Interstate Distributor Co. - Tacoma, Wa.

Try not getting a paycheck from them for about a month straight with them claiming they never got the paperwork on the load. Then when you quit all the sudden they find it and you get a paycheck and them asking you to come back to work. My answer was "hell no, I am not going through that #### again!!!"

The trucks are not very well maintain either.........

 

I worked for IDC out of the Tacoma Wa terminal between sept/05 to june/06. Theygave me a brand new loaded Volvo (compared with the junk fld and centurys I ran at USX for 6.5 years becuase I was not one of their precious team drivers). I liked having the table and the smooth ride but I was so use to Frtlrs I switched back after a couple of weeks. I always stayed loaded with usually either paper or Costco loads down to LA or the Bay area and back.

Got by the house often since I live 5 miles from the terminal and my dispatcher was a great guy but lacked the knowledge needed for his position. And had to constantly call him to fix dispatching errors.

To bad I sideswiped a car squeezing around my blind side when making a rt turn onto a onramp in Ca or I would still be working there. I figured after 800,000 miles without a accident I would get some slack, Nope.

Seems anything at that company over $5000 bucks in claims gets you a boot out the door. I was such a risk they even let me run for over a month after the accident. Wellat least they did'nt try to lie on the DAC report like USX.said I was terminated due to a policy infraction after I told them what they could do with their 150 mile a day rail frt and quit after giving them 6.5 years of my life.

You could do far worse then IDC, Drivers now days are spoiled. I started at KLLM back when they were just starting to get FLD and drove a INT Cabover my first 6mos in the biz.Hd to find my own way home from Ca to Wa each time I went home due to slip seating. After that,anything is better.

 

A buddy of mine had the same problem with these guys. I gave him crap once when his cell phone quit working. :laughing: said "Hey, what's up with that? Interstate forget to pay you?" Joke flubbed though, when he answered "yeah" Turned out he'd been having cell phones shut off, etc. because he'd not been paid for almost two months. Other gripes I heard from him were about being told to shut his truck off and sleep.... When the temperature was 15degrees!

 

Why would a driver stay at a company that hasn't paid them in 2 months? Your buddys story seems a little fishy to me.

I would sign on to IDC in a heart beat over many of the rest. Especially if you live on I-5. I never had any payroll issues, but then agian I handled my trip pack by the book and filled them out correctly and put in all my macros when I was sapposed to. Unlike others who sat when they refused to be bothered. I had one driver in Fontana ######## and moaning, so I asked to see his msg history and he had never even put in his mty from the last load. Even though he had 3 msgs from dispatch to do so, so they could reloaded him.

The only thing I was worried about was them not paying Layover. But then the only time I had layover was on my time off. They pay practical miles, perdiem, stop off and $10 to spot a trl into a dock.

I ran between BC and LA most of my loads were Tacoma to LA and back doing KC loads or paper to Commerce Ca. 4.5 days round trip to 3 costco stores and a p/u and drop at the Tacoma Term on the way back. Pay was $980 and $1100 depending on D/H to p/u and particulars. Not bad for 4.5 days work and 2 to 2.5 days off every week. Thats $47k at the bottom of
scale. To bad I did'nt see speed racer on my turn to the get on ramp or I would still be driving there.

Of course this is my experience, but many drivers get screwed becuase of their inabialty to follow the companies procedures so they won't. And then they blame the company.

 

I was in a Jackknife accident, on Jan 20, 2007. Due to this accident, Interstate D. C. feels I'm a liability as a driver, and they let me go. It was on black ice. No one else involved, less then 10,000 in damages, even pulled the trailer out of the ditch, and gave it to another driver (and made the drop on time)

I was with them 5 years driving with no tickets, no accidents, no customer complaints, 96% on time, idle was 18%. A team, mind you, and a dispatcher that love us. An I was still let go. An all I get for all my hard work is, Hey! That's just to BAD!!! And you should of seen the black ice crystals on the road, and attended more safty meetings. (What the ****. ICE CYSTALS! Come on!!!!) And now I'm black ball from even getting another job........... 3 months out of work. Not even Swift will hire me.... It's like I have the trucker plage....

If you're think of Interstate for employment, I would think again...
Do you really want to work for a company, that dosent care about you, only of their money.....
I would hope not!

Please tell me that I am not the only one that this has happen to? And how do i find other job?.. Please tell me how?

 

Hey Windybear
It sucks being let go for just one accident, but what is worse is to be blackballed and not be able to drive for someone else. I am guessing you have to wait a year or so before anyone will hire you?
best wishes

 

Interstate is held in high regard, within the industry for their high standards. Even CEO's of other trucking firms, strive to develop their operations to the level of Interstate. I have see many postive articles about them in the trade magazines, over the past few years. (Even the ones that are not paid advertising, gotta watch that!!) wow, they are very strict.

 

If you have a preventable at IDC you are history. The accident review is a formality, just to get you to the terminal so they can put termination for preventable on your DAC. I have seen many drivers canned there for minor prevents, let alone anything major. I think their INS has somthing to do with it since these are not drivers with any history of accidents or bad performace I'm talking about, but vet driver with many years experiance.

I had my first minor prevent since getting my CDL in 91, driving over 800k miles without a accident. Even drove for more then a month after and told I would only be put on probation. Then my DM told me he was routing me in for a accident review. He told me it was just a formality and that I would be getting the hook, so I just quit instead, so I would not have to put termination on a job application.

I liked IDC and I have no bad will toward them. But drivers should be aware that if you drive for them, it's what have you done lately, not in the past that counts.

Driver did they give you any proof of damages they paid? I got none. I even had to get the police report myself. They told me I would of got one if I came to the review? I live 5 miles from their term and have mail service.

 

Buy the way I drive local now for $14 an hour and sell stuff on ebay while serving out my sentance. Depending on the company you won't get hired by any medium to major carrier for 1 to 3 years. If it was deemed a rollover plan on 3 to 5 years.

I am just now after 11 months, getting offers to come to orientations. I applied to JB for a Seattle to Hermiston run and took the road test and was set for a phyical. The next day they told me I need to drive somewere else for 6 months before they could hire me. I told them not to hold their breath waiting.

 

It doesnt matter who you drive for, if you get into an accident (major) your gonna lose your job.... Interstate, Swift, JB, it doesnt matter!!! Insurance issue's not company... As far as not getting paid, its usually the drivers fault for not doing the right thing (as mentioned in another post). But its easy for a driver to just blame payroll... Payroll has no benefit in holding your trip pay, they would rather pay you and get it over with then keep dealing with a problem or issue from months ago! Remember that companies have policies for you to abide by. Ive noticed alot of older (experienced) drivers switch to a company and bring there old habits and old attitudes along with them. That doesnt always work when you change carriers. Start a new company and try to learn there ways.