Vitek Transportation of Sacramento

So I started driving for Vitek a few weeks ago, and could tell pretty much right off the bat that this is a bottom-feeder company, especially when informed I'd be a "private contractor" and paid on a 1099. But nevertheless, I have a conviction in my background that would exclude me from better companies, so I figured I had to take what I could get and gain some experience. Have to start somewhere, right?

To give a little bit of an overview, this is a small family-owned and operated business, run by a Russian family, which also does truck repair- there are several wrecked "parts" trucks out back, so I'm guessing their repair business is pretty cut-rate. I cannot vouch for the quality of their repair work, but if the maintenance of their rigs is any indication, it can't be that great.

They have a fleet of mostly Volvo tractors, and the four that I've been in (test drive, first and second runs, one I had to move to switch a trailer, and the one I used for my 3rd and last run) all had 900,000 to 1,000,000+ miles and had various service lights on. Both tractors I've used on my runs needed alignments HORRIBLY- pulled hard to one side with steering wheel at 9-o'clock positions going straight- and a shimmy at certain speeds that was so bad I thought the truck would shake itself apart. On my 2nd run, we were put out of service at a scale for tandem locking pins not engaging on the right side, and subsequently inspected at another scale for an expired CVSA sticker. Some of their trailers had bald and even blown tires on the inner dualies (we were assigned one once, and they did end up having us switch trailers when I informed the office). The tractors I have driven had apparently never been cleaned and smelled like some combination of ashtray and homeless camp. They were absolutely filthy inside and out. It didn't help that both co-drivers I've had the displeasure of driving with were heavy smokers. I'm a non-smoker. And the 1st guy I drove with for the first two runs had absolutely zero personal hygiene and could easily pass for homeless. I'm sure he made a great impression of the company to customers and shipping/receiving departments. The 2nd guy I drove with was coming down from a recent meth "relapse," and was a complete a-hole, hostile and angry at everyone and everything at the drop of a hat and yelled at his wife over the phone the whole trip.

Last tractor I drove, the previous driver was busted for drug paraphernalia (yes, in that truck). My co-driver and I searched the truck before we headed out and he found and removed a broken glass pipe and a small baggie that looked like remnants of something from one of the compartments and he turned them in to the office. I almost went home then and there, but we searched everywhere we could and found nothing else. (I know, MAJOR red flag, I should have bailed right then and there).

DO NOT drive for them. Even if you are desperate for work. I will not be driving for them again. I should've bailed after the first run. Three chances was too many.

By the way, is it common for team drivers to have piss bottles? Both co-drivers I drove with had piss bottles, which I found absolutely disgusting.

 

Thanks, Mack. Ya, feeling pretty bummed out. They're definitely taking advantage of drivers who have few other choices, especially given the fact that they pay a whopping 11-17 cpm for new drivers, depending on how much they like you.

 

So I went in today to collect my last check, and I had a feeling they would pull something. I was correct.

Back when I did my test drive before I first started driving for them, Vitek had one of their employees (not a truck driver, but this kid working in the office and around the yard) ride with me around the block. Leaving the yard, he told me to go right, although I realized too late that I should've gone left because I had insufficient room to go right without the trailer clipping the gate. Chalk it up to inexperience or nervousness or whatever (mind you, it was my FIRST TIME EVER pulling a 53), but the trailer scraped the gate pretty good and knocked the sliding part partially over. It didn't do anything to the trailer. The gate was already in terrible shape (I doubt it was ever actually closed, and it never looked to be in operable condition to begin with), and he goes "oh, don't worry about it, this gate gets hit all the time." No one made an issue of it the entire time I drove for them. Not a word.

Ok, so fast-forward to today, and suddenly it's an issue. I'm told that they are taking 350 bucks out of my check to cover half the repair cost of the gate. They were being fair with me, you see, because they weren't making me pay all of it. "We're going 50/50."

Observe this supposedly-repaired gate. Good as new! Actually it looks exactly like it did a month ago: sitting off of its bent, rusted track in tall weeds, like it probably has for the last 5 years.


Being gypped out of 350 bucks makes me a tad upset.

EDIT: I can't upload pics. I keep getting "upload of file failed." Never ###### mind. I tried in 2 different browsers.