Is yard hostling a good job for someone that can't find a driving job?

Hello, a while ago I left a company called Dhaliwal Brothers out of Stockton CA and left because of alot of issues and they are saying I abondened the truck and stole fuel from them, a people net tablet that my truck didn't even have since it was an older truck etc and it has made finding another driving job impossible. I tried to dispute the false claims but was unsuccessful and it has prevented me from getting a job driving any type of CMV that would fit my schedule as i am engaged with a kid and need to have hometime which most second chance type companies like Western Express dont allow. I had about almost 2 years of experience when I left the industry and planned on leaving soon to become a correctional officer since my fiance and I just had a son but the application process takes about a year and I need steady income in that time. Ling story short when job hunting I came across an LTL company looking for a yard dog, the pay isn't great like $16 an hour and in between trailer moves I would br spending time working on the docks but I need the money right now and it would be nice to stay relevant in the industry until I hopefully start my new career as a correctional officer. Has anyone on here ever been a yard dog before? Do they require an employment verification that would hinder my chances of getting hired like a regular truck driving job would?

 

Drove a yard truck for s few years. Its not a bad job but can be very hard on the body bouncing around all day. $16 sounds pretty low, but if you need a paycheck you need a paycheck. When i was driving a yard truck a cdl wasn't required. So it was just a basic check to verify i had a drivers license. If they require a cdl the background checks may be different.

 

I don't have any relevant information about your question but I do have a request.
Name the company.
I will assume that what you say is true and that you didn't abandon the truck and they're intentionally lying when saying you're a thief. These are incredibly serious allegations as you've found out. And other drivers should be warned of a company that will slander their names.

 

Not to mention if charges weren’t brought for Larceny, and you weren’t convicted of anything. It’s hard to believe that one Job can get you blackballed from the Industry. Abandoned Truck may be on a DAC record maybe? Not everyone used DAC. Flat out slander is Illegal for an employer. Verifying beginning and ending dates are all. A yes or no, when asked Verbally if they’d hire you back, is often the only thing a smart former employer will say. You should talk to a Labor Lawyer. If what you’re saying is true. Not that you’re lying, but maybe they’re not slandering you at all. Enough applications, someone will hire you. Don’t bother explaining what happened. Just say the job didn’t fit your home needs. Less is more. Take it from there. If they’re truly slandering you. You have a case. That’s a big no no, something that’s been established for a long time.

 

As far as the abandonment goes, I guess what happened could be considered abandonment. I was already on my last load with them, my truck went in to derate in Delano and the owners brother who handles breakdowns called a wrecker to have it towed the dealership in Bakersfield. The boss was away in India when this happened, the dealership was short on techs and it was going to be possibly a few days before the DPF filter was going to be replaced so ny fiance came and picked me up, I spoke to the owners brother asking if he needed me to go pick the truck back up when it was done and either deliver the load or bring it back to the yard and he said no since it was only a couple hours away right off the 99 they could easily send someone out to recover the truck. Long story short fast forward a week later I am in orientation with Legend Transportation and right after completing the road test we are shuffled back to the classroom for some orientation style death by PowerPoint when someone from the safety department comes in to the classroom pulls me out and informs me that he was informed by who ever was doing the verifications that they were told I had a truck abandonment and that they were going to have to send me home. I called Jassi the owner of the company abd after a heated argument he told me if I didn't shut up ablut it he would make sure I never found another driving job. Fast forward a week or so later I am at orientation with heartland express who I had made aware of the abandonment and they said they could overlook it as false abandonment claims are common especially with small carrowrs. Next thing you know the same thing happens, but this time they won't tell me why. I end up calling my recruiter who goes in to my file and is able to access the letter Dhaliwal sent them with all the false claims saying I did all this crazy stuff. She said I would need 6 months of experience with another carrier and then they could work with me but it's not like I was really stoked to go to Heartland Express in the first place lol.

 

It's not on my DAC report, I don't think that a cheap ### company like them even uses DAC its a letter being sent during the verification process. My Mom works at a law office in the paralegal field, she told her boss about what happened and he sent a cease and desist letter which they responded by sending the exact same letter they sent to heartland express, he sent another cease desist letter but he said in his opinion I didn't have enough evidence to prove what they were saying was a lie and it wouldn't be worth taking it court.

 

I’ve been a yard dog, and hated it. I only moved about 6 trailers per shift. Sat around drinking coffee, reading the newspaper, listening to the radio. Some jobs move 60-100 trailers per shift. It paid $12 hr. 29 yrs ago. I’d try for more money, explaining you have a family to support. Dock work? You may like it. Only one way to find out. Probably be Driving also soon enough, maybe Local, or another job Local. Last I heard Correctional Officers don’t make much. No idea why anyone would want that job, over Driving. Got to be someone that’ll hire you. They hire Drivers straight out of prison, that got their Training while incarcerated. The idea that you’ll never work in this Industry again, any Industry for that matter, is Laughable.

 

Heartland didn’t give you a reason for a reason. I’m no Truckstop Lawyer. My info comes from a Terminal Manager a a Major LTL. They would let Drivers go often. Never giving a reason. If one was fired for anything, they would never give the reason to a future Employer. He said it was something they taught him in College. Hire date, and end of Employment date. That’s all. When I got my Authority, I sent out requests to 3 former Employers, to fulfill the 10 yr. prior employment requirement. All I got were verified dates. Get a copy of the letter, take it a few Lawyers. Find out for sure. Probably not worth suing them to most Lawyers,
because they don’t have much money. I’d have to pursue it myself, based on principle.

 

I don't want to go to another crap company, I am pretty picky about who I will drive for because of how shady this industry is. I also have negative remarks from 2 carriers on my DAC, one being Coldliner Express out of Columbus Ohio which I left because my recruiter lied to me about the guaranteed pay and hometime saying I would be home.every 2 weeks then my dispatcher told me I would only be home at most once every 2-3 months, the other one was pigeon freight, a piece of crap Chicagoland Russian Carrier who I walked out on during orientation when I was informed that I would be paying an escrow as a company driver. To me that sounded ridiculous so I called a cab and took my happy ### over the O'hare airport and flew home. I am very glad because after doing some more thorough research they seemed like a trap.

 

Yeah it seems pretty slow over there too, when I called over the phone about the job the guy said I would be doing alot of dock work in between trailer moves.