Is this typical?

Just started teaming with USX, both of us are recent training graduates out on the road for the first time.

We put in home time request this last Sunday (with a 7 day cushion) after being out on the road since December 28th.

Today, while carrying a high value load through two states that are practically 100% hvp restricted areas, we received a preassign sending us all the way out to the west coast, effectively putting us in CA for our home time days and in need of a 34hr reset to even attempt getting home. We DID NOT ACCEPT, but did not decline. Finally got to our fuel stop some 11 hours later and did the number crunch on whether we could actually do the load and sent a mac 11 stating we couldn't take the load, not refusing.

In all honesty, 11-12hrs later we really didn't think it would be a big deal as we never said we would take it to begin with. Was I ever wrong. I received a rather nasty series of responses about not telling them for 12 hours and how I was going to have to pick it up and they'd repower it off me. Maybe I'm wrong here, I'm still new at this, but I never, ever accepted this preassignment, how is it that I'm being accused of dropping the ball here? All of my home time information, HoS information, and the fact that my current load doesn't drop off till 7 hours after the preassign PU deadline is all available to these people, why am I expected to break policy to stop and tell them?


I really enjoy driving, and while I only have to deal with people a few times a day, the utterly ridiculous nature of these interactions are making me reconsider what I'm doing out here. I've basically come to the conclusion that I've turned over my life to people who know nothing about what it's like to actually drive a truck and go home every night to their families while I'm out here dealing with the indifferent choices they make for me.

I've lost 3 loads this week due to lack of communication on their end. 2 preassignments pulled due to a load no longer being available and one load that was accepted and driven too only to find that it was no longer there.