United Transport - WAGES kept for repairs and truck maintenance, time spent working without pay Hammond IN

United Transport Inc. witholds driver pay at $100 over 10 weeks to cover expenses and repairs of vehicles and equipment the driver does not own or lease. They deduct wages for 'escrow' but do not provide escrow information to the driver, such as bank name, account numbers, or anything to prove where the money is or whether or not interest is being earned. Once a driver leaves the company, they hold the escrow an additional 90 days then send an email to them of an estimate for repairs of damages not caused by the (former) employee. The estimates are not signed by a mechanic and the work has not been done. If/when they do get around to fixing the equipment, they will then write off the expense on taxes.

My first truck was damaged before I got in it, and they told me not to worry that they already knew about it and would be getting it fixed. It was never fixed. This particular truck was taken from me after a month and assigned to another driver, with no notice, and I received an older truck. When the second truck broke down for a week, they eventually had someone tow the original truck to my location - and it was still damaged. THEY OWN THE REPAIR SHOP. Regardless of damages existing or accumulated - the truck is NOT A LEASE PURCHASE and it is NOT OWNED BY THE DRIVER. A driver cannot be responsible for maintaining equipment or wear and tear from normal operation of equipment they do not own. 

They do not pay the driver for equipment breakdown. When the second truck broke down I was stuck in a hotel for a week without pay. The breakdown was not due to driver error. That week without earning wages put me behind on my bills, and I was not free to leave the truck and go to work for another company. I requested another truck to be towed for me to drive on the first day of breakdown, but they declined. I was available to drive, and they should have paid a flat rate for each day I was stuck. 

My next move is to contact the Department of labor in Indiana, and then we're off to small claims court. As it has been over 90 days, I will sue for double the amount of my $1000 'escrow' withholdings, plus interest and expenses for filing and traveling to Indiana for court, and for a week of sitting in a hotel without pay while waiting for truck repairs.