Warning.

mister_newbie · Nov 15, 2004

I would like to warn other expeditors of a situation that happened to me. I was going to lease on with a carrier, out of Ft. Wayne, IN, and had to pay them $95 up front for the drug test. A bit high, I thought, but wanted to get started doing something. Then another company, wanted me to join them, and they paid to have the drug test done. So, I went with them.

The thing that I didn't like, was when I told the first company, I was going with someone else, they said no problem, we will send your money back. Now, I never went and got the test done, so I thought I was going to get my $95 back from them, but they only sent me $45, and said they charged me a $50 service fee. A service fee for what? They didn't do anything.

They also wanted the insurance deductible of $1,250, up front before you could lease on with them. That is what sent me running to this other company.

Just to tell everyone, so that no one makes the same mistake as I did, the company's address is out of Ft. Wayne, IN, but they are located in a farm house, north of Huntertown, IN. The name of the place is ALL TYPES EXPEDITING. They want all this money up front, before they will hire anyone.

I would have never said anything, if they would have sent all my money back, but as to date, they haven't.

Owner Operators BEWARE!!!!!!!

Glen Rice · Nov 15, 2004

I don't know who this company is and don't want to know. These are not standard practices in the industry and should be avoided. There is generally no up front money other than possibly your physical and first month insurance. Thanks for the "heads up". Drive safe and be profitable.

RichM · Nov 15, 2004

Perhaps a Forum Martix would be useful for prospective expediters outlining what each of the major and not so major companies require up front.I have never heard of paying a insurance deductible up front.Sounds dangerous to me.

apollo · Nov 15, 2004

We just had a random drug test at my place of employment a few weeks back. Seems someone goofed with some rules and regs concerning drug test. In our study of rules and regs and talks with lawyers, we learned that drug test are to be paid by the company requiring them. This is in GA so not sure how laws apply in other states. Re-test are also required to be paid by the company. Even if an employee request a re-test and the company agress, the company must pay for it.

Also seems common sense that a company requiring a drug test before hiring you would foot the bill. By the way, the company that does our testing charges $20 per test to the company. We only have about 60 employees so it is not a discount deal or anything based on a large number of tests. Seems $95 is way too high.

Crazynuff · Nov 16, 2004

Ft. Wayne ? I bet I know who it was . I've heard nothing but negative about them . I can see a company requiring a prospective employee to pay for a drug test . Too many failed tests can be expensive but they should reimburse for the test if hired . But you paid the company up front ? You should have gone to the test site and paid there .

Doggie Daddy · Nov 16, 2004

>Ft. Wayne ? I bet I know who it was .

if you go back and reread mr.newbies post, you will see that he said it was ALL TYPES EXPEDITING. DD.

Crazynuff · Nov 18, 2004

Yes. I reread the post and saw I guessed right . It was All Types . A couple of months back I posted an inquiry about them . Since then I've read several posts of bad experiences with them .

terryandrene · Nov 18, 2004

Just a comment for clarification:

The USDOT requires all active CDL holders to undergo periodic random drug and alcohol tests. The regulations require every DOT regulated company to develop a testing program for all its employee drivers. Since most of us are owner/operators, the DOT does not require the carrier to which we are leased to include us in their program. It does, however, require the carrier to ensure its leassees are a part of some program.

Since most of us, myself included, would not likely create an acceptable program, our carriers have created one for us and included that in the terms of our lease agreement. Our carrier, FedEx Custom Critical, administers the program for us and charges us only the cost of the exam which is reimbursed through our settlements. The cost is rightfully borne by the O/O because the government mandates the test, not the carriers.

ATeam · Nov 18, 2004

Just in case anyone wonders if random tests happen, they do, at least with our carrier (FedEx CC). One day between loads I was sitting in our truck minding my own business when the Qualcomm unit beeped with orders to report to a nearby clinic for a test. FedEx CC had test kits of their own in stock there. In I went, went, and left. The charge showed up on a later settlement. I didn't appreicate the uncompensated miles (short) and interruption, but the bathrooms were cleaner than most truck stops!

davekc · Nov 20, 2004

Why would the carrier charge the driver for a random test that they are requiring? Panther doesn't charge for random drug tests. Kinda like QC charges, it sounds like someone is getting a kickback.
Davekc

redytrk · Nov 20, 2004

>
FedEx Custom Critical, administers the program for
>us and charges us only the cost of the exam which is
>reimbursed through our settlements. The cost is rightfully
>borne by the O/O because the government mandates the test,
>not the carriers.
Terry..."Reinbursed" is not the correct term to use here.They charge us for the drug screen on our settlement sheet.To my knoledge they never reinburse us for this.

Crazynuff · Nov 21, 2004

Just another comment on All Types . I talked to their recruiter and considered them . Two things turned me away . One was this forum . The other thing was I regulary traveled their supposed area of operation and never saw a single one of their contractors . I talked to many other contractors on the C.B. to ask how their company was treating them .

terryandrene · Nov 22, 2004

>Terry..."Reinbursed" is not the correct term to use
>here.They charge us for the drug screen on our settlement
>sheet.To my knoledge they never reinburse us for this.

Redytrk is correct...I used the wrong word, We don't pay the clinic. The clinic bills Fedex Custom Critical for the test we took then the company charges us for the cost at settlement time. Sorry for the misspoken word.