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Melton Truck Lines Ordered to do something, then charged $759.60 for following instructions! Tulsa Oklahoma
I spent money out of my pocket to travel to Sunnyvale (DFW area) TX. for a week of orientation. I spent even more on the Motel room for 6 nights. After which I was assigned a truck and dispatched on a load. And so it went, load and deliver over and over. This went on for three weeks until I found myself 40 miles from home with an empty trailer and no pre-plan for a load. With this knowledge at hand I informed Melton that I was going home to renew my CDL because it expired at the end of the month. I also needed more clothing and other necessities for life on the road.
The Melton folks went ballistic, telling me I CAN'T go home because I hadn't requested home time a week in advance, they also stated that I was pre-planned on a load, even though there was no such pre-plan on the Qualcomm!
I headed home to renew the CDL, I wasn't about to put myself at the mercy of Melton's dispatchers to get me back home in time to renew before the expiration date. Two hours later a pre-plan arrives on the Qualcomm. The load was already loaded and sitting at the El Paso, TX terminal along with 4 or 5 other drivers waiting on a load!
On top of this, the load had NO delivery date or time scheduled! This was on a Friday, it wasn't going to be delivered Saturday so that meant Monday at the earliest. I had plenty of time to take care of my business and still make a Monday delivery. That wasn't good enough for the Melton dispatchers, they felt the need to impose their will upon me, barking orders and making threats!
There is an option whether to accept a load or refuse it on the Qualcomm. I sent a message turning down the load! They kept on trying to force me to take it! It was at this point that I quit! I heard nothing further, although they had two phone numbers for me, there was no communication!
Monday morning October 8 rolls around and there is a message, NO PHONE CALL, on the Qualcomm ordering me to take the truck/trailer to the ElPaso, TX terminal and turn it in. I had no problem with this at all. My Brother and his wife and my Mother followed me to the terminal. Meltons employee and I did and inventory on the truck and accessories and all was satisfactory. It wasn't until I received my last check that I discovered that Melton had embezzled $759.60 from me calling it a "truck recovery fee".
I called them, wrote two letters to them, all attempts at restoring legality were ignored! By this time I was already working for an HONEST company and pretty much shrugged of the Melton experience as a terrible mistake. Until I discovered that they are SLANDERING my good name by lying to prospective employers! I simply will not tolerate this behavior!
John
Las Cruces, New Mexico
U.S.A.
5 Updates & Rebuttals
mark 51curry
deland,Florida,
USA
just the facts
#6UPDATE EX-employee responds
Sat, April 25, 2015
to begin with melton now claims to be a non forced dispatched company, 2nd it's not a week b-4 home time request,it;s 2 weeks and if you live in florida its 3 weeks,and if you quit the bus ticket comes out of your pocket. and if they so desier they can put a ticket or make it appear that way on your employee record,because that is what they did to me. I was told on my last load that i would need a becon for my over size load and because i did not know where it went ,i asked just where it went. and my DM reply was where do you usually put a becon. and for the ticket the only thing on it was my truck number,the name was the name of some one elese,the licen number was what i later found out to be truck 8196,and as for not putting loads on your board that is common,they want you to talk to them but they will keep you in the dark.they just spent 6 million dollars on a new building so if you have little or no experince melton will hire you anand run you well and if you have lots of experince and great record melton will lower your miles because no expernice= less pay to driver and more profit for company,to cover high over head cost of doing bussiness and raies there bottom line,nothing personal just bussiness,thats all
Roger
Garland,Texas,
United States of America
To consider
#6General Comment
Mon, October 22, 2012
Your report has inaccuracies. Melton pays for a new hires bus ticket to the orientation terminal. Melton pays for the hotel room for the duration of the stay. Were a driver to choose to room solo he is responsible for half the discounted room rate. Melton explains during orientation and in the handbook provided they are a forced dispatch carrier. You are expected to be available to run, deciding to go home instead because it seemed fair to you is not an accepted dispatch practice. Melton does require a week's notice for a home time request with a week after to get you there.
Your driver manager may have been aware the load planner had a load in mind for you but details were being finalized preventing it being sent to your truck. As described you were terminated for refusing dispatch which is the same as quitting. Each of these issues is described in the handbook, and you signed a document explaining you would be responsible for returning the truck to the designated terminal.
Melton incurred expense in flying someone to El Paso to take the truck where it needed to be. Had you entered a hometime request you would have been routed in that direction. As described by you even with your license nearing expiration you had made no effort to address it. With more experience you will come to know what well managed carriers expect. And it would be in your best interest to read the handbook and documents you sign. Having been in trucking for 27 years and lived in El Paso for 35 I would expect it difficult to find a carier with the same benefits and well maintained trucks as Melton provides. I wish you well, OTR trucking is not for everyone.
Starblazer64
Valley Park,Missouri,
United States of America
It seems to be a common practice
#6Consumer Comment
Mon, August 13, 2012
All Freight of Kansas City did the same thing to me. Almost Exactly. I told them explicitly that I did not want any dispatch until I talked to my supervisor about a theft of my belongings while the truck was in the shop. Not to mention the lack of 'promised miles' for 2 months straight. After making my complaint and being told they couldn't do anything-even pay a portion for my loss (Over $500 worth of stuff), I told them I was finished and quit on the spot. I knew without any doubt the thief was a mechanic since I was still on company property when they drove my truck into the shop and I immediately returned to my truck when they were finished about 8-10 hours later. This assured me the company should be responsible.
Since I quit, the company decided to have the last laugh and put a 'Quit while under Dispatch' on my DAC report (Which I am fighting).
Paul
Tulsa,Oklahoma,
U.S.A.
truckers I know
#6Consumer Comment
Mon, January 19, 2009
Yea, it seems this happens a lot.
But then most of the truckers I know, are pretty much independent truckers and most own their own trucks etc....
A few of them, when forced have the capability of legal action.
One of them had a similar problem to yours and he was able to have all independent truckers not do any loads for that one dispatch point.
This cost that particular company miliions.
Reality, that there nowadays there are a great many others to walk in and take the jobs...
But all of the ones I know, always pack enough for up to two-three weeks of constant driving, and I helped a few of them setup extra computer stuff that I thought was very cool.
Joe
Austin,Texas,
U.S.A.
SCAM,SCAM,SCAM COMPANY AND SCAM REFERENCES
#6Consumer Comment
Sat, January 17, 2009
RETAINING AN EMPLOYMENT LAWYER AND. OR A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR TO PROVE THAT THESE NO-GOOD LYING EMPLOYERS LIED ABOUT YOU AND THEN TURN AROUND AND SUE THEM FOR LIBEL AND SLANDER MAY BE A GOOD IDEA!
THIS IS PARTICULARLY BAD IN THE PRIVATE SECURITY GUARD CONTRACTING INDUSTRIES AND IN THE TRUCKING INDUSTRIES TOO IT SEEMS.
I SUGGEST THAT YOU REFER POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS TO THE RIP OFF REPORT SO THEY CAN SEE THAT THESE ARE VERY COMMON, UNETHICAL, FALSE AND BLATANTLY DISHONEST PRACTICES USED BY VINDICTIVE EMPLOYERS WHO ARE ANGRY THAT YOU REALIZED THEY WERE CONNING YOU AND PAYING THEM TO WORK THERE SO THEY ARE NOW GOING TO TRY TO DESTROY YOU!
IT IS HAPPENING NOW MORE THAN EVER.