..... they are 6-7 weeks behind on payroll that is in addition to the normal 3 week delay after delivery of load ..... may have to switch carriers.
MAY ??????
One thing that I
absolutely will not tolerate is someone that I have business relationship with, screwing with
MY money. It is the cardinal sin.
I can deal with and put up with alot of other stuff ...... being schmoozed (a polite term for .... ah .... a well-intentioned mis-statement of the facts) to some degree ..... or having my calls or emails ignored (for a time) .... or a host of other things ..... but when you screw with
my money I tend to look at it as theft .... you may as well just pull a knife and hold it at my throat .... or stick a gun to my head ........ because you are
robbing me - plain and simple. And I really don't much like it.
I have had the good fortune to work for two expedite companies - both of which have been very straight for the most part in regards to our mutual dealings with money - they both have paid what they said they were going to pay, when they said they were going to pay it - with only two minor exceptions, both of which were fairly easily remedied (one didn't even really need to be .... but it ultimately was ...)
The first instance was where I was dispatched and picked up a load that was supposed to pay a "C" rate. When I got to the shipper, the load ended up being less weight than booked and when I phoned in my loaded info I mentioned this to the Dispatcher and queried whether or not the load would still be paying a "C" rate (since it was now "B" weight) - I figured that it would and was happy to run it as a "B" and get the miles -but, to my surprise, was told yes, it would pay as "C" - because it was too tall to fit in a cargo van - which it could have been - but I didn't measure it to verify it. When this load eventually paid out, it paid out at a "B" rate.
By the time it paid out I had already made a decision to change carriers (which was made without knowing that the load would pay out less) When I went into to inform the Driver Relations guy about my decision to leave, I explained what my reasons were for leaving (which again, had nothing to with the above) and also told him that I wanted to mention something else to him - just simply because I felt he should be aware of it. This guy (and the owner of the company and everyone else that works there) were my friends - and remain so to this day.
I told him what had happened, and also told him (rather adamantly) that I did want, nor did I expect them, to pay me the difference in the "B" vs "C" money for the load - if they had only billed and collected it as "B" - but that I wanted him to make sure that this
never, ever occurred again with anyone else in future - because if you
don't deliver what is promised then you are pretty much toast .... that's just way the way it works in this world. A person or a company that can't be trusted ..... is of
what value exactly ...... to anyone ? And these guys were/are my friends .... and so I wanted to see them do well.
He immediately got up and went and spoke to the Dispatcher in question (who happens to be his S.O.) and came back in a minute or so and said
"Yeah, that wasn't right - she told you it would pay as a "C" and we're going to pay it at the "C" rate". I told him I didn't want it if they had only billed and collected it as a "B" rate - but he was adamant about it, insisted on it. Ultimately more adamant than I ....
This ..... is an example of someone (and a company) with
integrity and a sense of
honor and
ethics (.... what a concept .....) ..... even after I just told him I was leaving. And it's not like they had money to burn - they operated a pretty tight ship and paid 70% + 100% FSC. If I ever looked to change carriers again these guys are always at the top of the list. They are
good guys ..... in my book they really do deserve to succeed ....
The second instance was with the company I'm currently leased on with, where I had a small amount ($40) advanced to my ComData card to cover a paying for crossdock/swap fee on a load I picked up from another driver. I asked Dispatch specifically at the time they were going to do it, if I would be charged back (have it deducted from my settlement as an advance) for it and was assured that I would not be .... well, someone dropped the ball because sure enough it was deducted on my next settlement. While the amount of money was no big deal, it was somewhat irritating - because it took longer than it should have (partiy involved had a mother in the hospital and she got a little backlogged on handling minor stuff, which this certainly was) ... but mostly because someone (the dispatcher in question) had failed to do what they said they were going to do ...... and
failed to deliver what was promised.
In almost two years of doing this, those are the
only two "problems" I have ever had with carriers and money ...
Point is, that should be common place .... run-of-the-mill .... typical behavior - but it never will be .... unless all
demand it be so. So .....
DEMAND IT.
They say that they are using comdata to factor invoices, and comdata has not paid them, so they can't pay us, however the fuel card still works and they are still taking out the truck escrow on each payroll statement. they send me email statements of payroll but are only making small incremental payments to bank.
I dunno who "they" is above ..... but if it was dispatch ..... or driver relations ..... or anyone less than the party who does the daily/weekly allocation of company's money (like the CFO or controller) I'd be asking to have the call transfered to that person .... or the owner.
Once I had them on the phone I'd want to know
what exactly is their plan, in detail about how they are going to rectify the situation
in a relatively short time-frame ...... and I wouldn't be accepting some glib, pie-in-the-sky answer either ...
And if at that point, they still ain't getting the picture, ask them if they think their corporate financial picture is going to be looking rosier with one less truck in the fleet ...... or one more competitor in the field ?
If it is as you state it, it sounds like the condition is continuing to
worsen rather than improving (are they still dispatching you on loads ? if so, are you still running them ?) .... so they need to articulate a viable, workable plan that they have some realistic possibility of executing ..... if they can't do that, then the writings on the wall - undoubtedly for them as a company - and hopefully for your relationship with them as well - sooner the better.
getting less than 150.00 a week on 3700 past due.
At that rate it will take them over two years for them to pay you what is already owed ... and if they aren't keeping current with whatever you are running for them now it will only get worse. One cannot eat
hope .... nor is it accepted as payment at Walmart or other fine business establishments.
That they could have ever allowed things to get this bad is evidence of incompetence at a minimum, and possibly
gross financial malfeasance or criminality .... and certainly of failure
to act effectively in response to a financial emergency ....
I know this was long-winded (I do like to tell a story - can ya tell ? ......
) .... but this kinda thing really just ticks me off .... it ain't right ..... do your part to prevent it.
