Newtothis
Seasoned Expediter
Again, remember that "their system and their rules" is "the Stupidity". You need to embrace the stupidity ("their system and their rules"). Learn the stupidity ("their system and their rules"). Be the stupidity ("their system and their rules"). That's not the same as being stupid. The fact that there are so many stupid people who are, and act, stupid is the very reason for most of "their system and their rules".
You have to learn that Panther's sole concern is serving the customer, getting that freight from A to B, and nothing else matters. They don't care about you at all. Even if they say they do, they don't. You are a tool, to be used by them, to service the customer. You mean precisely as much to them as any one of the other 900 screw drivers laying there. This situation is neither good nor bad, it just is. Understanding this is Step One on your journey to becoming One with the Stupidity.
Step Two is understanding the have a lot of drivers who are morons, mostly in vans, but also in trucks. They cater to the fleet owner, not the driver or the owner/operator who drives his own truck or van, and as a result they have a lot of people who are demotivated in terms of professional responsibility. Many of these people have risked little or nothing to get into expediting, they have nothing on the line, nothing to lose, so they do stupid things which someone with something to lose wouldn't even dream of doing. As a result, Panther has "their system and their rules" set up to accommodate the lowest common denominator - The Stupid - to get their freight from A to B.
They make no effort, and will not make an effort, to differentiate the smart, responsible driver from the stupid moron. They've been burned too many times in the past while giving someone the benefit of the doubt. Therefore they won't. It doesn't matter if you can get it there on time, if they say you can't, then you can't, and you've already lost the argument (however, once you've been there a while and have really and truly become One with the stupidity, you can use that to actually win some of those arguments).
Because "their system and their rules" are set up specifically for The Stupid, "their system and their rules" will likewise seem, and are, stupid, hence the stupidity of it all. No matter what they do or say to you, no matter how stupid, don't take it personally, because it's not. You're a tool, remember? They don't know you or care about you. All they care about is "their system and their rules" to get that freight from A to B.
I'll move a little away from the overall philosophy and get to a few specific tips later, but for now let the depression of the above sink in.
LOL, The philosophy has sunk in... As I consider myself one of the smarter ones I await the "specific tips" and further instruction on how to use the system of stupidity to my advantage : )