Breakdown saga.

Been with sni since Oct 2012 when I got outta school. Overall I would say they are not a bad place for a noob to start. I found a new job pulling tanks for a company by where I live whom Id heard good things about. I left home last tuesday and put in my 2 week notice. Then things went downhill.

When I got to my truck I had the two yellow engine lights come on. This has happened before, usually after àn hour or maybe fresh fuel they go away. Anytime before if I call about check engine lights they say if I get through an operating center to have em check it out, so I didnt bother to call. I got loaded less than 10 miles away and headed out. It became quickly apparent that something was wrong cause now with 40k in the box , I had hardly any power. Even compared to the sni standard. I was looking at the sunviser that says what different lights mean. 1 yellow light means the motor isnt right but you are good to keep driving. The second yellow light means its a DEF issue, but you are still ok to keep driving. Was loosing more power on each hill it seemed, then I noticed the DEF light on the fuel guage was flashing. I figured I had better stop. Pulled to the shoulder half way up a hardly used exit ramp, a grnd total of 40 miles from home.

Called the crack team at Schneider maintenance. She had me read off my active faults, there were 4, and they all pertained to the DEF system. Then she tells me it will be 2 1/2 hrs before they start a work order and someone will get ahold of me. I was worried about messing up the truck, so I shut it off and listened to the radio about 20 minutes till the low voltage beep went off. After 3 1/2 hours of sitting there with no word, I decided to callthem back. Another gal said she was sorry for the delay but they were busy and I should here from them soon.

5 hours after I broke down I get a call back. The ask if it still runs and if I can drive it back to Omaha. My response was its your truck, if you want me to drive it I will. He says to so I fire the truck up and start putting my boots back on while this guy tells me where to go and to go straight there to avoid being derated. Before hes done talking, the red check engine light comes on along with the rest. The red one means find a safe place and shut down right now. I tell him this and he says he will call for a tow. 5 hrs after I call finally a towtruck is coming!

Within 15 minutes the company my company calls to call a tow company, calls me to say it will be an hour or so before the truck is there. 2 hours later they call to see if the truck is there, no its not. They say they will call back. A half hour later they call and say the towcompany cant even say they can tell me when the truck will be there. an hour later the truck showes up. Says he got 2 calls at the same time, I was the lucky one who got to be second. 9 hours after I call Im on a tow truck, getting ready to head for the shop.

to be continued....

 

So we get to the shop, a freightliner dealership in Omaha. I go in and talk to the fellow and he says 10 trucks had pulled in that night. Luckily, I was close enough to home I was towed back to my hometown. And the tow truck driver was nice enough to give me a ride home. The next day I call my dispatcher who had no idea what happened. I guess between the maintenance dept, and the night shift dispatchers who I called to relay my load, it never got back to him. The next couple days whenever I call the shop, they havent looked at it yet. Finally on friday the tell me I need a new wiring harness for the def system cause the old one is all coroded. My dispatcher calls and says the shop told them I would be good to go after 10 am saturday. I cautioned him that before when I had work done there the first guess they give didnt mean much. He says they wont put anything on me until I call and say the truck is done and Im ready to roll.

So saturday morning I call the shop. He says my parts where "miss shipped" and wont be here till monday. Well monday was MLK day, I didnt even bother to call. Today is tuesday. One week after I broke down. When I gave my notice I said thursday would be my last day. They want the truck dropped in Des Moines which is about 2 hrs from here. I realize I dont really have a choice about that, and its fine.

So I call the shop today. He says he believes he has all my parts and I should get the truck tomorrow. Sounds promising doesnt it? I call my dispatcher, he says they put a load on my saturday he has to remove. Then he says I will likely just get a load from here to relay in Des Moines, and they will "work out" getting me home from there. I asked him about breakdown pay. He says SINCE YOU HAVE BEEN HOME, SCHNEIDER DOES NOT PAY BREAKDOWN. Wtf you mean? So I got a check coming for like 8 bucks friday? I said I guess I should have made you pay for a hotel room for me, he laughs and says "I guess so." I wasnt trying to be funny..

So I guess i got a final F U from schneider on my way out the door. Wonder how this will end up. Guess it depends on when my truck is actually done.. But it has been a rather crappy experience this last week.

 

Not since I got towed back to where I live and have been staying at home.

 

I guess its a good thing Im sitting at home vs in the middle of nowhere. Aside from the fact it took em such a rediculous amount of time to get me off the road, the fact I get no breakdown pay is what burns me the most. Just a real unclassy move imho. Hopefully, the company I start with monday is somewhere I will stay a good long while.