Profile For Ahmalia

To clarify the reason I don't know if this is a temporary or permanent move is I don't know if my partner is going to return to work. He was already considering retiring and then his son was in a very bad motorcycle accident and is still in critical condition and in a coma. So if he does come back it's not going to be anytime soon.

Some additional information. My dispatcher is male and has demonstrated on multiple occasions, his bias towards female drivers. I have often been the target of that. His boss is female and she has tried to get me to help her get him fired. I refused because I'm not getting involved in the drama. That's why I drive truck so I don't have to deal with that. So because I refuse to back her up I am also often a target for her frustration.

I also don't report things to HR because there are too many ways they can both retaliate that still fall within the parameters of the job. I'm living an example of that right now. They were short a driver on a lane and so I got moved because I don't currently have a partner. Looks like a legitimate move, but I believe it's retaliation because I inquired about different positions within the company. And now they know I've also talked to outside companies.

I've dealt with this behavior for years because I had people in higher positions that were on my side. But I have outlasted them and so now I'm kind of on my own with new people in the higher ranks on the chain of command.

I heard from a third party that supposedly I am going to be getting bonus pay to compensate for the paycut. But that is just a rumor and nothing has been communicated to me directly. I do intend to go in on Monday and request a meeting with our terminal leader to see what I can find out. I'm just frustrated because I do my job and I do it well. And it doesn't seem to be appreciated. Anyway, wish me luck.

I had a long message typed up that a much more detailed explanation, and I set my phone down and my cat stepped on it and closed it out. So I'm going to do a shorter version.

I have been with the same company for 13 years and I am a million mile driver. The vast majority of that time I have been on a local fleet where I meet up with another driver and we swap loads. I am home every night and off on the weekends.

In the last three weeks several things have happened that have affected my pay drastically. A reduction in the Fleet, and a family medical emergency from my partner that I meet up with, and my making the statement that I was struggling to sleep well in the truck (I was doing the entire run so has to sleep in the truck every other night) has resulted in my position being changed to the shortest lane.

Unknown if this is temporary or permanent but in the meantime my income has literally been cut in half. I started exploring other companies, but I'm finding that the home daily options are not any better than what I'm currently doing. 13 years in the industry and I know that there is B.S at every company. And I'm hesitant to go start over back at the bottom of the totem pole when I have invested so much time with this company. I see a lot of drivers leave for what they believe is a better opportunity and more often than not they come back within a month. I don't want to be job hopping.

I had asked for a pay increase a few weeks back and was denied, but now they know I'm inquiring at other companies. I'll go in next week and have another discussion. But I don't think they're going to change their minds. And I don't know what I should do.

Any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Congratulations! You get rewarded with a new truck of your choosing, correct? If so, what's it gonna be?

If I was OTR, yes. But because I'm on a dedicated regional account where I slip seat, no.

Hey, all! I know.It's been a minute since I've checked in. Back in 2012 I was the first person to complete the cdl practice course here in Trucking Truth. Got hired on with Swift in July of 2012, and I'm still with them. Last week I hit one million miles driven. I'm still rolling along and loving every minute of it. So I wanted to share my good news. 😊

Ahmalia - how are you doing girl?

It's always great to hear from you! I'm thrilled to see you're still in the game. That means you're healthy and still able to drive these beautiful big rigs.

It's really great to see you in here!

Hanging in there. Just Trucking right along. Last year when I went for my physical they made me do a sleep study and then determined I had to have a CPAP machine answer 30 days of usage before they would renew my med card. 30 days off with no pay and then I go back in only to have a different doctor tell me the test results show I do not need a CPAP machine. Which I knew all along. But that little Fiasco cost me about 6K between lost wages and paying for tests and equipment I didn't need. But while I was off for that 30 days they had me fill in at the dispatch window and what I learned from that experience is that I do not miss office work and that I will drive a truck until I'm physically unable to do so anymore. I have no patience for drama and BS.

So what are you up to these days?

Just checking back in. It's been awhile. Joined up back in 2012 when I decided to become a truck driver. For any newbies I highly highly recommend the CDL practice course on here.

So, I am still with Swift. For the last two years I have been on a dedicated shuttle Fleet. That means I pick up at our yard in Kansas City and drive to St Louis where I meet another driver at a truck stop and we swap loads. Then I bring that load back to our yard. This is Monday through Friday overnight. So I'm home every night, well everyday, and off on the weekends.

Anyway, just saying hi. 😊

My main concern was that warehouses and distribution centers were going to start closing down causing a lack of freight. And that could potentially still happen I suppose. But at the moment with all the panic buying of toilet paper we actually have more freight than usual for this time of year.

Thanks all!! Yes I was very worried DOT was going to deny me forever. It was a HUGE relief. And Swift has been amazing through all of this. They could have terminated me last year and told me to reapply if/when my cdl was reinstated. Instead they kept me employed and while I was on leave without pay, that did keep my medical insurance in place. Considering I had 3 major surgeries, physical therapy, and tons of tests in my quest for a diagnosis, this was extremely beneficial.

Just a little side note. During one of those medical tests it was determined that I have an extra lumbar spine. Meaning most people have L1 through L5 but I have an L6. Of course I immediately asked if that could have caused my numbness issue, and was told no. I asked if it could cause me issues of any kind and was told no. So I said basically what you are telling me is I have an extra spinal bone? And the doctor said yes. So then I replied, then how come I'm not taller? LOL

Anyway, like I said, it's great to be back! Thanks to everyone for your thoughts, prayers, and support.

And I'm back. Medically cleared, cdl reinstated, and right back on the dedicated fleet. It was a long rough stressful year, but I'm glad to be back. I was also happy to discover truck driving is like riding a bike. Especially since when I walked into the terminal I was literally handed a set of keys to a truck and told to go pick up a load. No refresher course or Road training or anything. So I was a little nervous having not driven for a year. But I've been back at it 3 weeks now and it's like I was never gone. And what is really cool is all of the places I'm delivering to a lot of which I have not been to in over a year or more and the people there are greeting me with where the hell have you been? It's nice to be remembered. :-)

Just popping back in with an update. Thyroid surgery went fine and the nodules were benign so not cancer. Went to renew my license as my birthday is tomorrow so it was due for renewal and found out it was automatically downgraded to class D when DOT put the hold on my med card. I have to present a valid med card by May 15 to get my class A reinstated. Otherwise I will have to retest to get my cdl back. I'm not sure what date I can go get my physical done to get my med card back because I think May 15th is the date DOT put the hold on it. I am working on getting all of my medical records for the last year together because I have a feeling I will need to present that to the doctor doing my physical. And I want to be prepared because I don't want any more delays in getting me back out on the road.