I'm amazed Panther hasn't gone this route. What a great way to skim extra profits off the fsc pool. I will have to bring this to their attention next time I'm in Pantherville.Leo is nearly accurate but the difference the gas vans get FSC on the gas price not the diesel price.
I don't know who said "There is no profit in ethics", but I bet it was an accountant.I view the FSC as a matter of ethics, more than profit.
Reminds me of when I first started hauling NLM loads. I took a 22% hit off my regular rate to haul their freight and put up with their crap, like no early pick-ups, early deliveries, etc. NLM demanded more and paid less. If you have the clout you can call the shots.If Customer A pays a FS, then Customers B-Z should, as well. I don't like the concept of "selling" by discounting, believing it unfair to those customers who don't get discounted rates, because the service we provide is the same for all. Would the customers who want discount rates be willing to accept discount service?
At Panther the f.s.c. for a van is currently 16 cpm.
I view the FSC as a matter of ethics, more than profit. If Customer A pays a FS, then Customers B-Z should, as well. I don't like the concept of "selling" by discounting, believing it unfair to those customers who don't get discounted rates, because the service we provide is the same for all. Would the customers who want discount rates be willing to accept discount service?
I also don't like the practice of pooling the FS paid [by those who pay it] among all loads, to provide an equal amount for each. It's a complicated accounting formula, and I don't trust that one little bit. I don't know who said "In complexity, much can be hidden", but I bet it was an accountant, lol.
This is merely my opinion.
Why separate gas vs diesel vans? In that case why not also have at least two diesel van categories since there can be a wide variation in mpg in brands/models of diesel vans? Then there needs to be two tiers for straights and tractors as well. Not because there is a fuel price difference but a mpg difference. Gasoline vans getting diesel fsc is no different than the vans or straights or tractors that consistently get far better than 15 or 9 or 6 mpg. Maybe it should go another step farther and fsc tie in with route chosen since some runs have more than one possible route that can make a difference in mpg. We probably should also use QC and other means to monitor speed during a trip and factor that into the fsc as well. And probably a few more things too. No, maybe the current system of 3 categories isn't broken at all and should be left alone as far as categories are concerned. Changing it is a dumb idea.
Cheri I did not say it was ethical and my opinion of this practice is really ugly and I have been very vocal about it. Why a company lets a sales person take money away from a driver that has no say in the matter sends me through the roof. I think it slows the practice down a lot when the company also has to feel the pain of giving away tolls and FSC. Money talks and when a company feels the pain all of a sudden some issues come to light and a practice is stopped.