My Jobs: SNI: I Quit

When I first started at SNI things were just great. I was getting home on a very regular basis, getting good miles and handling loads at a minimum. I was very happy working there.

Then my regular dispatcher got moved into another office a was given a lump of coal as my new supervisor. He treated me like a had run over his family dog. We had never met before, but he really had it in for me.

He forgot where I lived and gave me driver unloads one after another. He knew I liked to go home and I did not like to handle freight. I am, after all, a steering wheel holder, not a lumper...

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Schneider company policy about home time is, and has been, since I started October 1998, That a driver is entitled to at least 24 hours off for each week worked. The rule has been that you can expect to get every other weekend off. A weekend is described as getting home Friday at dinner time and staying home until Monday morning at 7am or 8am then leaving out. And if a driver lives in a well traveled route he can expect to get home every other weekend for a "fly by". Which means that if a load takes you through the house you could spend some time at home and then leave the house with enough time to deliver the load on time.

The problem lies with my boss Mike Ruminski in the Sacramento Operating Center. His idea of a weekend off is 24 hours at the house any way it happens. And if you were home any time over 12 hours you are not entitled to a day off for two weeks following that.

Nov 6-7, I was off the full weekend. Great, no problem.
Nov 13-14, I was home for 29 hours. He told me THAT WAS my weekend.
Nov 20-21, Was home 42 hours.
Nov 24, Home for 20 hours
Nov 27-28, was not home at all.

On Nov 15 and all week I told him that I needed this weekend off. ( Nov 20-21 ) He told me I was off last weekend, Nov 13-14.

On Nov 29 and Nov 30, I told him I needed this weekend off, Dec 4-5. He told me that I was home Nov 24 and didn't deserve or earn any time off.

On the morning of Nov 30 I called the corporate office in Green Bay WI and asked Wayne Lubner`s office assistant if he thought this was a fair treatment of a valuable associate. I ran down all the numbers to him, the amount of time I have been home, the number of miles I have been working.

Which by the way, as I write this in Phoenix NOV 30, I have driven this truck 19,300 miles since Oct 14 when I got into it. 19,300 in 1.5 months is much higher then a the fleet average. And Mike tells me that I don't deserve a weekend off!!!!!

Anyway, he told me to call him back Thursday morning and he would take care of the problem. That afternoon Mike sent me a message to the truck expressing interest in addressing MY issues.

I was constantly going round and around as to what home time I expect. Today, I called Gary [The Lump] and tried to pin him down as to the new home time policy. I had no luck answering the questions I put to him. He gave my the run around.

I asked him. What is your definition of a week out? When does it start, and when does it end?

He said words but none of the words he said answered my question. We are supposed to get 24 hours off for each week worked. I figure that when I leave the house after I have been home at least 24 hours off, the clock starts. If I get home for any time less than 24 hours, the clock is still running. There have been a number of times that I have been home less than 24 hours, and Mike counts that as a day off. IT IS NOT!!!! I believe that is one of our biggest problems.

Also, Gary told me today that I have been home more than anyone on his board, and I have nothing to complain about, and can't believe I am upset about this. He did tell me that 5 guys on his board are getting more miles than me.

I talked to a driver out of LA today, and told him about my problems and he laughed at me. He couldn't believe I could have these kind of problems working for the same company...

In my meeting with Mike on Thursday, he told me that I have been home more than anyone else and doesn't know what the problem is. I told him that I needed longer weekends. I reminded him, how it was for the first year that I was here, that I could count on every other weekend off, from Friday night, to Monday morning, unless freight messes me up, then I could count on a 3 day weekend the following weekend. Every time I say that he doesn't say anything. He is very careful not to say the wrong thing.

It is very clear to me that Mike's interpretation of company policy has changed and he is trying to fool all the drivers and keep them in the truck instead of giving them quality home time.

I had another meeting on Saturday morning December 11, 1999, in Sacramento with Mike, and Ann Harcrow was on the phone and we talked for over an hour. I told her that her home time policy has changed, she told me it had not. She has always told me that as a west coast driver, you can expect to stay out two weeks and have every other weekend off. That is not the case anymore and she doesn't ever remember saying that. Everyone in the Sacramento office is being very careful not to admitting to past policies and sticking to the 24 hour rule that is in the driver handbook.

The home time policy was very liberal until a few months ago, but have become very conservative in recent months. I did ask, "When the freight slows down after Christmas, can I expect more home time?" Ann said no.

It is her intention to get each driver home for 24 hours each week, which would mean getting home on Saturday and leaving Sunday. I told her that I am working 7 calendar days a week, that I want a day off once in a while. She told me that I am a driver and will be available 7 days a week. I said no problem, but 24 hours at home at one time isn't enough. I want to stay out 2 weeks so I can take 48 hours off, so I can relax at home. She told me you will get home when the freight gets you home.

I told her that if you get me home with a load, that it doesn't count against my home time because it was not requested, and I fully intend on taking a full weekend the following weekend. She said no. In addition, any 8 hour DOT break that I might take at the house also counts toward the 24 hours the company owes me each week.

For example, one week I was home two nights to sleep for 8 hours each, and another time for 20 hours due to being out of hours, and 0 hours the last weekend, their computer shows that I was home for 3.5 days this week. The biggest piece of time this week is 20 hours, 20 hours is not 24, I should be available for a weekend off. But they say no...I have been home too much.

The policy was that if you stayed out 2 weeks you would get home for a whole weekend, from Friday night to Monday morning, now Ann just told me in order to receive that much time off I would have to work 3 weeks. I told her that I will not continue to work 7 days a week. I am going to be looking for a new position with the company or a new job. I am tired, and they are not willing to give my time off because I don't deserve it.

There is a new policy coming up with Schnieder, they want more productive miles with each truck. When the truck turns more miles the company makes more money, and the driver does too. The problem in my case is that I run harder then most drivers, in some cases I do 6 days of work in 5 days, I am one of the most productive drivers there, it is agreed between the boss and I that I can not be anymore productive than I am now, but I add that when it is time to go home it is time to go home.

I understand that if a driver does not meet a "QUOTA" that he should stay in the truck an extra day, to make up the work they didn't get done, but not the best drivers. Ann said that the company doesn't work that way. I told her that it should.

I have driven that truck over 23,000 miles, and have had 1 full weekend off, and 3 full calendar days off since October 14, 1999. Ann doesn't see any problems with that. She says that the 24 hours a week policy has been working for me.

December 20, 1999 was the day that started the end of my driving career at Schnieder Nat'l. It started with a load that I picked up at the French Camp Ca drop lot. This was a load of Proctor and Gamble freight going to SYSCO in Fremont CA. I have had P+G loads before, no problem. I have been to SYSCO in Fremont before, no problem. Problem #1 was that I got the load at 12:00 on Sunday, and it did not deliver until Monday at 5:30am. Fremont is only 50 paid miles from French Camp. And had 17 hours to get there. Home is not on the way.

I got to Fremont and parked in the street in front of SYSCO at 5pm and waited for morning to come, I had nowhere else to be. I told my boss that I was unable to unload this load and would need a lumper, they told me that they would not pay for a lumper. They said it is my job to unload trucks, and if a wanted to hire a lumper I could pay for it out of my pocket.

I told them again, that I was not going to do either unload it or pay for a lumper. They said yes you will.

I checked in and backed into a door, and called in again, I said that I am here and you have a choice, pay for a lumper or the customer will refuse this load, because I am not going to unload it. They said no.

I told the customer that my company has refused to pay a lumper, they refused the load and kicked me out of the door, and into the street. I called my boss back and asked him what he wanted to do now. He said to call back in a few hours, he had meetings to go to, and was too busy to deal with this. That was at 7am, I called him back at 11am and he told me that I was wrong and it is my responsibility to unload freight. I told him that I had hurt my back and was not able to unload this heavy freight.

He said that I was going to have to sit there until morning, because that was the next appointment available to unload this load. He also explained to me that if I didn't want to unload this load that I could hire a lumper. He is going to pay me $70 to unload but the lumper wanted $120. He wanted me to pay $50 out of my pocket.

He explained that you got paid to drive it there to Fremont, so in a way, you will brake even on the load. I told him that it was his load and responsible for unloading expenses.

I don't drive this truck to brake even, and what kind of idiot does he think he is dealing with?

Tuesday morning I checked in at 5am and got into a door and hired a lumper to unload the load. When they were done, I tried to pay them, but they didn't want my money, they said that they would bill the company directly. So I left at 10:30am.

I got a message, about a load that they wanted me to do, I called them and I told them that I didn't think that I could do that load. I told him to take me off that load, and give me something else. He put me on hold, then came back and I said "Let me guess, there is no one else that can do this load and you can't take me off of it. Right?" He said "Yes, that's right." (Which by the way is the standard answer...)

The load was to pick up 3 miles away at 7:30 PM!!!!! I had sit in Fremont from Sunday at 5pm until Tuesday at 10:30am, (41 hours) and they wanted me to sit and wait (9 hours) to pick up the next load. I called in and said that I am going to need 2 days of lay over, because I would sit over 48 hours which is 2 days at $100 each day.

My office (Greg) said no lay-over will be paid because I could have unloaded on Monday. I told him that "I QUIT", hung up the phone and started driving home. Mike Ruminski sent me a message 10 minutes later that said that they have taken me off that load, and head for Stockton.

I called him and said "Imagine that! I say the 2 magic words and I get off a load. I QUIT!" I told him that I needed lay-over pay and need a new load. He asked me if I really wanted to quit? I asked him if he wanted to work me. This went back and forth for a while, then I started ranting heavy, he tried to tell me that it was all my fault. I wish I had a tape recorder for that conversation!!!

Anyway, I got the next bad load. I went to Stockton and got a loaded trailer going to La Habra CA ( LA ) for 5am Wednesday, I got home and spent 3 hours there then drove down to the customer, a 20 hour day, and got 3 hours sleep there.

I checked in to Luckys, which I have been here before, and found out that I needed a lumper to unload this load. The lumper wanted $160. I called my office and got the same answer that I got on Sunday and Monday and Tuesday, why should I expect I different answer on Wednesday? I thought to myself...

So, I thought about it. I already knew that when I get done here, I am going to the LA rail yard then take a trailer to Porterville and dropping it there. I thought, well, that is close enough to the house to go ahead and quit, and drive home from there.

But what about this load? Do I unload it myself, or just take it to the yard, drop it and tell them that I did unload it? They probably wouldn't even find out that trailer wasn't empty for a few days, and I knew that today was my last day.

I did the right thing. I unloaded the load myself. It took 8 hours. Remember that I had 3 hours sleep that night. When I was done with this unloading at 1pm I saw on the computer that I had another load to do when I was done in Porterville.

I went to the yard and dropped that empty trailer then went to the train yard and got my trailer going to Wal-Mart in Porterville. I called Mike Ruminski and made my check call at 4:30pm and told him that I was unable to drive after I deliver in Porterville tonight, and I will call him in the morning to see if he wanted me to anything.

He and I had another fine exchange of words. He asked me why I couldn't go get that Sears load in Delano and deliver in the Bay Area at 6am in the morning (Thursday). I explained that, had he paid for a lumper that morning I would have gotten some sleep today. And buy the way, I will be out of hours and unable to drive legally. You don't want me to drive illegal? Do you?

I added, "That since you didn't want to cover a lumper on this load I had to log all 8 hours, I was on the dock unloading, and that doesn't leave allot of time to drive for the day."

He said "This is a service failure." I said "How do you figure that?" He said "You are failing to deliver the Sears load on time." "Really" I said. "Number 1, you will never make that stick, I don't have the hours to legally do that load. And #2 It doesn't even matter, because I am going to deliver this load to Porterville then drive home, clean out the truck, and park your truck at the yard in the morning!"

Remember that I knew this was my last day and I told him "You better get busy trying to cover that Sears load. Or I could pick it up in the morning for you." Every Sears load is a hand unload and a crew is standing there waiting for it at the appt time. Picking it up in the morning was not an option. I just wanted to make him panic.

I got to Porterville at 8pm. Had I did what he told me to do, I would have been in Delano by 9pm and drove to San Francisco by about 2:30am, got 3 hours sleep again, then did another hand unload. Then there would be no guarantee I would get home for Christmas Eve dinner, that I have been planning. You have read about the home time problems that I have been having. Mike told me that you will get home when the freight gets you home. I told him that I had plans for Friday night, he told me he could not promise to get me home for Christmas.

Anyway, I drove home from Wal-Mart, (85 miles) and cleaned the truck out and delivered it to the Fresno Yard on Thursday at 5pm.


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