Gordon Trucking

I'm starting to get that impression too, otherhalf. Right now I'm at the point of settling for a smaller national carrier. I'm tired of the big companies.

 

I'm assuming from everything I've read here that GTI babysits your logbooks? I'm used to being able to run my logs my way in order to get 12,000 to 14,000 miles per month (or do they even offer those many miles?).

Just recently got fired by a Safety wench at Knight Refrigerated. She's been pissed off for the past 2 months because I won't give her todays HOS until tomorrow. She finally found a reason to fire me. I took my truck to the shop cause my steering wheel was vibrating. Spent 3 days checking the tires, tie rods, drive shaft and anything else that might be loose or broken but couldn't find anything (I'll admit it, I'm a woose when it comes to my Steers so I keep a close eye on them). When she got it out of the shop she said they found steel cord showing thru on the Driver side steer. It was a partial area on the inside tread on one side of the tire. She said it's grounds for automatic termination.

Now I'm having a hard time getting ANY company to talk to me, but GTI emailed and wants to talk. I'm disputing the tire issue at Knight because the Safety Director at another company said if it was only on one side and not wearing all the way around, chances are it could be a manufacturing defect or something I ran over that day. Asked them to investigate and was told no. Can't find their company policy anywhere in my handbook or online with our driver docs.

I'll fight it till the end. I've never in my life been fired from a job and I've worked MANY. I know how dilligent I am about those particular tires and I'll be ###### if I'll let a newly appointed Safety Director on a power trip __ck up my driving career. I've been a computer programmer, a business owner, and a whole lot more than she could even fathom. I started driving cause it was something I hadn't experienced before and I wanted to. She's not gonna mess that one up.

Sorry...point was the question...do they babysit your logs?

Thanks!

 

Stay away from MTC. They're not getting miles (there were 12 trucks sitting in Jubitz for 3 days). They make you get a receipt for your scale tickets because they no longer accept the ACTUAL scale ticket AS the receipt. You fuel 1-4 times per day depending on the prices (just got off a 2-week trip with my boyfriend who still drives for them and they had him fuel in Brooks, then 37 miles south in Central Point). I walked away from them last year because you couldn't get miles, the DMs treat you like you're 12, and they could never get a paycheck right...and if you ask for them to pay you once they get it straight, you either have to wait another week or they give you a cash advance and charge you for it, even though it was THEIR messup. They're a joke!

I drove for 6 months as a company driver and another 5 with one of their Owner/Ops leased trucks. Best check we cleared as a Team on the O/O truck was $55. And it's not cause I don't take loads. I just spent time with Knight Refrigerated and I run 12,000 to 14,000 miles per month. If I'm gonna be away from home I'm gonna make it worth my while.

If you still decide you wanna go that way (I've warned many a driver but then watch them go there), at least ask for one of their new Cascadias. Those trucks kick ###. A friend who still drives the L.A. to Phoenix loop has one. If you're gonna sit (and he just sat for 3 days in Fontana waiting for a load back to Phoenix), then you wanna be comfortable. My b/f drives a 387. Nice truck too, and he won't give up the Peterbilt look, but for comfort, get the Cascadia.

 

Don't get on with GTI if you like to abuse your log book to the extent that it looks like you do. You will be found, warned once, then fired. That's just the way it is here. We have a great safety record and reputation and they will not put it in jeopardy for anyone. I strongly discourage you if that is what you have in mind.

 

YES, what ronnie said! we take log books and safety SERIOUSLY!

I've been with GTI for two years now (my 1st company) and I've been very happy here. I get good miles, and my DM and the planners always get me loads I can do with my hours avail. they're also good about getting me home when I request <<------KEY WORD!!!

my only issue was comfort- we don't like idling anymore than other companies do, but I did it when I had to, and sometimes I 'heard' about it. Last August they finally got me an APU truck (when i started only a third of the fleet had them and someone had to croak or get canned in order for one to open up) and things have been excellent since then. And my truck is in awesome condition- not beat to hell and never smoked in!

and my trainer was top-notch. when i was driving, she was in the other seat, coaching me in a positive and professional manner. She and I are still good friends two years later. I applied in early May, and got on the trainer's truck in mid-June. within a week after completing training I had my own truck (it was a POS though!)

and I was well-cared for by GTI after I slipped on ice and broke my leg in four places at Christmas '08.

all-in-all, I'd say they're a good company to work for. we have drivers that have been here since the days of Gordon Fast Freight (that goes back a WAYS! )

 

i worked in their midwest fleet from oct 05 til jan/feb 06. they were selling it as "home weekly". i couldnt get home to save my life (champaign il). we had freight delivering 8 miles from my house (supervalu urbana), and all the iowa to indy stuff. problem was i never saw any of that stuff, or was during the week with no time to stop. 2-3 weeks out at a time and i got sick of it. that was even after talking to my fleet mgr about it 2 or 3 times. miles were good though.

 

Sounds great, how long did you wait after graduation from the driver school to get into GTI? Are they still hiring now? BTW, which school did you attend? I assume you got in a school in sacramento area.

 

Is it still true nowadays? Under the current economy, quite a lot of people cant get a job quickly and are forced to take another career. Attending a truck driver school also takes some time. Will they reject you just because of this?

 

about three weeks after i finished school I was in orientation. a week after that I was on my trainer's truck. we're still hiring, as people have gotten fired. I went to Western Truck School in Turlock CA

 

I worked for GTI for a year and a half. In the end I would rather have been unemployed than work there. I didn't just quit, I fired GTI as my employer.
When GTI decided to fire the fellow who trained me there, they routed him to a yard as far from home as they could get him and then told him to clean out his truck and find his own way home.
They also put some crap on his dac report that was totally false and made it very hard for him to find another job.