Chicagoland.....?

Oh do I have a story. Everyone who knows me, knows that I've been around, Hell, I probably should change my name to Nomadic Trucker at this point. Last year around this time, I ended up working for one of those ####cagoland companies. I went along with a friend as we were told it was a great company. ROTFLMAO! I'm going to condense my nine month adventure there.

-They offer you the chance to be either 1099 or W-2.
- You are made to sign up for an escrow leading to the low, low amount of $1,250 to be taken out of your check for a set amount of time. NOTE: You may or may not get this back.
- They offer "Lease to Purchase" much like any other company. Choose wisely.
-Their areas of expertise are dry van, reefer and heavy haul.
-They try to find good paying loads, but in this economy, it can be a bit impossible. They do try.
-Some of the dispatchers are hit or miss depending on who you get.
-No matter how long you stay out, the limit is three days home. Anything past that and you have to be routed to the terminal to be flown home. You are later charged 1/2 of the ticket price. You'd best pack light or risk losing half of your #### as they will assign someone else the truck you left. Verified by same friend and saw numerous drives quit because of this.
-Most of the trucks come with APUs. You'd best hope that yours works as mine quit in the hottest part of the summer. They would fine you for idling.
-They have apps for everything. If you don't use them, you can be fined.
-E-logs are by Samsara.

Why did I leave, you ask? I went through five dispatchers in my time. If they can't talk to you like you're utter garbage, you can't work with them. My first dispatcher lied and said that I'd requested an entire weekend off when I asked to see my wife for her birthday. Note: I was in Texas and requested a load to my area just to see her. I was then threatened to be fired and told that even if I went to see her, I could only give her a kiss and leave. Needless to say that dispatcher rubbed someone the wrong way and was fired by the end of my first off time.

Dispatcher two, same thing. He had the miles and you made the money. The problem? He had a big mouth and loved to threaten you. He threatened to have me fired numerous times by saying, "You're being recorded. They're going to hear everything you've been calling me." I retorted that they would also hear all of the threats he made to me. We came to an agreement and he ran me a legal 4,000 mile week. After I ended up in West Memphis, he'd been fired and I still have no idea why. I was given an auxiliary dispatcher. They gave him back to me a month later just to fire him again, while leaving me in Florida for nearly a week.

Dispatcher three came in bringing me promises of 3,000+ miles a week. I liked running recaps and she couldn't understand that. I got one 3,000 mile week out of her and was left sitting most of the time. I raised several shades of hell about this after she left me sitting in Georgia in the middle of the week, claiming that there "was no freight".

Dispatcher four is what was my breaking point. Another "I can run you x amount of miles" type. She was the kind of person that if she could flirt her way into your good graces, you were gold. Didn't feed her, and you can kiss you ### goodbye with her. I'd asked to stay south back in July only to be sent all the way to Washington. My home time for a family event was already put in and authorized. Yet as I got close, she had the bright idea to send me to the Northwest for a load of fruit. I'd looked into the timeframe and told her that we would not make that back to Texas when they wanted it. When we did get to Texas, the warehouse left me in their door with my doors open and the reefer running ( I was told to open the doors and they'd be starting shortly) for over nine hours. They rejected the product saying that it was degraded. Needless to say that I was forced to bring the truck to the terminal, miss my event and I was charged over $2,500 for the "claim" against me. Long story short, I'd already decided that I was quitting after that because I wasn't going to keep being dispatched by someone with both of the Jekyll and Hyde personalities up her butt. I'd started having medical issues and had home time coming up. She got upset because my home time was near and I really needed to get to the doctor. She wanted me to pick up another load for Washington which I refused. She made sure to keep me as far from the terminal as she could. She sent me to Maine and then kicked me off of her board. She later requested and was granted a $500 fine against me saying that I'd ruined her relationship with the broker.

Dispatcher five was the shortest one. Not even a week. He gave me a load of beer without paying attention to my hours. I'd even brought it up to him and was ignored. Needless to say, that load was late though the customer didn't really go by appointment. I repeated my request to be sent home for my doctor visit but was abandoned in a shopping center parking lot in West Virginia. With that, I fueled up their truck, took it to the terminal and made sure it was clean. I then bought my plane ticket home, a LYFT to the airport and went home. I haven't looked back.

To add, the roadside department are extremely rude as well. I'd brought up numerous issue while driving for them and was ignored to the moon and back. One example was when I complained about the alignment on the trailer. This resulted in messed up tires on the trailer. They were adament that I'd ran over something even though the tire techs backed up what I was saying. The bill came to about $1,100 and I was charged over $600 of it. They didn't like doing anything on the road. No matter how far you were away, they demanded that you come to the yard. I could go on, but I'm not wanting to get pissed off again.

Sure they have their good reviews like any other company. You know like I know that half of them are paid for. If you put a one star review, they'll try to report you to Google for slander. The company in question? Vista Trans Holding. Feel free to TLDR.

 

Drivers never ask enough questions about the Elk Grove Village gang (European-owned companies) and they find a contract (if they read it) full of driver fines for this and that, paycheck withhold and escrow from $1,000 to $3,500. They are not only in Ilinois, but have spread to Grand Rapids, Lansing areas and a presence in Indianapolis along with the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale/Tampa areas. The Chicago gang extends down to Bolingbrook and northwest Indiana, out to Aurora and up toward Elgin Il. 1099-pay your own taxes and pay your own workmans compensation-no health insurance, no paid vacations and no paid holidays.

 

They’ve also gained footing around the Cedar Falls/Waterloo,Iowa region as well in recent years.

 

One thing I can give Vista is that they're upfront about the things you described.

 

With or without lube?

 

Never sign up anywhere for anything unless you speak each others language fluently. If anything, you can tell each other whose mother is the biggest bad lady and understand each other. In other words you need to be able to speak face to face, mano-o-mano.

 

Have to keep that Mano option open, as it will most likely be needed.......

 

And, no cajhone's out here anymore.

Just come & post up here as first posts, after shafted.

Then disappear......

 

Still sad to see those taken in all the time & how things never change.

If only they would find this place BEFORE, rather than after...... rather than just use as avenue to vent.

Sometimes I actually feel guilty in the entertainment I sometimes find here.

Here's to hoping less folks get snagged into the mire.

(Nope, too much of wishfull thinking....).

✌

 

Either way, get REAL friendly with Dr. Bendover.