1st Platinum Fright Personal Experience.

This is my experience on 1st Platinum Freight . I was not gonna post this until, I seen other drivers having the same experience , As it is Dirt swept under the rug at this point .

Oct 31 2024 I responded to a job listing in my area For a Cdl Driver (Dry Van) . I currently live in Phoenix Az . Yes there are major carriers In the area Hiring Dry van but I prefer small family owned companies after working for Swift for 2 years . The ad I Applied to was Lease to Own mostly but did offer 60 cpm for Company Driver . Decent pay for the area I’m in . Logan was my Recruiter . After talking on the phone with him and Finding out they were actual located in the Chicago area , I was bit skeptical . But the opportunity was to good Not to try . I was recruited by Logan on :

1.) Having my own Truck . No Slip seat , Plenty freight heading Out West to get me home .

2.) 60 cpm Starting off During Escrow phase of 10 weeks . $250 per week but after that Cpm jumps to 71 cpm .

3.) Brand new Trucks with Inverters , Microwaves and Refrigerators . 3k-3500 miles per week . 1099 position . Fast and Quick onboarding . Paid flight to Chicago airport to Pu the Truck.

At this point I felt like the Reward out weighed the Risk . Yes dealing with an Escrow fee is kinda weird for me ??? Why should I be paying my work ? And another thing Logan mentioned was A Week Delay in pay ! Not unheard of but just chalked it up to todays Age in Trucking . I could tell Logan was of the Russian descent , and we all heard those stories of Russian owned transportation companies in Chicago . I’ve always been the type of person to base my Opinion off of my own Experience. Sometimes not taking a shot at All , Is worst than Missing Entirely.

Nov 11 2024 I Fly out to Ohare airport ✈️ . I remember it being a Very Cold and Gloomy day as I waited for the Uber to take me to the yard . I felt really hopeless just off the Simple fact I’m in an Unfamiliar City off of trust from basically a stranger .

I get a call from Logan . We initially had agreed on me Getting the Truck and Trailer and be Ready to hit the road same day . It was 10am at the time. Logan tells me that the brand New Truck he initially had me in , had an oil leak . I can wait in the hotel for a few days or he has an older Truck I can take . Remaining positive but , knowing I ####ed up . I say sure .

A couple things you will notice with 1st Platinum Fright right of Bat .
1. ) No one answers the phone . Your best bet is call in between 9 am - 3 pm . + They take an hour lunch break .
2.) They only communicate amongst each other when it’s regarding the load . If that .
3.) They say no Forced Dispatch but Pretty much Are . You better Take That 300 mile load goin From Chicago into Indiana or Wisconsin or you may be sitting for a day or 2 .

The initial truck they gave me was 111 . A red frightliner . As soon as I got settled in and Turn on the truck . Engine light pops up . Brought it up to the on-site mechanic . Don’t worry he says This truck engine light stays on but don’t be Alarmed .

There was a couple trucks and trailers around and Drivers along with mechanics at this shared trucking lot . Started feeling a little at ease untill a knock on my door . A short Asian guy telling me “ Don’t work for these guys they won’t pay You ! “ I ended up taking his phone number down . Felt bad for the guy he was from Las Vegas . After conversation with this guy, I figured he just fell behind on his lease to own or wasn’t running the miles . Just trying to remain positive and keep hope .

The following day they sent me to pick up a Trailer that a previous driver had left just under a bypass in Weston , Wv . As soon I pickup my Trailer I notice the truck gradually start losing power . The truck did not need DEF at all which I thought was strange and why the truck lost power . I kept bringing this up to my dispatch , 3 separate times ! By the time I made it back to the yard in Chicago Nov 27th the truck couldn’t accelerate pass 35 mph . By that time I’ve traveled as far East as Rotterdam Ny , as far south as Atlanta GA , and as far West as New Braufnels Tx and a couple cities in between . By the Grace of God , I made it back to the yard because who knows how long I would’ve been stranded for .

By now I’ve noticed the only person you can consistently talk to is the Logs Department. As in they will always adjust Your Clock if you need more drive time . They wrongfully charged me a cash advance for Load straps that I ended up Not even needing . And also failed to Reimburse for oil that the truck needed during this time. About $150 total should’ve been reimbursed back to me during this stint out that never was! ️ “Ok next week is their favorite line .”

They put me in a brand new Truck when I got back to the yard #142 only 98k miles at the time Kenworth fully loaded . They gave me the option to fly home the next day which was Thanksgiving . I told them, I will stay out as long as I keep moving . Ok well send you a load in a bit . Ended up sitting with no load until that Monday .

The week of Monday Dec 8th I ended up driving 3675 miles . All trips documented With Dates , Times , Text and Pictures of BOLs as proof . Obviously I had to drive off logs to put in that many miles and felt like I had no choice .

Following week Dec 15 I clocked in 2851 miles for the week . Because they put a 2 Week hold on Pay ❗️, I was supposed to get paid for the work I Did on the 8th; On Friday the 26th . Alex one of the dispatchers got me a Flight December 24th the day before Christmas . I notice my paycheck wasn’t in my account on the 26th . I wait till Monday to call only to Find out my number has been Blocked . They only bothered to send one of my pay stubs in which they shortened the miles and gave me a negative Balance . The reason Communication .

Obviously I consider this experience as a “ L “ but it’s a Lesson Learned as well . I don’t expect to get paid at this point . It was 6 month ago at this point just sharing my experience and hopefully raise awareness on this Company . 1st Platinum Freight is One of those Chicago Trucking companies that You’ve been Warned about .