ATTENTION O/O driver warning

[idtrans]

1st off I will not put the drivers full name out on here but I will use his first name and last names first initial. Greg P from Springfield Illinois

This fine man contacted me for a driving position he applied and well had a great line of BS. well he got into my van drove left here with a $400 fuel advance and then got a run to Seattle Wa from chicago, il when he got to montana seems he either hit a pot hole hard and broke a wheel bearing and or the wheel bearing started to go out and he continued to drive and then ran the van until the wheel fell off. ok I had the van towed in and repairs were made to van. he was ready to roll the next day. Over $1,000 repair YIPPY !!

Well gets better now he is montana the load was passed to another driver since the van was downed and he had to wait for a load. well he decided it was best to goto denver. He waited in denver a few days I asked how much gas money do you have and he said I have no money ok I deposit $400 mor into his account at his bank.

A couple days later I get a call from the company his van is leased with that they have a load for him in denver going to indy and he wasn't answering his calls well I tried calling and he answered and went ape nuts on me and said your van is in hays kansas and hangs up on me. Well now I am wondering where in hays my van is at. I tried calling back no answer after a few tries he answered . and at that point and time told me where the van was located. so I had the hays police go and secure my keys and make sure van was parked properly.

ok I did get the van back intact "smelled like all heck nasty" but got her cleaned up. Van had half tank of gas.

The reason I am posting this is he may try to get work from another OO on here and I do not wanna see you go through all the head aches I did with this joke of a wanna be driver. He will brag up of driving a straight truck and other cargo vans and so forth trust me the guy is a waste of time.


I just went through his invoices and darn the guy even bought Beer and turned in a invoice for that insanity I say.

I have decided to possibly sell my extra van because of the head aches this jerk gave me.

Worst part was I had to dead head from atlanta, ga to Peoria, IL to get a friend to drive out to Hays with me to get the van so lost wages for me, extra fuel cost, and all around massive headache.

The reason he left the truck was because I was upset he spent all the fuel advance money on other things besides fuel starting off with a wal mart trip with his wife before he left his house with a load.

I am happy i have my van back and I am super happy I learned the hard way with out anyone getting hurt about how much it sucks being a OO.

Understand I have gone to this extent of informing others about this jerk because I honestly do not wish this jerk on anyone.

If anyone needs to contact me for a reference for him pm me and I can confirm the full name if he has applied for your company.

 

[Dynamite 1]

gee, if he wasnt from springfield, i would say we had the same guy. mine was from lafayette, in and a different name. just as bad an experience though. at least i didnt have to go get my truck. just pay to have co driver take him home.

 

[greg334]

1 - Perfect example for the reason why NOT to be a van fleet owner

2 - vans are cheap, if the guy wants to get into this, he should buy a van.

There is no warning, a lot of us know exactly whats going on and because of people like this have to refuse most of the drivers who ask to drive.

No money, no job are two signs of danger.

 

[layoutshooter]

1 - Perfect example for the reason why NOT to be a van fleet owner

2 - vans are cheap, if the guy wants to get into this, he should buy a van.

There is no warning, a lot of us know exactly whats going on and because of people like this have to refuse most of the drivers who ask to drive.

No money, no job are two signs of danger.

No money and no job can be a sign of danger or a sign of the times. Many GOOD people are in that position these days and would be MORE than willing to do a good job for you. The trick is finding them. Not everyone is out of work and money by choice.

 

[ftp000]

No money and no job can be a sign of danger or a sign of the times. Many GOOD people are in that position these days and would be MORE than willing to do a good job for you. The trick is finding them. Not everyone is out of work and money by choice.

Nope, don't you go believing that, according to Greg anybody who NEEDS a job is not to be trusted. They are obvious nar-do-well's .....or....or...democrats looking for a hand out.

 

[Mike99]

1 - Perfect example for the reason why NOT to be a van fleet owner

2 - vans are cheap, if the guy wants to get into this, he should buy a van.

There is no warning, a lot of us know exactly whats going on and because of people like this have to refuse most of the drivers who ask to drive.

No money, no job are two signs of danger.

Yes and No. You can be a fleet owner if you select your drivers well. If you not put a driver behind the wheel just to fill the seat. If you have an office from where you manage your business. You can't have a fleet and you drive in same time. If you have a good contract. And many other things. Just because you have money to buy truck(s) is not enough to be a fleet owner. You need more than that.

 

[greg334]

Nope, don't you go believing that, according to Greg anybody who NEEDS a job is not to be trusted. They are obvious nar-do-well's .....or....or...democrats looking for a hand out.

NO according to ME the selection process has to be a bit more that "Hi, nice to meet you ...here are the keys".

If the guy is out of work, then there may be a lot more to it than "I need a job" and most of the time in this economy they have exhausted their savings and are operating on a day by day basis.

BUT IF you can trust someone who is a stranger with your equipment, I can't argue with that. BUT if something happens and something goes wrong, well who's fault is it than?

Yes and No. You can be a fleet owner if you select your drivers well. If you not put a driver behind the wheel just to fill the seat. If you have an office from where you manage your business. You can't have a fleet and you drive in same time. If you have a good contract. And many other things. Just because you have money to buy truck(s) is not enough to be a fleet owner. You need more than that.

Yes it is about the selection process. BUT too many just want to make that buck fast and put anyone they can in the seat.

You don't need an "office" but a place to conduct business - I do that right now.

Yes you can drive and be a fleet owner.

AND as you said, it isn't about the money but more than that.

 

[bugsysiegel]

I hope the thread originator realizes that not all drivers are scumbags like the guy who did this appears to be.

Personally, I've been out of work for almost 9 months. I was laid off April 1 and not a single thing has been worked out for me. I was at my job for over 11 years; before that I was doing tech support for around 2 years; before that I was in the Navy for 10 years. I think my ability to hold a job is self evident. If someone were to give me a vehicle to run, I would treat it better than I treat my own ride (and I treat my own ride very, VERY well.)

Sure there is the occasional dirt bag out there, but the majority of drivers have to be honest, hardworking folk: they have to be or there wouldn't be any fleet owners.

Just my thoughts.

PS: Once I get my sugar under control, I'll be looking for a job, give me a chance and I'll prove to you that not only are there good people looking for work, they can and will treat you with the same respect you treat them!

 

[cheri1122]

As Bugsy says, there are a lot of us out here proving that we can be trusted to take excellent care of the vehicle we drive. I'm wondering how owners get such bad drivers - don't you check references, or what?
If you're not doing your own 'due diligence', [and getting a signature on a contract], then it's yer own damfault. If you are, what's the deal?

 

[moose]

Worst part was I had to dead head from atlanta, ga to Peoria, IL to get a friend to drive out to Hays with me to get the van so lost wages for me, extra fuel cost, and all around massive headache.

Why not place it on a truck ?,
or use a drive a way service ?

thanks for venting out .
I'd say give it another try ,
just be more selective.
( a great Monday morning quarterback advice here...)

 

[sparkle8859]

My question is why did you give him a 400$ fuel advance? I mean doesn't the driver get an advance on his fuel card when he gets a load? And why 400$ It cant be that much to fill his tank. As for the bad driver, well theres also bad fleet owners, it goes both ways.

 

[bugsysiegel]

as for the bad driver, well theres also bad fleet owners, it goes both ways.

Good point.

 

[greg334]

But I think a lot of people don't get what I am saying, it isn't the drivers who I look down on but the owners who do not properly look for them.

If there was a need to check someone out, it is when you hand them the keys for a $125,000 piece of equipment that can kill a bus load of people. A lot of owners are dysfunctional when it comes to any process of making sure they cover their a** while at the same time making sure there is protection for the driver too.

It comes down to more of a greed of the owner than the driver but I have seen in the past 18 months a lot of very bad drivers, a lot of BS happen so the warning I have is to follow a process that is legal and fair to those who apply.

BUT there will always be cases where there will problems of some sort.

 

[ChrisGa23]

Why not place it on a truck ?,
or use a drive a way service ?

thanks for venting out .
I'd say give it another try ,
just be more selective.
( a great Monday morning quarterback advice here...)

I agree. I would put it on Uship or contact a carrier and get it hauled back for alot cheaper than driving to it and driving it back + missed time at work. But thats what I would do

 

[idtrans]

Well I am hiring the uncle of a man that helps me out allot. He is the man that went to Kansas to get the truck with me. I hope I never have a truck left somewhere like that again that sucked.

The man I am hiring I was a little nervous to hire him because no expediting experience but heck I am thinking he can do it. he worked at a cat contractor here in Peoria, IL for a long time and they laid him off. He has a incredible driving record and he is a descent guy.

As far as a back ground check what I do now is I use my law enforcement contacts and run the new applicants through the police system. Sounds like a extreme but it is a must LOL.

And I agree there are bad owners I worked for a couple in the past myself when I drove semis a long time ago.

And there are bad companies also.

And greg I agree not only can they kill or hurt people with the trucks but they can make us the owner look bad with the people we are leased on with also .

ok I am off to the gym gonna vent some more with some Krav Maga sparing LOL I feel bad for my sparing partner he got whooped last night LOL

 

[Brisco]

As far as a back ground check what I do now is I use my law enforcement contacts and run the new applicants through the police system. Sounds like a extreme but it is a must LOL.

Actually, it is illegal for any Law Enforcement department/officer to "run background checks" on anyone just for the hell of it or to "help a friend out". If questioned why background check was ran, they better have a reason to have done it. ie-Active Investigation of a possible crime that was committed.

Not saying that Barney over at the "2 Jail Cell" podunk little Sheriffs Office doesn't do it, but if Barneys Department ever got audited by the State, he better have paperwork backing up the reason why Gomer Pyles background was checked.

Your best bet, contact your Insurance Providers Agent. They offer a service for Truck/Business Owners to do such checks with. They can do Criminal Checks, Driving Record Checks, and even Credit Checks for prospective employees. Fee involved of course.

 

[cheri1122]

I guess a criminal check would be smart, but there's an awful lot of jerks who've never been caught - I was thinking of checking with whomever the prospect last worked for/with, at the very least.

 

[idtrans]

Actually, it is illegal for any Law Enforcement department/officer to "run background checks" on anyone just for the hell of it or to "help a friend out". If questioned why background check was ran, they better have a reason to have done it. ie-Active Investigation of a possible crime that was committed.

Not saying that Barney over at the "2 Jail Cell" podunk little Sheriffs Office doesn't do it, but if Barneys Department ever got audited by the State, he better have paperwork backing up the reason why Gomer Pyles background was checked.

Your best bet, contact your Insurance Providers Agent. They offer a service for Truck/Business Owners to do such checks with. They can do Criminal Checks, Driving Record Checks, and even Credit Checks for prospective employees. Fee involved of course.

If you goto the pd and pay they run names in Illinois. It is on my agreement that the drivers agree to a full back ground check.

SO no sir it is not illegal.

 

[idtrans]

I guess a criminal check would be smart, but there's an awful lot of jerks who've never been caught - I was thinking of checking with whomever the prospect last worked for/with, at the very least.

I have run him since he dumped my truck I wish I ran that loser before hand trust me his driving record is clean but **** many run ins with pd over silly things that shows he is a goofball. \

The new guy I am hiring came back clean no run ins with pd or tickets . but as you say ad it is true maybe he never got caught.

 

[Brisco]

If you goto the pd and pay they run names in Illinois. It is on my agreement that the drivers agree to a full back ground check.

SO no sir it is not illegal.

As he yells back with a toothless grin wearing a greasy cap covering shaggy hair with a wifebeater tank top on.......

Seriously........here's how you worded your original post:

As far as a back ground check what I do now is I use my law enforcement contacts and run the new applicants through the police system. Sounds like a extreme but it is a must LOL.

Well...LOL...HeHeHe....LOL back at ya.

Any person with common sense who reads this can easily take this as you saying that you slipped your friend Officer Oscar a name on a folded piece of paper and said, "Hey, run this name for me and see what comes up". You know, like you see them secretly do on shows like NYPD Blue and stuff. That my friend is "Illegal" in all states, period.

All you did was what your Insurance Company, any Employer, and anyone who needs to have someone checked out could do, and that is get the persons permission first on a signed document, go to the local PD, pay a fee, and obtain the records. And No, that is not Illegal.

"Contacts at The Local PD"??? We all have "contacts" at our local PD. It's called the front desk, which is where you probably went also.

So, tomatoe, tomato, doesn't make any difference to me. You worded your original post wrong and got called out on it. No skin off my back.