Really Bad Experience with CRST

Ok, so last July I went to Cedar Rapids, IA. to get training to drive a semi for CRST Van Expedited. For my DOT physical, I was told that because my neck was over 17 inches I had to go for a sleep study test and I had a total of 6 months to get this test completed. Otherwise i'd be disqualified from driving until said test was complete. It was company mandated policy not a DOT regulation for this sleep study to be done. it's also company policy that while taking this sleep study test you can not drive until the test is complete. If found to have something like sleep apnea, you have to use a cpap/bipap machine for a period of no less than 2 weeks and show that your using the machine for 4 hours a night 70% of the time and have an AHI of 5 or less. The company tells you to get a hold of your regular doctor to set up an appoint.

Ok, fast forward 3 months. I get a call about a close relative taking a turn for the worst. I make my way home ASAP on Sept 7th. While at home I chose to get this test done thinking it should take no more than maybe 2 weeks. I call the doctor up on the 10th. get in to see him a day or two later. Get a referral to the sleep study center at Trinity Medical center in Moline, IL. the soonest they could get me in to do the over night study was the 28th of Sept. So I call my dispatcher up and inform him of the news. He didn't like the idea that they couldn't set the appointment sooner as to get me back out on the road. how ever he understands that I had to take this test and I only had another 3 months to do it. How ever upon getting the results back to me about this test took 2 weeks. There was nothing i could do to make them go faster. so I finally get told around the 12th of Oct. that I have to come in again for a second test. The soonest they could get me in there was Oct. 19th. So I call up my dispatcher and inform him of this, once again not happy about them taking their time. so I go in on the 19th for the second test. Despite just learning 7 hours before hand my aunt had passed away in her sleep due to a diabetic coma. Once again it took a couple of weeks for them to get back to me the results of the second test. I find out around Nov. 3rd that they believe I have sleep apnea. So I call up my dispatcher to inform him of this news only to find out that my employee number has been removed from the computer system. He then tells me that I've been let go from CRST.

I spend the next few days going back and forth with the "Safety" department and "Driver Collections" about the 8 month contract I signed. It stated that I will work for them for a period of no less than 8 months in lieu of paying for my training at Kirkwood College in Cedar Rapids, IA. CRST's rehire department will rehire me on a drop of a hat. how ever the "safety" department won't allow me to be rehired unless I use a cpap/bipap machine for 2 weeks. Now this is where a "Catch 22" comes in. When CRST chose to fire me, my insurance was cut off. The thing is because I don't have the insurance nor the money to out right buy a cpap/bipap machine. They range between $200-$800 and that's not including the cost of the technician to adjust the machine for me. I'm left with no way of getting my job back out side of some very stupid luck. On top of that I'm on the hook for the cost of both sleep study tests which are $2,500 a piece.

So after a few days I go and file again for unemployment through Illinois. Everything was going fine for the next month or two. then come Jan. 13th, i get a call from the unemployment department claiming that CRST is saying that I had quit my job and that I was not fired. Funny given that I was told I was let go cause I had not been driving for 30 days. Because of CRST's claims Illinois was going to revoke my unemployment and I'm going to have to repay all of the over payed unemployment benefits. I have until Feb. 13th to file an appeal, which I've been typing up. Also I've been looking for a lawyer to see if I might have a case against CRST. One thing I believe should help me win the appeal, is the fact that I have my Sprint phone records from my bills. The phone records clearly show that I was both making and receiving calls from my dispatcher up though Oct. Now if i was to have quit like they claim, why did I go for a sleep study and continue to call and inform my dispatcher of what was going on? there is no logic in that.

A few weeks ago I get some help from a friend in the UK, he loaned me enough to get a cpap machine finally. trying to adjust to it has been a #####. because of the amount of time I've been off the road because of this I have to go n take a refresher course. I'm looking at returning to CRST if not for any other reason just because they are the closest to me and will provide the refresher course I need to have. How ever once I have my time in there I'm going to jump ship and get with a far better company to work for.

 

it's been said that sometimes you have to go through hell to get to heaven. . .

 

the only other company that would take me had a ripoff report of 5 pages long and right now my options are limited like hell. on top of that CRST seems more than willing to bring me back. I'm not sure if that's because I turned in at least 3 of their trainers for highly unsafe actions.

 

of the ones i've contacted none of which wanted me cause i'm still a rookie with only 2 months driving under his belt. If i had 2 years under my belt then yea i can have the pick of the litter of jobs. but being a rookie right now i'm limited and screwed on who will hire me right now. A side from being a "Snich", I still have 7 months left on my contract they want me to pay off one way or another.

As for being a Snich. I'm sorry but do you want to be with a co-driver who's more focused on texting on his cell phone, messing with his car grade GPS, or trying to fix his XM radio while driving. Then watching your co-driver attempt to engage in cooking with his slow cooker while driving. Then try to tell you about the inner workings of the quallcom while driving tell thing you that you can focus on both at the same time. All the while calling you a screw up and doing his best to chase you away from trucking cause you ########### him a few times. Or having a trainer tell you to cheat on your logbooks by logging your fuel stops as only 15 minutes. Or if your at the shipper you log it as 15 minutes then log the rest of the time in the sleeper birth even though your not in the sleeper birth but behind the wheel waiting for the shipper to give you the green light to pull in for your load.