Hornady Transportation. Birmingham Alabama.

Discussion in 'Motor Carrier Questions - The Inside Scoop' started by Kibblesnbits, Mar 9, 2013.

  1. Kibblesnbits

    Kibblesnbits Bobtail Member

    43
    16
    Feb 21, 2012
    0
    Alright everyone, I haven't seen anything current about hornady. So I will describe how everything is as best as I can.


    I been driving van for 8 months and decided I'd love to give flatbed a try. I heard someone mention hornady transportation to me so I gave them a call. After one day I was on the bus heading towards Alabama. The recruiter was very nice and patient. She told me my pay was going to be 38 cents deadhead and 40 cents loaded. So, there isn't tarp pay, just 2 cents more per mile loaded. Orientation pay is 325 dollars and pay with a trainer is 425.

    Home time is everyweekend for where I live. Which is Kentucky. Trucks are governed at 63, and they have internationals 9200 and a few prostars aswel as kenworths. Orientation would be 1 week with 2-4 weeks with a trainer.

    everything sounded great. I arrived at Birmingham Alabama on a Sunday, they got me a cab which took me to my hotel room. Have to be down in the lobby by 6am, the hotel provides breakfast.

    Day1: as I said I had to be down in the lobby by 6am. I ate some waffles and what not. They brought a van and picked us up. We spend the day doing drug tests, physical, road test. and paperwork. There was 3 new hires and one rehire. Everyone there was friendly and willing to help you anyway they could. The was pretty much the first day. Lunch and dinner was on your own. So make sure you bring enough cash, although they do give you a 40 dollar advance. You get on Tuesday.



    Day2: they left the van with us so we all met in the lobby every morning at 6am. Day 2 is pretty much like day one, watch videos and do more paper work, also go over logs and have log homework. They are on paper logs so no e logs at all.


    Day3: on wed, one of the new hires left. We figured out he though he shouldn't have to go out with a trainer because he did flatbed back in the 90's. we went over load securment all day. They cram it in you. Pay attention because you can lose a load before you know it.

    Day4: we were out on the yard the entire day doin load Securement. The teachers were very informative and patient.

    day5: we pretty much just watched videos and was released by noon. I was told for doing a great job I would not have to stay out for 4 weeks, just 2. I was very pleased with myself. I just had to wait for my trainer to show up. So I was proactive and went with an extended training person for local runs. I came back to the yard and my trainer picked me up



    alright.. This is where it goes bad.. Now, everything my recruiter told me was true. Everyone was nice and friendly. A real family atmosphere. My trainer has been ruining this for me..


    i get with my trainer on Friday and I drive to a truck stop near his home so he may take the weekend off while I stay In the truck. Fine with me until I discovered that the truck stop was a just a gas station with truck parking. No showers or laundry.

    it was fine though that's just how it is sometimes. My trainer came back Sunday night. And we left. Everything was great. He answered all my questions and complimented me on my driving. Well he has a prostar, when its time to shift the truck has a little green light on the dash that comes on. We found this funny and started making fun of it. I pulled over at a rest area to do a load check and he wanted to drive a little. Ok great. Well the green light came on for him to shift and I jokingly said " hey man time to shift haha" well that was a mistake. He proceeded to go off on me.. I mean just cussin and hollerin at me like I was just a pile of dirt. He said things along the lines of dont disrespect me and I'll take your ### back to Birmingham and all kinds of nonsense. I'd typed it all out but y'all wouldn't be able to understand any of it for the amount of cuss words he used..


    During the times he yelled and cussed at me I never said anything back. Reason bein, I don't want to have to redo training or maybe get fired. He also would always apologize and tell me he wont do it again.. yea right..


    incident 2: as a lot if people know.. You have to sleep on the top bunk. Well it gets hot up there. The heat rises to the top. I'm warm blooded, so it's even hotter for me. I slept miserable for 2 nights and finally asked him on the third night if he could cut the heat down. He did but it blew every ten mins instead of 5 mins.. So once again I hardly slept.
    The next night he went into the truck stop and I went down and turned the ac on the APu. So I could hopefully fall asleep comfortably. I didn't turn the ac on wide open, just enough to keep it comfortable. I woke up the next morning. He started talking normal to me like nothing's wrong. All of the sudden he started cussin and yelling and blowing up on me. Telling me I have no respect for him or his truck and I'm about to get on his bad side and I won't like his bad side. He told me if I ever touch his ac again that there would be an ### whoopin and it ain't gonna be me getting the ### whooped. And continued to yell at me for another 5 mins.. Now mind you I didn't mean to upset him by using the ac not at all..

    imcident 3: we were about to go up eagle mountain. And of course go down it. He asked me if I ever been. I told him, well I ain't sure, I may have. We got to the top of the mountain and there's a gas station and a McDonald's there which made me realize I had been through here a couple times. So, I said oh yea I been up through here. Before I got done finishing my sentence, he blew up on me again. Telling me "I don't give a ##, I been here a million times and you ain't got nothing on me. You act like you know more then me and I'll just take you back to Birmingham, go ahead and try to do something about it! I dare you too". ... Now again, there are a bunch of cuss words thrown in there. And a lot more stuff he said. But it's pretty much that..

    now this guy always talks about how good of a driver I am and that I'm ready for a truck and what not. So he has got me done with training in just a week. Instead of 2.

    incident4: we were on our way to cmc a steel mill. He told me to take a right at the light and get in the far lane. So I made a right at the light and asked now which lane? " the far one" it looked like he was pointing at the right lane so I got into it. ... He yelled at me. Cussed me out... "I fcking told you to get in the far lane. Wtf is your gd problem. Blah blah blah blah"
    I kept trying to tell him I thought you were pointing at the right lane and that I was sorry..


    incident5: well we got into cmc and I parked the truck where he told me too because I was getting upset about him yellling and cussing at me and telling me to swing at him while I'm driving a 18wheeler in the city. He said look I'm sorry, want me to drive to show you around cmc. And I said yes please, this place is huge. So he did. Well, there was a couple people working the gate, and made my trainer go the wrong way. Well it pissed my trainer off so he started cussing at me. Sayin "you should be the one driving and you just ain't interested anymore now that you know your getting a truck soon. All I gotta do is make one phone call and fix this ####!" ..... What bugs me is I WASN'T EVEN DOIN OR SAYIN ANYTHING THIS Time!!! I'm getting so aggravated I can't stand it!! If I didn't need this job Id leave and not take this crap anymore!

    he got out of the truck and started talking to his sister. For about an hour, he came back and said " hey I'm sorry, I won't be hollerin or cussin at you anymore, my sister said a prayer for me to be better, I got god on my side now.

    ......incident 6: .... The next day we got a load going to this place called Armstrong. We were there on wed and we had to go back on the Friday. He asked me if I remember how to get there. I said is that the place were the loads are preloaded and kinda strapped and tarped already?
    He cut me off then and starting once again to yell and cuss at me. Some of the things he said was " are you fkin stupid or something, listen to me! All I asked you was if you knew how to get there... You wanna hit me don't you? Do you wanna swing at me? Here I'll let you have to first hit" .. he put his cheek up to my face and told me to hit him "I guarantee it won't be the last hit either!!" I actually talked back and said" I ain't gonna fight you man!" He then said "I know you ain't"!!!

    .. I just couldn't take it anymore.. I'm tired of bein yelled at and cussed at and scared to even talk! So I kinda broke down and started yelling back. I told him to leave me alone! Why you always gotta yell at me! Especially when in driving a semi truck! He saw how upset I was and pissed off he left me alone. Told me again that he can't believe he did that to me and was sorry. Told me he will never do it again and promised to god. I said we'll how many times you gonna be sorry.. Seriously.

    Everyone of these incidents are bigger then what I typed. Just no body would be able to understand any of it because of the amount of cussing.. It's Saturday now. I should get my truck Monday. But if I don't get it in time I have to go back out with him on Monday for a day. But I just don't think I can take another day of this.. I was so happy when he left for home. And left me here at the yard with the truck..

    Anyways, this is my experience so far...
     
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. bigjoel

    bigjoel Road Train Member

    1,573
    1,833
    Jan 20, 2011
    Houston, Tx
    0
    Wow! You got lots more patience than I would of had. This guy sounds like he is mentally ill. Don't go back out with him. He might get you hurt or killed. Report him to the company!
     
    Kibblesnbits Thanks this.
  4. Kibblesnbits

    Kibblesnbits Bobtail Member

    43
    16
    Feb 21, 2012
    0
    I just need this job so I haven't told or said anything to anyone. But as soon as I'm done and have my truck, I will be making a complain to HR
     
  5. Drifter42

    Drifter42 Hopper Heartache

    2,141
    3,838
    Dec 4, 2011
    Seymour IN
    0
    You are a heck of a better man than me. At the very least, report this clown. I know two wrongs don't make a right, but I don't take to cussins to well. If I did wrong fine, but there is no need for all the yelling and carrying on. We are supposed to be professionals out here and someone that is a trainer should take professionalism up another notch. I have trained a few drivers, not driving a truck, but how to unload pneumatic tanks and if they did something wrong, I would just show them the right way in a nice calm manner. That trainer should not be training drivers and maybe not even driving at all. Where do these companies find these morons? Good luck and I hope you are done with him.
     
    Kibblesnbits Thanks this.
  6. Cman301

    Cman301 Light Load Member

    284
    211
    Feb 26, 2013
    Maryland
    0
    If this is an example of who they pick to train drivers new to the company I am Not sure I would work for them! this is probably not the first time this has happened, you need to try to record him when he has 1 of these outbursts. I know that you probably I need the job, but some crap is not worth putting up with!
     
    antoinefinch and Kibblesnbits Thank this.
  7. Kibblesnbits

    Kibblesnbits Bobtail Member

    43
    16
    Feb 21, 2012
    0
    The financial situation that I'm in right now, is the only reason why I'm takin it.. And I'm his first student. I asked one of my friends from orientation how he's doin and he told me he's having a lot better experience then me..
     
  8. Cman301

    Cman301 Light Load Member

    284
    211
    Feb 26, 2013
    Maryland
    0
    Yeah that guy must have some issues,but still no reason to act like that! he sounds like some of those jerks at food warehouses! I can say With pride I have been kicked out of most of the food warehouses on the East Coast because I would not take their crap!
     
  9. Kibblesnbits

    Kibblesnbits Bobtail Member

    43
    16
    Feb 21, 2012
    0
    And no one should have to take that crap. But sometime should just gotta...
     
  10. Drifter42

    Drifter42 Hopper Heartache

    2,141
    3,838
    Dec 4, 2011
    Seymour IN
    0
    I understand that for sure..Sometimes ya gotta take a lot, but that guy does not need to be training. Are you done training?
     
  11. Jakaby

    Jakaby Medium Load Member

    428
    557
    Mar 25, 2012
    Grenada, Mississippi
    0
    I agree with everyone on here that says you are the better man for biting your lip and trying to get through it the best way you can. That being said, however, I would have been in jail right now. The first time he threw his chin at me and said to "give it my best shot" I would have hit him with the first piece of iron I could find, be it a binder, chain, or cheater pipe. Next time he says he has god on his side, tell him Jesus never cussed out any of the disciples about passing the bread at the last supper.

    Plain and simple, this ###-clown is a bully. The only way to get a bully to change his ways is either beat the piss out of him in front of people who will point and laugh afterwards, or tell someone at the company who will threaten him with his job. First and foremost, he's a liability to the company and I guarantee you that Hornady will make it right. Getting technical about it, the department of labor considers something like is a "hostile work environment" and Hornady knows that you can get a tv lawyer to make it right if they don't. Don't let it go on. Do something about it so he doesn't do it to someone else.
     
    antoinefinch Thanks this.
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.