yup kjkbnapier, I know what you mean. I cannot wait to move on. I am hoping to move on on my own terms, but it seems they like to write you up for everything little thing even though they have no idea what the hell they are talking about. I am home for the first time in 12 days and this is suppose to be a regional job, home everyother night, off each weekend. Even if you are 30 miles from home, they wont let you bobtail to the house, would rather have you sit for 15 hours with their truck idling, dosent make any sense to me. Things will pick up and this company will be stuck with the drivers who are afraid to go elsewhere. Good luck to those who doubt my word, you will have to find out for yourself. Joe

 

Ok, great comments. Seems we all have different experiences with Foodliner even though some have not worked for them. Yeah on paper the company is trying to make themselves look squeeky clean, had to cause they got busted when their drivers were on paper logs. So now its over dispatch the driver, push him/her until they end up working off the clock or "off duty" on the electronic logs. Lets put it this way, you have 14 hours in a day or 70 hours in a week then you are suppose to reset with 34 hours...but...you arrive at a customer having been on the clock for 1345 minutes, pretty long day already. Then you are expected to log off duty start you 10 hour reset and do a 2-4 hour off load of the product if you are carrying dry bulk, some less if you are liquid. Then your next 14 plus hour day begins in 10 hours, but you have only had about a 7 hour break, and so the story goes. I know there are those who say Driverjoe needs to work for a living etc...but you know when I broke the DOT rules on paperlogs I #### well got paid well for taking the risk. Here you get NO extra. Some terminals pay a guarantee of 1000/week, but that depends on where you are at. That is suppose to be based on a 70 hour work week, but...aaa ha...that is not the case, the more you get that driver to run and break the rules, the more work you get out of him and the actual hourly rate of pay goes down. So to all those who have a favorable opinion, I am real happy for you, but I know there are better jobs out there or were. In this day and age, the age of cheap freight, it appears this just very well may be the best thing going, if so I am done. There aint no way in hell I will continue to work 80 hour weeks. It aint worth it unless you are making the buck. Here you dont get any extra....Thereis a very different atmosphere depending on the terminal you go to. The worse by far is the Chicago Terminal...talk to their drivers..they will tell you the mgmt there is chicken #### and the maintenance staff is worthless or should I say too good to listen to the driver. Dubuque staff, typical dispatchers, young and very inexperienced. I dont think any of them have ever driven truck before but they think they know it all, which is typical of most companies. So believe what you want...Im out of here soon and as I said, good luck to who ever takes my place....
In general, I think Foodliner is pretty typical of what is happening in the trucking industry. My dad use to make a hell of a good living driving, but he just shakes his head when I tell him the crap I have to deal with and for the amount of money I make. Safe travels and may God Bless our Great Country.

 

Kevette, I am now outta there. I knew that if I stayed any longer, even though I have an outstanding driving record, they were going to use their shortcomings as a company, especially in maintenance, to ruin my record if I let them. The pressure to do so was terrible and some drivers who are afraid to stand up to them are stuck, they cannot move on because Foodliner has ruined their DAC or will eventually. I feel for you working at the FP terminal, I never met anyone who liked the staff or maintenance there (the worst of all) so I heard. I do know trailers that came out of Chicago were always the worse, no brakes, ABS not working, dented, bad rubber etc... So good luck to you, I am certain you and I made the right move getting away from them. I landed a good job with a large company about 10 minutes from home, day cab, home at the end of every shift. Take care and safe travels to you.
Joe

 

I have been told to sit and idle for 15 hours vice drive 45 miles to get home. So you are very lucky..that never happened where I worked with FL.