I signed up with Tempus Transport to drive under Panther Premium Logistics in 2015. This was my first job in trucking. At this time, Tempus paid a per diem twice a week, which was a very small amount, but I only recieved three payments of per diem in three weeks.
I was paired with a violent codriver who wanted sex and after I refused, living in the truck with him became impossible. I asked Tom to move me to another truck and help me find a female co driver. They moved me to a truck in the middle of nowhere; Des Moines, Iowa, and left me there with a truck that was broken down and in at Freightliner for repairs. There was another co driver, male, smoker, and they gave no information about this person...not even his name. This guy barely spoke to me, and after Freightliner informed us we needed to leave (truck was not ready and they were closing) Tempus wouldn't answer my calls. I had no money after 3 weeks of driving as a team. They never paid me anything for miles driven, only three $75 deposits for per diem, which was for food.
When I asked about the money and why I didn't recieve my bank deposit, Tom told me that some drivers needed to be taught a lesson in manners or needed to learn to turn in paperwork properly. This didn't apply to me, but possibly my codriver; I was always polite with dispatch and I always scanned in the Pro's via the transflo app. However, withholding someones pay is not a legal form of behavior modification in the society we live in. I have children and financial obligations.
After sitting with the other driver at freightliner all day, and neither him or Tempus would answer me about what to do or where to sleep once the shop closed, I started thinking I needed to get home. The final straw was when the other driver and I finally got to a hotel, thanks to a nice guy at Freightliner who drove us...and the hotel was not paid for. Tempus reserved rooms for us but didn't pay for them. They knew I had no money because they had not paid my salary or per diem, so I guess they figured I would sleep outside?
I borrowed the money for the hotel from the other driver and called home, borrowing more money to fly out of Des Moines to NC. I left the next morning. The truck was in the shop so it wasn't abandoned. I never lived in the truck so it didn't need to be cleaned. Tempus still kept all three weeks of my pay. Their final settlement shows a $1000 fee for 'failure to give notice' and 'breach of contract'.
The fact is, Tempus Transport breached our agreement by not paying me. If they had paid me, I would've stayed and felt obligated to give notice when the time came to leave. Once they broke their end of the agreement, I was no longer obligated to stay with them and work for free.
They still owe me almost $3000.
Joe
Dallas,#2General Comment
Mon, July 02, 2018
Please give me a call as I believe we can help with no cost upront or if we dont collect. 972-663-8593