Gds Express In violation, to the point of theft of fmcsa leasing regulations Akron Ohio

I seriously would like to warn Owner Operators or those considering leasing on or leasing a truck on with this company. It continues to violate leasing regulations, and this is not from personal experience but from other drivers as well. They will not, whatsoever, return your escrow money due without a fight, but many give up. They refuse to give you an accounting of the mandaory maintenance account ( well this is verbal although the contract says voluntary) when asked- in vilation of FMCSA leasing regulations. ( I have been trying for months to get a report which by the regulations you should receive a monthly statement on all activity for any escrow accounts). They charge you erroneous charges, which they refuse to document. They refuse to be in accompliance of the FMCSA leasing regulations requiring the company to give a final accounting and release of monies due withing 45 days, and you may only get one if you complain for another 2 months. Then if there is any discrepancies, this becomes another battle just to get the information. And when finally, you get an attorney, they spend another 2 months before they actually release your money, once you prove you do not owe anything. I am given several driver / owner operator accounts here that I have personally been in cntact and have been battling trying to get info and monies released.

and here is a kicker... another driver, who leased a truck with them took off a month for family problems. Nowhere in their contract does it say you must not take off, and any conditions as far as keeping up on payments, etc if you need a little time off. The contract states the payments are based on a per cent per paid mile, that is it. It is exokained that if you dont run, you dont pay a truck payment. Now this driver, was at home when he received a call that they were coming to pick the truck up - in violation of their lease which says they must send written notice. The driver had very limited time to get his stuff out of the truck, because it was never his intention to leave the company. Well, he gets a bill for monies due saying this i s missing, etc- which if he would have had proper notification and time, he has the items at home, he would have put them back in. Well know they are sueing him for those charges, and additional 146 they say he went past his escrow amount. The funny things is, I myself have been trying to no avail, weekly calls to get an maintenace report accounting-- and they just do not seem to have it. Neither will they provide him with an accounting to prove he went over.

Boy, you have to threaten them with a lawsuit to get money due to you, that should by law be put in an account and not touched, and by law they are required to show you an accounting any time you ask for it, which they refuse. They violate their own lease terms- but manage to have the time to sue someone for missing items whcih is a direct result ( since he held on to them to put back in the truck) of their violating their own terms of their lease. Amazing. Beware, seriously aware of leasing a truck on to them. These are only couple of examples of their dishonest business practice, and you would really have to careful as a customer or an employee when dealing with them.

Laura
Alton, Illinois
U.S.A.