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| America's Driving Force - David Johnson ABUSE, WASTE, FRAUD OF YOUR TIME AND MONEY Conley, Georgia |
| 17th of Nov, 2011 by User295994 |
Office of Inspector General
United States Department of Labor
200 Constitution Avenue, NW
Room S-5506
Washington, DC 20210 Greetings: Here is a summary of the facts concerning America's Driving Force ABUSIVE/WASTEFUL/FRADULENT use of WIA funds. It begins with the unethical and disrespectful acts of ADF and ends with what I consider to be safety violations committed by ADF (that I've reported to the Department of Driver Services and will report to the National Safety Council). ANY of these claims can be very easily verified by a Department of Labor/Department of Driver Services/National Council of Safety representative posing as a prospective student at any time, right now, today. I have already submitted my complaint to my WIA counselor … of the DeKalb Workforce Development in Decatur, Georgia ... I will send them a copy of this complaint as well. Additionally, … the Department of Driver Services Compliance Department in Macon, Georiga, has received a complaint. Lastly, I intend to submit my final complaint to the National Council of Safety for Georgia.
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I started my training at ADF on 11/7/11. It ended shortly after noon on 11/16/11 when the arrogant, condescending, disrespectful, unethical, and unscrupulous director dismissed me after I went to him with my concerns about ADF on 11/14/11. As for witnesses, ANY STUDENT enrolled at ADF during the week of 11/7/11 can verify my claims mentioned below. Whether they will is another story. I do not have the contact information for any of these people. I barely knew many of their names…. Also, for the record, I am Black. So my remarks about the two TRIFLING, Black, so-called instructors is not race based. They are fact based. PLEASE let me know if there is any other information I can try to secure which would contribute to my claim being taken seriously and acted on immediately. This includes me returning to ADF (and waiting off their property) to try and meet with some of the students to get their names and contact information, which I certainly wish not to do but will do if I must. My summary: 1. I had a DOT card issued in October 2011 and ADF required that I get another one from their provider, Concentra, if I wanted to enroll with them. I only took the physical part of the exam over again, not the drug test. So my card from October was sufficient for the latter but not the former???? Interestingly, if ADF really needed for me to take the ENTIRE exam over again why didn't I? This wouldn't seem as odd had I retested for drugs versus taking the physical over..... And now they want WIA to pay them for this WASTEFUL expense. 2. I had my AP issued in October 2011 and ADF required that I do the knowledge or classroom week for an AP I already had if I wanted to enroll with them. Of course I didn't have to retest because, again, I already had my AP. So, truthfully, ADF DID NOT PREPARE ME TO TAKE THE AP TEST (for I already had my AP). Nonetheless, they want WIA to pay them for this WASTEFUL expense. (Interestingly, the school that I am now trying to allocate my WIA funds towards--Atlanta Trucking School--DOES NOT require me to do a knowledge week, as ADF should not have required this as well. ADF told me that because they are audited by the state I needed to do the knowledge week as a part of their 180 hour training agreement with the state....) 3. ADF DOES NOT PROVIDE 180 HOURS WORTH OF TRAINING. This lie amounts to WASTE, ABUSE and FRAUD of WIA funds. In the 7 1/2 days that I was at the "school", as I missed an entire day of classroom "instruction", on any given 10-hour day we (students) must have sat/stood/moved idly by for 1 1/2 hours or more of those 10 hours, not including lunch, on the days that Norman and Will were instructing. WASTE of WIA funds. They both ALWAYS returned 10 minutes or more late from lunch, as was the case on 11/16/11 when I went to speak to the director. Our breaks from class, with these two individuals, was always 15 minutes, at least four times a day. And during the actual classroom instruction Norman did more talking about his personal life than truck driving teaching. WASTE and ABUSE of WIA funds. (For example, on 11/14/11 he was supposed to have conducted a pre-trip with us. But there was no truck available!!! He sat us down and was supposed to "talk through" the pre-trip inspection, which would of been nice. Instead, he spent 80% of that time recounting stories of when he used to be on the road. He spent about 60% or more of classroom time on 11/11/11 doing the same thing--recounting stories, playing around and pathetically trying to relive his long gone youthful days with the guys, and/or talking on his cell phone right in front of the class without the decency of excusing himself. Again, WASTE and ABUSE of WIA funds.) 4. Unlike the white instructors, Mr. Randy (whom I appreciated) and Mr. Jack (whom I adored), the Black instructors--Norman and Will--repeatedly interrupted class during the knowledge week to accept personal calls. WASTE and ABUSE of WIA funds. Will at least had the decency of excusing himself from the "class". Norman would stand or pace right in front of us and have his conversation, loudly. He spent approximately 30 minutes on a personal call, standing right in front of the class, on 11/11/11. WASTE and ABUSE of WIA funds. 5. WASTE and ABUSE and FRAUD. I literally had ONLY 2 1/2 days worth of SUBSTANDARD, UNSAFE, INFERIOR, DISRESPECTFUL “TRAINING†on the yard (under the so-called instruction of Norman and Will) before attempting to speak with the director on 11/16/11 for the following reasons: a.There was 1 instructor watching/instructing 2-3 trucks (usually 2 trucks depending on the maneuvers) used by more than 10 students (5 or more students per truck) at one time. How could this be? How could they safely watch both trucks and provide adequate attention/instruction to two or three different students behind the wheel AT ONE TIME? Moreover, according to the director's email to me BEFORE I chose ADF there would ONLY be 3-4 students assigned to a truck/trainer at one time. FRAUD. I assumed this meant one instructor watching one student at one time as 3-4 students alternated in using the truck, not the previously stated. THE DIRECTOR'S EMAIL STATING THIS LIE IS THE REASON WHY I CHOSE ADF. I emphasized to the ADF staff--to the director and the administrator--in person the importance of the student/trainer/truck ratio; then I received a written statement from the director of what they both verbally stated to me two times before I left their office. I was lied to. Moreover, the one instructor (specifically NORMAN and Will) assigned to the yard didn't necessarily remain on the yard at all times watching STUDENTS SAFELY practice in these rigs. WASTE. ABUSE. FRAUD. This FACT can be confirmed right now by any DOL representative showing up at the "school" as a prospective student. Norman actually disappeared from the yard on 11/14/11. WASTE. ABUSE. ("Coincidentally" it was as soon as I got in the truck. It wasn't enough that he'd disrespected me, the only female, in the classroom all day on 11/11/11, with his profane, vulgar, uncouth, and ignorant speech. He had to continue the disrespect the following Monday.) For nearly 30 minutes on 11/14/11 he was no where to be seen or heard. ABUSE. WASTE. FRAUD. He'd taken another student (Ty) into his office leaving ALL THE OTHER STUDENTS UNATTENDED ON THE YARD PRACTICING MANEUVERS. UNSAFE. STUPID. I had to call out to another student who had been helping me to help me again with my maneuver. b. THE TRUCKS ARE UNSAFE TO DRIVE. ADF KNOWS THIS, yet they enroll students; yet they expect payment from WIA for the few days I spent in this so-called school. WASTE. ABUSE. FRAUD. (I am specifically referring to the old automatic trucks used on the yard, as I never entered the new(er), manual trucks used on the road.) Of the trucks on the yard the problems that existed were: a flat tire; a sloping seat; a missing fender mirror, and a loose door handle (which we're supposed to use at all times when entering/exiting the truck as part of the "3 points of contact" SAFETY rule.) We weren't even notified ahead of time that the door handle on this truck was loose. So at ANY given moment in time a new student could have pulled on or, in the future, may pull on this handle not knowing it's NOT SECURELY MOUNTED and injure themselves. (And, no, inspecting the trucks or even being brought near the trucks as a visiting, prospective student was not a part of my tour. There was no way for me to know the condition of the trucks. There was no way for me to know that only 1 instructor is on the yard watching several trucks at a time. I just assumed the trucks were SAFE to enter/exit/practice in when I enrolled. And I certainly didn't think that these people would be so unsafe as to have 1 person watching several trucks of students at a time. But once all of this was clear to me I immediately reported to the director.) I intended to mention ALL of the above to this so-called director on 11/16/11 when I went to his office shortly after noon. At just my mentioning of his email stating that there would be no more than 3-4 students per truck/trainer he began condescending me, loud talking me, disrespecting me, and yelling about how he wanted his payment which he hadn't received. When I corrected him on his inappropriate, unnecessary, unprofessional, and UNACCEPTABLE way of addressing me he literally dismissed me ... FROM THE SCHOOL!!!! FRAUD. WASTE. ABUSE. The "dismissal" was fine, as I had no intentions of remaining there and he knew it. However, when I tried to question him about billing WIA for my incomplete, unsafe, substandard "training" he tartly told me "that's between Kim and I." (Kim Thomas is my WIA counselor). NOW he's billing WIA for services I did not receive--FRAUD/ABUSE; for unsafe/inferior "training" I was subjected to--ABUSE; a DOT card I did not need (as I already had a card from October 2011)--WASTE/ABUSE; a week of classroom training that I did not need, as I already had my AP from October 2011--WASTE/ABUSE … In other words, he's trying to impede my efforts to move on to another school, a real school, because he's demanding full payment from WIA for the 7 1/2 days, really 2 1/2 days not including classroom time, that I spent at his “school†NOT BEING TRAINED!!!!! Not only should WIA NOT REMIT ONE CENT TO ADF, the "school" needs to be indefinitely removed from the WIA list of providers. Otherwise, ADF will continue ABUSING/WASTING WIA funds and DEFRAUDING the Department of Labor via doing the former to future WIA recipients who attend their so-called school! Side Note: A female who recently graduated from Atlanta Truck Driving School has HIGHLY RECOMMENDED this school for me. They train one-on-one.... This was actually my first school of choice until I found out that they only accept stick-shift drivers. Nonetheless, I contacted them yesterday; the instructor, Roberto, said he would accept me into the school and train me a few days on stick-shift in his personal vehicle before placing me in the truck; I faxed them all of my paperwork; they sent the acceptance letter to WIA for me to begin on this Monday; but because the unscrupulous director at ADF billed WIA yesterday for full payment ... everything is up in the air as of right now--12:15 am, 11/18/11. So ADF failed to safely train and prepare me ... now they're impeding my efforts to receive safe training elsewhere by demanding full payment for incomplete, shoddy ... "training"... Hopefully the final decision maker at the DeKalb Workforce Development will PAY ADF NO MIND and allow me to use the FULL grant at the Atlanta Truck Driving School. Thank you for your time. |
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