Strong group

It's been a bit difficult getting good info on this "Strong Group." I believe they are a "Strong Odor Group."

 

I worked for them for a month as 1099 independent contractor, their truck. They didn't pay me my last weeks pay check. Over 3000 miles worth of pay.

I am an experienced flatbed driver. They spent zero time training me, zero dollars getting me there.

They have many names. Strong Group, CCCC Expedite, 53 Refeer LLC, and Miler Transport Services.

I worked for Miler Transport Services doing flatbed. Their yard is at 146 East 168th Street, South Holland IL 60473. The office is at 905 175th Street, Homewood IL 60430.

Bruno Miler is the owner. (773-677-7300). He is German/Serbian.They pronounce Miler like Miller. The dispatch office (in both Indiana and Chicago) handles Miler Transport Services, and CCCC Expedite. When you call Miler Transport Services (209-206-1800) the voice recording is an over-the-top enthusiastic Australian guy. They still use the name "53 Refeer LLC" on some paper work I signed at "orientation".

They pay $.70 per mile if you drive more than 2800 miles for the week. Otherwise it's $.63 per mile.

They take out $150 per week until it reaches $2000 which goes into an "escrow account" which is "in case something happens to the truck". Your supposed to get all that money back within 45 days of quitting if you give a two weeks notice.

They take out an additional $58 per week for insurance.

The first cash advance is free. Any additional cash advances are charged 20% (A $40 charge for a $200 cash advance).

The pay week is Friday to Friday (or Saturday to Friday?) You get paid on Friday. And pay is a week behind.

Two weeks they paid me by ACH. One week the did a wire transfer which they charged me a $10 wire transfer fee.

You have to register your own LLC if you don't already have one so they can have a business to business relationship with you.

You sign a million legal papers--that's their "orientation".

I ran mainly steel pipe and hay. Montana, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Colorado, and once east of Illinois--Indiana, Ohio, etc. I never ran south.

For the month I was there I drove a 2016 Peterbuilt 579 that had a problem with the engine running too cool even after they bungeed a piece of cardboard onto the front of the grill. The heater wouldn't get warm sometimes. It was below zero degrees in Montana and North Dakota for two of the four weeks I worked.

They had ipass and ktag. One night going east through Indiana the ipass didn't work. I called. The dispatcher said it wasn't working for any of their trucks and he was "trying to fix it" and wanted me to pay and they would reimburse me. I parked before the pay toll instead. I didn't trust that they would reimburse me. Ipass worked again the next day (after they paid their bill I'm assuming).

They had two fuel cards one for Pilot/Flying J and one Love's. I had only the Pilot Flying J for my first two weeks. Got the Love's after two weeks. I used the Love's card only 3 times. The last time it said "not enough funds" or something like that. The last time I used their Pilot Flying J card the guy at Pilot came out before I left and said we had to go inside and manually do the transaction with the card company even though I had already fueled. He said it was a problem with compass payments.

On my first trip from Illinois to Denver I saw the fuel gauge was at the same level for 300 miles. The fuel was getting low and at one point I measured it--couple inches in each tank, but I only had Pilot Flying J card at this point, and they are sparse on certain stretches of I-70 so I put in $40 dollars of my own money at a Casey's just to make sure I made it to the upcoming Pilot. I then lost the receipt later, so never got reimbursed.

They don't use prepass, though they they were thinking about getting them.

I gave my two week notice on the phone to Bruno. He assured me that I would be would paid for everything I had done. During those last two weeks he offered me a better truck. I complained about the weekly deductions and said that I would think about the offer but that I was pretty set on getting back to California.

My last load was hay from a farm in Poplar, MT. It was freezing and extremely windy. I helped a ranch hand fix a flat trailer tire while the other ranch hand who had loaded the hay, who was a former commercial driver from Denmark, bungeed the tarps. I should have checked his bungee job. A few miles down the road the tarps began blowing off. I lost 1 tarp. (I had the 3 tarp setup--3 small tarps to span 48 feet, so I had 2 remaining tarps). I delivered the hay. Customer unloaded it into an open and uncovered area. Customer was happy and signed the bills.

I told Bruno to charge me for the tarp.

I get back to the yard. I spend 3 hours cleaning out inside of truck. It's now cleaner than when I first got in the truck (when first got in the truck Bruno asked me if I wanted it cleaned before I took off for my first load, I said don't bother, besides I was already dispatched to pick up a load in a few hours and didn't really have time.)

So I have now quit and am gone from the company and the state. A week goes by until another Friday comes when I'm supposed to get paid. No pay. So before 5pm Chicago time I call accounting at Miler Transport Services. They said I will get paid before the end of the day but that they are deducting $800 from my check ($400 for the tarp and $400 to clean a truck that was cleaner than when I got in it.) They still had $450 of mine in the "escrow account". And then I guess they decided "why pay him anything?". I never got payed anything. Later that night I called Bruno. No answer. I texted him indicating that he owes me money. No reply. It's Saturday right now as I'm writing this. I called Bruno again. No answer. I left him a message stating that I expect to be paid for my work.

I knew this company was a mistake when I saw all the escrow money that they withhold and the 20% cash advance fee when I was signing their "orientation" package documents. By the way, the $58 weekly insurance charge was not disclosed until after I got my first check.

But I thought I would give it a try anyway since I had driven all the way there from California on my own dime for that 70 cents per mile. Maybe I was wrong about everything. I was not.

 

Yes, for one month. I don't recommend. My detailed experience on page 6 of this thread:
Strong group

 

That, and a 1099 would have sent most people running the other way.

 

Are u working with them now or are u with another carrier. 05/13/2020.

 

Who u with now ? Hmu got an offer on dry van just wondering if u can talk on phone let me know more about ur time with them and so I won't waste time working 4 with them...

 

JTA, do you know where their lots are located?

 

Well, ya know.....he just might show up outta da blue......The bigger question is, why does a party need to know where their lots are at? Probably a much jucier back story.....