Ripped up my check in front of me!!Beware of Raider Express in Fort Worth Texas

Jayshawn89 · Nov 24, 2009

Opeth72 said: ↑

Here is a lovely story. I got hired by Raider in July. Based on what they said and how they appeared, it seemed really good. I had no experience driving and they were going to train me based on my previous schooling. I was actually excited and looking forward to this and thought that going with a local company that was small was a great idea.

Well, after orientaion (a day I have still yet to be paid for) it took about 3 weeks for them to get me a trainer. This was blamed on my phone by, let's just call him D.R. even though no one else seemed to have trouble getting through to me. Not even the guy that finally became my trainer.

So I left and went out for the next 5 weeks. It was rough at times. Living in a box with another man is not tough. No big deal It is all for a greater purpose. Or so I thought.

During this time I was supposed to be paid 400 a week. Not much, but not the worst I have seen from places and their offers. And this would have been OK had it been lived up to. So here it began.

First Friday I check my account over the phone. It is not half of what I supposed to get. So after a stream of unresponded to phone calls, I finally get through and they say they will ake care of it. Off to a rough start, but I let it go. I was new. I get sometimes there are screw ups.

Second Friday, all was well. They took care of it and it showed on this check. this would be the only correct check I received.

Third Friday, I check my account and I am missing substantial (and by that I mean substantial to me... making 400 a week, or so it was supposed to be) money out of my check. So I call and call. When I finally talk to D.R., who never has time to help resolve the issue, he directs me to the payroll girl. Well, when I finally get a hold of her, she informs me that training pay has changed. It is no 350 a week. Obviously I explain that was not our agreement and any changes were not in my agreement. Not to mention no one called me and made me aware of this change even if I were to agree.

So now I am starting to become concerned about a place I had looked forward to working for. Still remaing in good spirits, as I am out on the road at this point and trying to focus on learning the job and how to become a professional driver.

I was told they would handle it and would get my money straight. Well, fourth Friday and same issue. Missing almost 100 dollars off my check again. I am near the end of training so I figure I will have to sit down one on one to get this resolved.

I get in the next week and am done with training. We come in in the early morning hours and seeing as how I had been gone for over a month it was time to get home and see my family and maybe mow a lawn that was taller than me. So I call up and want to talk about my money and when we can sit down and discuss it. I am blown off being assured they will take care of it. They then inform me that trainingis not over and they have started to send out trainess that have completed training with a "finisher" OK, cool, let's just get this over with and get me in a truck so I can make some cash.

Well that takes 5 days because they are not on the same page with the guy they have to do this finish up deal. So I wait around and call and call. I finally get the guys number myself and call him and we arrange it. This is now a Wednesday so I think, great, I can get this pay issue resolved finally. It has been building for weeks.

I go in, get 3 of my 4 check stubs (and I had to pull teeth to get them) and want to get this resolved. Well, I find out this one day trip it was supposed to be is now me running team with this guy to Denver. So we are rushed out the door and D.R. tells me to figure out my pay issues while I am out on the road. Pretty sure that is not my job, but I need resolution. So I now see on my check stubs what the problem is. They put down they are paying me 700 a week. Then deduct 350 and show it as an advance (an advance I never took or received or was even offered). And hey, as a bonus prize, I am TAXED FOR THE ENTIRE 700!!! When I asked before we left why this was I was told itwas "complicated". Repeatedly. Then he tells my "finisher" that they got in some government program that requires them to pay 700 a week to qualify. This is now looking to be more than a screw up and beginning to look like a possible legal and certainly an ethical question.

So I go out. When I come back that Friday morning, I wait for 2 hours for D.R. I am exhausted from little sleep and have become sick while I was out. So I just want to get this resolved and go home and sleep. My "finisher" said great things about me and I was also assigned a truck. So for me, it was all about getting rest, getting my money issue resolved with the company, then my bank, then the bill collectors who were waiting for this money, and then getting back out.

Well, D.R. finally reluctantly makes me a comcheck for PART of what is owed. And I am so exhausted and running a fever, I resigned myself to just taking that and worrying about the rest when I was going to go out my first time.

However, now he is trying to push me out the door to work. I explain this money fiasco has me in a bind and it has gone on so long I have to go handle these issues with my bills and the bank before I can do anything. This starts a completely nonsensical, round and round conversation. He is trying to guilt me, force me, convince me I have to go. I explain that I didn't create this money issue and that now I have to deal with it. He informs me I am now a truck driver and I don't get to just "handle these issues". What does that even mean? So he starts in telling me about how he tried so hard to get in touch with me and I finally tell him that if he would like, I could bring him my phone records so he could see I never got these alleged calls. THIS IS WHERE IT GETS GOOD. (Well, not so good for me)

He slams his hand down on the counter, grabs up my check, and shreds it by hand. Not just rips it, shreds it while sceaming at me such lovely statements like" F you!!", "F your money!!", and followed by "Get the F out!!!". Shcok was my initial reaction. I have never sen anything like that in a business place. So now I am mad. So now I am telling him that he just stole my money. He continues to yell at me to get the f out. I say get me someone else to talk to, as he is only a recruiter. He continues to say get the f out and now a girl comes out of an office and rather than inquire as to what is happening and trying to de-escalate the whole thing, she starts screaming get the f out as well. Classy.

I have never seen such unprofessionalism in all my life. So now I have the labor board investigating, I have the state looking into their mishandling of the program they are in and the possibility of fraud (they informed me that 700 was to be paid half by them, half by the state, but they are apparently taking 2/3's of that pie) and looking into legal action.

Nevertheless, I am out a job, and as of now the money they owe me. So beware. They seem really up front and honest on the surface, but there seems to also be a demon underneath that exterior.

This was my first company I and I have to wonder if this career I wanted so badly to get into has any honesty or ethics whatsoever. Any suggestions on my next steps, employment wise and legally to get my money that is owed, would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Chris
Click to expand...

i dont believe this story one bit its wat to shady

Owner's Operator · Nov 24, 2009

Opeth, when he tore up your check did you consider calling the cops? The reason I ask is because tampering with mail is a federal offense, and I guess a paycheck could be considered mail since it has your address on it and is in envelope. You could have possibly got him a trip in the back of a cop car in handcuffs.

Peanut Butter · Nov 24, 2009

Jayshawn89, are you a raider employee as well?? kinda looks that way.

Jayshawn89 · Nov 24, 2009

no i dont!!

and im guessing you used to work for them

Peanut Butter · Nov 24, 2009

nope never

moreaujeremy · Nov 24, 2009

come on REALLY????

Rollover the Original · Nov 25, 2009

It's NOT US Mail until it's put into a postal box! It doesn't matter if it's in an envelope with a stamp on it. This has been a "talking point" for years with drivers thinking a cop can't open an envelope thus "entrapping the trucker" because of the receipts inside showing that he falsified his logs! It went all the way to the supreme court about 15-20 years ago and was found in favor of the police!

If it's in a mail box it's mail. If it's in your truck or on a counter top or in your hand it's an envelope with a stamp on it as it has NOT been handed over to the US Postal Service!

It's like you sitting at the shippers. It's not your load till you SIGN for it no matter how long it sits in the trailer.

DiGangi · Nov 25, 2009

stranger said: ↑

I checked out everyones pic on their web site. Not a very professional looking crowd.

Many years ago I had a wise driver tell me, "Act like a professional, whether you are one or not". I try to do that as much as possible. Someone needs to tell this to that crew.
Click to expand...

The chairman looks like Ron Jeremy

TexasMike · Nov 28, 2009

Just to clarify the paycheck vs US Mail question. It wasn't even a paycheck, it was a ComCheck he was issued.

GrimmReaper451 · Nov 29, 2009

Hey guys! I'm working for Raider right now and it has been a really good company. I'm in my forth week of being out in the truck alone and I'm making real decent pay.I agree with everything that TexasMike has said in his pros/cons list above. He speaks the truth, kudos to you Mikey! Thanks for all the awesome posts it helped me out a lot when I was out with the trainer! The story about a check being ripped in front of someone seems like a fabrication. Even though I have to agree that the paycheck chick can be really harsh at times. I think that has to be because she deals with stinky ##### truckers all day(yes I'm one of them). I can say that cussing happens a lot between the office staff but it's all in fun. At TMC in training I dealt with cussing also and I honestly think that's something you deal with at every company. To be a trucker, you have to have balls, either ignore the profanity or just deal with it. OTR you deal with all kinds of crazy ####! So just consider it as mental preperation!

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Ripped up my check in front of me!!Beware of Raider Express in Fort Worth Texas

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