Drug testing, 3rd times the charm.
I cannot believe it took 3 tries to drug test Will. Sometimes I think this company doesn’t have
it all together.
Last month we sat for 10 hours without a load. I kept sending in messages with no response. Oh sure my messages started off polite but of
course that never lasts long.
We are empty, and
ready for a load please, We have been empty for 1 hour ready for a load, 2 hrs
sitting need load, do you know you have
a team truck sitting without a load.
Hello, is this thing on. If there
are no loads send me home.
I will say that one
big difference between Swift and Schneider is, Swift would usually answer me.
Our DM (driver manager) would say stuff like the freight gods are just not
cooperating with us today, freight is low in your area. Etc, sometimes she
would say something stupid, practically setting me up, and I would think to myself, do you know who you are sparing with. I know
you don’t know me or my family but sarcasm is a competition sport for us.
I don’t
mean to brag, but I do hold the most gold medals.
My dramatic
combination eye rolling and sighing is trademarked. As my former employers and co-workers will
swear to.
But not Schneider. No
response from them, no matter how my messages evolved . While swift’s unwritten policy must be poke
the bear, enrage the driver. Schneider’s
policy must be let the driver vent don’t engage the rage.
So the second time they attempted a drug test was on our
trip from Sacramento to Tampa Florida. After
we started they sent us a message to stop in Houston. That’s 107 miles out of route. Gee I wonder why. Oh I guess I should let you know that the
drug tests are random and secret. they
can only inform you like 30 min or some short period of time, just to give you enough time to get from
where you are to the lab. They don't want to give you any time to get any clean urine off the black market.
So I hurry
getting to Houston, because I was almost out of hours for the day and we should
be changing drivers before Houston, but did not want to waste the time. Just change drivers while Will is doing his
drug test. Then we are not stopped for a long time.
Changing drivers takes at least 30min. post
trip, pre trip inspections, bathroom breaks, dinner, shower, fuel etc, whatever it is we try to do it
during our driver changes.
Anyway about 3 hours from Houston Terminal they send me a
message, looks we will be gone when you get there, just stay there and call us
at 6am pst –they are in Fontana California. I sent back a message saying why,
we need to deliver this load by Saturday in Florida and stopping overnight in
Houston means that wont happen. We are
not out here on vacation, there is nothing I want to do or see in Houston. (DUH
everybody knows that)
We need these miles on this check. (well that is my go to excuse always need
these miles on that check) only
response is stay put call in am.
There is nothing at the Houston Terminal. It's a dump
Full of stinky oil tankers. Hard to even find a spot for a 53 foot van. There is no grill. Funny how fast
we got used to that little perk, most of the terminals have a grill. There was
not even any food flyers. How are we supposed to order dinner?
We call at 6am and the DBL (driver business leader) asks us,
when you guys start driving again, who will drive first? I said, same schedule as always, I drive
6am-6pm, Will drives 6pm -6am. There
is a little silence on the other end and then he says, Oh then that’s not going
to work , um yea that’s not going to work, ok sorry. Never mind.
That is when I lost it.
WHAT, ARE YOU KIDDING ME.NEVER MIND, YOU HOLD US HERE FOR 14
HOURS FOR NOTHING. YOU COST US GETTING 6300
MILES FOR THE WEEK. The dbl (he who shall not be named) said, im sorry, I know
how you feel. OBVIOUSLY YOU DO NOT KNOW
HOW I FEEL, SORRY DOESN’T FIX OUR MILES THIS WEEK. IF YOUR BOSS TOLD YOU TO COME IN AND SIT AT
YOUR DESK AND DO NOTHING FOR 14 HOURS WOULDN’T YOU EXPECT TO GET PAID. WE NEED TO BE COMPENSATED FOR THIS FORCED
SITTING. WHY DO YOU GUYS MAKE IT SO HARD
TO GET A UA FROM THE NIGHT SHIFT DRIVER.
IF ONLY THERE WAS SOME WAY TO GET A LIST OF ALL THE HOSPITALS IN THE
UNITED STATES WITH A LAB, PLACES WHERE WE COULD GO GET A DRUG TEST DONE. YOU DO HAVE INTERNET THERE DON’T YOU.
At some point Will left, he always refuses to watch myself imposed
implosions.
After taking a breath, I said to him, I know you are not to
blame you are just the lucky recipient of my frustration, feel free to convey
my anger to anyone you want.
The third time was today. About 2 hours after we changed
drivers, Will is just about in laa-laa land. A couple arthritis pills some Benadryl
and night, night. I got a message, When I
get to Mattoon IL , pull over to safe location and call in they need to talk to
Will, Yes we know he is in the sleeper but please wake him, we need to talk to
him.
Great I get to poke the Bear, and Im not even lost this time.
Will asks her (a dbl, she who shall not be named) if he is supposed
to come up on his logs for this. She said,
well some of our drivers prefer not to and some do, its up to you. Ok that’s what Will wanted to hear. He really thinks he is supposed to log this
drug test as working not driving time, because it is something the company has
ordered you to do, like taking a class etc. but she says not logging it is ok.
They send us to the Mattoon Hospital,
there’s 3 building and
we pick one. Will goes up to the desk and tells the nurse, well she had scrubs
on anyway, that Schneider sent him here for a UA. She says, what, whats that, the other nurse
says, oh you mean a drug screen? That’s over
in the other building.
Now those that don’t know me may think that is the end of it.
If they did not care about getting the test
done during Will’s driving time, why did they have us sit in Houston. Why did they waste our time twice before. Time is money. If the wheels aren’t turning, we aren’t earning.
Why did it take 3 times to figure this out.
Is Will your first and only night time driver.
Will said I could not message them about that. He said he
was putting him foot down.
Whatever
*currently rolling my eyes**
love and miss you all
