Feline Frustration

Moot · Mar 31, 2007

Good morning to all you Panther Partners. Please raise your paw if you received this text message at 03:06 a.m. this morning: "You are currently enrolled in Qualcomm's Driver Notification service. Text STOP to end, HELP for help. Other charges may apply"

Worthless messages like this at 03:00 a.m. really get under my tail. What the &^@# is wrong with these people. Have they no common courtesy?

I don't understand how this service is beneficial to me. Yeah I know, how selfish of me. I guess it could get me more load offers. Without the text messaging service dispatchers may tend to pass over me because that would require a phone call and a Q.C. message.

"Other charges may apply." Glad that is perfectly clear.

Text STOP to end, HELP for help. How about text F U, just because!

I gotta go find some sand. MEOW!

LDB · Mar 31, 2007

I'm guessing that since the SMS is a joint Panther and Qualcomm project that message came from QC and not Panther. One of the items in our first driver council meeting that was accepted was to quit sending fleet messages early unless they were an emergency message so I don't think they would have done that.

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

jaminjim · Mar 31, 2007

Got mine at 03:02, Funny thing was it took me three E-M's to finally get on it. Then when they came out with the 30 day free trial, it no longer worked. So after three days of work to get back on it, I get that message this morning.

As a side note Moot, Yesterday I put in "out of truck on pager" because I was in and out of the truck. Got a load offer over the QC and was going to turn it down, waited almost 14 minutes with no call, so I turned it down via QC. ( there was not alot of time between offer and pickup time), so you have to wonder why they don't look at the driver status.

catshavestaff · Mar 31, 2007

>I'm guessing that since the SMS is a joint Panther and
>Qualcomm project that message came from QC and not Panther.
>One of the items in our first driver council meeting that
>was accepted was to quit sending fleet messages early unless
>they were an emergency message so I don't think they would
>have done that.
>
>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.

Leo, when was that driver council meeting, and when do they expect to implement that change? My QC shows 0017 and 0019 for our logs today, and 0004 for the Daily Vehicle Inspection Report.

Regarding the DVIR, it seems that it would make more sense to have that message as a secondary response to the CM # 28 to switch drivers...after the "driver ###### is now the active driver, driver ###### is now the passenger" message...especially since the DVIR should be done at each shift change.

Broompilot · Mar 31, 2007

And you are supposivly SELF EMPLOYED Daily Inspection Reports? Do you not allready mail these in on a timley basis that you need to be reminded by a BEEP?

I guess I got it to good. No Way would I put up with Bull Cheese or Poop. What else do they bother you with in the Middle of the Night?

Like I told a Pan Hanlder once at 2 AM youd better have a bullet hole in you cause if you dont your gona. I would have no problem telling Panther the same if I were you all. So glad I am all grown up and with a grown up company.

catshavestaff · Mar 31, 2007

>And you are supposivly SELF EMPLOYED Daily Inspection
>Reports? Do you not allready mail these in on a timley
>basis that you need to be reminded by a BEEP?

No, Broom, since we're on paperless logs, the DVIR, which is normally on the paper log, is submitted electronically, just as the logs are. So, it's not a reminder as much as the electronic form we fill out in place of that found on the paper log.
>
>
>I guess I got it to good. No Way would I put up with Bull
>Cheese or Poop. What else do they bother you with in the
>Middle of the Night?

It's not the fact of receiving the log verification/approval or the DVIR that I object to...it's no different than having to do it at any other time...I just wish it wasn't sent through the QC at midnight.
>
>Like I told a Pan Hanlder once at 2 AM youd better have a
>bullet hole in you cause if you dont your gona. I would
>have no problem telling Panther the same if I were you all.
>So glad I am all grown up and with a grown up company.

I wouldn't say that Panther isn't a grown up company...doesn't every company have it's own stuff? Show me the perfect company and I'll be there soonest, as I'm sure would we all!

LDB · Mar 31, 2007

That meeting was the end of last year and won't have anything to do with the paperless log stuff since that's a midnight to midnight thing just like the paper logs, at least that's what I'm afraid of with them. It's fleet messages like "be sure to do this month's safety topic online" that used to go out at 7 in the morning and now goes around 10 that the prior change addressed.

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.

unorthodoxneon · Mar 31, 2007

Sorry to kinda hijack the post. But i do agree that the beep at midnight to tell us about our logs in annoying. Especially once you've done a long load and ready for bed, then you have to get up around midnight to shut the QC up. I wish there was away they could send this message but not have the QC beep once its received.

My problems with the message they send you over the cell phone is that everytime i've been offered a load i check it on my cell phone. Then while looking i'll get another message saying VOICE MAIL, and i miss the call from panther. So now i dont even bother looking at the loads on the cell phone anymore. I'm stuck to the truck anyway since we really cant drive anywhere and just sit at a truck stop....

OK end ranting...

cheri1122 · Mar 31, 2007

You gotta love those monthly 'safety quizzes' we have to fill out & send in - first they tell you all the answers, then they ask the questions. Just in case you don't remember the answer, you can scroll back up to it, which leaves me wondering "What exactly is the point here?"
Finishing one of those tests always puts me in the mood for a milk & cookie break, then recess!

arkjarhead · Mar 31, 2007

reading this thread just reminds me why i hated it at panther. it sounds like it has gotten worse. i guess the final straw with me was when one of those 18 year old dispatchers called me and cussed me so i told her her to shut her d@mn mouth and the safety sup. called me back and said i needed to deadhead from Kansas City to Seville so I could apologize to her because I hurt her lil feelings. And you say you run for a grown up company. I'm sorry but i'm trying not to laugh at that.

Tennesseahawk · Apr 1, 2007

They told you you had to dh? Did they pay for it? Did you do it? I'm sorry... telling me how I have to spend my money is just screaming for a lawsuit! You shoulda told them to give you her home number, and you'll apologize at 3:02 in the morning.

Better yet, a line from Full Metal Jacket comes to mind... "Only if you eat the peanuts outta my ...."

-Vampire Super Slooth Trucker!!!

greg334 · Apr 1, 2007

No T-Hawk, it is a great oppertunity to properly appoligize.. sort of.

I would have made the trip just to tell her and the guy who called me to their face what she can do with the d*mn phone.

Tennesseahawk · Apr 1, 2007

To me, it's a new meaning for serving at one's pleasure. Ever seen those cowboy movies where they shoot at someone's feet to make em dance? Kinda like that.

-Vampire Super Slooth Trucker!!!

Moot · Apr 1, 2007

Can someone explain in simple terms the pros and cons of this text messaging service. How can it help ME? What will it cost ME? If I don't subscribe to it will dispatchers pass over me bacause it will require of them to place a phone call?

FAMILYEXPDT · Apr 1, 2007

I think the purpose behind the text message is an attempt to answer the driver issues of not receiving a phone call that they are on a load (dispatch error) BUT it still costs the drivers a load. This is an automated occurance that happens when the load is sent to your QC..automatically sent via text message the notification that you have a load offer. This takes one more human step out of the equation before you see the load so you do NOT lose it to human error of some new dispatcher not calling you and removing you from load due to no response. This does NOT mean that you cannot talk to dispatch about the load or that you cannot have the human feely feely touch.....just trying to ensure that you do not miss out on something due to human error. As far as cost....they keep the text minimal just to let you know you have a load offer,depends on what your phone company charges for text message...mine charges less than $5.00 a month...some are set up where you can receive for free and are not charged unless you send. At least Panther is willing to try new things to solve an old problem. And no...noone will get passed over because they have to be called.

There are a lot of issues with the paperless logs....the approximately midnight issuance of the dvir being one of them as well as the midnight oking of logs.....seems like it could be scheduled at a better time...... Nothing like rubbing salt in a wound if you are sitting for a day or two and have to wake at midnight to the QC......and the new QC cannot be turned to to where you cannot hear it and it WILL not stop beeping until you read the message.

-Charlotte

Moot · Apr 1, 2007

Why not noon to noon 24 hour days.

catshavestaff · Apr 1, 2007

Below from a PM from BroomPilot to me:

Obviously you did not investigate very hard. Our company does not put us thru Day Care. Right into making $ by passing Elementary, High School and into the Real World of making $.

That is unacceptable to be beeped at 3 AM for a corporate memo.

I will keep my pen and log ready instead of the new tech available and run the same miles and hours as the paperless logs. And I can do it on my time not being distrubed in the Wee hours. I cannot believe your P/O and defending them. Your rights, but it is wrong to call anyone at 3am.

My Public Reply:

Broom, I don't disagree with you on the ridiculousness of being beeped at "3 AM for a corporate memo." I think I said as much. As far as investigation, I don't see how that applies. As far as the "Day Care" comments, Panther doesn't run a day care, and to suggest so insults all the other experienced drivers who choose to run for Panther...for crying out loud, we're just talking about a glitch in a new system. I'm sure that when paper logs were first developed, they had a few hitches and glitches, too.

BTW, I replied to this PM publicly because it was the subject of the OP, and not really a personal conversation.

LDB · Apr 1, 2007

The text messaging system is meant to be another way to insure you don't miss a load offer. If you are out of truck on pager you obviously can't respond on your QC. You should get a call on your cell phone but a)due to mass chaos in dispatch the call step is missed or b)you are in a marginal cell area and don't have enough signal to receive a call or c)you've done like we all have and left the truck without remembering to change your status to out of truck on paper.

If you have the SMS option that takes care of a and c and at least some of the time b since SMS gets through at lower signal strength. In addition to those advantages, you get your notification as soon as the button is pressed to send it to the QC. Without it you can/do lose some of your time waiting on the phone call to be placed. You also have a record of the offer for as long as you want to keep it or until you fill the memory on your phone. If you need to go back to correct an error in paid miles or whatever you can only do that for so long with the QC as your source since everything in the QC goes away after a certain length of time.

I have the SMS and believe it is worth the cost just for the permanent record. The other advantages are added bonus.

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.

Moot · Apr 1, 2007

Is the cost to me whatever my wireless carrier charges text message? Is Panther hitting us with an additional Q.C. fee?

LDB · Apr 1, 2007

It adds $2 a week to the QC cost plus whatever the cellular charge is. Getting 1 job a year because of it or having it to prove what you should have been paid on a run covers the cost for a year or more.

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.