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Report: #155786

Complaint Review: JB HUNT Transport - Chicago Illinois

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  • Reported By: Bryan Texas
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  • JB HUNT Transport 47th St Chicago, Illinois U.S.A.

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JB Hunt Dispatch service is terrible
On Monday, August 22, 2005 I was assigned a load to be picked up in Commerce Cy, Colorado, which destination was Salt Lake City. Shepper should have completed loading by 4:00 pm, but it completed loading at 6:15 pm.
The distance I should drive was: Paid miles=507, Real miles=603

Because the load was of 42,500 lbs, I had to scale and adjust the tandems so I havd to go to truck stop to do my scaling Of all this, I kept the dispatch informed as needed via qualcomm.
Because of DOT regulations, I must take a 10 hrs braek after 11 hrs driving or 14 hrs on duty. It was not possible for me to deliver the load at 8:00 on Tuesday Aug 23, 05. Dispatch knew and instead of re-scheduling a new appointment for the delivery of my load, they just ignored the excistance of it.

Next day, when I arrived to the receiver, he refused to receive my load and asked me to get an scheduled date and time.

Then and only then, dispatch service proceeded to re-schedule the delivery of my load. Because of that inefficiency, I had to layover at receiver facility for more that 36 hrs.

Steve
Bryan, Texas
U.S.A.

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 09/02/2005 06:31 AM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/jb-hunt-transport/chicago-illinois/jbhunt-transport-ripoff-chicago-illinois-155786. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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#4 UPDATE EX-employee responds

Been there / Done that

AUTHOR: Roadslave - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Sunday, August 10, 2008

I've driven for JB 3 times now . First as a ded co drvr on the es3 account out of york , 2nd as a lease / purchase driver , 3rd as a ded drvr on the James Hardie account ( which I loved ) . I started w/ Schneider nat'l in '99 , fresh out of trucker school , by the time I got done in Carlisle I thought exactly as you .

This s*&*& is carved in stone so " DON'T BREAK THE LAW " . 9 years later I can tell you this much , big companies like JB , Schneider , Swift , to name some familiar ones , for the most part don't expect you to flagrantly break the law , but you d**n sure better be willing and able to bend the hell out of it . The DOT isn't the inquisition . They're not going to pull you over , get a court order , and dump your ECM to compare to your logs . They don't want the hassle any more than you . Keep your logs neat , fairly believable and possible , and don't get so greedy that they have have to bust you just to make a point .

The first time I ran w/ JB I tried the line that you have . Legal this and legal that , but I phrased it more as a question rather than a statement or demand , and when I did run I ran like hell , so they kept me workin and guided me with the type of code the other dude talked about until I broke down , started to listen and learn . I still really didn't get it till I sat at a TA in Conn. in '02 when the gov shut down the interstates for 3 days . I sat at the counter getting something to eat , listening to a bunch of 'ol roaddogs telling their stories and airing their gripes , and as you knew it was gonna happen they started b*&*&* about the newbie big co. drivers and asked which one I ran for . I told 'em , the a*& bustin commenced , but I sat ther , shut my mouth and took it , and when the oppertunity presented it I respectfully asked them how do you guys get away with running like that ? They said it was something that took time in a seat , and the willingness to do what had to be done to do the job and some old salts to teach you the ropes .

I pointed out that none of us were going anywhere for a while and sincerly and respectfully asked them if they would please take the time to teach me how it got done in the real world by real drivers ? and they did . All afternoon they tought me how to run in the gray areas , the way I really had to run to make a decent buck ( even as a company driver ) , what the company really wanted and probably what they'd let me get away with . I walked out of that restuerant that day with a lot on my mind and a new prospective on this job I'd chosen to make my livin at .

We'd sat the entire weekend , so I only ran through the house to pick up new clothes and some fingerfood to eat , told the wife no home time this week , and set my mind on doing as they said and letting it ride . The change was almost immediate . My weekly milage went from 1450 - 1600 to 2k to 2150 . That was pretty d**n good on a ded contract where the avg was @ 1600 / wk . My team leader asked me what happened to me out in the snow 2 weeks earlier cause even he seen the difference and I told him some saints tought me how it gets done in the real world , he said good - ready to make some money ? We did , and I still do to this day , and I mostly run east of this missisip and primarily in and through the northeast .

I've had my logs looked at in everystate and NEVER got a single ticket for a log violation . Sorry to run on like that , but my point is this . If you're going to run by the gospel your never going to make any good money , and depending how you relate to your fleet manager - team leader - whatever , you may not get to keep your job . You have to bend the hell out of the rules at times no matter how the book spells it out - that how it gets done out here . Always has - always will . If you don't see that , can't bring yourself to stretch that neck out there and push that line around to get the job done , your never going to make any money and you need to go back to a nine to fiver , stop your whining and complaining so loud so the other newbies aren't distracted can't hear the old timers when they talk and let the industry get on with business .

I understand where your coming from , been there / done that , but I'm telling you how it really is , not the line of b*&*&*& you'd get from a recruiter or what you'd hear in orientation from somebody telling you what he's PAID to get up there and tell you . He knows it b*&*&*& just like all the old timers , but its what he's told to say , and it'll keep you alive till you get to hang with your bunch of old timers and learn how it really is out here and how to make it work . If you are not going to run it like it should be done , please hang up your keys and go do something else . We got some freight to move . Good luck in whatever you choose and have a safe and good one out there .

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#3 Consumer Suggestion

Fresh out of trucking school, huh? Boy, are you in for a rude awakening.

AUTHOR: Paul - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Saturday, September 03, 2005

Trucking companies expect you to deliver the loads according to the schedule they send you on the Qualcomm computer that is in your truck.

Most trip instructions include a question that asks you if you will able to deliver on time. If you check Y for yes, they d**n well expect you to do what you agreed to do. If you check N for no, they will give the load to another truck. You will sit there in your truck waiting until they find you another load.

The quickest way to get thrown out of the truck is to start turning down loads, either because you don't like the trip, or because you are too tired to drive the truck. Some dispatchers will work with you a little. Especially if they see you already drove 3,000 miles for the week.

But, let's face it, a dispatcher is there to keep the trucks and the freight moving. That means they are looking to keep you loaded and driving as much as possible. That's the only way that both you and the company will make money.

Let me explain something here. It's not realistic to expect to get a full 8 hours of regular sleep every night from 10 PM to 6 AM. That's not how the industry works. Sometimes, you will find yourself in a situation where you need to run all night in order to make a morning delivery.

Other times, you simply don't have the luxury of getting a full 8 hours. So, you get 4 or 5 now. Then, later, maybe you can lie down for a couple more hours. You learn to go back and lay down every time the truck stops. Every time you are loading, or unloading. Even with the forklift in the trailer, you can get 40 minutes of rest if you're tired enough. And, believe me, you will be tired enough.

If you do not want to do this, they will get rid of you. It's that simple. When you send bawl-baby messages back on the Qualcomm, complaining about one thing or another, they have one standard reply. Driver, do the best that you can. So, what does that mean? Are you allowed to go to sleep for 10 hours? Don't be ridiculous!

When you get a message from your company that says do the best you can it means you d**n well better get your load delivered on time, or else. No, they will not come right out on a public message system and tell you to violate federal laws. They will use code. Do the best you can is code for get your d**n a*s in gear and get your load moving.

If you refuse, they won't say another word. If the load is critical, they will send another truck over to get your trailer and make sure it's delivered. Then, you will regret the minute that you ever decided to screw with the company.

They will let you sit. Your computer won't beep. You won't get any loads. You will sit somewhere, in a rest area, with no food and no money. It could be days. You will be hungry and they won't give you as much as a plug nickel on your comdata card. Besides, what are you going to buy in a rest area? A bag of potato chips? How can you live on potato chips for two or three days?

When you take your truck back to the terminal for home time, they will expect you to quit. If you do not quit, they will suddenly find either drugs or beer bottles in your truck and you will be fired. No company is going to let you sit in one of their trucks and sleep whenever you feel like it. They have freight to move, and they expect you to pitch in and handle your share.

You don't have to do 4,000 miles a week, but you better be able to do at least 2,500 consistently. Hell, that averages out to only 350 miles a day! If you simply can't keep up with the pace, I suggest you find something else to do. If you can't manage to stay alert and awake, get out before you fall asleep and kill yourself. There's no shame in saying that you need more rest. Trucking isn't for everybody. Go home and find something else. That's all.

As far as the DOT goes, they know exactly what every one of these companies is doing. They look at your log and if it looks neat and you're on the right day, they don't fool with you. They know that most of the industry runs the drivers illegal. What can they do? Stop every truck and place them out of service behind a scale house? Don't be ridiculous.

Two fleets run by-the-book legal. Wal-mart and Fed-ex. I know it. Every experienced driver knows it. And, every DOT officer knows it. As long as you look like you're awake and in control of your truck, they won't bother you. Even if you're 2 hours over your allowed driving time. Of course, you can't come out and tell them that. Everybody pretends. You have to make a legal log. But, it doesn't have to be truthful.

I will tell you this. If you are having a hard time staying awake and driving when the company expects you to drive, I'd get out and go the hell home. Every week, new rookies fall asleep at the wheel and get themselves killed. If you can't stay awake, stop and go home. Do not get yourself killed. It's not worth it. Just give the truck back and let someone else handle it.

Like I said, there's no shame in quitting. Hell, I did. I can run 750 every day in a 68 mile truck, but it's d**n hard. You're always dead tired and filthy dirty because your whole life is spent driving the truck. That's no life, as far as I'm concerned. Hell, at my last company, they expected you to do 1,000 miles a day. Yuma, Arizona produce farms to the Chicago produce market in two days. Two thousand miles. In two days. I did it for a while. So did a lot of other drivers. But, I got sick and tired of that life real quick. One day, I said the hell with this and went home.

It all depends on what you want from life. Some drivers love the life. Many of them can't sleep for more than 4 or 5 hours at a time. They get used to it. These are the people who deliver America's freight. If you're not one of these people, why fight the system? Trucking isn't the only job out there. Find something that offers the life that you want. That's all you need to do.

Do yourself a favor, driver. Walk in to the next Flying J or T/A or even a Pilot truck stop. Go up to some of the drivers there and ask them how the industry works. See for yourself. Don't just take my word. Talk to other driver who have been out there day in and day out for 8, 10, sometimes 20 years. Ask them what you need to be able to do if you want to get by. Perhaps one of them can explain logging to you while you're in there.

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#2 Consumer Suggestion

DOT REGULATIONS MUST BE FOLLOWED

AUTHOR: Steve - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Saturday, September 03, 2005

Any Mayor carrier in US must stick to DOT regulations:
GVW Must be equals or less than 80000
Load must be distributed: 34,34,12
Driving: 11 hrs
driving & rest, fueling, meals: 14 hrs
8 days no more than 70 hrs.

If a driver does not follow this and other regulation. he or she is in violaton of dot REGULATION AND SUBJECT TO DISCIPLINARY ACTION
So the driver in the previous report should adhere to all those mandated rules or may be disciplined by either his company or the DOT officers if caught

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#1 Consumer Suggestion

That's how the trucking business works. How long have you been a driver?

AUTHOR: Paul - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Friday, September 02, 2005

You had 14 hours to scale and drive 600 miles. Trucks average 50 miles per hour, so you should have been able to complete your trip in about 12 hours. That would have left 2 hours for you to rest before you delivered.

You don't go by the logging silliness. Hell, if every driver took 11 straight hours off, nothing would ever get delivered.

You sleep when they are loading your truck. You drive when they are done. Simple as that. Make the lines on the logs fit your schedule.

Why do you think you sat for a day and half? You pissed off the dispatcher and the receiver. They probably want you to quit now. I wouldn't be surprised if you spend a lot of the next month just sitting.

If you go on and get another trucking job, learn from this mistake. Drive when you're loaded. Sleep while you're being unloaded. I know it's hard sometimes. But, that's how the job works. Why do you think so many drivers quit?

Perhaps, you'd be better off and doing a local delivery job in a smaller truck. Route sales, maybe.

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