West Side Transport out of Cedar Rapids, IA

That sounds about as bad as my current (former) company. I get kidney stones from time to time, and developed one that was too large to pass. I elected to have a non-invasive shock wave treatment to break it apart. I was "supposed" to be off work for two days, but the kidney hemorrhaged and I needed to go in for emergency surgery, which resulted in now having to be off for 4 weeks while my kidney and abdominal area heal up. Once this happened, I got a letter from our HR department that I wasn't eligible for family medical leave and would be terminated. Of course the caveat is that I can reapply once I'm cleared by the doctor for a return to work, but really, who wants to work for a company that can be so uncaring?

 

The sad part is Iowa has that "right to work" law that allows companies to fire drivers for any reason(it should be called a "license to screw your workers over" law) firing drivers just for having to get medical care even though they have insurance is a disgusting, low act by any company, and shows just how much a company doesn't care who they kill, maim or screw over to make a profit. I worked for one company that was picking up regularly at a warehousing company, and one of the people at that place was getting paid off by West Side to automatically reject other companies' trailers.

 

Right to work laws, mean that you can work for a union company and not join the union.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-to-work_law

 

my dad drives for them and doesn't really have a lot of complaints almost been there for a year...

 

OMG!

 

Do Westside pay for orientation?

 

I am a new driver just out of school with a family history in trucking. I have a "questionable" driving record but also wanting to stay as local as possible as I am not interested in the whole OTR thing where you're out for a couple weeks at a time and home for a couple days. West Side Transport is currently on the fence about hiring me because of my driving record and I am awaiting a phone call to let me know what they've decided. IF hired I would be hired for a midwest regional position as I only live an hour from Cedar Rapids and they have a yard in my city where I can park their truck when I'm home over the weekend for my restart. I guess my question is, does anybody have any updated info on this company? Have they worked their sliding pay scale issues out and their safety director? How's the pay (miles?) and the equipment? I know beggars cant be choosers when you have a questionable driving record and no legal experience, but I also have a pretty good idea on what I'm looking for coming from a family of truck drivers and someone who spent alot of time out on the road with dad growing up. Is this company a safe place to get my year experience in before I can move up or should I just keep looking? I welcome any info from somebody who has worked here recently or is currently working here or from somebody currently going through their hiring process. Thanks