Dispatch selection of trucks for loads

[terryandrene]

I hereby pronounce McBride the clarity winner; now let's move on.

I Think one of the reasons for the apples/oranges / FedEx CC/Panther comparison is in the tariffs each company publishes. The last time I saw the Published FedEx Tariff, the customer paid for a particular truck size, i.e. A,B,C,D,E. The min/max weight for each of these sizes was also published. So if a customer had a 5001# load he was quoted a price for a D truck, the minimum weight spec for that truck size. The customer paid no extra if a semi picked up, but would get an adjustment if a capable C came to the dock.

I seems to me that Panther has a different tariff structure and charges by weight rather than truck size, so any number of trucks would qualify for a given load. BUT, they pay a flat rate per mile to the truck so that makes for a confusing dispatch situation for the drivers who think they ar first in line. Is this so?

 

[LDB]

>What I don't understand, comprehend, and/or dislike is: if
>the truck next to me could not carry 9,502 pounds and the
>load called for that---that truck was NOT penalized even
>though Panther's max D weight is 12,500 BUT we are booted to
>the bottom if we turn it down BECAUSE we can carry it.

That's one of those catch 22 moments I guess. In a way that truck is already penalized because they have no opportunity to even decide on the load offer. They continue to sit and wait on something their truck can manage as other trucks come and go. It could just as easily be a situation of one of you having 24' and the other only 22' with a load that requires 12 floor spots.

>So, if we lower our vehicle pay load weight to 9,501 and
>Panther knows from our vehicle stats we can carry 17,000,
>and a situation arises that they need a 12,500 load carried
>and we are the only ones there that can carry the
>weight....do they offer it to us?
>

That's a good question that maybe only Panther can answer. I suspect the answer is no because I suspect they change the computer to say your limit is 9501 and nobody looks at the original handwritten sheet again to see that it's actually higher. I suspect this would be a shooting yourself in the foot moment but I don't know for sure.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA 677319
Owner, Panther trucks 5507, 5508, 5509
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
EO Forum Moderator
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Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[Moot]

I was sitting in Whiteland, In. just south of Indianapolis. I had been there 6 or 7 hours when another Panther van pulled in. He had came up from Louisville. While talking he told me he couldn't go into Canada because of a legal problem. He got a load offer from Indy to Joliet. After he accepted, I QC'd dispatch asking why I was passed over. Wihtin minutes I was offered a load to Canada. I had to decline because I didn't have my door signs on yet. I wasn't about to cross the border bare naked.

I get penalized and skipped over beacuse-

-I will go to Canada.

-I am still under my Con-Way contract which pays me .03/mi. more than the standard Panther contract.

-and Panther would have had to pay me .06/mi. more than the guy next to me to go to Joliet. (he takes a .03/mi. cut because he is unable to go to Canada)

It's not about favoritism, but rather MONEY and a confusing dispatch policy.

 

[hondaking38]

with panther if you are driving a van it doesnt matter your position ive been first out many times and the van next to me might have a 5th out and he gets the bigg load, an hour later you get a mini..and if you call dispatch they get a stupid attack and know nothing about it or the famous reply is i didnt do it and i dont no whay they did end of story...no questioning at all...i just now had a first out, dh home from detroit, got a load just inside of canada, declined it, because i did the same run last week and it was a nightmare, so now i sit, till another crap load comes thru...panther must think we are stupid and not talk amongst the drivers....they could be a first rate company instead of just a crappily run, largest expedite company....there motto should be..
WE ARE THE BIGGEST, AND THE BEST!! WE JUST DONT NO WHAT OUR DISPATCHERS ARE DOING!!!!

 

[Vinnie T]

First in first out? Yeah in a perfect world it would be nice but as a dispatcher myself for over 10 years if i got a hotshot load and the driver first on the list is weak and has had service issues in the past guess what he dispatcher is going to do? Dispacthers are held just a accountable as drivers, they are responsible for servicing the customer. That included making sure they assign the best driver to do the job! That's the name of the game folks! It's not fair..life isn't fair..this business isn't fair.

I am not speaking for Panther as I have never worked there..but speaking in general terms.

On this board I have read a lot of complaining from O/O's. About not having directions, first in first out, sitting etc.

Survival of the fittest folks! Prove to dispatch your a goto driver..will always get the job done. You are low maintenance, don't need to be baby sat..can get directions and use the phone on your own for directions, ask people in the area, get on the radio..be pro active! Make a name for yourself with the dispacth department. Not a bad name by being late for loads, belly aching on the phone, helpless with directions. 555-1212, USE IT or 1800free411..use it!

There are drivers that work for all companies that seem to stay busy and run good miles. Why is that? What do they do differently then the average driver? These are the things that should be discussed on here! Dispatchers are overworked!! They have huge workloads! The last thing they want is to deal with drivers that need a lot of help with things, that are always late, that are complainers, that refuse loads etc.

I am not writimg this so you all agree with with me..I am just sharing my 10+ years of experiance with you. Take it for what it's worth and good luck out there! We all need to do things to differentiate oursleves from the pack in this tight economy. The same goes for O/O and how you work with dispatch.

 

[cheri1122]

Vinnie, as the first driver to complain aver the lack of directions, I'd like to clarify: I am a ConWay convert to Panther. ConWay provided a macro on the QC for GPS directions once you are within 25 miles of the destination. That was clearly the most sensible way to handle the situation, IMHO. It was accurate 90% of the time, saving drivers the need to "use their cellphone for directions, ask people, get on the radio" - all of which I've done when necessary, and can say all are a crapshoot. Maybe you will get directions using one of those methods, but maybe you will just waste time! Time is something we cannot afford to waste. I sure as h*** don't enjoy calling to clarify confusing directions, given by the shipper: I have to pay for the call, I have to either pull off the road, or risk a ticket or accident for talking while driving, and I don't have a lot of patience with extended times on hold, either. Especially when I'm paying for those minutes!
My vehicle is equipped with a satellite unit, I am charged $35 per week for the QC, and I know that satellite directions are available on the QC - why does Panther not take advantage of it? It can't be the cost - if it couldn't be done for the $35 per week, ConWay wouldn't have done it, I"m quite sure.
FIY: until I began driving for Panther, (without orientation), I took pride in being a "low maintenance" driver - accepted loads to places I'd rather not go, made pickups and deliveries ontime, no accidents, freight damage, excuses, or whining. Nor did I call dispatch except when necessary.
Accurate directions, via GPS, save time for the drivers and dispatchers. They also reduce the risk of accidents caused by a driver who is distracted by cellphone, or just trying to decide which way to go when the given directions turn out to be incorrect. It's a win-win situation, and I remain baffled as to why it isn't provided by a carrier as large as Panther.