Interstate Distributors

Posted on Sat, Dec 23 2006 @ 9:35 PM [CST]

I have been a driver for over 15 years and started to work for Interstate Distributors in Jan. of 2006.I went to work for this company for two reasons.One Iv'e heard they was a good company and two,they wouldn't leave me alone.I enjoyed it at first and never had a problem with getting home,unlike other drivers I talked to.Me and the wife would stay out for one month and come home for three days(she does not drive,but makes an excellent seat cover).I stared the 3rd of Jan. and about 4 months later I started having problems with me and my truck.I started to complain it wasn't running properly.I thought it was either a fuel injector or something wrong with the turbo.It was neither.I am not that mechanicly inclined,but know enough to get by.I continued to complain at every terminal I pulled into and all they did was change a fuel filter,which did not help at all.They never ever went further into the truck and I wreckon they thought I was crazy.Well needless to say me and the wife started getting sick and wanted to sleep all the time.I never was late on a load,but i did have to turn down a few due to being sick and tired.Even in the end of finally realizing something was wrong.My fleet mngr made the remark,Joe whats wrong with you and I told her I think I have cancer.Well we were sent out to New York and that's when it happened,the exhaust finally had all it could take and broke.we were getting monoxide poisoning all this time(4 or 5 months worth).The company told the mechanic to put a piece of tin and bailing wire on it and send us on our way and he repied with,no way.There's no telling how long they was exposed to it.This was the turning point on how I felt about this company that broadcasts so much about how they care about their drivers.I made it ti Denver and asked the terminal there to check it out and it was still leaking.Me and my wife went to the hospital and got our blood gasses checked and even though we had been out of the truck,they was still high.The doctor said we were very lucky and can you believe they made me pay my wives visit even though I think they are at fault due to all the complaining I did about there being something wrong with it.I also have bills coming in wanting me to pay my side of it,isn't this the most craziest thing you have ever heard.We stayed in the truck and had it fixxed 3 more times for the same problem then finally out in Sparks Nv. They said the manifold was leaking to bad for us to sleep in it and we got a new truck.To this day we still suffer from being tired to my wives chronic cough.Now next they ran me like a team driver which I didn't want to be ran that hard,I asked for 3200m to 3500 a week and the way they run,I had to cheat and move this and that around till I just told them look I am a single driver,but still they have a big problem with planning loads.I am currently off of work due to a broken back I recieved while on my 34 hr restart down in Little Rock.Can you believe there was a dispute about me getting my benefits,unreal.I did get them and now they have hired a nurse from workers comp to go with me to my doctors appointments,which really ticked my doctor off.She stated enough time has passed for me to be healed.BULL SHIT.I am still in the same amount of pain as I was when iy happened and it was probably the companies fault.Instead of being laid up they had me run everyday to the truck stops to get money to pay for it and also had enough balls to tell me to sleep in my truck.It took them 1 week from the injury to get me home which was only about 350 miles away.Their workers comp doctor who saw me down there wrote them a nasty remark about how they treated me.She told them the more I'm on my feet in the beginning it could cause more damage,which I think it did.Now they are trying to rush me BULL SHIT!!!Not only that they sent me log book violations that were 5 months old when I got injured,isn't that nice of them to do.It's their fault because of how they pushed me.I recomend everyone to take a good look at this company before they decide to go to work for them.I am not the only one who had the same type of problems with them.I don't know what's going on with them,they used to be an outstanding company and now I believe their trying to get to big to fast.

Category Posted: General

Comments

That many miles 3200-3500 requires VERY creative logging. The problem with mechanics is you never know who your gonna get. It could be a true pro or a true flunky. The shop mechanics I work with are the same way some very good some very bad. Wishing you well with your health problems...VM-out!

Comment By:
VM on Sun, Dec 24 2006 @ 3:56 AM [CST]

It sounds like a company is for sale or will be closing up soon and the owner(s) are refusing to fix things or pay for things so they can fill thier pockets as full as possible before getting rid of the place. I had worked for a company that did that. He didn't want to fix things or buy new equipment. Within a year the place was sold. He now lives very comfortably in Florida and just has a small amount of stock in the company now. My advice would be to talk to a lawyer before it's to late.

Comment By:
Roadhzrd on Sun, Dec 24 2006 @ 6:25 AM [CST]

I had heard the same thing you state about this company at the beginning of your article from friends who work there. Sometimes, it isn't the company as a whole, but some of the people who work there that don't understand the need to care for their internal customers as much as they care for their external ones. Professional drivers are KEY employees in any company that moves freight for a profit. Having the needs of any one of a company's drivers fall through the cracks of internal beauracracy is not an acceptable option. I agree with Roadhzrd on the advice to see a lawyer. Remember that the manufacturer of that vehicle can also be enjoined in a lawsuit if it should become necessary to seek legal remedy. Also, head over to www.cdldriver.net and rate this carrier using the Rate-A-Carrier feature that is there for drivers to document their experiences with carriers. Best wishes for a swift and complete recovery.

Comment By:
Loozlugnut on Fri, Dec 29 2006 @ 8:40 AM [CST]

My husband drives for this company and I am also just a permanent "seat cover" like your wife. The problem I see with what you have said, is that you have allowed them to push you. It isn't forced dispatch so if you had the log violations then it's pretty much your own fault for agreeing to take the loads. My husband tells them right up front if has the hours to make it.. and sometimes he will take a load even if he can't deliver and switch out with someone along the way. 3500 miles is hardly something that shouold be hard to log. We have logged 4000 miles easily in a week without cheating the log..I guess thats depending on the area you are running- can't do that in CA and OR obviously. As far as your truck, that's another issue where we have learned through experience that you need to be assertive in resolving the issue. We had a truck that had problems and we finally took it to Wilsonville and told them that we no longer would drive that truck. They ended up (contnext post)

Comment By:
Tracy on Sun, Feb 11 2007 @ 5:58 PM [CST]

(cont. from prev) They ended up sending us to Belgrade, MT in a rental car to get another truck. It hasn't all been pretty-had to fire a dispatcher and have had to sit several days when freight is slow, but that happens everywhere. As for how Interstate handled the situation with the med. bills, I hope you are doing something about that. I can't see any company getting away with that.. even for your wifes bill. Whenever we have any issue that seems like isn't getting resolved, we call the VP of the company and every time, our needs have been met without any reprecussions. I guess my whole point of this is that there is always some degree of personal responsibility that needs to be taken in order to keep your best intrests at hand. I hope that you and your wife are beginning to feel better and that you are back on your feet again soon. Best wishes

Comment By:
Tracy on Sun, Feb 11 2007 @ 6:10 PM [CST]

My husband is a new driver with this company. He left his previous job after 14 years. We were told this company is wonderful to work for. You people are scaring me !!!!!!!!!!!

Comment By:
Ellen on Mon, Oct 15 2007 @ 3:43 PM [CST]

I have been at Interstate for over a year, and having driven for an "Outlaw" company in the past, Interstate is far from that. As one had said,you have to be assertive and say it like it is whether it be a truck malfunction or impossible loads to deliver on time. And the comment about baling wire, are u sure u didnt make that part up? cuz when it comes to carbon monoxide poisening thats a serious issue. and if u invesigate carbon monoxide poisening from diesel engines, your case is rare,,, wondering if this story is a bunch of malarky. as they say, never believe a trucking story unless u were there.

Comment By:
goodndngonebad on Tue, Oct 16 2007 @ 10:35 PM [CST]

my husband and I team drive for IDC although we have only worked for them a short time we have a hard time believing this story! We have had 2 minor problems with our truck and no hassle getting it fixed. This company is so safety oriented and they have been nothing but great to us. And I would recomend this company to other drivers and I have!

Comment By:
phylly on Mon, Jan 07 2008 @ 7:01 PM [CST]

I can believe that story about the truck. i worked for them a year and just recently left. Ive gone through 6 trucks with them in 1 year. Its seems as if they dont care about how the trucks run, you just sit and wait at yards to get them fixed only to get back on the road and find out there not. Ive had alot of down time this past year with trucks breaking down. My 4th truck broke down on the way to Fontana. They sent me in a rental to Phoenix to pick up another one, only to find out that someone had gotten mad and urinated all in it. Of course I turned it down and was pissed by then. I called Tacoma and talked to Mike Haas, which headed me back to Fontana to pick up my 6th truck. Whats wrong with that picture. That truck was sitting there when I left for Phoenix. I came back from Jan. home time and my batteries where dead. They couldnt jump it with 12 volts in Lebanon, so they hit it with 24 volts. It started, but blew my invertor. Continued in next message

Comment By:
Mark on Wed, Feb 20 2008 @ 9:34 PM [CST]

I was told by my fleet manager that my only option was to sit and wait on it to be fixed or take it back out and they would work me back to the yard when the invertor came in. Knowing how that goes from the past, I elected to wait it out and go back home for another week. Turns out they forgot to order it for a whole week, then it took 2 weeks to get it in. Turned out to be the wrong 1 and it would be another week to get some other parts in so they could change the wires and get it installed. They ordered it from the manufacturer because none of the volvo dealers had it in stock they said. Turns out, I called Volvo of Nashville with the part #, and they had 1. In the mix of everything, my fleet manager wouldnt answer the phone for 2 weeks. I find it unprofessional the way they conduct business and have had enough of there bullshit. For those who think there a good company, Look into why all the veteran drivers are leaving. Stick around alittle longer and youll see.

Comment By:
Mark on Wed, Feb 20 2008 @ 9:46 PM [CST]

I've been with IDC for three years. Like any trucking company, Not every thing always goes as you would like. At first, my pay was totaly screwed up on a dedicated run. Always short and it was very, very hard to get the FM to correct it. After about 5 months things finally worked out about the pay. Ofcourse the FM had his favorite drivers and they continually got the best routes. I find that it is hard to get reinburst for expence such as lumper and tk wash. I can't get a pay raise for another 7 years. I make .36 a mile, it's hard to think that I have to go that long for a raise. I will be retireing within a year and look forward to getting out of trucking. All in all, IDC is not that bad, but the fleet mgrs. can make you hate the company if you have a bad one.One can always switch FM's like I will very soon. Good luck to those in trucking, you need it! There are alot of drivers which have been with IDC for over 10 years. Like any company, it's what you make of it.

Comment By:
kricket on Fri, Apr 11 2008 @ 8:07 PM [CST]

I'm having an issue with them right now about forcing me to drive a truck with a broken seat and it causing back issues. I've heard that there was a law suit against them about a driver, a back and the seats. Does anybody know anything pertaining to that? Maybe who the driver was, or how I can get the legal info on that suit. I was told that IDC lost a lot of money on that one and it's the reason why that started putting those orange stickers on the side of the seat. Like...how can you adjust a broken seat, huh????

Comment By:
Beverly on Thu, Apr 17 2008 @ 11:24 AM [CST]

I currently am in the process of fileing a lawsuit again Interstate for overtime pay. A driver for another company did it in 2007 and won a judgement. It went all the way to the US Supreme court and they refused to hear it. According to Washington law they are required to pay overtime for all hours over 40 period. They also played games with me on repairs as well. They wanted me to drive in the middle of the summer in Texas with no air conditioner. I also had a dog on the truck at that time as well. You know a pet cannot tolerate the heat like we can

Comment By:
Larry on Thu, May 29 2008 @ 6:40 PM [CST]

i have never driven for IDC. from what i know, they are a very good company to work for. one of the set backs that's preventing me from working for this company is that they run automatic transmission trucks. one flaw that i could not live with. there is no such thing as a good company. you take the good in with the bad. you just have to weigh in the difference and figure out what you can and cannot live with. what it boils down to is, as long as they keep you moving and you're making money, that's all that matters. if you have ever worked for a bad company, believe me, you will have wished you stuck around with some of the companies you left.

Comment By:
hightimes on Tue, Jun 03 2008 @ 1:48 AM [CST]

About IDC, I live in OK.. Do you think IDC would allow me to drive western regional? I dont need to have regular time off.

Comment By:
Rich Myers on Wed, Jun 18 2008 @ 1:38 AM [CST]

Does anyone know if Maverick runs to the west coast on a regular basis? The furthest west I ever saw a Mav truck was Albuquerque.

Comment By:
Rich Myers on Wed, Jun 18 2008 @ 1:44 AM [CST]

IDC is a decent outfit we are in Oklahoma hubby runs a lot of western states, gets good miles, gets home when he should, on problem with staying home when he needs time off. Every company has their issues but for the most part IDC is a good outfit.

Comment By:
Sonya on Wed, Jul 02 2008 @ 2:52 PM [CST]

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