Most of my memories at Overnite Transportation are pleasant, and this particular story isn’t really the company’s fault—it’s more about the rumor mill or grapevine. Back in the late 1980s, probably around 1987, the Teamsters Union was making a strong push to organize our terminal. There were always whispers among employees about frustrations over missing overtime and not being fully paid for healthcare. These were just grumbles—common when days go bad.
But at some point, these grumbles gained attention. When that happens, management takes notice and works hard to quiet those rumors. Unfortunately, the rumors spread like wildfire, and somehow, my name got attached as an instigator. I honestly don’t know why, but I suspect it had to do with my relationship with management and the fact that I had started my part-time cleaning business at that time. Regardless, these rumors prompted upper management to send someone from the home office to investigate.
This individual was known as a sort of “house cleaner” or “exterminator of troublemakers”—if you catch my meaning. It was the first time in my life I had to stand up for myself and speak my mind, whether good or bad. I was called into the terminal manager’s office, and I asked two fellow drivers to accompany me—Randy McKinney and another driver whose name I can’t remember. Both agreed to come with me.
The investigator, whose name I’ve since forgotten (probably a good thing), said to me, “I’ve been told that you’ve been hassling and harassing your fellow employees here at this terminal, and it has to do with something related to the union.” I responded, “Oh really? And you honestly believe that?” His reply was, “I don’t know what to believe, to be honest, but I can tell you this—if it’s true, and I find out it is, it’s my job to put a stop to it.”
I kept it simple: “Well, you do your investigation as you see fit, but if you come at me again, I want to see solid proof because I’ve done nothing of the sort.” He said, “That’s fair enough,” and I replied, “Good, because as far as I’m concerned, I’ll still be here at this company long after you’re gone.” I stood up, walked out with my two friends, and that was pretty much the end of it. That was probably the only really bad memory I have from my time at Overnite.
My Trucker Life 