Shaffer (Last Straw)

Would like to hear from other Shaffer drivers concerning their miles - obviously from national drivers specifically. Just before Christmas my miles started to drop drastically in the 1800 mile per week range.

Here's what my miles look like as of January/09: (All miles were turned in and trans-flowed at the end of the week/Friday)

Jan 9 1614 Miles
Jan 16 1532 Miles
Jan 23 1517 Miles
Jan 30 1523 Miles

I am running about 1000 mile short every week to make it out here. Hopefully February looks better.

 

Thanksgiving 2008, I put my home time in for the 22nd of November. Shaffer tells me that they cannot guarantee me to be home for that Holiday. My response was that I didn’t put in for Thanksgiving although it would be nice to be home for the celebration, I out in for home time and would appreciate be home close to that time.

I finally get a load which landed me home the morning of the 25th, but as usual, I get a load offer for over 1,000 miles heading in the opposite direction… obviously an attempt to keep me out longer rather than sending me home. Christmas, 2008 - I had put in for vacation to be home on the 22nd, instead I get a load offer for descent miles heading in the opposite direction as if dispatch obviously doesn’t know the meaning of “pre-plan”. I’m sent to the Tifton terminal where I have to sit for two days getting a load heading to Florida which is to be delivered on the 26th. I am able to make it home (pit stop) on the 24th but have to go back out on the 26th to complete this delivery… vacation doesn’t start till the 27th, almost a week after I put in for it. I have to cancel all doctor appointments and personal plans that were previously scheduled for just before Christmas.

After leaving the house in January, I am getting crappy miles as I posted above. Once again I put in for home time for the 12th February but, I have to make a pit stop in Marietta to attend DDC (Defensive Driving Course) for bending my stack pipe on a low hanging tree branch coming out of a shipper in the middle of the night which should have been trimmed by the county. The load that I was under was to be delivered for the 12th in the evening which I had plenty of time to make delivery and it would have gotten me home on the 13th. Instead of keeping me on this load, dispatch insists on t-calling this load and having me wait it out once again getting me home obviously at another date. I tell dispatch that instead of getting the load dropped in Marietta within a reasonable time I should instead take my time getting there after all, why should I try getting to the terminal on time when dispatch seems to think that getting drivers home a week after their requested time.

I get a phone call from someone in dispatch, apparently someone who has a larger desk than the other puppets in dispatch. Even though I was asked a question as to why I sent such a mordant response I wasn’t allowed to offer an answer as this guy really didn’t call actually wanting a real answer. Instead he told me that with that kind of attitude that I should clean out my truck once I get to Marietta. After speaking with my fleet manager I was told to stay under the load to get me home on time (for once) and to stay in my truck.

I like driving the truck and making deliveries but Shaffer has put a really bad taste in my mouth ever since they kicked me out of the truck (previous post) for being accused of something I didn’t do. Every time I hear the Quall-COM go off I cringe at the thought that I may have to communicate with someone from management (other than load offers that is).

 

There has been several incidences where this company (Shaffer) has lied to their drivers and discredited their driver’s character. It finally had gotten to the point where the longer I worked for this company, the less valuable I became as an employee. No matter how hard I tried in becoming a valued driver within this company, this company would always push you back down and never failed to impress upon their drivers that they’re disposable just like a used diaper. It wasn’t always this way but, ever since Crete has completely taken over things have gotten worse and the higher-ups have been treating their drivers like crap.

For example, when I was kicked out of my truck and sent home because the company had decided that I was responsible for breaking a driveshaft on the truck… then a week later informed me that they were in error as they failed to investigate first and then take action later, yeah I know… I should have never went back. Click Here to read that story. One year and three months later I am faced with yet another “here we go again” situation, but this time it’s at the end of the line for me. Here is that story "Shaffer makes the hit list" http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...ny-here/35986-shaffer-makes-the-hit-list.html

On July 8th I was coming off Interstate 440 in Raleigh, NC and had two more miles to go to make my delivery. I am in the far right lane (of two lanes designated for left hand turns) making a left hand turn onto a three lane street. As I am turning onto this three lane street my tractor heads for the far right lane and my trailer wheels start to cross over into the middle lane. The cars in the far left lane are supposed to stay in the far left lane throughout the intersection… notice I said ‘supposed to’. As I am making this left hand turn I notice a van leaving the far left lane and heading into the middle lane directly in the path of where my trailer was heading. I bring the truck to a complete stop in order to allow this van time to think about where she is going. Well, instead of pulling her van back into the far left lane where she should have been in the first place, she continues to cross over into the middle lane and runs into the rear side of the trailer. I report this to my company explaining to them that I was stopped when this lady ran into me. I sent them an email with pictures in hopes that there would be no confusion but, no matter what I was unable to convince their bewildered minds of any blamelessness on my behalf but then again, I shouldn’t have expected any less from this company as to what may follow.

The very next day I get a phone call from my company who put me on the phone with an independent insurance adjuster. After explaining to him what had happened, he stated that after questioning this lady who ran into me, she went on to testify that she couldn’t remember if she had stayed in her lane or not. After watching this video that was taken while sitting in the far right lane waiting for the police to sort everything out, you can see how several drivers are trying to head for the center lane instead of staying to their far left lane from which they’re coming out of. No citations were issued. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5gdfkbBdDk
Click on the link to view the video.

About a week later I get a message from dispatch telling me to take my truck into the New Kingstown terminal and they will work on getting me out of the North/Eastern area where I have been running regional for the past 2 months. So, the next day I head back into that terminal and after sitting for a couple of hours I get another message telling me to go inside the terminal because my terminal manager (from Deland, FL) has some things she wants to discuss with me along with JR. Now somehow I knew that this little ####-chat wasn’t about bonuses, in fact, knowing that I am nothing more than just another number my gut told me to be on the defensive regardless of where this discussion was going and, more then likely it would turn out to be one of those one way conversations.

So, like a little child having to sit in the principle’s office waiting for the head honcho to take the stage, I was soon placed on ‘speaker phone’ where I was now having a three way conference call regarding this incident that took place the previous week where this van had run into me… or at least that’s how I thought I had explained myself. The head of safety (Ray) tells me that the way he understands my testimony is that I crossed over into the van’s lane and hit her. “No” I stated… and at the same time, I am being gestured by JR who was sitting in the same office as I not speak while being spoken to. OK, I hear a little break in this one way conversation and try to explain that it appears that my testimony had been re-written because that is not what I had claimed to happen. “Well”, explains the chief of safety. “You have two options… you can go with a trainer today because we have found you to be at fault in this accident!” “No sir”, I declared. “I am not at fault and my written testimony was not interpreted accurately when explained over the phone!” “OK then” demanded chief safety. “I except your resignation and have a great day.” He then disconnected from the three way conference leaving my terminal manager in Deland and JR speechless with one thought, “Hmmm… I have a feeling that was option two.”

A couple of more hours after my one sided conversation with the big chief of safety, dispatch offers me a load offer apparently not realizing that I had just been terminated, that is according to the twisted words of safety… resigned. Remember earlier I stated that dispatch had sent me to the New Kingstown terminal in order to get me back into a South/West National route… well, I get a load offer heading back into Connecticut which means that it must be their nature to mislead their employees.

Once again, just like the time before, I was given $154 to pack all my belongings which filled the back of a jeep and somehow flag down a bus heading for Florida… or at least that’s what they expected me to do. It’s a good thing I have family around the PA area because there is no way I would be able to accomplish getting all of this stuff from point “A” to point “B” on $154 - but then again, that wasn’t the company’s problem and they certainly made that clear.

 

My miles the last 2 months with Shaffer look like this. Keep in mind that I am supposed to be a national driver.

May 18th - 19th North Baltimore, OH - Greensboro, NC 552 miles
May 20th - 21st Whitsett, NC - Ronkonkoma, NY 602 miles
May 21st - 22nd Naugatuck, CT - Shippensburg, PA 409 miles
Total for week 1563 miles

May 24th - 26th Manchester, PA - Rochester, NY 355 miles
Sat waiting for load offer the remainder of week
Total for week 355 miles

May 29th - June 1st Baldwinsville, NY - Macon, GA 1114 miles
June 1st - 3rd Bremen, GA - Chambersburg, PA 839 miles
Total for week 1953 miles

June 5th - 6th Winchester, VA - Anderson, IN 581 miles
June 8th - 10th Anderson, IN - South Portland, ME 1023 miles
June 10th - 10th Portland, ME - Hackettstown, NJ 385 miles
June 11th - 12th Burlington, NJ - Seneca, NY 521 miles
Total for week 2510

June 12th - 13th Dunkirk, NY - Elizabeth, NJ 487 miles
June 15th - 16th Gordon City, NY - Bloomsburg, PA 219 miles
June 16th - 16th New Kingstown, PA - Jessup, MD 189 miles
June 17th - 19th Jessup, MD - Orlando, FL 886 miles
Total for week 1781 miles

June 20th - 25th Home Time
June 26th - 27th Apopka, FL - Chattanooga, TN 603 miles
June 27th - 28th Cleveland, TN - Hazleton, PA 731 miles
June 29th Hazleton, PA - Baldwinsville, NY 191 miles
June 30th July 1st Baldwinsville, NY - Raleigh, NC 692 miles
July 2nd - 3rd Wilkesboro, NC - Greencastle, PA 536 miles
Total for week 2753 miles

July 6th - 7th Lewistown, PA - Assonet, MA 496 miles
July 7th - 8th Marlbourgh, MA - Breinigsville, PA 397 miles
July 8th - 9th Breinigsville, PA - New Kingstown, PA 86 miles
Total for week 979 miles

Even though I have been running mostly the North/East regional area as a national driver, I had tried getting my truck serviced in the only North/Eastern terminal within this area which is New Kingstown. I was told that they are not servicing national drivers at this time… only regional and local. Dispatch would not send me in a direction to get the truck serviced.