Heartless Gordon

Was in Phoenix when the recruiter told me I was approved and had to get to the health office down the street in a hurry as they closed in 15 minutes (had to get a new DOT physical). Rushed down there, completed the application and passed the physical. Wife and I then drove with all my stuff to Fontana to meet the recruiter and to pick up a truck to get me up to Pacific so I could start orientation the following Tuesday. Got up there on Sunday and on Monday they gave me a couple of local runs. Thought it was good they gave me a load prior to orientation. Said a lot for my record, I guess.

Tuesday at 6:30 AM I started orientation. At 9 AM I had been terminated.

I was hauled out of the orientation class and was asked about a back surgery. I said it was on the DOT application. They said it wasn't. (this was a disc operation done back in 1988 - yes 21 years ago). I had put this on every application I had ever completed in the last 21 years - health insurance, life insurance, on my Swift application - but because of my rush that day in Phoenix, I simply forgot to check the "spine" box. I'm 57 years old. Sorry, a senoir moment.

In any event they said I falsified documents and I was done. No questions...got a 27 hour Greyhound bus ticket home. Asked them if they could put my truck stuff (palletized and wrapped) onto a load to get it close to me. They refused. I had to return to Pacific, a 2200 mile round trip to get my stuff. I asked them if it had been on the app would it have makde a difference in hiring me. They quickly said "no". It would not have prevented the employment.

They simply did not care. I told them I certainly could understand if i had "forgotten" a drug bust, felony or fatal accident. But a back operation 21 years ago??? Wordt part is it will be on the DAC as falsification of documents. Two other carriers have already refused to even interview. Ihad to bring it up as the one week employment with Gordon would show and they certainly would want an explanation of that.

Didn;t even get a "sorry" from the recruiter. Sorta like a "Swift thing". I wrote a very respectable email to the president asking for his assistance. Got a read recriept but never a response from that.

So here I am in the bad economy, 57 years old and can't drive. By the way, the record is immaculate. No tickets, no accidients, never late for p.u or delivery. I just "falsified documents" according to them.

How heartless can you get??!!

 

There's no "fibbing" about it. This back issue which I simply forgot to iniclude on the app was simply that. An oversight. It's been on every application for health insurance, life insurance, jobs including my last one with Swift and it's never created a problem so I had no reason to omit it from the application. I was in a rush to get the paperwork done as the health facility where I had my physical done was closing. In fact, the recruiter at Gorder told me to rush. If Gordon truly cared, they very easily could have verified everything I was telling them. They might care about the truth, but I will tell you if that's the case then they're a bunch of hypocrates. It comes right down to doing the right thing. Again, if it had been a drug conviction, a felony o fatal accident, or the like I would have been OK with their actions. But this???

 

One other thing I forgot to mention about this whole ordeal. Just before they hauled me out of the orientation class and into an office to give me the news, they had me sign a document stating I was an employee at will and could be fired for any reason. Coincidence??? I thnk not. All very well strategized so they couldn't be sued.

Well, they still might be sued given what investigation I've done since. You say they might care about the truth, but I will contend that might be the only attribute or value they care about. Not even a response from the recruiter or Steve Gordon. Not much of a human being.

I realize my hande (Windjammer) will not prevent anyone from findinig out who the poster is. I've made it pretty clear as to who, what , when and how and anyone at Gordon could figure it out. Knowinig that, all you've received here is fact. If they have a problem with that, I'll welcome the challenge. Insensitive, hypocrtical human beings. Seems to be a common thread in the trucking industry.

Will think about charter tour coach driving - no driver managers....no quallcom, no lies and what????? home time?????? Whadaya know!

 

nope - didn't go to AIT

 

I appreciate your sentiment, however, that said, what happened will, most likely, mean nover professionally driving again. It just doesn't make sense. I've contacted OOIDA (I am a member) and they are interested in what happened. Fundamentally, one should not have a career destroyed over something as simple and innocent as this. A poster here said earlier that Gordon is particularly interested in honesty. How about morals and ethics.
That's the hypocracy of it all.

Worked up? Not really. Dissapointed in Human begins without respect? You bet. Makes one wonder how they would treat a shipper who might have been not so honest with a job........doesn't it. Think it comes right down to money? Oh yes.