Add Henderson Trucking to the BAD list

Listers,

I signed onto Henderson Trucking's (Salem, Il) lease/purchase plan just a hair over 3 months ago: not 2 weeks after climbing into a '09 Cascadia, they send out a message that said they got more loads from a customer in California...the catch is, the customer mandated that teams run them. This was the start...

From that point onwards, instead of the 3000-3200 miles per week that I was told I'd get, with the exception of 2 other weeks, I've NEVER run more than 1700-1800 miles a week. Soon as I get to that number, they make me sit somewhere! Over a 12-week period, I've only seen 5 paychecks...not good when they pay you on a weekly basis!

As a result, I've gone 6 consecutive weeks without running enough miles to earn a paycheck for any of those weeks - but just enough to cover truck and expenses! (a man's gotta eat and pay bills!)

They give excuses for why this is happening: it's slow, teams have priority, only teams are running to/from California (where I live), and so on. I forgot to mention, once I leave home, they like to keep me in the midwest/east coast for a month at a time, regardless of the fact that I request home time after the first 2 weeks. And so, all my bills are constantly late, and I lost my apartment because I can't pay the rent.

Fact of the matter is, there are a LOT of their solo drivers still running to California - some on a weekly basis! That includes company drivers as well as lease-operators. (we drivers DO talk to one another)

Of course, they threw their arms up a few weeks ago when I accused them of running a scam - bringing in lease-operators, and running them just enough to cover truck expenses - basically getting their freight moved for free, and not letting their drivers make a penny. They said it wasn't true - but the zero paychecks continued.

I talked with them about 1 1/2 weeks ago, asking for a deferral on this past week's truck payment, and I was told "well, let's see what happens this week: they may run you." (didn't happen)

I also talked with them about getting a new driver manager - no return call to date.

And so, I have now got a new job, will be abandoning their truck at a truck stop, and overnighting the keys to the owner of the company, along with a nice letter explaining why I'm doing that. I'm also meeting with an attorney this week for a possible lawsuit, as they've had drivers abandoning trucks all over the country - so I know I'm not the only one that's having problems, though I'm amazed that this isn't being brought up in any forums. (was told by one of their mechanics, that they had 25 lease-operators abandon their trucks in just one week!)

Anybody else out there from Henderson with the same problem?

 

Well...they have one terminal - in Salem, Il.

I live in Central California.

I am broke - can't even afford a bus ticket back here if I did give them the truck back. They have plenty of teams running out here, they should be able to split one up for a few days (that way they can run two loads back). My former landlords said I can move back into the apartment for now, since the time on my 30-day notice wasn't up until the end of the month, and since I've lived here for so long, they said not to worry if next months' rent is late (great people), but I have to go back to a paying job NOW, and not in a few weeks!

So far as miles are concerned: the contract says nothing at all, however, their website says that solo lease operators "average" (could be their legal way out?) $3278.00 weekly, but I'm definately not averaging that - not even coming close!

My big fear, is that if I sit on the truck any longer, then they'll simply keep charging me for it - again, I can't afford this. I guess I could advise them that, if I continue to hold the truck on my property, that they'll have to pay storage fees on it (something astronomical, of course).

However, so far as taking it back to Illinois is concerned, that isn't happening unless they gave me a load to take to them, and gave me a way to get back here.

The ironic part, is that they haven't even called me - I've been home now for 5 1/2 days! You'd think they'd want to know what's going on.

Odd, I think.

 

They did away with their regional fleets, I was once told.

I've heard they still have a drop lot in Tracy, Ca., but I've never been sent there, nor to I know anybody that's been there.

I don't really care about being dinged for abandonment: I'm eventually getting out of the trucking business anyway, because I have somethign else that I'd like to do. IF I get into another truck, it'll be because I'd be doing it for me & as part of my planned business, and not for somebody else.