Maverick and my DAC

These are my opionions for the benifit of learning for others;

Rookies listen up;

Starting out DAC may not effect you, but as you build a 'career' and things happen....down the road I gaurentee it will.

This will be long so don't bother if you don't want to read it. There will be rebutle from employees at Maverick. They will say that I deserved this, ect., ect. I take fault for my own mistakes- but I'll point a finger as a warning to 'Newbies' at someone who screws me as well.

A little background for comparison purposes;
(work history, driving history, education);

-small electronics repair cert.
-admj. Law Enf. degree

job 1;
3 yrs. building cargo vans custom race car trailers-
laid off 2nd string of layoffs after sept. 11 attacks
called back, but already started working new job

job 2;
6 months
(kmart distribution)....fired for 'bumping a candy machine'- no joke
was a revolving door kind of place during bankruptcy

job 3;
4 yrs.
concrete demo, waterproofing, tarring, bobcat, jackhammer, wheelbarrow, hard hard labor
-moved, turned in notice

job 4;
2yrs
flatbeding
fired- safety points/"all these late deliveries"

Job 1 and 3 are retunable for work

Job 3 supervisor still sends me Christmas cards

Job 4 still in touch with old mangr. Has told me I was 'one of his best' would like me to come back aftr company points fall off, wants me on his board, use him as refrence, knows my work ethic/history, ect., ect., you get the idea. (doubt he saw my DAC....but he did know all of my history, work ethic, severity of 'accidents').

Driving history;
-driven legally over 16 yrs.- never had an accident on mvr
-currently no tickets on mvr

When your recruiter accepts you he will say, "All we ask is that you pickup/deliver on time and be safe."

When you go thru orientation they will tell you that 'they haven't had a layoff in 28 years' and 'we only have accidents, no incidents.'
-Pay attention rookie, they aren't lying.

My work history there consits of;
-rarely if ever having a late delivery or pickup;
(it was a new fleet manger whom used the term, "and all these late deliveries" while going thru termination....my old one laughed when he heard she said that).
-pushed back one load while sick, one day.
-never complained about a load or being 'hung out'
-always 'yes sir' 'yes ma'm'
-clean cut/profesional

My mistakes are as follows;

-Lied about hours available always saying I had more then I had. (believe it or not thinking I was helping to always be available to them- stupid rookie) -note to rookies; doing this will only get you short loads because you have the time to move them ie; 1 day loads, while others will be getting 2 day loads- and sleep.

-using there #### routing (and driver directions) for the first year before getting a gps.

-not being a whinny little #####

-pushed way way to hard to keep the 'pickup/deliver ontime' notation, especially first year, rarely even pushing back an eta. (pickup/deliver on time to me means, pickup when we said, deliver when we said) -actually the first year I always delivered first thing in morning with hours to drive, no matter what- another rookie mistake.

-my 'accidents/incidents'

My final mistake was being to honest about damage to company property, when in a few cases I could have not said anything and avoided trouble.
(At the time I believed in honesty and hard work, and respect for others property).

I was 'let go' in a group of drivers b4 the slow season, in a cut like I hadn't seen in 2 yrs there, nor heard of from any 'old timers' going into a recession,;
others will tell you that Maverick thinned the heard of people who cause damage.

I'll tell you that that may be true, but they also;

-showed why there hasn't been a layoff in 28 years- because they don't layoff....they fire drivers- even in large groups (how else could they do a driver "cut" and not layoff in 28 years?)
-avoided paying into unemployment more by avoiding a layoff....in a time companies are laying off left/right
-maintained the abilitly to 'brag' to 'newbies' that there hasn't been a layoff in 28 years

-and personally, avoided by one month paying me an almost top out pay raise and 2 wks., paid vacation.

There safety lady told me repeatedly that, 'that they view my record as only having 5 incident and 0 accidents."
-After asking for that in writing, I received a call from the 'top dog' and was told, "We only have accidents, no incidents. This is the first company I've worked for that does
that." (As was originally stated in orientation- told you they weren't lying, ....except when they said they view me as only having 'incidents' and no 'accidents'....that was a lie).

What Maverick left on my DAC; (the paper like a credit report, other companies view in considering hiring you as a driver);
-rehirable- 'no'
-dischareded
-work record; "other" (this means 'no comment' as opposed to say, 'satisfactory')

Accident record;
all non-DOT recordable;

1- "Backing"
2- "Damaged equipment/property"
3- "Angle Collision"
4- "Struck Stationary Object"
5- "Backing"
-all ruled 'preventable' as opposed to 'non-preventable'
(meaning they weren't gonna decide that any of these couldn't have been avoided)

What that means;

1-dented headache rack box while backing and 'got into' trailer
2-bent a tarp box door on a curb
3-dented headace rack box by 'getting into' trailer again (I recieved bad directions, around a blind corner, and could not back out....that's not an excuse- its a fact- sent in correct directions- damage caused while turning around tight)
4- scraped bumper skirt on concrete
5- cracked plastic fairing backing in dark

None of these 'accidents' caused damage to anyone else's property, no police reports, no insurance, no freight damage, ect. If I were owner op I could have paid out of pocket for all of them, and had nothing on my DAC, as they didn't involve anyone/thing else.
-another rookie note- all of these occured while definately 'fatigued' (see ####### tired as ####, see- GET YOUR SLEEP when you know you should- screw the load/eta).

THOSE LOOKING TO JUDGE ME, PLEASE READ; These were all my mistakes, I ran to hard, I own them, I take fault for them, they are mine.

I've had one perspective employer take the time to check into my DAC, .....
-She stated, "We only view one of these as an accident based on Mavericks cost analysis."
-The only thing I can think of is they wrote the cost for a new headache rack off on my safety report. Then they cut off the damaged part, weld it onto another rack, and put it back on another truck.

The other employers have said they can't hire me because of the DAC, and comments like;
"They sure did a good job of making your DAC look real bad."
were pretty typical comments to hear.

I'm currently working thru a DAC fix agency.
When talking to them they asked;
-did you have a personality conflict with someone?
Honest awnser is 'no'....matter of fact got along well with everyone there.
Though I didnt get a chance to get to know my new fleet manger whom canned me.

I don't see a reason to hammer a guy so hard whom had your back. I believe that they simply make the driver look as bad as possible to justify termination for whatever reason, avoid paying into unemployment, and avoid any other liabilities.

They could have terminated me for their reasons and not gone ahead and made sure I wouldn't work anywhere else again.

End result for a rookie reading this;

-Do not run to hard, push back the load if you should. Screw whatever original time you were sent to deliver if it's not appropriate to deliver at that time anymore.
-A company will get your back and then #### all over your DAC and therefore future job oppertunities when it suites them.
-DAC means everything to your future as a driver.
-Maverick as a company will proably rule anything you report to them as being "preventable".....have more then one of these a year (I don't care how minor-so much as scrape a bumper on concrete), you won't get a job at a decent company again. (Side note; wouldn't ruling everything this way- negatively- and putting it on a drivers DAC, no matter how minor, eventually make it hard for your drivers to get a job elsewhere and leave Maverick if they decided they wanted to?....hmmmmm).

-Most importantly COVER YOUR ###.

Now someone will say, 'I dont blaim them' ....well I DONT KNOW THAT I DO EITHER, I understand I made mistakes as a rookie. But, I don't feel that they had to;
-rule everything 'preventable'
-use such devistating wordage
-list me as 'other' instead of "satisfactory"
-do everything they could to justify their termination and make me look like ####.

If it was a wide cut.....and it was judging by all the trucks getting cleaned out, a layoff would have been suficient- or a less detramentle to future employment, via DAC, termination.

So there you go rookie, learn from me, tell your friends, learn about DAC, learn about Maverick. Good luck.....and get your sleep....#### their deadlines and hot loads. Protect your/your families future. Don't push to hard- instead push back the load. Don't be the guy after a shipper keeps you 8 hours that says..."I'm delivering when it was supposed to be there." If it isn't right to your body/mind to do so. Don't feel like you have to kick off first thing and have hours to go for the company. They have other hours to deliver you don't see. The load doesn't have to be there only in the hours on your qualcom. They have their own little games....so making life as easy on them as you can will only make yours harder. Put in the right hours available, get your rest, be smart, play smart.....this isn't 'bust your ###' 'get it done, your done when your done' construction or some other job.....its a public highway and your future income.Good luck.

Oh, and no, I dont care who this pisses off. I do care that someone with 'no clue' on his way into trucking learns from me/ my mistakes/ my situation

 

no arguements, for the last time i take fault for my own mistakes....i never used being tired as an excuse....i explained facts, and hope someone learns from it....and no, they didn't have to be so brutal....i've gone out of my way for them....and my lessons are learned....im trying to help others learn from my lessons also....save your advice. read closer and pay attention to what im saying if your gonna judge me.

 

hopefully someone will learn how things work from this....

 

I appreciate the advice and I will keep it in mind....and it made me chuckle a bit, I have to admit. But I'll push on brother....I'll just be happy if some unkowing rookie learns a little bit from me about how "it works."

Dude, I know your serious, and who knows....I may honestly take your advice....but something about how you worded it....I'm still chuckling. Thanks man.

 

I can awnser that for you. If there's freight to move and the damage is minor, and the driver is a hard working money maker....they'll run him in and knock company points off him, (keeping him eligable for employment) while putting the damage on his DAC.
-That's it.
- Unless they want to get rid of him....then he'll get canned.
The point system allows for the company to do as they wish, when they wish. It is a rare few to not accumulate points somehow.

And if he's a good worker, but a recession comes and they need to get rid of drivers....then he'll get canned then.