Complaint Review: USXpress Enterprises

Floyd,

I did not steal anything. I had money coming which was withheld. Therefore they stole from me. They left me stranded as a form of retaliation for refusing to drive unsafe equipment. They de-activated my card with my money on it.

I was allowed to advance my entire pay off the card as needed on all earned income. This is jobs that were already done and submitted.

This was our agreement. They broke it. I don't let anyone get the upper hand on me. I always hold the cards in any business relationship. That is called a back up plan. CYA.

And, I only took exactly what I had coming. Nothing more.

Floyd,

I did not steal anything. I had money coming which was withheld. Therefore they stole from me. They left me stranded as a form of retaliation for refusing to drive unsafe equipment. They de-activated my card with my money on it.

I was allowed to advance my entire pay off the card as needed on all earned income. This is jobs that were already done and submitted.

This was our agreement. They broke it. I don't let anyone get the upper hand on me. I always hold the cards in any business relationship. That is called a back up plan. CYA.

And, I only took exactly what I had coming. Nothing more.

Floyd,

I did not steal anything. I had money coming which was withheld. Therefore they stole from me. They left me stranded as a form of retaliation for refusing to drive unsafe equipment. They de-activated my card with my money on it.

I was allowed to advance my entire pay off the card as needed on all earned income. This is jobs that were already done and submitted.

This was our agreement. They broke it. I don't let anyone get the upper hand on me. I always hold the cards in any business relationship. That is called a back up plan. CYA.

And, I only took exactly what I had coming. Nothing more.

steve it is realy nice to hear you are a LIER and a thief you start out giving some good things to do and then ruined it by telling every one how YOU lied and ripped off the people you worked for..!

Thanks for writing back on this. It has been one year since this happened. The people we worked for were lease operators for Landstar Express and have long since gone out of business. As a matter of fact, they filed for bankruptcy about 2 months after dumping us, and lost all their trucks.

I tried to drive home, but after the truck was nice and warmed up, within a couple of hours of driving it lost power, to the point of only doing maybe 10mph, down the highway. That would have been a very long way back home.

The various shops replaced the turbo, injectors, injector harness and various other things. No one ever really knew what was wrong. Even the last shop where the owner picked it up didn't fix it, it was running rough when he dropped by the hotel to give us the rest of our things.

We would not have let him do that to us, he drove all night to get there, not telling us, and when we tried to pick the truck up we were told the owner was getting it. So we had no access to the truck, didn't know what the hell was going on. They got what was coming to them, they were lucky that they were far enough away, since I was hatching plans against them that were totally illegal.

There is no money to be recovered, so that option is closed, and with them losing their equipment I can't even go after them with the FMCSA.

To recoup money is difficult, since my home state has no law in effect to protect you as the employee. Companies don't actually have to pay you in Missouri. The only recourse you have is small claims court.

I have learned from this though, and I think the way you have dealt with this is about the same way I will deal with it if I had to again.

Thanks, and good luck to you.

Thanks for writing back on this. It has been one year since this happened. The people we worked for were lease operators for Landstar Express and have long since gone out of business. As a matter of fact, they filed for bankruptcy about 2 months after dumping us, and lost all their trucks.

I tried to drive home, but after the truck was nice and warmed up, within a couple of hours of driving it lost power, to the point of only doing maybe 10mph, down the highway. That would have been a very long way back home.

The various shops replaced the turbo, injectors, injector harness and various other things. No one ever really knew what was wrong. Even the last shop where the owner picked it up didn't fix it, it was running rough when he dropped by the hotel to give us the rest of our things.

We would not have let him do that to us, he drove all night to get there, not telling us, and when we tried to pick the truck up we were told the owner was getting it. So we had no access to the truck, didn't know what the hell was going on. They got what was coming to them, they were lucky that they were far enough away, since I was hatching plans against them that were totally illegal.

There is no money to be recovered, so that option is closed, and with them losing their equipment I can't even go after them with the FMCSA.

To recoup money is difficult, since my home state has no law in effect to protect you as the employee. Companies don't actually have to pay you in Missouri. The only recourse you have is small claims court.

I have learned from this though, and I think the way you have dealt with this is about the same way I will deal with it if I had to again.

Thanks, and good luck to you.

Thanks for writing back on this. It has been one year since this happened. The people we worked for were lease operators for Landstar Express and have long since gone out of business. As a matter of fact, they filed for bankruptcy about 2 months after dumping us, and lost all their trucks.

I tried to drive home, but after the truck was nice and warmed up, within a couple of hours of driving it lost power, to the point of only doing maybe 10mph, down the highway. That would have been a very long way back home.

The various shops replaced the turbo, injectors, injector harness and various other things. No one ever really knew what was wrong. Even the last shop where the owner picked it up didn't fix it, it was running rough when he dropped by the hotel to give us the rest of our things.

We would not have let him do that to us, he drove all night to get there, not telling us, and when we tried to pick the truck up we were told the owner was getting it. So we had no access to the truck, didn't know what the hell was going on. They got what was coming to them, they were lucky that they were far enough away, since I was hatching plans against them that were totally illegal.

There is no money to be recovered, so that option is closed, and with them losing their equipment I can't even go after them with the FMCSA.

To recoup money is difficult, since my home state has no law in effect to protect you as the employee. Companies don't actually have to pay you in Missouri. The only recourse you have is small claims court.

I have learned from this though, and I think the way you have dealt with this is about the same way I will deal with it if I had to again.

Thanks, and good luck to you.

Sabine,

This happens all to often and people accept it.

However, you should not accept it. OOIDA is only looking for big class action lawsuits. That is why they exist, they have lawyers who make big bucks on class action.

They are useless in helping on an individual basis. That is why you got the advice you got.

Remember, stay off the phone, do everything in writing. Certified mail, return reciept requested.

1). Complaint to USDOL and the labor board where you live and the home town of the company. CC them to each.

2). Complaints to FMCSA for the abandonment [which goes against the carriers safety rating], and for each unsafe condition of the equipment and/or illegal dispatch, etc.

And you have civil recourse. This is based on what a reasonable person would expect, and also the norm in the industry. The equipment and drivers get returned to place of origin unless specifically arranged otherwise.

I fought this and I got paid. Don't let them get away with it. At very least you can destroy the safety rating of these fools.

They sound like a Mom and Pop fly by night operation to me.

You should have driven the truck as close to home as you could have gotten it and then sold off equipmebt to get the rest of the way. And, all you had to do then was make it to a large truck stop. You would have gotten a ride home.

I was in Las Vegas when it happened to me, and I got back to OKC. The truck was not roadworthy so I left it there. I secured my earned income by selling evry piece of equipment.

Then I played dumb. What equipment? Can you prove it was on the truck? Did I sign for it?

That's how you play that game. AND, while I was sitting there for 3 days before it came to this, I was selling off fuel and taking cash advances off the card.

CYA.

In February last year my husband and I gave notice to the company we worked for because of equipment problems and the owners lack of money to properly fix said problems.

After having been to the shop 4 times in 2 weeks, having to stay in a hotel at our expense every time for a couple of days, and yet the truck had never been fixed, we finally had enough.

The truck broke down a fifth time, 1600 miles away from home. This time we told them that we would not drive it until it was fixed for good.

Their response to that was to drive out to AZ, get the truck and leave us sitting there with all our things in the Hotel parking lot. With maybe 200 dollars to our name and no way home.

After contacting OOIDA and an attorney we found out that while we as drivers have to take equipment back to the company to avoid being reported to DAC for abandonment, the company has NO OBLIGATION to help you get home, NONE! You are out of luck. If it wasn't for a very good friend, who came and got us and the cat too, who knows what would have happened.

Trucking companies cannot leave you stranded.

You have action against them if they left you 900 miles from home with no means of transportation home.

I have fought this issue. I got paid.

At will employment has absolutely nothing to do with this issue. At will simply means you can be fired or quit without notice or cause. Period.

The FMCSA will go after any company who puts a driver off the truck without a means home and so will the USDOL.

Your comments are correct for the most part, Paul.

As an at-will employee, the reporter was indeed free to quit/be fired at any time. However, if the circumstances of his leave caused avoidable damage to his employer's property, then the employer could well have a cause of action against him.

For example, if a trucker abandons a load of perishable goods on the side of the highway, you can bet your a*s that he's at least going to be sued, and the employer will probably win.

Just as the employer can fire you at any time, but can't keep the stuff you left in your locker, so it is that you can quit at any time, but you are still under a legal duty not to jeopardize your employer's property.

And when you are entrusted with the property of your employer, your status in regards to liability for that property is governed by laws completely separate from those that govern employment.

I don't know what the circumstances of the original report were, so I'm stating no opinion as to those facts, just generalities.

Most big companies pay the driver for ALL DISPATCHED miles.

File a wage claim for the miles with the state wage and hour division and the USDOL.

Send copies to the company.

Also send a demand for payment to the company by certified mail, return reciept requested. be sure to put the certified# on the letter itself.

You are entitled to be paid for ALL work your employer directs you to do.

85 miles is like a regular employer asking you to work 1.5 hours off the clock.

It is simply illegal for them to FORCE you to drive without compensation.

us xpress is very unfair in most of their biz practices and are good at sidestepping and sweeping issues under the carpet, however, they are an at will employer....which means they can fire u in a min flat...this also makes you an at will employee...u owe them absolutely nothing!they would never go to court over it and if they do send it to any collections agency you can sue them for harrassment ,slander and quite possibly pain and suffering as a result of their actions....remember tho they r the dirtiest players in the book.....BE DIRTUIER!!!!NO MERCY ON THEM!!!

us xpress is very unfair in most of their biz practices and are good at sidestepping and sweeping issues under the carpet, however, they are an at will employer....which means they can fire u in a min flat...this also makes you an at will employee...u owe them absolutely nothing!they would never go to court over it and if they do send it to any collections agency you can sue them for harrassment ,slander and quite possibly pain and suffering as a result of their actions....remember tho they r the dirtiest players in the book.....BE DIRTUIER!!!!NO MERCY ON THEM!!!

us xpress is very unfair in most of their biz practices and are good at sidestepping and sweeping issues under the carpet, however, they are an at will employer....which means they can fire u in a min flat...this also makes you an at will employee...u owe them absolutely nothing!they would never go to court over it and if they do send it to any collections agency you can sue them for harrassment ,slander and quite possibly pain and suffering as a result of their actions....remember tho they r the dirtiest players in the book.....BE DIRTUIER!!!!NO MERCY ON THEM!!!

us xpress is very unfair in most of their biz practices and are good at sidestepping and sweeping issues under the carpet, however, they are an at will employer....which means they can fire u in a min flat...this also makes you an at will employee...u owe them absolutely nothing!they would never go to court over it and if they do send it to any collections agency you can sue them for harrassment ,slander and quite possibly pain and suffering as a result of their actions....remember tho they r the dirtiest players in the book.....BE DIRTUIER!!!!NO MERCY ON THEM!!!