About two weeks after my rebuttal to this complaint (http://usacomplaints.com/organized-crime/heartland-express/heartland-express-no-home-tim-fc003.htm), my regular driver manager gets promoted and I get a new guy. This guy is not only new but incompetent and unprofessional. Think of a teenager who has his first job and you'll have a good idea what I'm talking about. He scheduled me on loads twice where I literally sat for an entire day doing nothing. After the second time I called Jay the manager and demanded a change. I said it wasn't fair for me to have to suffer for his training as my income was directly tied to the trainees performance.
Jay transfers me to another driver manager who is also brand new but who is professional and learns quickly. Life goes on.
A week ago, I picked up a Fed Ex load from Memphis, TN and was given a location to drive to and relay it in Arkansas. I arrive at the designated relay point but the other driver isn't there. He didn't answer his phone when I called so I ask dispatch to send a message to his truck to wake him up. He calls me back saying that he refuses to come to the designated drop spot and that I'm to drive to meet him. The problem is that his English is horrible and I can't understand him. He gets angry that I ask him to repeat himself numerous times and starts yelling profanities at me. I hang up and call the night shift (it is now about 6 PM C.S.T.) and tell them that the other driver isn't where he's supposed to be, I can't understand his directions, and that he's acting crazy/yelling profanities. I ask for help finding him but the night shift guy says they can't understand him either, they're busy, and that I should just find him.
I call the other driver back who isn't any more understandable or rational when I first spoke to him ten minutes earlier. Apparently the guy has issues about his ability to speak English as my not being able to understand him has REALLY set him off. I don't match his insults, hang up, and take off driving down the street the driver is supposed to be on, hoping I'll see him. I don't.
After ten minutes I pull over and send a PeopleNet message to dispatch saying that unless I get help from them I will not be able to relay the load and it will therefore be late. A guy calls me and tells me that according to his GPS map, the driver is across from a Comfort Inn. That's all I needed. I thank him, drive to the Comfort in and see a very tree shrouded gas station that has barely has enough parking for two trucks. He's there and we do the relay without speaking to each other.
This entire episode takes about 45 minutes. Not nearly long enough to make the load late as the driver I'm relaying with has a full 11 hours to drive and only has to drive 392 miles to Houston. Easily doable.
Cut to this past Friday. I'm in the North Liberty, IA headquarters after relaying a load there and I get called in by Jay and told that I am being let go because THE OTHER DRIVER DELIVERED THE LOAD LATE. I ask Jay why I'm being let go since I was where I was supposed to be when I was supposed to be there and he tells me it was because there were "issues" in the past. Other than my demand to be removed from an incompetent training driver manager, there WERE no other issues. Not opinion, mind you... Fact. No evidence to the contrary.
I asked Jay if there is any kind of appeals process and he tells me he has sole discretion on the matter and that it ends with him.
This leaves such a bitter taste in my mouth. This industry treats drivers like trash - like they are disposable. Where else would you get fired for calling to ask for help to do your job, and be held responsible for the irresponsibility of another's actions?!? All of this after putting in 18 months of my life so that I'd have the experience necessary to drive for Heartland. The best advice I can give you is to not get in this business in the first place. Heartland is considered a high performer in this business because they have a good safety record (CSA Score).
In short, they treat their equipment well. Unfortunately that treatment does not extend to their drivers. Stay away.
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