I received a call from a recruiter at Marten Transport, Vicky, who told me that my application for a driver position had been approved. Vicky made arrangements for a seat for me at their orientation in Mondovi, WI. She gave me an airline ticket # and flight schedule. She told me that all expenses including the motel room while in orientation and the airline ticket would be paid by Marten Transport.
After the three day orientation was complete, I, and all of the other drivers at orientation were given a document to sign stating that if we quit Marten Transport before a six month period we would have to repay Marten Transport for the airfare to Mondovi, WI and the motel room.
None of the other drivers present, including myself were aware of the existence of this document prior to the completion of oreintation in Mondovi. We never had a chance to refuse the job offer before accepting the airfare and the motel room.
I quit Marten Transport after two months because they expect you to run illegally. Example: I was given a load assignment to pick up at a location (in Champaign, Illinois), 147 miles away from were I just delivered. At this time I had already used up most of my hours for this day, March 20th. This load was to be delivered to Lewiston, Maine at *7 A.M.* on March 22nd. Every driver alive knows that there is not enough time to pick up and deliver in this time frame legally. I refused this load. These illegal loads were given to me over the qual/com. If you don't deliver on time, you get "written up."
This is why all of my loads were considered late by "Marten Standards" except one.
I sent my resignation over the qual/com and asked the dispatcher where he wanted me to return the truck and trailer. I was told over the Qual com to bring the equipment to their drop yard in Joplin, MO.
I believe that Randy Marten has filed a false DAC report stating that I abandoned his equipment. And because of the document that we were forced to sign at the last minute, under duress, Randy Marten refuses to pay me for my last three loads.
Now I must file a civil lawsuit for wages owed, plus damages for the false DAC report. I am also filing a claim with OSHA under the Surface Transportation Assistance Act.
I am trying to find enough former Marten Transport drivers who have been similarly screwed by Randy Marten in order to file a class action lawsuit. Please watch for my blog on the internet after April 15. It will probably read something like "screwed by Marten transport". Etc.
*A word of warning about this company*. Mondovi, WI is a tiny town of under 1,000 people. No crime there, no congestion, no strangers in town. So why is the office, including the dispatchers under lockdown 24/7?? It makes you wonder? I believe Randy Marten thinks he is the "great white hunter". On display in the operations department are his hunting victims of various safaris he has been on. Only a coward would shoot down an animal for fun. I wonder if he has any of his former drivers' heads on display somewhere in that office?
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