My new adventure with Gordon Trucking

Picture says a lot really. Things have been moving along at a fast pace starting with the maintenance department as I have said before. They have been getting ultra-picky ever since the buyout. I understand that things need to be done, but a lot of this is done to the detriment of the driver. After all, who can really afford to sit for 5 days for something minor they found during a service???? During my time at GTI put my truck in for service or repairs once BEFORE the buyout and TWICE after. The first time it was ready on the day of my return with no problems. The second and third everyone here knows, as well as Joseph and others adventures on here. I understand the need for maintenance etc etc etc, but this obsession they have with getting there CSA score to levels where it actually affects the driver for several days....

Incidentally, I expect that all new "GTI" trucks will start to get the Heartland logos on them pretty soon.

 

Good luck chowick... we are all family now and members of an elite group...

new thread idea... ex/gti family members...

 

I think Victor already covered that LOL.

 

As I have said before, I have made no secret that I am a Heartland person.

Wanted to jump in here to make a couple points.

I would not just assume that things will go downhill with GTI or with Heartland, that would be a bad assumption. The fact is that people are looking at all aspects of how to make the two companies better than they were before. We are looking at the best of each company and taking the best from GTI and the best from Heartland to build a better overall company. I'm sure you will see many positive changes, some that you love, and you may see some changes you don't necessarily agree with. One change that is taking place right now is that Gordon is in the process of purchasing 1,000 brand new trailers for GTI and trading out/retiring some of the older trailers off the road.

Also don't assume that everything will just have the Heartland logo. There is much pride in the Gordon Trucking name and blue just as there is in the Heartland logo and colors for Heartland drivers. Leadership is paying attention to this and wants to maintain the tradition that has been built with Gordon Trucking. Yes there are a few blue daycabs in Florida with Heartland logo on them, doesn't mean that will be the direction, it likely won't be.

It was mentioned that the shops are getting more picky about taking care of equipment. I'm not so sure that is actually a change from before as GTI has always been better than many carriers at maintaining equipment. The only carrier that has better CSA scores than GTI, is Heartland. And GTI drivers have serious pride in their trucks as most that we see are immacculate. Yes it might take a little longer to fix some issues in the shop (they're not all necessarily minor issues), but you have to deal with issues on the equipment sooner or later or you will pay the price out on the road. That doesn't mean that anyone wants to see a driver get stuck for a long period of time in the shop.

Tow, I am disappointed to see that you left. I'll be interested to hear how your new place continues to go for you, and wish you luck. Joseph, I really hope you stick around. Not every day will be perfect, for sure.

 

It's not just the fact of the maintenance getting done that bothers me, it's the balance to the point where the maintenance matters more than the drivers. You cannot make money sitting around in a motel for 5-6 days when you take your truck in for maintenance. This HAS specifically in my experience taken a rapid downturn since the buyout which I have documented in previous posts. Eventually EVERYTHING will have the Heartland logo otherwise what is the point of Heartland buying GTI? They certainly did not buy them to keep it a separate identity. Back to the maintenance again.... the length of time spent in inspection lanes that I have heard from Heartland drivers is nuts. Again, shows more interest in CSA scores than anything.

I am not prepared to sit and wait for 4 days plus for routine maintenance when it should really take no longer than a couple of days, and is really a separate issue from the inspection lane issues. Which is one of the reasons I left.

I did not leave because of lack of miles issues - I was getting good runs (when actually on the road) and was starting to develop a good working relationship with my DM. Another reason I decided to leave was the lack of any kind of assurance that Heartland were actually going to do anything with the reefer fleet, especially updating the already aging fleet. I am of the opinion that they either will just keep things the way they are or shed the reefer division completely (JUST my opinion by the way...).

I have said before that if I wanted to work for Heartland then I would have applied to work for them, they have never been on my radar to join and still are not. I would NEVER denegrate anybodys choice to go there and stay there, a trucking company is a very personal thing and what works for one may not work for another. I know how I am and Heartland would not have worked for me. I wish anyone luck that decides to stay.

 

Routine maintenance taking days is not the plan. Not at Heartland and not at GTI. I can assure you of that, and have the data to back it up. You will have the occassional bad situations which are reflective of the problems with today's govt mandated truck technology more than anything and isn't the fault of the company. Sorry it happened to you. What exactly was wrong with your truck anyway?

 

Yes TC is sticking around. They are seeing opportunities to grow the refrigerated business with the combined customer base.