Hammer Down Haulin', Huntingburg, IN.

I just quit a place called 'Hammer Down Haulin' in Huntingburg, IN.

Expect to falsify logs,
I often ran 20 and 24 hour days mostly because of lack of planning on the part of the dispatchers/owners.

Expect to run 100/200/300 miles (unpaid) between outbound drop and back haul loading.

Expect to run 100/200/300 miles home empty, which you don't get paid for.

Expect back hauls to pay very little.
They wait until the last minute,
Take double and triple brokered loads, so they pay nothing.

Expect to run 1 or 2 hours for free, often in the wrong direction, picking up the outbound loads, delivering empty trailers for no pay, ect.

Expect to NEVER get the delivery sheets with appointment times and never to have a working contact number on the BOL.

I worked there 9 months and never ONCE got a delivery sheet!

No insurance, No retirement, No benefits of any kind.
Base pay started at 32¢, and you can expect their version of 'Practical Route' miles to be at least 10% to 15% short on every run.

If you lease on, you can expect slow payment,
To get gouged for EVERYTHING,
They will not pay scales, tolls, lumpers or any other expense involved with their loads.

Besides broker fees, they gouge for trailer rental, even when it's their loads outbound,
And if you get your own backhauls (so you don't have to drive 300 miles empty and backhaul for 85¢ a mile)
You can expect them to gouge you every way possible.

Just trying to help people not make my mistake!

 

Five Years without a single ticket of any kind, and I got an overweight ticket in VA. because the company wouldn't pay for a $7 scale ticket on the shipper's sight...
Assured me the load wouldn't be over gross.
I couldn't pay the cash out of my pocket, the shipper wouldn't accept cash after hours, the cost of the weight ticket had to be charged to the broker's account or I had to wait all weekend for the office to open on Monday, so I ran with the load.

The scales were open and I got popped.
The overweight was SUPPOSED to be charged back to the company... I haven't checked my MVR (Motor Vehicle Record) yet to see if it showed up or not, but I'm sure if it does, they won't do a darn thing about it...

Shouldn't have listened and stayed the weekend in to weigh the truck before I left...

Another ticket for log book violation since I couldn't show the DOT officer the last three days of logs or I would have went to jail for falsifying log books.
Just too tired to remember which logs to show the cop when he pulled me over, so I didn't show him any and took a ticket and 10 hours out of service.

The company wouldn't even pay the $119.50 ticket after I saved their butts.

Got sent out for 20 hour and 24 hour days after that, and I'd just had enough...

And no, I don't do drugs of any kind, if the doctor doesn't prescribe it, I don't take it...
(and sometimes don't take it even if the doctor orders it!)

I'm former military, have just under 1.5 million miles under my belt...
Never failed a drug screen since '79 when the military started testing it's troops,
Never had a chargeable accident,
Had NOT had a ticket in 5 years before I started with this company...

Also,
They liked to send me out right into the teeth of oncoming winter storms.
I drove right into 6 of the 7 major ice/snow storms this winter.
Kept sending me east into the snow/ice when they KNEW there was storms on the way and the receiver wasn't going to unload.

Most of the winter storm loads were LATE leaving the factories because the workers had a hard time getting to work,
And the suppliers had a hard time getting raw materials to the factories!

One trip I remember quite well was a delivery in Huston, TX,
On the job site about 8:00AM, Tues. 23-Nov-2010
Done around 1:00 PM,
Run over to DeRitter, LA. to reload, got there just in time to load around 5:00 PM, and sent DIRECTLY to Cincinnati, OH. to unload
Then on the day before Thanksgiving (Busiest traffic day of the year and running in the rain, police EVERYWHERE)
To deliver before 3:00PM local time on Wed. 24-Nov-2010...

I made it, Then I was told I needed to bring the trailer in RIGHT AWAY since they needed it...
Add another 5 hours to the trip to get home, and the trailer set on the lot for 5 days!

As far as giving up my truck number, not going to do that.
Perspective employers might see this site, and I don't want to limit my employment opportunities.

Moral of the story,
Even if you are a farm boy that grew up in a trucking family, Have years of experience,
And will 'Ride For The Brand' once you hire on, do just about anything to get the load there on time,

You CAN get talked into working for companies that just beat you to death. Promise anything to get you into a truck, then just keep giving you lip service when you ask about the pay, benefits, ect. while they beat you to death...

Get it in WRITING,
Don't let them stall Raises, Benefits, ect.
There are jobs out there, and I was looking for a job when I found this one!

 

Had the money, wasn't an issue.

No one at the load point to TAKE THE MONEY after hours.

Trucks loaded until 6:00 PM, Office folks went home at 4:00 PM.
No place to use a credit card, debit card, change out of the bunk, ect...
Set the weekend in a loaded truck until office opened on Monday or take the load which I was ASSURED was legal...
Turns out, there were 4 extra skids on the truck that weren't supposed to be there.

The receiver was happy about getting the extra material for free, but the company got an overweight and I haven't checked yet, but I'm sure it wound up on my MVR also.

Just too tired sometimes...
Anyway, I've remedied the situation, I'm looking for a company that will appreciate a driver that has several years as a truck mechanic, driver, operation manager, ect.

I will bust my butt for a company.
I never leave a truck in the field if I can possibly get it fixed,
I've changed water pumps, fuel pumps, air compressors, ect. in the field,
I've rented a taxi to get to a parts store where they weren't going to charge me $1,200 for an alternator,
I carry a pretty complete tool kit when I run so I can take care of the 'Simple/Expensive' things on the road.

At 50 years old, I'm not looking to buy another truck,
And I'm not wanting the hassles of taxes, plates, insurance, ect.
I just want a company that will put a 'Good Driver' to use without trying to bend him over and stick it where the sun doesn't shine!
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Trucker_101,
What is the site address for those FMCSR reports?
That would be REAL HANDY for me to assess future companies!