Fleet Owner Reviews and Ratings Service

[greg334]

Why not just use Angie's List and direct people on here to use it as another research tool? If it was included in the relevant sticky's, we could simply tell people to search Angie's List as well.

Why?

A driver's comments no matter how honest leaves out the other half of the picture and I think AL is not about trucking companies, owners or drivers.

I honestly don't get why people are scared of liability. Some poor fleet owner isn't going to have money to break the anonymous seal of the internet. Its not cheap to hire a lawyer to get a court order to have a website turn over my IP address. An IP address that would cost another arm & leg to prove it was me in a court of law.

Well the problem is that the website owner can be harrassed and so can the advertisers. ALSO it may be hard to prove but defending one's self in a civil court costs and it sounds like some of these drivers are cheap or have no money to defend themselves too.

If I worked for a shady company, I'd have no problem saying it publicly. I'd like them try to waste money on trying to prove what I said in a court of law.

It is the waste of money on your part. I know a couple owners who would drag you into court, not your local court but their local court and make you spend your money on a defense. BUT on the other hand they have a policy that is simple - they don't hire subcontractors who need money because of the risk to it. By the way ... IT isn't hard to figure out who said what.

 

[mcavoy33]

Why?

A driver's comments no matter how honest leaves out the other half of the picture and I think AL is not about trucking companies, owners or drivers.

That is fine, there is nothing wrong with that. More information / knowledge out there in the public is better for everyone in the end imo. No one is saying the information will be perfect but if I have 3 reputable posters telling me that XYZ Fleet Owner is a slow payer, I'm going to give a lot more weight to those reputable posters than I would 3 noob accounts with no other posts except to give a review.

My point is us having more info is better.

Well the problem is that the website owner can be harrassed and so can the advertisers. ALSO it may be hard to prove but defending one's self in a civil court costs and it sounds like some of these drivers are cheap or have no money to defend themselves too.

If a fleet owner is going to harrass a website owner and advertisers, then that is the kind of fleet owner that we want to warn people about imo. I honestly don't think any fleet owners would resort to that route, they are too busy focussing on ripping off their drivers, it doesn't make them more money by hiring a lawyer to harass a website. Its not going to happen imo.

It is the waste of money on your part. I know a couple owners who would drag you into court, not your local court but their local court and make you spend your money on a defense. BUT on the other hand they have a policy that is simple - they don't hire subcontractors who need money because of the risk to it. By the way ... IT isn't hard to figure out who said what.

Well would you want your friends to work for those owners? The only way a bad fleet owner is going to drag me into court for libel is if I say something bad about them. I'm not going to say something bad about someone I never worked for.

So if I am saying something bad about a fleet owner, I will gladly take my day in court with him because I'm an honest person who will be in the right. The reality is your examples are not realistic in the real world.

 

[greg334]

That is fine, there is nothing wrong with that. More information / knowledge out there in the public is better for everyone in the end imo. No one is saying the information will be perfect but if I have 3 reputable posters telling me that XYZ Fleet Owner is a slow payer, I'm going to give a lot more weight to those reputable posters than I would 3 noob accounts with no other posts except to give a review.

My point is us having more info is better.

I understand your point but it isn't the info that is the problem, it is part of a few things - the owner, the driver and the carrier. ALL three have a hand in this but it is the driver who needs to be prepared to enter this as a business and treat it as one. I know this may sound harsh to some but you know that you don't have your general contractor building your house for you hire a plumber who has no tools.

Reputable poster? Who makes that judgment call?

There is also this assumption that there are a lot of BAD fleet owners, maybe there are a number of them but you know to expect to start in this business and be handed a truck worth $80 to $100k plus to handle the customer's freight, the carrier needs to ensure that the owner is capable of handling the business end of things and fulfill their obligation.

One of my solutions is simple - bond the owner by a third party.

If a fleet owner is going to harrass a website owner and advertisers, then that is the kind of fleet owner that we want to warn people about imo. I honestly don't think any fleet owners would resort to that route, they are too busy focussing on ripping off their drivers, it doesn't make them more money by hiring a lawyer to harass a website. Its not going to happen imo.

Actually "ripping off the drivers" is the easy part. Yes harass the website, there are some legal issues at play here and just because there is a disclaimer, the website admins have an obligation to keep things honest.

Well would you want your friends to work for those owners? The only way a bad fleet owner is going to drag me into court for libel is if I say something bad about them. I'm not going to say something bad about someone I never worked for.

Well I would not even think of telling a friend to work in this industry and have done so.

By the way, you don't have to work for anyone to have legal problems.

So if I am saying something bad about a fleet owner, I will gladly take my day in court with him because I'm an honest person who will be in the right. The reality is your examples are not realistic in the real world.

Wish it would work that was but here is a little bit of reality. If the person is smart with a smart lawyer, he will investigate you. He will have your life in a file and then he will find ways to drag you through court to make you spend money you don't have. By the time he is done, you won't be able to own that truck. THIS happens a lot and to many who say "bad" or "wrong" things about people and companies, they end up drained.

OH and about honesty, there was a couple who once created a website about their experience with poly siding. The distributor (who was not named on the site at all) sued the couple and it went through court. They lost, even though they were honestly just trying to warn people about the product, they ended up losing everything because of the cost of defending themselves.

Now here is another bit of news, a corporation or llc won't protect you.

 

[mcavoy33]

I understand your point but it isn't the info that is the problem, it is part of a few things - the owner, the driver and the carrier. ALL three have a hand in this but it is the driver who needs to be prepared to enter this as a business and treat it as one. I know this may sound harsh to some but you know that you don't have your general contractor building your house for you hire a plumber who has no tools.

Reputable poster? Who makes that judgment call?

Whoever is using the data makes their own judgement about the validity of what a poster says. I don't take every word written here as gospel. I use that information as part of my decision making process. But I also take into consideration who is saying it. You would be silly not to.

I don't get your plumber metaphor. Can you explain it plz.

There is also this assumption that there are a lot of BAD fleet owners, maybe there are a number of them but you know to expect to start in this business and be handed a truck worth $80 to $100k plus to handle the customer's freight, the carrier needs to ensure that the owner is capable of handling the business end of things and fulfill their obligation.

One of my solutions is simple - bond the owner by a third party.

You are right, I think it would have a positive effect for the good fleet owners. Just like on here now with the carriers. The reputation of the good companies are far more well known than the bad ones.

However your solution may be simple, in reality is impossible to implement. Unless you can force the major carriers into implementing that policy.

Wish it would work that was but here is a little bit of reality. If the person is smart with a smart lawyer, he will investigate you. He will have your life in a file and then he will find ways to drag you through court to make you spend money you don't have. By the time he is done, you won't be able to own that truck. THIS happens a lot and to many who say "bad" or "wrong" things about people and companies, they end up drained.

We are talking about crooked fleet owners here, not solid business people. Again your assuming that I would be in the wrong, which would be an incorrect assumption.

OH and about honesty, there was a couple who once created a website about their experience with poly siding. The distributor (who was not named on the site at all) sued the couple and it went through court. They lost, even though they were honestly just trying to warn people about the product, they ended up losing everything because of the cost of defending themselves.

Now here is another bit of news, a corporation or llc won't protect you.

and rightfully so. They slammed poly siding. Just like Fed Ex CC's name shouldn't be dragged through the mud in that bad fleet owner thread.

 

[MissKat]

Regarding the post about the couple told to return their truck that was contracted to FedEx cc, sure enough they placed an ad yesterday for drivers just as I quoted, Amsterdam ny. Now how can we educate people?

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[OntarioVanMan]

Whoever is using the data makes their own judgement about the validity of what a poster says. I don't take every word written here as gospel. I use that information as part of my decision making process. But I also take into consideration who is saying it. You would be silly not to.

I don't get your plumber metaphor. Can you explain it plz.


You are right, I think it would have a positive effect for the good fleet owners. Just like on here now with the carriers. The reputation of the good companies are far more well known than the bad ones.

However your solution may be simple, in reality is impossible to implement. Unless you can force the major carriers into implementing that policy.






We are talking about crooked fleet owners here, not solid business people. Again your assuming that I would be in the wrong, which would be an incorrect assumption.




and rightfully so. They slammed poly siding. Just like Fed Ex CC's name shouldn't be dragged through the mud in that bad fleet owner thread.

I disagree....since Fed ex is not the primary target...and the fact that they do condone the behavior/actions of fleet owners would make them culpable by not taking any action. For a carrier that has policies/rules out the kaazoo...and go out of their way to protect the brand name and yet allow bad, almost illegal behavior is well a double standard.
I would say this of any carrier.that actually supports proven fleet owners with bad records...

 

[MissKat]

The fed has a 14 page application one must have approved with background check before we can drive for an owner contracted to them. Perhaps they need an exit interview as well since we as independent contractors wear their uniforms and adhere to their standards and mandates. BTW 140 ad looks since posted yesterday.

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[davekc]

Regarding the post about the couple told to return their truck that was contracted to FedEx cc, sure enough they placed an ad yesterday for drivers just as I quoted, Amsterdam ny. Now how can we educate people?

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Does seem like there is a frequent ad for the Fed out of Amsterdam, NY. No idea if it is the same people or not? But this does dovetail into the most recent thread in the Fed forum trying everything to recruit trucks. Every carrier is looking for trucks (not vans) and fleet owners are many times in a better position financially to add trucks, especially in a tight credit and turbulent economy. Because of that, many will turn a blind eye to that until things level out.

 

[Dakota]

The fed has a 14 page application one must have approved with background check before we can drive for an owner contracted to them. Perhaps they need an exit interview as well since we as independent contractors wear their uniforms and adhere to their standards and mandates. BTW 140 ad looks since posted yesterday.

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141 LOL just looked, they do have their name and phone#, Same people MissKat?

Maybe place an ad saying don't work for these people, PM me for more info...something to that effect.

 

[fortwayne]

I believe an owner operator rating system could work and be beneficial to all the honest ones out there.
It should be similar to a system and program used by the BBB, which does has some flaws.
However, if the driver can not show documentation of his claim, it ends there
The operator always would get the chance to air his side etc.
The site I believe could be beneficial to drivers, ops and carriers.


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[MissKat]

One in the same. Hate to say it but they are so predictable. Type their name into ripoffreports.com

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[MissKat]

you can pm me for their name to search.

 

[zorry]

Could people on various drivers boards encourage a Fleet Owner Data Sheet to be generated by the carrier ? Ex. Fleet A has 6 trucks, and the drivers avg 2.4 years of service. The fleet has 1 service failure every 315,00 miles.Fleet B has 8 trucks,and the drivers avg 8 months of service.The fleet has a service failure every 87,000 miles. Which fleet would YOU want to go to ? The carriers should have a vested interest in cleaning up the owners act just so they maintain a more stable/experienced group of drivers

 

[cheri1122]

Could people on various drivers boards encourage a Fleet Owner Data Sheet to be generated by the carrier ? Ex. Fleet A has 6 trucks, and the drivers avg 2.4 years of service. The fleet has 1 service failure every 315,00 miles.Fleet B has 8 trucks,and the drivers avg 8 months of service.The fleet has a service failure every 87,000 miles. Which fleet would YOU want to go to ? The carriers should have a vested interest in cleaning up the owners act just so they maintain a more stable/experienced group of drivers

Zorry: 'driver boards'? Panther has a Drivers Council, and the council members will say they can encourage till they turn navy blue - the carrier does what is best for the carrier, period. Any effort to resolve owner/driver disputes would cost them money, and for what purpose? A more stable/experienced group of drivers? If that were a priority, their retention rate wouldn't be in the toilet already - it's too easy to just get another driver these days.
Mind you, I'm not referring to ALL carriers, but the ones that attract the largest share of driver complaints.
I still think there are issues we'd do better to focus on than 'helping' drivers who could have helped themselves, by taking the time to talk to previous and current drivers for a prospective owner. You can bet the owners and carriers check out prospective drivers [how many 'permission slips' does one sign for them to obtain the info on your past?] and any prudent person should do the same.

 

[fortwayne]

Zorry: 'driver boards'? Panther has a Drivers Council, and the council members will say they can encourage till they turn navy blue - the carrier does what is best for the carrier, period. Any effort to resolve owner/driver disputes would cost them money, and for what purpose? A more stable/experienced group of drivers? If that were a priority, their retention rate wouldn't be in the toilet already - it's too easy to just get another driver these days.
Mind you, I'm not referring to ALL carriers, but the ones that attract the largest share of driver complaints.
I still think there are issues we'd do better to focus on than 'helping' drivers who could have helped themselves, by taking the time to talk to previous and current drivers for a prospective owner. You can bet the owners and carriers check out prospective drivers [how many 'permission slips' does one sign for them to obtain the info on your past?] and any prudent person should do the same.

I agree we have other issues we should be addressing in this industry.
But, we don't.
On the other hand these dishonest 5 to 10 percent owner ops are a problem we should take care of directly.
Like my previous post stated I feel a BBB style program could curb this issue.

 

[coppertone]

I believe an owner operator rating system could work and be beneficial to all the honest ones out there.
It should be similar to a system and program used by the BBB, which does has some flaws.
However, if the driver can not show documentation of his claim, it ends there
The operator always would get the chance to air his side etc.
The site I believe could be beneficial to drivers, ops and carriers.


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If a fleet owner is licensed under an LLP or LLC can't you report him to the Better Business Bureau? We were burned by a fleet owner and would love to have had a resource of some kind. When you call a company looking for a fleet owner, they will give you a name or two but it's up to you to find out any info. on him. I also think the owner should read the contract with you so both of you understand the terms. To just had you a contract and expect you to comprehend everything in it can be a little overwhelming especially when you are new to the business. Most of the time you simply can't return the truck if it isn't working out. A lot of the contracts say you have to give them a minimum of 90 days before leaving or you owe the owner money. One contract we read said we had to give a full 14 day notice or we owed him $140 a day for every day of the 14 we didn't work. However he could let us go for any reason with no notice whatsoever. You might know the business, and have a good idea of what to expect, but sometimes you never know if the owner is a good one until you start working for them.

 

[fortwayne]

True. Sometimes you work for them and then you learn.
As far as contracts go, you need to find an attorney that has experience with IC contracts and OOIDA has some resources in that area to assist.
I have already had a few owners call me and tell me a BBB style program would be a good thing.
They feel it would be a benefit to them as well in recruiting drivers.
I agree. I think it could be beneficial to carriers as well.

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[greg334]

I also think the owner should read the contract with you so both of you understand the terms.

That's what I did, I have a "cheat sheet" with the description of every important term in the contract, it also includes the outline of the contract and I have a contract with notes in the margins that I use with the driver(s) when we go over it. This way there is no mistaking the what ifs and it is done to protect both me and the driver.

We go through section by section and I have them sign each section as we finish it to make sure they understand it.

Now this sounds like a lot of work but it really isn't because when you have a driver who is a ****** *** ** up and doesn't get the idea that they should not take that 12' 6" truck through an underpass that is marked 11' only, well you get the picture.

 

[cheri1122]

If a fleet owner is licensed under an LLP or LLC can't you report him to the Better Business Bureau?
I don't see why you couldn't.
We were burned by a fleet owner and would love to have had a resource of some kind. When you call a company looking for a fleet owner, they will give you a name or two but it's up to you to find out any info. on him.
Yes, it is, just as if you get a referral to an attorney, doctor, whatever - it isn't a guarantee of satisfaction.
I also think the owner should read the contract with you so both of you understand the terms. To just had you a contract and expect you to comprehend everything in it can be a little overwhelming especially when you are new to the business.
Absolutely. Anything you don't understand, or isn't clear, should be clarified before you sign. If you don't get that from the prospective owner, why would you sign it?
Most of the time you simply can't return the truck if it isn't working out. A lot of the contracts say you have to give them a minimum of 90 days before leaving or you owe the owner money.
"A lot" of contracts require that? I've never heard of such a requirement, and I wouldn't agree to it, either.
One contract we read said we had to give a full 14 day notice or we owed him $140 a day for every day of the 14 we didn't work. However he could let us go for any reason with no notice whatsoever.
That is just ridiculously one sided, and I wouldn't sign that one, either. A fair contract doesn't hold you as an indentured servant, unable to leave until the owner's got 'his' money's worth.
You might know the business, and have a good idea of what to expect, but sometimes you never know if the owner is a good one until you start working for them.

True. But you'll have a much better idea of 'who' he is by talking to other drivers who have been where you are. They can tell you what no one else can, and you should be persistent about finding it out - the good owners will make it easy to do, the ripoff artists, not so much.

 

[fortwayne]

The honest ones indeed make it easy.
That's why its critical we all work together to make it nearly impossible for the dirty ones to survive.
Afterall they get to check our history out, through DAC and BMV checks, as well they should.
Doesn't it just make sense we have some sort of central resource center to do the same.

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