Contacting PII council members

[GreyBeard]

Now that Panther has a Driver's Council - how do the driversmake their need known to them? I woul love to see my concerns raised at a management level.
One current one (the one that is currently frying my shorts) deals with Macro 6 - "Out of Truck on Pager", today marks the 3rd or 4th time we have been out of truck on pager - not physically in the truck. And we get load offers via the QC and when we do return to the truck - the load offer is 30 min or more old already. In speaking with out Team Leader - we get the usual company line about how upset they are about this, how they are working to improve this.... Al very frustrating...
Today took the cake - when we called dispatch to see why they didn't call us BEFORE QCing us, she said she "was just about to call..." Yeah, right. She said that she was busy trying to cover this load and was too busy to call us first...did we still want the load??? Blew me off when I became upset when I remoinded here that we where out of truck on pager - she even read it off to me from here screen and the time we went out of truck.
So we got dinged for a refusal - 97 miles to shipper in less that 2 hrs via back roads from near Columbia, MO to Quincy, IL to del to Trenton, NJ.
When I later spoke to my Team Leaders boss, he blew me off, started quaoting company line about how they have improved this, have added the driver;s council, have made teams, blah, blah, blah.
THEN he brerated me for tying up the line with my complaint!!!!
AND YA WONDER WHY DRIVER'S QUIT!!!!!!!!!!!

So, just how do drivwers let their representative know ho they feel and what issues are important to them????

GreyBeard

 

[davekc]

You question or concern did come up in the councils meeting with regards to contact to drivers that are out of their truck. They are looking at several options with my personal favorite being a sent text message to your cell phone at the time the load offer goes to the truck. Not sure if it will be the whole load offer, or just to tell you that one was sent to the truck.

As far as contact to council members, the new drivers web page should be up any day. You will be able to contact them pretty easily via the web.








Davekc
owner
22 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[LDB]

There will be an updated website with a link to submit items to the driver council in the near future.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA Life Member 677319
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
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Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[Turtle]

Text messages? Will they reimburse us for the cost of receiving the text messages on our cell phones? I pay $.10 per text message to send or receive, plus airtime minutes (usually one minute per). I'd sure hate to have to pony up a dime every time I was offered a load. It's not much money, I know, $20 or $30 a year, but it's a needless expense nonetheless.

Plus, it's pretty inefficient. Complete load offer information would have to come in several individual text messages, as those are severely character limited. Plus, if all it does is alert you to the fact that you have a load offer waiting on the QC, if you're in the middle of something that can't be dropped at that exact moment so you can run to the truck to read the offer, you'll have a response failure.

Or worse, you drop whatever you are doing, run to the truck, read the load offer, only to find it's one that you want nothing to do with. That could be 5 or 10 (or more) minutes of waste time. Your time, and Dispatch time wasted in not getting the load covered.

Just a counterpoint opinion on the text message idea, is all.

 

[davekc]

It was only one of several ideas. Alot of phone plans have a certain amount that are free like the minutes. You are probably right, in that they could tell you there is a load offer to keep the characters limited. Outside of that, it would have to be a direct phone call.
Not alot of answers short of this approach if they are busy. Maybe not every load, but an option at peak booking times?
If the phone had paging capabilities, that might work depending on phone plans. Then one could call and inquire about the offer, without running to the truck.







Davekc
owner
22 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[Turtle]

I like the peak booking times thing. If they could tell us to not get too involved in anything outside of your truck between the hours of this and that, and then use a text message as an alert, that could actually be more efficient than a phone call to begin with. A quick text alert during peak times, dispatch can move onto other loads, and you can check the load and accept or reject, with little or no wasted time for anyone.

Outside of the peak booking times, an actual phone call should be used. I like it. Even if I do have to pay the dime for it.

On my plan, for an extra $5 a month I get get a bunch of text and picture/video messages included, but I don't do that often enough to warrant the extra expense. I do have tons of minutes on my plan, though, which has certainly come in handy when being on hold and getting bounced back and forth between 12 different people for an hour or two. hehe

 

[LDB]

As I understand it the SMS will be something like "load offer on QC" or "load offer waiting". It won't be multi page with details, just a notification there is a load offer. As I understand it, it will only be sent when driver status is 2, out of truck on pager. That should amount to only a few and you shouldn't be charged any minutes off your phone for an SMS. It should only be whatever the cost of a message is.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA Life Member 677319
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
EO Forum Moderator
----------
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[cheri1122]

I like the text message idea, though I've never lost a run when "out of truck on pager", they've always called me on my cell phone. But Turtle makes a valid point - we pay for cell phone minutes, and my cellphone bill has been double every one of the months since Panther took over - I like any idea that cuts down on the phone time!

 

[Turtle]

When the Con-Panther-Way buyout happened, I immediately bumped my Verizon plan from the 450 minutes to 900 minutes. Glad I did, cause the first couple of months there I was close to the 900. But it's now starting to drop back down and is hovering between 400-450 minutes.

Before too long I'll be able to change back to the 450 minutes, as most of my calls are at night or to home (other Verizon users) which have unlimited minutes.

What kills me are the Canadian loads. I call the broker to confirm they got the fax. Usually a short call, sometimes only 2 minutes, but it's $.49 a minute to call Canada. I call again to confirm that the load cleared, and it's another 2 minutes. If I get one out of Canada, it's the same, except that those calls are $.69 roaming, incoming or outgoing. If things go perfectly it costs me $5 on cell charges each time I have a load into and then out of Canada. Generally, though, I can count on about $10.

Plus bridge tolls, customs fees, the upcoming USDA cash grab fee, and you see why I whine at a dime for a text message. I'm being nickeled, dimed and five dollared to death. lol

 

[JCK]

What kills me are the Canadian loads. I call the broker to confirm they got the fax. Usually a short call, sometimes only 2 minutes, but it's $.49 a minute to call Canada. I call again to confirm that the load cleared, and it's another 2 minutes. If I get one out of Canada, it's the same, except that those calls are $.69 roaming, incoming or outgoing. If things go perfectly it costs me $5 on cell charges each time I have a load into and then out of Canada. Generally, though, I can count on about $10.


Sprint doesnt charge for roaming anymore, they also have a canada plan for 3.00 a month, you can roam in canada and only be charged for minutes used.
I'm guessing verizon would have a simuliar plan

 

[Turtle]

I'll look into it. Thanks.

 

[are12]

JCK,
We also have Verizon and I believe we pay $10.00/month to have Canada added to our calling plan. This way we do not have to worry about how much it is costing us to make a call while we are in Canada.

As for Panther sending text messages to our phone, we would prefer that they do not do that. Why should the driver have an added expense by having to add text messaging?

When it is in the QC as "Out of truck on pager" it means just that and the driver should be called. And if dispatch is too busy to call, what makes you think they will have the time to send a text message?

Just our opinion!

 

[davekc]

When it is in the QC as "Out of truck on pager" it means just that and the driver should be called. And if dispatch is too busy to call, what makes you think they will have the time to send a text message?
===================================================
Sending a text message requires the hit of one programmed button. Calling someone may require them to leave a message if they don't answer, and then wait longer for the driver to call back and then explain the load offer. Big difference in time.







Davekc
owner
22 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[are12]

>When it is in the QC as "Out of truck on pager" it means
>just that and the driver should be called. And if dispatch
>is too busy to call, what makes you think they will have the
>time to send a text message?
>===================================================
>Sending a text message requires the hit of one programmed
>button. Calling someone may require them to leave a message
>if they don't answer, and then wait longer for the driver to
>call back and then explain the load offer. Big difference in
>time.



Dave,
My biggest problem with the text messaging is the extra cost to the driver when according to Panther's procedures, they are to call when you put in a 2 on the QC. I know they are trying to change some of the procedures to help eliminate some of the problems but why should it cost the driver?? I, for one, do not have text messaging on my phone and I really do not feel that I need it or want it. So if they change the procedure, does this mean I have to pay the extra money each month on my phone bill for something I do not want or need?

 

[davekc]

I see it being advantagous but of course with my phone plan. Not everyone has the same phone plan, so maybe it could be optional. I am sure the many that have free text are ok with it. The ones that have to pay extra are opposed. This actually is a good example as to why somethings take alittle time to implement. Every initative has a variety of reactions. Not sure what the outcome will be? The biggest hurdle is balancing response time to customers for coverage, verses making sure drivers are contacted and have ample time to respond to the offer during peak times. Many times these customers only give a short period of time. So how to make it as fast and as efficient as possible becomes the question.
The good news is, they are looking at it, and considering all the options so no one misses out on a potential load when they are away from the truck.








Davekc
owner
22 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[LDB]

I am all for it and will adjust my phone plan if I need to. Getting one run that would have been missed without it pays for the text feature for an entire year. Text messages can sometimes go through when a voice call can't. It's more likely to result in two to four extra jobs a year and pay for SMS several times over.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA Life Member 677319
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
EO Forum Moderator
----------
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[mcbride]

Fedex CC offers the text message thing and we love it. Most of the time the text message comes before the dispatch hits the QC.

But---as others have alluded to, we have free text messaging so cost is not an issue. However, even if it did cost 10 or 20 cents a pop, we would still have it, the good out weighs the bad....loosing a load for 20 cents?

-mcbride-
--What goes around comes around--

 

[LDB]

>even if it did cost 10 or
>20 cents a pop, we would still have it, the good out weighs
>the bad....loosing a load for 20 cents?
>

That says it all.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA Life Member 677319
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
EO Forum Moderator
----------
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[arkjarhead]

the easiest way to fix the problem would be to have to dispatcher call the driver. the company would most likely say the easiest fix would be for the driver to stay in the truck at all times. that is a downside of hauling for a company that has dispatchers who think they are to good to talk to a driver. that was the main thing i hated about p2. you call and ask a question to a dispatcher and they chew your butt for 5 minutes about the phone being tied up and then say ask it on the qc like a jackass. the deal the time they spend bitching about the phone being tied up they could answer you and let you go. those guys have a bug up their butt.

 

[cheri1122]

Arkjar: as an ex ConWay driver, I've had to call Panther many times more than I'd like, and I have never once had a dispatcher "chew me out" for calling, nor even imply that I shouldn't have called. Are you being rude to them first, or provoking that kind of response?