Husband Might Get Fired
Topic 16076 | Page 2
Husband is home with me...he also got positive responses from Western Express (I got that tip from this board so thanks!) and Roehl. Tomorrow he is hitting up the smaller local companies that ask you to apply in person.
Regarding his attitude...it's hard to tell. Everything I've witnessed (like when he would arrive at the shipper or truck stop and I could overhear him on Bluetooth) showed him to be courteous and professional. And he seemed to always get his loads on time. But he also had an overinflated idea of how much he was going to make as a rookie and he complained all the time to me, even coming up with conspiracy theories (the dispatchers give the best miles to their friends!)
I sincerely hope this experience has humbled him and made him realize that, like in basically any industry there is, you don't get everything handed to you on a silver platter your first months on the job. Thing is, I warned him at the beginning to be skeptical of the promises the recruiters make and he didn't believe me. 🙄
Shipper:
The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.
Dispatcher:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
Husband is home with me...he also got positive responses from Western Express (I got that tip from this board so thanks!) and Roehl. Tomorrow he is hitting up the smaller local companies that ask you to apply in person.
Regarding his attitude...it's hard to tell. Everything I've witnessed (like when he would arrive at the shipper or truck stop and I could overhear him on Bluetooth) showed him to be courteous and professional. And he seemed to always get his loads on time. But he also had an overinflated idea of how much he was going to make as a rookie and he complained all the time to me, even coming up with conspiracy theories (the dispatchers give the best miles to their friends!)
I sincerely hope this experience has humbled him and made him realize that, like in basically any industry there is, you don't get everything handed to you on a silver platter your first months on the job. Thing is, I warned him at the beginning to be skeptical of the promises the recruiters make and he didn't believe me. 🙄
Recruiters get commission to bring you in. It's true...they may not always be up on latest changes either but most at the big companies are not trying to deceive you... at least I don't think.
In a way it is true that dispatch gives the loads and miles to certain drivers... it's because they proved to be safe, reliable, manage their time properly, and deal with them professionally.
I have a friend who sat at a truck stop for 28 hours, went to a mall and the movies and enjoyed himself then left for his load. He only gave himself 2 hours to drive 100 miles in rush hour traffic in the city. Needless to say he was 2 hours late. Then blamed dispatch for getting mad.
He swore his dispatcher was out to get him. He changed FM and was still late then blamed the truck.
Bad attitudes will not get u miles
Shipper:
The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.
Dispatcher:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.Fm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
Husband is home with me...he also got positive responses from Western Express (I got that tip from this board so thanks!) and Roehl
I would dare say if either one of those companies give him a shot then he should jump at the chance. Roehl has some very interesting home time options too. I'm not sure how often Western Express can get you home. But we have tons of information on both companies:
Roehl Transport Company Review
Western Express Company Review
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Husband has an interview with Schneider today. Hoping this will go well.
Also found out his DAC report lists one accident as "damaged equipment/property" when there wasn't any damages. This was when he went over the curb turning around at the receiver back in June. The only reason he reported it was the receiver saw him do it and he wanted Werner to hear from him. Then he found out going over the curb was an automatic accident. He's in touch with a lawyer to see if he can get it changed but should I ask Werner too?
DAC:
Drive-A-Check Report
A truck drivers DAC report will contain detailed information about their job history of the last 10 years as a CDL driver (as required by the DOT).
It may also contain your criminal history, drug test results, DOT infractions and accident history. The program is strictly voluntary from a company standpoint, but most of the medium-to-large carriers will participate.
Most trucking companies use DAC reports as part of their hiring and background check process. It is extremely important that drivers verify that the information contained in it is correct, and have it fixed if it's not.
The interview did not go well. Schneider surprised him with an incident on Werner's report that was NOT on the DAC report that he had no idea about. So that was one incident above what they tolerate and they said call us when you have six months incident free. He was prepared to explain all the DAC stuff but was blindsided by this. Btw, I found the stuff on disputing a DAC report, thanks!
He called Werner to ask for a copy of his employee report and got the run around. I hadn't even heard of the employee report, I thought it was the DAC he had to be worried about.
He's going with the company that doesn't offer benefits just because we have bills to pay. Can't find anything online about them though, except we did verify they're a real company. The good news is they'll let him bring me along from Day 1. We had been planning on going together since my job grant wasn't renewed. I want to go in fall to see the colors. Then he'll continue applying for jobs with benefits from the road.
DAC:
Drive-A-Check Report
A truck drivers DAC report will contain detailed information about their job history of the last 10 years as a CDL driver (as required by the DOT).
It may also contain your criminal history, drug test results, DOT infractions and accident history. The program is strictly voluntary from a company standpoint, but most of the medium-to-large carriers will participate.
Most trucking companies use DAC reports as part of their hiring and background check process. It is extremely important that drivers verify that the information contained in it is correct, and have it fixed if it's not.
It sounds to me like there are several things missing from this story. I hope everything works out for both of you. I certainly hope your Husband has learned from his mistakes. Third chances may be hard to come by.
I hadn't even heard of the employee report, I thought it was the DAC he had to be worried about.
Honestly I hadn't heard of that either. I thought the DAC was the place companies put everything.
Yeah, he's just going to have to take whatever he can get right now and keep trying for better jobs. If he stays safe out there he'll get more opportunities.
DAC:
Drive-A-Check Report
A truck drivers DAC report will contain detailed information about their job history of the last 10 years as a CDL driver (as required by the DOT).
It may also contain your criminal history, drug test results, DOT infractions and accident history. The program is strictly voluntary from a company standpoint, but most of the medium-to-large carriers will participate.
Most trucking companies use DAC reports as part of their hiring and background check process. It is extremely important that drivers verify that the information contained in it is correct, and have it fixed if it's not.
They may or may not put EVERYTHING on the DAC. May have been a bunch of "hard braking triggers" or other things that weren't exactly "incidents" (incidents being: hitting curbs and whatnot).
There's probably more stuff in your jacket from the safety department, then you will ever see on a DAC.
Best of luck and keep us posted.
Rick
DAC:
Drive-A-Check Report
A truck drivers DAC report will contain detailed information about their job history of the last 10 years as a CDL driver (as required by the DOT).
It may also contain your criminal history, drug test results, DOT infractions and accident history. The program is strictly voluntary from a company standpoint, but most of the medium-to-large carriers will participate.
Most trucking companies use DAC reports as part of their hiring and background check process. It is extremely important that drivers verify that the information contained in it is correct, and have it fixed if it's not.
Rick, what you said makes sense and that's my best guess as to what's going on. Just doesn't seem common thing on this board - people stress about the DOT , CSA and DAC but not future employers pulling past employers safety reports. Maybe it's more likely a company would be that in a borderline case like my husband's.
Only question is how would Werner know something that husband doesn't? Maybe something like a motorist called the number on the back of the truck and said "I just saw your driver do/almost do x?" That's my guess.
CSA:
Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)
The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
DAC:
Drive-A-Check Report
A truck drivers DAC report will contain detailed information about their job history of the last 10 years as a CDL driver (as required by the DOT).
It may also contain your criminal history, drug test results, DOT infractions and accident history. The program is strictly voluntary from a company standpoint, but most of the medium-to-large carriers will participate.
Most trucking companies use DAC reports as part of their hiring and background check process. It is extremely important that drivers verify that the information contained in it is correct, and have it fixed if it's not.
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Werner Enterprises Advice For New Truck Drivers Background Checks DAC Reports First Solo Months On The Road First Truck Driving Job Hard Lessons Learned Truck Driver Safety Trucking Accidents
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