Abandonment because I couldn't renew my DOT physical

No, get with that company, preferably in person, and get that resolved ASAP. I had a similar thing happen and it became a nightmare for me because the company went out of business and everyone I applied to after that didn’t want to deal with me because their was no one to verify my story. Ten years is a long time to have that hanging over your head and haunting you every time you apply for a job. At the very least I would try getting an official letter on their letterhead stating the facts and hang on to that thing like a DD-214.

 

You can try a FTF, that doesn't work a certified letter, or a lawyer's "letterhead" for $150 will provide proof they screwed with the wrong guy.

Again, this retainer is probably illegal.

 

ask for a receipt

 

I’ve heard through the grapevine that Great Plains is not a bad company. But that policy sucks for sure. I’d do as was suggested above first, and speak to them. If that doesn’t work, it’s time for a lawyer given that you are screwed with an abandonment and it’s worth fighting for. If you have the medical proof and a record of contact with what’s been said and done you could probably have them back off.

 

I understand this isn't the entire issue, but why didn't you take the truck back to the terminal before going home to have your physical? Just in case there was an issue. I try to go the better safe than sry route

 

Is their terminal that far from your home?

 

No job? No money for a lawyer. State labor board might be able to fix it for free.

Oil patch hiring? $60k in 6 months?

 

EEOC doesn't have anything to do with this. State labor board does. This is like crunching a fender and the company wants to take it out of your check.

It's probably illegal as all get out.

 

They gave me back my deposit after I left, but I do know of a few people that were royally screwed by them, one of them was in the hospital with severe illness, and the company fired him while he was in IC and unresponsive, they recovered the truck and tried to put abandonment on him. A couple others tried to get routed to the yard to turn their trucks in and the company kept screwing around enough that they had no choice but to let the truck get recovered and they were hit with letters demanding several thousand in payment for recovery.

Also the last day I was employed by them I was stopped at the scale near Fargo for inspection. Luckily the only thing they could find was a trailer plate decal that was expired even though there was a valid registration certificate in the box, and it was written out against the company and not me. After I left gpt tried to stick the charge on my record and when I went to call the gpt offices to confront them I found they had blocked my phone and email. Up until I found that out I thought my leaving was on good terms.

truth is there is no leaving on good terms with Great Plains. Most of it is because of the shear vindictive toxic environment brought about by the founder’s kid Mike. He demands loyalty and rewards it with a knife in the back. Avoid GPT like the plague. Especially since it’s right on the slip of a banana peel away from going under anyways.

 

It sounds like you got it back simply because they could find no way to screw you over.