I have been an OTR driver hauling freight combinations ranging from flatbed to reffer to dry van in all 48 states for over 8 years now. None of that had prepared me for the lies and deception at Stevens Transport.
In January my wife and I decided that she was going to be trained and gain a CDL and we would run team. After talking with a Stevens Transport recruiter we decided that Stevens would be a great fit and a excellent place to start such a career. We were promised that if she were to attend Stevens CDL training academy in Dallas, TX for a period of 3 weeks and Successfully passed her 30 days out with a Stevens Transport trainer that her and I would be a regular OTR team and would haul freight within the 48 states obeying all FMCSA rules and regs of course. I was to haul solo for the company until her time out with the trainer was complete and was to earn a wage of 30 cents per mile, a full dime less then what I was accustomed to. As well I was to haul solo without time off the entire time she was in training and with trainer so we would be eligable for 7days off at same time. We agreed and rode a greyhound bus 2 days to Dallas.
After we arrived, I took a driving test and passed and was put in a classroom of 100 plus students, only 5 of us were experienced drivers. I was informed on Monday that I would be assigned a truck on Wednesday and would get my 1st load by Thursday. I spent all week learning what these students were going to do out with their trainers and was informed none on any of the paperwork or procedures of the company. On Wednesday I received my truck and it took a full day and a half to convince the shop that they had given me the wrong keys, thus my departure was delayed till Saturday.
When I received my 1st load it had plenty of time on it and went approx 900 miles to Colorado. I spent 10hrs on a dock waiting to get loaded, arrived early at the consignee and still had to wait 8hrs to get unloaded. All time I was assured that I would be paid for. I spent the next 2 full days in Kansas waiting on a load of beef and was again assured that I would be paid for my down time. I hauled several loads after that and was always early because there was so much time on these loads. When I didn't receive my first direct deposit ontime I was ignored repeatedly. So much so, that I actually threatened to abandon a truck in LA because nobody could return my phone calls and it had been nearly a week. Finally a payroll employee stated that everything would be corrected and I would receive all monies owed next pay period. When that day came none of my down time was included. When I contacted my dispatcher, she claimed that I had not entered a code in the Qualcomm to receive it and my trainer should have showed me that. I explained that I never had any trainer and that nobody showed me anything the whole week I was in Dallas. Till this day I have not seen this money.
Once my wife completed her training with her trainer we met at the headquarters in Dallas fully expecting to run team. Although, my wife had completed everything ontime and with excellent performance we were informed that would were misinformed. This would become a theme at Stevens. I was informed that I would have to sit thru a week long class with her, without pay and then we would be allowed to run team.in the class I learned that our truck would have the Jake brake and cruise control turned off as well we could only turn 750miles a day between the 2 of us. During the 1st 30 days of such time period of us together I would only make 250 dollars a week and so would she regardless of the miles turned. We would then have to return to Dallas to have our Jake brake turned on and pay reset to mileage pay, however cruise control would remain disconnected for an additional 60days. This was a severe cut in my pay for longer then we were promised. After 10days we left on our 1st load together.
We followed the rules and after 30 days they couldn't find us a load to Dallas and continued to pay us at only 250 dollars a week. While in Massachusetts waiting for a load to Dallas we were asked by a dispatcher to pick up a load in Canada. I explained that there was never an agreement that we were to run Canada and that until my pay were reset to mileage pay there would not be one. I was informed that I had been misinformed and that Stevens Transport was a forced dispatch company and that I would be terminated. I explained the law, since I had worked at one time for a forced dispatch company and that they were not such a company and no paperwork had been signed by me to that effect. I was then told that refusal of a load was going to be put on my DAC and that I would never be able to be employed by any company ever again. I told him that there was no such designation on a DAC report and that he should give up the lying and send us to Dallas. We were promised 7-8weeks max away from home and it had been well over 12 weeks. I was then contacted by a supervisor who claimed that he thought my wife was a criminal and that it why we were suddenly refusing to do something. I told him to get us a load to dallas and we would resign so he could quit playing these silly games. 12 hrs later we had a load to Dallas. When we got there we were met with an apology and were promised a load home. I had already contacted a former employer agreeing to employ us so we both resigned. I already had a bus ticket from the next trucking company and spent all day making sure all lose ends were tied up at stevens.
When I completed my 3 day orientation in Pensacola, FL at my new employer and received my 1st assignment I was informed that I and my wife were still being shown as drivers at Stevens Transport. When I contacted their office I was told that they legally had 30 days to remove me from the system and they were going to take it. Normally this would keep a driver from being employed anywhere else for the entire 30 day period, but since I had worked for my new trucking company before they curtailed this rule and me and my wife were allowed to run team. I am certain that Stevens engages in such a practice to ensure a last little jab into the wallet of a driver resigning from their company, but with us it didn't work. They did take all 30 days to remove me from the system and then 3 months later sent me a letter to my home demanding that I provide logs for the days they had me in the system after I had resigned or they would garnish my wages any fines imposed by the DOT. I would encourage anyone thinking of making a career in trucking to go work for anyone other then Stevens Transport. They do not have one redeeming quality about any of their operations.
0 comments