National Food Corp - Everett, WA.

I don't like contradicting people under these circumstances, but a quick check of your claims through the SaferSystem database doesn't seem to support all that you state. I think it's important that all claims be as accurate as possible, and perhaps you can clear up what may not be evident.

You offer:

Looking at the statistics, out of 198 drivers inspected, and taking into consideration that they run a total of 42 trucks, only ONE driver has been placed out-of-service for a log book violation in the past two years.

That doesn't wash with a company that would push their drivers beyond the limits allowed.

You also offer:

According to the stats, this carrier hasn't had ANY accident where an injury occured, again within the past two years. They've only been involved in 8 accidents where vehicles had to be towed from the scene. That's it.

Their ISS-2 stands at 40. That's pretty dang good. A carrier that would be inspected at a rate of 4.5 times for every truck, who is pushing drivers to violate the rules, would not keep these kind of statistics very long at all.

I don't want to discourage anyone from offering a report on a company, but please....keep the reports accurate. It is entirely possible that they treat drivers like dirt, but the other evidence that you offer is not substantiated by the safety statistics kept on record. Therefore, I have to question the entire report.

 

Turbo Driver,
I know for a fact that freightshaker is telling the truth. You see I'm the driver in which one of his statements refers to, I'm the driver that was hit by a drunk driver. I dont know where this "safer" system gets there information but I have had 2 neck surgeries, (one of which was to put a plate in my neck with screws.

Secondly as you say in your statement they have 198 drivers that were inspected, and 48 trucks? what does that tell you? I would guess thats a pretty good indicator that something is NOT right and they cant keep drivers.

As for the driver of the truck that turned over, I had heard about this but didint know the driver personally, But I did see pictures of the accident so I also know that it happend.

As for log Book's, I was there and I know how they do it, They are a local company that runs from Everett as far as mid oregon, They will have you drive and unload at the warehouse move trailers,Make runs to the Marysville farm, you may not get off work for sometime after after finishing you deliverys. They want you to fudge your log books, if you get off work at 5 pm they will expect you back at 11pm that night to run another day, Your right the scales dont know whats going on because your hardly givin the same truck night after night.

As for the medical Ins, I think freight must have worked there over a year ago, BECAUSE they have changed that its NOW 90 days. However all the disadvantages of that company wont out weigh the change.

Now as for me, I was hit by a drunk driver (not my fault of course), This Compnay has so much forgot me, They have screwd me out of about 4000.00 that was owed me, and has left my family and I in the cold. I guess they figure that I cant drive for them at the moment so maybe they can get one of those other 198 drivers to come back to them.

I would agree with freight, stay away for National Food!

 

If this is true, then I'm sure that you will have no problem relating to me the date and location of the accident, so that I can cross reference this to the appropriate accident listed with the FMCSA.

Forgive me for being so inquisitive and dubious, but what kind of injury would require that a "plate" be inserted anywhere in the neck region? Plates are not something that would replace any bone structure in that region of the body. I've never heard of such a thing.

What it tells me, is that the State of Washington has targeted that company for an extremely high amount of inspections in the past two years, considering the number of trucks that they have, and they have passed them in all but a few RARE occasions. Only one driver was found to be in violation of an hours-of-service offense that required them to shut down the truck in TWO years. This undisputable record is not indicative of a company that is running their drivers ragged.

Truck assignment has little to do with this issue. 198 times in the past 24 months, a National Foods truck was pulled in for a random check, and in all but one of those times, the driver was found to be driving legally. Now, I find it completely strange that at a rate of four and a half inspections of every truck they have, that if the drivers were being used in the manner that you claim, that this would not somehow be evident by drivers being caught. They obviously were targeted at a higher rate, but nothing came of it.

I suspect that revenge is behind the posts offered by you and "Freighshakker", for some reason, but the stated reasons are not substantiated at this point with other evidence that can be used to collaborate it. At any rate, I think I'll give them a call on Monday to gauge their reaction to these charges.

The 198 driver figure is not representative of a thing but how many times one of their trucks was inspected. Each driver they have could have been inspected four times or more. A driver might have been inspected once per week, each week, for the past two years. Some may have never been inspected.

Can you please answer another question for me? Why are you and "Freightshakker" posting from the same IP address?

 

As i figured Now you are AN ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON, A PLATE IN THE NECK IS JUST THAT, it does fit into the bone structure it has 4 screws that holds the veterabrae in place C-5/6 its called a cervicle fusion, Now as for my ip address matching freighshakkers, he is my nephew and when he is home off the road he uses my computer.

Frankly i have to ask you a question since you have so much time on this forum? What do you do for a living? You cannot be a driver or you seem to not get any miles? Are you these kinds that sits on your computer and try's to contridict people with unfounded accusations or thinks he knows it all?

Frankly i know Dan put this story up here because he has seen all that I have been threw my family has been threw alot of turmoil for an accident that was not my fault, For the record my accident was 11/9/2003 On I-5 in Lynnwood washington @ approx 12.15 am The women that hit me was arrested and convicted, The driver that rolled his truck was after that (date unknown)
on Inst 90 west bound

Frankly I dont know what your problem is turbo trucker, This forum is for "DRIVERS" to tell about there exp with a company and thats what was done, I dont need to be called a liar, I have seen approx 8 doctors, (including my companys Dr's) I dont need to explain anything to you. Something teels me you have nothing better to do in your life. Theres no need to respond to me because i will ignore your statements, BUT PLease do not become a dr. You seem to think you know all that you are talking about and its apparent that you DONT/ or maybe you do and the 3 surgeons that did my surgery didint know what they were doing. I DONT think so.

 

I humbly offer my apology. I checked up on this, and found that plates ARE often used to hold the cervical spine in place after a fusion operation has been performed.

Thank you for explaining this.

Sir, I absolutely am a driver, and I have been for more than two decades. If you will do a little checking, you will notice that all of my posts are offered over two to an occasional three day consecutive period, usually on the weekends. I work an average of five days on the road each week.

No...I am not one of "those kind of people that sits on the computer to try to contradict people with unfounded accusations" at all. I do think that honesty and integrity is important, and because of the way this particular report was offered, I do have some doubts, but let's proceed with the rest of your post to see if they become any clearer.

That's a perfectly legitimate explanation for the same IP address being in evidence.

Here's the thing. There is absolutely no record of this accident, neither through the FMCSA, nor the archives of several sources in the Seattle area that I have used to search for a reference to it. If you were injured, and your claim is that you were...severly...there would be no way that the FMCSA would not have a record of it.

If your date is correct, it is well within the previous 30 month accident reporting data that is kept on file for every motor carrier. It is a requirement that all accidents that involve death, injury, or where a vehicle is towed from the scene, and where a commercial vehicle is involved, MUST be reported to the FMCSA by BOTH the motor carrier, and the investigating law enforcement body at the scene.

From my viewpoint, it would be practically impossible for this to have escaped the clutches of the FMCSA. Added to the fact that there is nothing of reference to it elsewhere, I have to renew my doubts about the claim.

That is absolutely true, and while it may be shown in the end that I am competely off base, I have a responsibility to protect the site from malicious intent and misuse by those that are seeking revenge for the WRONG reasons and under false pretenses.

I have a keen sense for knowing that something isn't right, and as you have offered in this post that I am responding to, the report WAS NOT offered initially on the up-an-up. The posts offered by both of you were written as if you did not know each other, and when I discover "two" people that are posting from a same location, my antenna's go up. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is.

No....you sure don't. But before you decide that I am not on your side in this thing, you might want to explore the site for a little idea of where I stand on trucking issues, and why I devote a great deal of my off time to this site. I do not defend many companies out here. I have nothing but bile in my stomach for the way that trucking companies in general, use and abuse drivers.

There are times though, when I have to call a spade a spade. If something appears to be a sham, or a misrepresentation of the facts, then I will call a person on what they are offering and it is completely up to them if they want to clarify the issue or not. This is not the first time I have done it, and it likely will not be the last. I don't like doing it either.

That's completely up to you. If it were not for the fact that I am committed to changing the way drivers are treated in this industry, you might be right. I might have better and more selfish things to do with my spare time. As it is presently, I can't think of any. I know the good that has come from my efforts, even if some have no knowledge of it. I seek no glory or praise. I've been abused like many others. I simply want to help others avoid the same thing if I can.

I questioned the statement because I had not heard of putting a plate in the cervical region of the body. I do have several members of my family that are in the medical field, and I have TWO personal relatives who have had severe spinal injuries, so while I was totally ignorant of this fact, it was a legitimate question, and one that I confirmed for myself a little too late. I stand corrected, and I again offer my apology for being incorrect.

 

Then list the doctors. You may feel you do not feel you need to explain anything to Turbo Trucker but if you have the need you will bring it out to the open here..

In fact you can list the eight doctors now....

What do you do for a living? What I see from you is nothing but hatred...

 

I'd just be a bit more comfortable with his assertions if I could find anything that would substantiate what was written above, like all the pushing of the drivers beyond limits, firing for accidents, and of course being fired for resisting taking a run because of fatigue.

I'd also be satisfied with something that proves there was an accident where he said it was, and with injuries.

These are serious charges, and as I've pointed out, the safety numbers of the company don't support those kind of charges, and it would be an extremely rare thing that they wouldn't, ESPECIALLY given the fact that they have been detained at the scales so often.

I have a friend in Washington State, who happens to work at one of the scales. We have conversed by e-mail for a few years now. I've never met the guy, but he has filled me in on things in general that are going on in that neck of the woods, and one thing he has told me, is that they are tough on companies that skirt the rules, and this I also know to be true, because I used to run from Atlanta to Washington State a few years back. I never played around in that state. As much as I'd like to, I can't ask him about this particular subject, because any response he gave to me would be revealing confidential information under Washington State law. He likes his job.

Well...If he is telling the truth, then I can understand his outrage. No one likes to be called a liar, even if they are lying. I don't want to be right on this one. I'd rather be shown to be totally off base, and incorrect in my suspicions. I'll certainly eat some crow pie if I am.

I went back through the accident data, and did find something interesting. On 5/05/04, 8/19/04, and 9/28/04, three of their trucks were involved in ONE vehicle accidents. All three drivers received a citation. The reports do not offer details as to what happened, but the charge of drivers turning trucks over may well be true.

Also, on 4/03/05, two of their trucks collided with each other, and were the only vehicles involved. It's easy to assume that one of them hit the other in the rear. One of those drivers was cited.

Another weird tidbit of information, is that just about all the reports listed a different address for the carrier, and in three different states. So...this had me going to check their authority history, and there isn't any evidence that they are changing names or anything, because they have had consistent authority under that name for sixteen years. I suspect that they have been using out of state addresses in order to obtain cheaper IRP plates, and/or to save on various taxes that are assessed businesses.

 

Im sorry, and your right I em very angry, YES im a driver or was a driver before this accident happend, The Dr's say I may never drive again (because of the lifting involved) This entire report to trucker was to show drivers that upon my accident in Nov 2003 Natl food has disregarded me as a human being. and all statements are MY opinion.

I dont know why it doesnt show on the FMCSA records, My only guess would be because nobody knew i had such a serious injury, I was only feeling "minor neck pain" the night of the accident, The next couple days following the accident it got worse.

I can assure you my claim of an accident is VALID, My other statements may be bias against the company and if so I aplogize to you and everyone else, I thought this company cared about me and they dont. Im like you Turbo I love driving truck, and the thought of not being able to do it again has left me angry. What angers me more is that i had no fault in all this I wasent cited for anything. I was DOT drug and alcohol tested the morning of this accident by ER personal.

Now Im not going to list my doctors, as i feel its not right to post thier names on here, But over the last 2 years almost i have seen The E.R the everett clinic, a nerosurgeon In Everett that did my first surgery, I had an Independant medical exam before the first surgery, I then moved to texas because MY 13 year old daught was a victim of a child rape, an d my wife wanted to get her away from everett.

In texas I have seen 2 seperate ortho surgeons and a Panel of Independant medical examainers, All have concurred that I was in need of this plate thing in my neck.

I didnt or my intention was NOT to bad mouth National food, They have disregarded me as a human being however, If drivers want to drive for them go for it. But remember if something happens to you (at least with my exp) they are not going to stand behind you.

 

Unfortunately, most companies will dump an employee who is hurt on the job, as soon as they possibly can. It's not limited to trucking either. My mother had worked for a major insurance provider, of get this...disability insurance, for over 20 years when a chair broke, sending her reeling backwards. Long story short, she now has 16 titanium pins holding her spine together. She settled with her employer a few years back, and is permanently disabled. It was an expensive and lengthy case to fight, and they fought her tooth and nail, but she won.

Because of your persistence, and because of what you write below, I am now inclined to believe you, and I'll explain why in a minute.

When you had your accident, you went immediately from being an asset to the company, to a liability, and an expensive one as well. This of course, is not your fault, and it's unfortunate that this happened to you. As I've written elsewhere, the American way of doing business these days has truly spiraled downward, to the point that there is no loyalty or concern for workers when things like this happen, no matter how long they may have been a good employee prior to the point an injury on the job.

Okay...now THIS may explain things. You apparently did not seek treatment at the scene. I'm going to assume that there were no vehicles towed from the scene as well.

As bad as they may have treated you, this would be the case practically with any motor carrier that any driver would work for. Once a claim is filed for any OTJ injury, if it is potentially serious in nature, the employer will be looking for any way to get out of it. They are going to initially be nice, but you can bet your life that the knife that will be used to stab you in the back is being held, just waiting for the opportunity to jam it in.

My baby sister, as luck would have it, had a chair break on HER, in almost the same way as it did with my mother, just six months ago. Her injuries were not as severe, but serious nonetheless. She works for the local Cardiac Care Hospital in the area, and management was hostile towards her almost immediately. As a result of this treatment, she immediately hired an Attorney that specializes in Worker's Compensation cases to protect her interests. The Hospital immediately backed off, and she has been getting the medical care she requires, her pay, and her job has been protected. She has went down the line and done everything her Attorney has advised her to do.

And this would be my advice to anyone that is injured, no matter the circumstance. Consult an Attorney immediately. You don't necessarily have to hire them until it becomes necessary, but get their advice, and follow it to the letter. I would dare say that 90% of all serious claims result in the employee being terminated at some point down the line, and once you go on record as having filed a serious Worker's Compensation claim, many, if not most prospective employers will treat your application like it is on fire.

USIS collects this information, and it goes on your record. You'd be surprised at the number of employers that treat a Worker's Compensation claim the same way that a bank treats a customer who has filed bankruptcy. They don't get a loan, and you're going to have a hard time getting a job.

I do wish to offer my apologies for my doubting the fact that you indeed had an accident while working for National Food, and I do wish you a full recovery from your injuries. Most of all, I do hope that you are able to return to the job that you love.

If anyone here can help you in any way, please feel free to call on us.