Profile For Big White

I risked my life for others. I am a retired Marine, former Law Enforcement in Florida, and 3 wars, so I guess you could say that I was trying to protect those who (could have) been later killed by this idiot. Actually, if you were there, I literally did not risk my life as you stated. Following someone by staying one mile behind them is not actually risky. The filming part was risky, but I had to get an id of this company, period. So for that, maybe. I did a good deed last night, so no need to patronize or educate on safety, respectfully. Have a great day and stay safe out there. By all means know that there are hundreds of these idiots out there, and they do it for fun. So do be safe, but if and when you can obtain evidence, do so, because you are actually helping out someone else.

Big White your focus and persistence needs to be directed at FHP. Take your story to them in-person including your evidence.

To be clear, you risked your life confronting these drivers. Back-off.

Oh my, it seems easy to assume things of others. No, I am not an ambulance chaser. No, I did not leave the scene of an accident. 911 calls were made by numerous people at the same time. Yes, I FOLLOWED this driver by keeping at least a mile behind him. Yes, traffic was light in this area, so one mile was easy. What do I want out of it? Criminal charges. Yes, driver committed aggravated assault. Evidence? Yes. By more than one witness? Yes. Were they also ran off the road? Yes. Sorry, protecting truck drivers, when they are in the wrong, isn't going to happen on my watch. You play with fire, well, they get burned. That's what this driver did. So, just let him go, so he can kill someone out there? Sounds like it

Also think about this... you admitted to leaving the scene of.an accident. yes, he did also and i get that, but you are admitting to a high speed chase over 100 miles...that sounds like some smokey and the bandit, dukes of hazard stuff that could be used against you.

Thanks Steve, and yes your question makes complete sense. I called Morgan Law firm, and they transferred me to the consultation person, and I described everything, including FHP report and video evidence, coupled with other 911 callers, and she said that I would probably need to call the fla bar, as they would not be interested in pursuing. Crazy right? Yes, Aggravated assault is a crime, and punishable up to 5 years if I am not mistaken. I thought about calling the company, but didn't want to have cover ups, as most enjoy the protectionism. Yes, the FHP report has the company name, dot# etc., as this was taken from my video footage, scary footage at that. It happened in Florida, so Florida should be apprehending this driver. Court should be in Florida. I am not letting this go, I mean the guy tried killing me twice. I just go off the phone with another 911 caller, as she was in the FHP report, and she saw all of it. So we have plenty of evidence, it's just that I looking for the right direction to take. Appreciate your feedback however, stay safe out there!

Respectfully, if Morgan won’t take the case, why? Were there any company names/numbers on the trailers? If so, call the company. But, if you’ve got a police report, saying this truck driver committed aggravated assault, I don’t see how a lawyer would turn that down.

Also, that police report should have information about the driver and possibly the company he drives fo.

You may want to ask which municipalities have jurisdiction. I’m no lawyer, but I think aggravated assault is a criminal offense.

Hi,

I no longer drive due to my neuropathy, but as a former driver, I am sort of aware of laws, regs, etc. However, never being a victim, I am not sure of the approach I need to make. Last night, heading south bound 75, just north of Ocala, two CRAZY semis were doing well over 85mph, not exaggerating. Traffic was medium to heavy. Normal traffic speeds were around 75. First semi came out from nowhere and was swerving in and out of traffic passing, and almost caused 3 cars to collide at one time. So most of us 4 wheelers decided to move over to the far left lane, to avoid this idiot. Upon my doing the same, I looked in left mirror and noticed another very fast approach by another semi. This is not a "no left lane" area for trucks, that I am aware of anyway. This oncoming truck has probably 30-40 car lengths behind me, so I proceeded to far left lane. Then he gets right on my bumper LITERALLY about a foot off my bumper and blew his train horn. There was nowhere to go to the right at the time. Then this driver behind me finds an opening on the right and floors it, comes up to my right side and forces me off the road, nearly missing a bridge pylon by 6 inches! It was obvious that these two trucks were buddies, as they both had the HIGH speed capability, and were acting the exact same by endangering others.

So I called 911, no on site response. This was about 2200 hours on 11-19. I called again, and overall 3 times, still no fhp, sheriff! So now we are at the Fla turnpike, where I was actually supposed to go. The first truck took the turnpike, the second truck who ran me off the road, tried to fake his turn, as if he was going to take the turnpike, but at the last moment he swerved violently back onto 75 south. So I followed, as he was the one that ran me off the road. I did not want him getting away, and I was willing to drive to the keys to get this driver apprehended. This driver knew I was following him, so I stayed roughly 1 mile behind him, WAITING for FHP to respond! We are talking nearly 100 miles to get a response on scene! So because FHP or Sheriff were not responding to my calls, I decided to move in closer to get a video of the Trailer plates, DOT#, etc. So I got up close to him on the right, because I knew his vision would not be able to easily see my vehicle from this angle. I made my video, and then as I got a few feet ahead of him, I waved my camera out the window, like "I got you now". His train horn went off again. Then he quickly got right on my bumper yet again (on video). So I decided to speed up rapidly and move to the far left lane, and then brake to get behind him once again. Well, that didn't work, as he was prepared. His engine damn sure has the power! So now he swerves over and runs me off the road again, this time on video.

So now, two more calls to FHP this time, and finally just before I-4, fhp arrived. While the FHP was riding his tail, I was on the phone with dispatch at the same time. I told the dispatch that I had video evidence of this nut running me off the road, but the FHP decided to let him go, and instead pull off the side to meet with me. I have a report from FHP, and the officer said it was aggravated assault. So my question, what the heck do I do? I already called Morgan and Morgan, which is a large lawyer firm in Florida, but they declined. According to the law, and other articles about this type in crime in Florida, they say that Florida vigorously enforces this behavior. So I am thinking that this guy will just get off the hook, but I definitely do not want this to happen. Listen, if I were to have instigated this in some way, then that's on me, but there are other 911 calls that were made, besides my own about this. So there is plenty of evidence to show that these guys were in the wrong. Any ideas on how I should proceed? Don't worry, I will not hold anyone liable for acting like an attorney or otherwise, just trying to see what I should do. Thanks!

I am a company driver. Due to not being able to turn in trip envelopes as I wanted to, due to routing, etc., I collected roughly 5000 miles in roughly 3 weeks. Once turned in, the payroll supervisor offered to push them through, but said I would be in a higher tax bracket if all miles were paid at once. I was under the assumption that an employee is taxed on annual gross income, not biweekly income. Somehow I feel as if the carrier wants to maintain positive cash flow while holding back what is due. They are holding back roughly 2000 miles because of this. Can a carrier hold back earned income, based on the reasoning of placing me in a higher taxes bracket?

I have been looking at 2 schools in my area, but neither were on the list of my first choice company (Knight Transportation) I asked my knight recruiter if either of the 2 schools was acceptable, and was informed they are, and have that they have hired from both. She then went on to say which would be the better of the two, and why.

So my suggestion is to contact the recruiters from your top 2 or 3 choices, and ask them. They are a wealth of information, that a lot of potential drivers take for granted, because they can't see past the "sales pitches."

Thanks Dan. Good information brother. Be safe, and Happy Thanksgiving

I found some of the big carriers preferred some schools over others, but as long as the school met the minimum requirements for CDL testing/licensing, they'd accept you. Then it was up to us to survive their orientation.

If the school can tell you which companies hire from them, you'll probably be fine. They don't stand to benefit by lying to you. If they're not a legit school, word would get around quick and they'd have a hard time attracting students.

As for kickbacks, I have no idea if companies give them to the schools. The school I went to had recruiters coming in from so many companies, it seemed that either they'd all have to be giving kickbacks or none of them were. Plus, the companies I was most interested in told me which schools they hired from. I did this research prior to attending school. Essentially, if the school told me company ABC hired from their school and if ABC company told me they hired from the school I was planning to attend, I figured there was a pretty good chance the school was okay.

Good luck.

Hey Steve! Thanks so much compadre. I will have to wait until Monday to contact this school. The Vet Rep is sending me that way, so I imagine it's a credible operation. Keep spinning those wheels, and will hopefully meet you at the pumps one day. Happy Turkey Day!

The FMCSA doesn't directly certify Trucking schools. Schools can follow guidelines of the PTDI (Professional Truck Driver Institute), a non-profit.

You might check with your state DMV to see if they've been registered there.

Also, you can contact some trucking companies that you're interested in. Ask the company if they hire students from your school.

Thank you Errol. Had my wires crossed in more than one way. First was my thinking on FMCSA, thanks for correction. Second is the fact that it is Turkey day tomorrow, and more than likely, Friday will be a closure day. I sometimes don't remember those special days. Worked overseas too long to know what it is. I will definitely check with the DMV on this school, but there is still a bunch of cloudy murk on what makes a school "approved". As much as I could use the help right now under this grant funded school, I would hate to take the course, and only to learn that the mega carriers will laugh you off the phone. If this school is actually registered through the DMV, now what? Do I need to contact the PTDI as a secondary step to see if they meet the status quo? My thinking is if I obtain this training, and it is acceptable under Federal or PTDI regs, then why the heck would it stand the chance of becoming a "non-approved" school?

Thanks, and Happy Thanksgiving!

I am about to take a CDL course that is offered under a grant for unemployed Veterans. However, I cannot seem to find information on this site, or others, that will tell the potential driver which school meets the qualifications under FMCSA or other entity. Each carrier will possibly reveal their own match making, as for (their) approved schools, and the next one you look at, would reveal entirely different schools. It seems like kick backs are being distributed around the room, or they wish to see you in their own money maker. The name of the school I will be attending, is Advance Trucking Institute. The Veterans Representative that is handling my entry into this school, tells me that the last Veteran that went through this course had 16 job offers right after graduation. Not sure how accurate his feedback is, or whether those offers came from local employers only.

If this school is actually compliant with Federal regulated training standards, then what on earth would make it a (non-approved) course by the mega carriers out there? I will be contacting the FMCSA this week, with hopes of clarity. Thought I would list my question here first. Thanks

Steve,

Thank you sir. No need for an apology either, it was simply an honest misunderstanding. If you read my response to Brett, you will find that your type of response is what I have been after. I actually applied to Schneider about a 1.5 weeks ago, but have yet to receive any response. I will follow up with them this week. As for terminal locations, I can almost bet my last $2 that they won't have one near Franklin, NC. Charlotte is about 3.5 hours away. Would you know if they have a lane coming through here? Do they allow a take home tractor? It could be because of my living in the hills that they haven't responded.

I do not know how the PM works in here, as I never used that feature. Recently I learned that Prime had increased their driver pay, which is a bit higher than Swift. You speak of tanker, but wouldn't they need experience of a year or more prior to hauling potential hazardous chemicals, or other rating of liquid? As I have conveyed in my first post, I am reaching for the highest earnings potential in the beginning. I am hopeful that my CDL course will offer these endorsements, but they don't seem to like returning my voice mail or email, which isn't a good sign. This course is being "assigned" through a Veteran aid program, and I don't have much room to alter this path.

Your bolded words mean a great deal, and are important to know. Without knowing what happens tomorrow, there may be a slight chance we meet one another in the same Company. It just all depends on the best offer. I have immediate family here in Franklin, but they understand that I may have to be gone for weeks at a time, and possibly longer. I had about 11 years of being 3,000-12,000 miles from home (ending in 2013) for longer durations, so this will not be new to me or them. It's just a very strong worry of possibly hearing that one of my elderly parents was admitted, or possibly passed when I wasn't there. Life is filled with obstacles. As for what you said about the company not caring for you, I just "voluntarily" left the Federal Government, so laughingly I know all too well about what you are saying. It does boil down to being humble in a way. You have to put your blinders on, and focus on you and your family. Whatever it takes to succeed in that, means that you have to take the punches as they come, but continue to show your overwhelming support for the company. In return, it seems that they have treated you well, which is great.

As said, I will reach out to a recruiter with Schneider this week, and if you have any scoop that you would rather not discuss here, feel free in contacting me. Or PM me? Honestly, I haven't even looked at that feature here. I am sure it is just a click away, but haven't seen that yet, lol. I hope your wife's surgery goes well, and has a safe recovery. Those things come in handy. :) Take care, drive safe, and thank you!