Home Time Didn't Work - DH 2200 miles UT to NC

[greg334]

KYoung,

It is a bit more complicated than that. The IRS has 20 points that they use to determine whether a contractor is indeed an employee. I think that you have to have 12 (maybe 11) out of the 20 to make that leap. With FedEx, the court has determined that indeed many were treated as employees and had to be hired and back wages paid, on the other hand (only speculation not bashing) Panther has handled some situations with contractors as they are employees; one I keep hearing was penalizing a contractor for refusing a run – BUT again not bashing Panther for you sensitive ones out there.

Contractors are not fired, their contracts are terminated.

You mentioned in service time, acceptance time and other factors which is contractual and legal. It is fact that you must provide a service within certain parameters of the company’s operation and your sole purpose to exist for that company is to be a means to produce revenue.

I would say Express-1’s health insurance offerings may be more of a violation of these IRS rules than Panther demanding you to take a run because by providing employee benefits, there is a blur of the line between the contractor and an employee. But again they have to have 12 (maybe 11) points covered to be an employee.

I am not a lawyer but I had to deal with a lot, I mean a lot of contractor issues. I have had to deal with the DoL and the IRS on these issues.

Home time is a benefit of your contract and if you read it, they can offer it but not fulfill it if you want to use it.

 

[KYoung]

I just know from my experience dealing with Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation, (in which all workers comp has to be purchased through) when I found someone to drive my cargo van I would have to treat the person as an employee if even one of the bureaus criteria was met.

I guess I didn't get the gest of the whole home time thing, I thought it was you had to be out so long before they would let you go home, kinda like vacation time or something. You know stay out 14 days get 4 at home kjnda thing.

But your right Landstar doesn't have a home time preference, but if you call some of the agents and tell them you need to get home or close to it many will work with you and give you preference. Several will also look at were we are from and call us first if a load is headed near our home state so if we want to head home we can.

Sorry for stirring the pot.

Ken

 

[tonymcc]

Larry,

As I understand it, you cannot be on it "anytime" you want. There are conditions. And once you qualify, there is preferred treatment expected. Yes, I'm sure it's abused ..., and some only desire to go home, but if the conditions are met and they qualify to be on the program, then why not? Panther offers the program and they suggest a degree of success, so some, especially new drivers, may expect results and be disappointed otherwise. You said to just stay home. You're kidding, aren't you? That just doesn't always work. In April, are you going to stay home because you know you want to be home Mother's Day because it's a big family day and this year is really special? Nope. You go out, and then if you qualify, you'll ask for Home Time. Maybe it will work this time. And then, sometimes emergencies arise ... or in my case, I'm already home, but encouraged to take a load with Home Time as an incentive. I considered the income even if I had to DH home, but frankly, I was surprised to DH home 2200 miles. So, you can't just always stay home. Panther offers the program, maybe without being entirely realistic in orientation about its success or lack thereof, ... and usually ... you have to qualify to be on it. You don't just choose to be on Home Time anytime you want.

Tony

 

[x06col]

Tony: So you "expect" prefered treatment, eh? If you qualify. I read posts on here frequently from folks whining about getting dispatched around. Perhaps that may be part of the problem in the large scheme of things. Think? Regardless, if I need to be home, I either go home, or stay home, that is correct. Nothing in between. As many business owners know, you cannot "expect" anything. As a form of experiment on this subject, why don't you go out in your yard and "expect" in one hand, and deficate in the other, and see which fills up first. And, please report your findings to us soon.

 

[tonymcc]

Larry, I'm not sure you're getting the point. They offer preferred treatment if you've been out for at least two weeks, and I think, without any refusals. And there are exceptions, like an incentive to take a load. So, if they offer it, then it seems reasonable to expect it. They make it sound special. They make it sound like a benefit. They make it sound like preferred treatment. When you qualify and are put on it, you might tend to "expect" something to happen. Someone as myself who had not used it but one other successful time, might "expect" it to work. So, I asked for other's experiences. I still don't see the problem with that. I don't think you read my reply to someone, that when I was in LA after 10 days of sitting, someone in upper management offered a bonus to the first dispatcher who could get us a good load out ot LA. We got a load within hours. That could have been a fluke, but he certainly seemed to think his bonus idea did it. So, at the time I was talked into leaving home and going to UT, though it would still pay something with a return trip of DH, yes, I was expecting a load from the "special" benefit offered by Panther called Home Time. So, ... you don't go on it anytime you want, and since they make it sound like a benefit, a driver, at least at first, might tend to "expect" it. It's nice to have people like you offer us a good dose of reality, isn't it?

Tony

 

[FAMILYEXPDT]

The only condition on going on home time board is they LIKE you to have been out for 2-3 weeks minimum. There is no acceptance rate associated with it. Anyone can go on the hometime board...which just means they will try to get you a load headed towards your house and you will not get refusals for not taking loads that are in the wrong direction. You can home anytime you want....but to use the "hometime board" you need to be out the minimum. Tony please do not let a supervisor or dospatcher blow smoke ..... if the load was not there no bonus would help period. Dispatchers are not the ones that book the majority of loads....they just cover them.


-Charlotte

 

[tonymcc]

Thanks, Charlotte. I refreshed myself with the manual yesterday and it didn't mention a refusal rate there, just two weeks, but I think the Holiday Empty Move program is what I was remembering about no refusals to qualify. But in orientation ... and a QC message or two ... and on the phone ..., but especially in orientation when I was there, they made it sound like it a benefit that had a better success rate than it apparently does in realty. That's why I wanted to start this thread ... to ask other's experiences. Because since I had only used it once ... successfully ... and I had also had the experience of getting out of LA when upper management got personally involved ... I did expect it to work. So, I wanted to hear from others. In my case again, I was home, thought maybe we'd take minis to stay close by to avoid a lot of DH to get back home since a lot of people were counting on us to be home the following weekend ... and it's the Team Leader that called us and persuaded us to go to UT. It paid enough to still pay some even with return DH ... and there was time to do it and still be back home ..., but given my limited experience with Home Time ... and what he said on the phone ... I did expect a load, at least in the general direction of on the way home ... and was surprised we didn't get something going east, even if only part of the way. It's nice to hear other's experiences. Your posts have been so helpful.

Thank you,

Tony

 

[unorthodoxneon]

I think the Hometime is a very good program for what its designed to do. You dont get docked or knocked down in line for turning down a load that doesnt heads home. Atleast panther set something up. For me the hometime has been 50/50 with the 2 times landing me withing 5 miles of my house and the others within 20. I live just north of Detroit. The other times resulted in me having to EM towards home. I just make sure that i give them a week or a little bit more of a notice.

I dont expect panther to be able to find me a load towards home. If it happens great if not thats fine. Just depends on how the loads go.

 

[davekc]

I would agree with Randy in that the focus should be on the fact that they actually have a program. I don't believe anyone else currently does.

There is my penny in the pond.









Davekc
owner
22 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[jackdixon_2000]

Two weeks out then eligible to go on the home board sounds a lil short? And with Panther already having a liberal FIFO policy from what I hear, wouldn't that get some drivers aggravated that are at the top of the list then get bumped down? Say I have been sitting in Salt Lake City 2 days and stay, because I am the only truck, then Tony pops in with his home request and a load comes up and Tony is gone while I sit. Yeah, I know you can't please everybody, I just think two weeks is too short to be getting priority.

How about if after 3 weeks out you would be guaranteed DH pay home when you submit for it. I know for me 40c a mile will cover my fuel and wear and tear. At least you would know that the only thing the trip home is costing you is you're time. Maybe even add a nickle a mile every week after three weeks out, jus a lil more incentive.

Now, maybe most of the Panther drivers are satisfied with the way the system is now, and if thats the case, cool. Just wanted to toss my penny in the pond also.

And Dave, our get home program at Fedex is to go out of service directional. We can go out of service with a note that we are available to go a certain direction, we can still get run offers and refusals will not count against you. The problem is, say I am in Chicago and want to get home to Memphis, and a run comes up going there. If there is truck that can make pickup on time, and they are in service they will get the offer before me. So its rather worthless

 

[tonymcc]

Thanks, Randy, for posting your experience. That's good to know.

Tony

 

[tonymcc]

Well, I didn't know no one else even had a program. I wanted to know that. Thanks.

Tony

 

[tonymcc]

Thanks for the comments, Jack. Yeah, getting passed over is no fun. They may rethink it ... maybe more time out or a a low percentage of refusals to qualify. But dispatch can offer a 1st out at times just as an incentive to take an unattractive run. We got bumbped from a 1st out in MS when another driver got to town ... just because it was promised to him. It wasn't a mini ... just not a good run according to him ... so he asked and got a 1st out. We had to live with it <g>. Then again, I was at a Pilot in KY one time where there were maybe 8 Panther trucks. I went around and spoke to almost all of them. Three of the trucks said they had a 1st out. <VBG>

Tony