While at Big G Express, I was told that I would be home "most weekends" and that I'd receive 2500 - 2700 miles per week. I NEVER hit 2500 miles much less anything over that. Some weeks I had between 1600 - 2000. When you are the breadwinner in the family, and paying all the bills, you need as many miles as possible. There pay is also laughable. With 5 years verifiable experience, I was only getting. 33 per mile. If I harassed them almost daily I'd get home on the weekends. If I didn't say anything, or only sent one message, they "forgot" about me and my hometime. When I did get home, I was lucky to get a restart on some occasions. Most of the time I did get at least 48 hours at home. Some days I didn't get in until late Friday or early Saturday and would have to leave Sunday. NOT good hometime in my opinion. They have an "open door policy" supposedly. That is a HUGE joke! You either don't get called back, have to leave messages, or you are told that they will do what they can. IF you hear the last comment from Bill Hillin things might be ok for a week or two. After that they are back to crap.insurance is over $100 for self & wife and isn't even a 'real' insurance company.
Now, to the heart of the matter. I was at the Gladeville, TN terminal on 9/28 waiting for a load to send me home. I was given one that was a 12 hr trip that would require me to leave out Sunday morning, before my restart was complete, and require me to stop an hour or two away from the receiver. I told them all of this in a nice way and said I'd like to actually get to spend some time with my family. I'm not like you guys that get to go home every day. Please find me another load. Now, this is an employee owned company AND is NON forced dispatch so I hadn't done anything wrong. I go in THREE HOURS later and ask my dispatcher what's up? We have a nice friendly discussion and occasionally throw in a few colorful words... As we always do (because we actually got along!). I'm given a load, asked to bring an empty trailer over from across the street for $25, and then get my load. Well, as soon as that's done, I got a message to go see David Speers. I went to talk to him, he didn't know what it was about, he checked his messages and said "oh... They want me to fire you". Say what!? That's what it says, fire you. Why? No reason given. Seriously? Yep. Ok, let me go pack my truck and let my wife know. So, since TN is a fire at will state and they don't have to tell you anything guess... Just GUESS... What their reason was??? They fired me because I said a bad word in the office! Yep, a truck driver cussed... And so did his dispatcher... And there was no warning whatsoever! So, if you choose Big G you better keep your mouth SHUT and your head DOWN otherwise you'll be out in the street and jobless. FYI - My wife had to drive 300 miles to pick me up, with our son, AND Big G charged me $50 for a cab and almost $95 for 5 hours in a hotel!!! Yeah, it wasn't the Ritz either. We're talking America's Best Value Inn... Like...$40 max!
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