ADM trucking: treat employees like crap

We're just ADM grain. We removed the grain logo's off off trucks a couple years ago so we could use ADM Decatur's DOT number and authority I believe. I've heard of alliance nutrition at safety meetings but we're not a part of it that I know of. I think we're part of edible bean and rice division. The Mendota plant used to be Fasco(aka: fiasco lol) Mills. ADM bought out all of their elevators and feed plants in 2007. I started nov. 5 2008. The fiasco guys call it Another #### Mess lol. A newer driver named it Anger Depression and Misery. These guys are fun to work with.

 

Oh yeah, I forgot about the grain part. Yeah y'all get screwed because of the pay and our junky equipment you get stuck with. All the "subsidiaries" of Trucking that we buy up get a hosing it seems like. Those are all completely different animals than the regular Trucking side. You couldn't pay me enough to work for any of those.

 

You work for ADM to? We had one guy move south and started driving out of Decatur. He said it was still lots of hours but they had new equipment, real maintenence shops, and pay was better to. I kind of thought he was BSing me but he was a good guy.

 

For comparison to your pay. Was making almost $23 an hour running a forklift and got this wild hair in my butt that I wanted to be a trucker. Went to CDL school. Started here seasonal at $12hr. 2 months at that and went full time $12.50 but was told once I get experience it'll go up. First 2yrs got $0.25. Then the yard guy union scare got a big wheel from Decatur up here(worried we were gonna try) and I got $2.25 that day. Then I've got 2 more quarterish raises. I just hit 5 safe years and make $15.97hr. Conway freight starts drivers at $18.25. UPS and FEDEX freight are the same maybe a little more. I'm not disgruntled but it hasn't been an easy ride. It fed my family while getting experience though. I don't want to take my kids out of school to relocate. Just gonna switch jobs. Got 3 freight terminals about the same distance as ADM. It's a no brainer for me.

 

I worked for ADM out of Cedar Rapids and three months was all I could put up with. I didn't really have any issues with anyone and they treated me as well as they treat anyone. What did me in was the 1600 start time and most days hauling 3 loads of germ to clinton. 14 hour+nights with Monday and Tuesdays my days off. With the weekend premium (which they essentially took away now) I was around $1400week. Barely above $20 an hour for all the time I put in every week. I was glad I really didn't need the money.

 

I know what you are feeling I worked at the decatur yard it was a great place to work for but that started to change about 4 years after I started there they wanted us work 6 days a week especially if you had at least 10 hours available. I started to play their game taking breaks on duty to insure I was at 62 hours every week when I was climbing out of the truck on friday. they were like how were you on duty at a rest area as I said hauling a load of hazmat for them I could not officially go off duty and after putting in 3000 miles in a week on a consistent basis I felt justified they tried to to reduce my miles and walked in and quit the manager finally stepped in and said you will not do this to our third shift drivers and and miles went back up. would of stayed but the politics got to be to much