05-04-2010, 09:04 AM
I have been a truck driver for 12 years (not all with the same co). My last job I was there close to two years. From the beginning with these guys, they seemed very disinterested in getting me home for time off when I requested. 2-3 weeks on the road is enough for me, then I want to be at home for awhile. They're pretty stingy with home time too. I live in CA.
I took vacation 7 months ago for my daughter's wedding. I wanted to be off the entire week prior to the wedding. But they got me home late, again, although it wasn't 2 to 3 weeks late like they do sometimes. It was during the week of.. But the very next day, while I was on vacation, they called me back to work to go deliver a load!! I was furious! They wouldn't take No for an answer, so I had to do it.
During a work period, the dispatchers push the drivers hard, right up against the legal limit for commercial drivers, and even beyond. When I started with these guys, I could keep up pretty well. But the upside down scheduling of pickups and deliveries... one day you're driving in the wee hours of the morning, the next you're driving late into the night and delivering a load at 3 am.... the scheduling really screwed up my sleep patterns.
On top of that, they don't want phone calls when there are issues to be discussed. They want to do everything on the QC (QualComm: the satellite tracked vehicle tracking and communication device). But dispatchers are slower than frozen molassas responding.. if they do at all. Sometimes, they will ask a driver to wait a couple hours for their response. Of course, this is cutting into sleep time.
I got insomnia and high blood pressure from all of this. I had been having a variety of intermittent symptoms as well some of which that I hadn't had before either. Carpal tunnel syndrome was diagnosed about 4 yrs ago, but with rest, it went away. It's back again. I also have P.A.D. peripheral artery disease, I have C.O.P.D. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, I have depression, back pain from I don't know what. The seats in the truck? The uncomfortable bunk? Jumping out of trailers?
On the last day I worked, my fleet manager (on the QC, it's documented, but I have no access to it) suggested that I fudge my logbook to show that I had been in the bunk - presumably sleeping - so that I could drive all night to make a delivery, and look like legal. My BP skyrocketed to the highest it's ever been.
I reported the BP and insomnia. They sent me to go find a doctor (in the midwest, where I was, not at home). I did and they sent me home the next day via public transportation. I carried with me everything that I possibly could, but I had to leave behind all of my tools, most of my clothes, nearly all my personal belongings, everything. They told me they would either hold it for me, when I returned to work, or ship it to me if it was going to be more than a month or so.
I didn't have enough of my wardrobe at home and was uncomfortable leaving my stuff behind. I asked that it be shipped, but I specifically asked for them to let me know how much the shipping would be in advance. They packed up my stuff (man! I hate having strangers maul through my stuff!) and sent it without telling me the cost. I didn't have the $ at the door and refused it. What else could I do? So then the fleet manager got mad at me, saying I had cost them a bundle of money. Well, they should have called me first. Personally, my opinion is that they should have paid the shipping anyways. I wasn't in the central US on vacation; I was doing their business.
Next they told me to make a list of what I wanted and didn't want shipped. So I did. Then they said they would pack up THAT stuff, and ship it, and they would let me know beforehand the cost. But no repacking. So I'm sitting over here in the dark about how much it's going to cost, again, with no recourse if it's too much. I said forget it. Don't ship anything. They threw out half my stuff. I got mad at them and said I never said I didn't WANT it, only that I didn't want it SHIPPED. This is all just typical of the way they do drivers, and adds to my stress. I feel like my life and dignity has been shredded.
They have not given me short term disability, as promised, and WC has been denied. They say its not job related. I'd like to know what it IS related to if not the job, since I spent 99.9% of my time in that truck! The Dr. says it's stress. He never actually treated the insomnia, or checked for sleep apnea, which I know I have as well. The Dr. gave me Happy Pills and BP pills and that's pretty much it. I object to the Happy Pills because there IS a reason for the depression. It's not just me and some chemical imbalance. I feel like the proverbial frog in the pot - yeah, you're gonna cook, but you can at least be happy about it.
Do I have a case here? What do you all think?
I took vacation 7 months ago for my daughter's wedding. I wanted to be off the entire week prior to the wedding. But they got me home late, again, although it wasn't 2 to 3 weeks late like they do sometimes. It was during the week of.. But the very next day, while I was on vacation, they called me back to work to go deliver a load!! I was furious! They wouldn't take No for an answer, so I had to do it.
During a work period, the dispatchers push the drivers hard, right up against the legal limit for commercial drivers, and even beyond. When I started with these guys, I could keep up pretty well. But the upside down scheduling of pickups and deliveries... one day you're driving in the wee hours of the morning, the next you're driving late into the night and delivering a load at 3 am.... the scheduling really screwed up my sleep patterns.
On top of that, they don't want phone calls when there are issues to be discussed. They want to do everything on the QC (QualComm: the satellite tracked vehicle tracking and communication device). But dispatchers are slower than frozen molassas responding.. if they do at all. Sometimes, they will ask a driver to wait a couple hours for their response. Of course, this is cutting into sleep time.
I got insomnia and high blood pressure from all of this. I had been having a variety of intermittent symptoms as well some of which that I hadn't had before either. Carpal tunnel syndrome was diagnosed about 4 yrs ago, but with rest, it went away. It's back again. I also have P.A.D. peripheral artery disease, I have C.O.P.D. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, I have depression, back pain from I don't know what. The seats in the truck? The uncomfortable bunk? Jumping out of trailers?
On the last day I worked, my fleet manager (on the QC, it's documented, but I have no access to it) suggested that I fudge my logbook to show that I had been in the bunk - presumably sleeping - so that I could drive all night to make a delivery, and look like legal. My BP skyrocketed to the highest it's ever been.
I reported the BP and insomnia. They sent me to go find a doctor (in the midwest, where I was, not at home). I did and they sent me home the next day via public transportation. I carried with me everything that I possibly could, but I had to leave behind all of my tools, most of my clothes, nearly all my personal belongings, everything. They told me they would either hold it for me, when I returned to work, or ship it to me if it was going to be more than a month or so.
I didn't have enough of my wardrobe at home and was uncomfortable leaving my stuff behind. I asked that it be shipped, but I specifically asked for them to let me know how much the shipping would be in advance. They packed up my stuff (man! I hate having strangers maul through my stuff!) and sent it without telling me the cost. I didn't have the $ at the door and refused it. What else could I do? So then the fleet manager got mad at me, saying I had cost them a bundle of money. Well, they should have called me first. Personally, my opinion is that they should have paid the shipping anyways. I wasn't in the central US on vacation; I was doing their business.
Next they told me to make a list of what I wanted and didn't want shipped. So I did. Then they said they would pack up THAT stuff, and ship it, and they would let me know beforehand the cost. But no repacking. So I'm sitting over here in the dark about how much it's going to cost, again, with no recourse if it's too much. I said forget it. Don't ship anything. They threw out half my stuff. I got mad at them and said I never said I didn't WANT it, only that I didn't want it SHIPPED. This is all just typical of the way they do drivers, and adds to my stress. I feel like my life and dignity has been shredded.
They have not given me short term disability, as promised, and WC has been denied. They say its not job related. I'd like to know what it IS related to if not the job, since I spent 99.9% of my time in that truck! The Dr. says it's stress. He never actually treated the insomnia, or checked for sleep apnea, which I know I have as well. The Dr. gave me Happy Pills and BP pills and that's pretty much it. I object to the Happy Pills because there IS a reason for the depression. It's not just me and some chemical imbalance. I feel like the proverbial frog in the pot - yeah, you're gonna cook, but you can at least be happy about it.
Do I have a case here? What do you all think?