I'm Out

[whitey1]

I started driving for a fleet owner almost 3 years ago. I worked my way into my own paid for truck. My goal was to be a fleet owner.
Since I started fuel costs have nearly doubled. The cost for a new truck has nearly doubled.
And our rates have not increased one cent. Ok, maybe a little fuel surcharge.
I really do not see how a solo driver can make a living driving someone else's truck, or the truck owner make any money with a solo driver.
I liked the business, and Panther, and would consider doing it again with a spouse co-driver where all the money goes into one pot.
Panther, I am really disgusted by the new policy of putting a "HOLD" on my paycheck if I decide to take more than one week off. I attribute this greed to the the buyout last year, i.e. an effort to squeeze every penny. It's in your own manual that the first two weeks of July are slow, but you won't let me take them both off without screwing with my pay? For shame.
Also, the new board system is a real mess. I am sure you will get it fixed soon.
These are not the reasons why I left, they are personal.
I still like Panther, they will keep you loaded if you are willing to run.
Keep your eye on the prize folks, and best wishes.
Thanks to EO and all the civil and helpful posters here.
I bought and sold my truck through the free classifieds on EO.

 

[hondaking38]

whitey they have been holding my check while doing my 2 week annual military training since ive been with them...when i sign back in, i get paid that week, i think they are protecting themselves against qc loss in case we dont ever come back....

 

[greg334]

Sorry to hear that Whitey. I wish everyone would be successful but my wishes never come true.

i think they are protecting themselves against qc loss in case we dont ever come back....

Sorry but this is so childish and unprofessional on their part.

 

[are12]

Quote:
when i sign back in, i get paid that week, i think they are protecting themselves against qc loss in case we dont ever come back....

Isn't that why we have money in an escrow account??

 

[greg334]

Isn't that why we have money in an escrow account??

That's my point.

See they can't collect on the interest of the money in the escrow account but if they hold that money from you, they are collecting interest....

So if you have a 1500 vehicle fleet, you have at any given time 25% of them off the road, that is 375 vehicles. Out of that, let's say there is 125 that are out for an extended amount of time and let's just say for s&gs that each of them averaged a settlement of $500 each - that is $60,000. Even at 2%, $60k going into the companies bank on a regular basis adds up to some change.

 

[Turtle]

The escrow account can't be used for weekly deductions. Whatever the escrow account is set up for, it can only be used for that, and nothing else. In this case, it's to be used to cover the cost of the QC unit in case you never come back with it.

 

[roy]

Sorry To Change Subject/ But How Many Cargo Vans Does Panther Have On Now?

 

[arkjarhead]

From what I've heard to many.

 

[Broompilot]

Sooooo Typical of the Big Companies. Screw the Contractor, screw em till he has had enough or turns into a SLAVE.... Not Custom Critical, but the other division that purchased Watkins. Screw all of those Independent Contractors.

According to Landline last week, a Class Action Suite was brought against FED EX Freight for not giving the thirty days notice in Canceling all the Contractors Contracts. They just laughed at the Independents. Hope they get the last laugh as they write out the checks. But thats little consideration as to who helped Watkins become who they were and how they Recruited with Promises and than BOOM as typical as big business is SELLS out with no agreement to protect for even a short term those that built the Company to what it was to be Sold for what it was.

Big Business is a Reality, but it is still down right and dirty with we are nothing but Pawns to be played with and taken advantage of. Rules to not pay you what you have comming, is it really LEGAL. Panther people there are better companies out there that do not take advanatage of ya, but have a couple of trucks with them and I suppose your GOLDEN? Betcha that would never happen to DAVE C. or Leo.

 

[rdtrpn]

going back to the mention of higher and higher fuel prices. Look at the top of the page. The average had risen $.037 a couple days to $3.65. I fueled today and paid $3.55. I felt like I got a deal. How pathetic. Future or currently in recession, anyone?

 

[jay shipley]

[/COLOR]

going back to the mention of higher and higher fuel prices. Look at the top of the page. The average had risen $.037 a couple days to $3.65. I fueled today and paid $3.55. I felt like I got a deal. How pathetic. Future or currently in recession, anyone?

I would say closer to DEPRESSION than recession, given the number of baby boomers retiring everyday, and the folks already on fixed incomes, and the fat oil billionaires thumbing their noses at a failing government....I'd say depression

 

[Turtle]

During the Great Depression from 1929-1933 GDP fell by 33 percent. There was an upturn then a smaller Depression of 18.2 percent in 1937-1938.

The worst recession in the last 60 years was from November 1973 to March 1975, where real GDP fell by 4.9 percent.

Third Quarter US GDP was a plus 4.9 percent, and the 4th Quarter was also up, but only up 0.7 percent. We've got a long way to go before we're engulfed in a recession, much less an actual depression.

 

[CharlesD]

going back to the mention of higher and higher fuel prices. Look at the top of the page. The average had risen $.037 a couple days to $3.65. I fueled today and paid $3.55. I felt like I got a deal. How pathetic. Future or currently in recession, anyone?

Saw it for $3.89 in PA and thought it was a ripoff. Then I drove a little farther and saw a Pilot in Erie for $4.05. I think the sign was alternating between $3.99 cash and $4.05 for credit. It almost makes you long for the good old days of $2.00 a gallon diesel. I never thought I'd see the day where $2.00 a gallon would seem cheap, and now I doubt we'll ever see the price back down at that level again. Sooner or later you would think rates would have to come up, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[whitey1]

Sorry to hear that Whitey. ""I wish everyone would be successful but my wishes never come true. "


A gasbag until the end. Greg, I read enough of your posts way before I ever signed into this sight that I knew exactly what a blowhard political faker you are. You have done nothing to further this site, you only use it to promote your sophmoric political views. Heil Rush! If I wanted to see that crap I would just listen to Limbaugh on the radio until I had to puke.
Here's something positive for the people who actually drive for a living, when you quit Panther they want logs, your manual, maintainence records, along with your QC stuff. It's pretty detailed and looks designed to withhold your money, but best case is 45 days.
They will also hold your last settleups at least two weeks.
A last note for Gregg: I know, very well, people who were instrumental in the Grantholm governership. Funny, none of them ever heard of you volounteering to help make things better in Michigan.
I guess you would rather just ****** ?

 

[OntarioVanMan]

...........

 

[dean07]

Good luck whitey, i feel your pain brother!!

 

[greg334]

I apologize to all for the following response.

A gasbag until the end. Greg, I read enough of your posts way before I ever signed into this sight that I knew exactly what a blowhard political faker you are. You have done nothing to further this site, you only use it to promote your sophmoric political views. Heil Rush! If I wanted to see that crap I would just listen to Limbaugh on the radio until I had to puke.

Well Whitey1, I meant what I said sincerely and really hope everyone does well out here. If that does not meet with your level of sincerity, well what can I say.

How would you know what a 'faker' I am?

You seem to pick people out rather well, it is their passion for things that they enjoy talking about?

At least I try to restrain myself from the emotional blathering of the left, even though I am not a 'conservative' or a 'liberal'.

Do you know what a classic liberal is?

As for rush, I don't listen to him or Hannity or a few others - that's the truth. I don't believe that they do anyone any good at this point with the same rhetoric and not really standing up consistently for specific issues, so go drink your coolaid and listen to the latest commands from Moveon.org.

on the other hand, maybe you should listen to rush....

Oh and your 'Heil' is out of place, Fascism is alive and well in the democrat party, not the republican party. Do you know what Fascism is?

AND

I don't know, but for some reason you really don't strike me as a person who would understand what is really going on. You look at my comments with too much polarization, much like many Detroiters would look at things and you seem to be angry about something, oh well.... what can be said about that, I didn't do a thing to you.

Oh maybe you are from Detroit.... supporting Kwame in his times of trouble? You know God talked to him and told him he needs to stay as mayor. Wonder if God also talked to Elliot Spizer?

sophmoric?

You mean sophomoric, right?

well I don't think so.. ah...you know what that means?

I may seem to think I know a lot, and there is a damn good reason, I do know a lot. It is not all one view or one attitude but I take corrections well, so go and correct what I have said if you can.... I'm waiting......

Here's something positive for the people who actually drive for a living, when you quit Panther they want logs, your manual, maintainence records, along with your QC stuff. It's pretty detailed and looks designed to withhold your money, but best case is 45 days.

They will also hold your last settleups at least two weeks.

Well that's good, they can find people who cheat on their logs and hold back their escrow. Are you worried? you got something to hide? I wouldn't think so....

Who says I don't drive for a living?

A last note for Gregg: I know, very well, people who were instrumental in the Grantholm governership. Funny, none of them ever heard of you volounteering to help make things better in Michigan.
I guess you would rather just ****** ?

I purposely misspell her name because of her arrogance, it is granholm, not grantholm. I do also have to add, one 'g' in my name... I let it go with people I converse with that don't attack me for my views, one 'g'.

Funny isn't it that most of the people who support Grandholm don't know about her backstabbing double dealings during her tenure in Wayne country and how she screwed a lot of people over, honest hard working people that is. The people who were instrumental in getting her into office are lairs, cheats and thefts. Her last campaign seem to blame everyone for the problems of the state and she said we don't need no stink'n business man to run things, but then goes out and find one and put him into a six digit salary to figure out how the state can be more business friendly. Oh by the way, her main backer when she ran the first time was one of the biggest lairs and thefts of all time in the state, Ed McNamara. Have you ever asked him who I am? I am sure he can tell you a couple things about me.

Funny isn't it that my name is not known because I don't volunteer for things that will get my name published and I don't attend political party events. I don't like to do those things, I talk to people, most of the time I don't even say my last name.

Funny isn't it that my dealing with trying to make Michigan better is to promote the use of a recall of this POS governor through friends by illustrate the problems of the state. My biggest problem is how stupid the people are who are supporting her.

Funny isn't that you wasted your time even asking the wrong people, because all you had to do is ask me and I would tell you who to talk to in both the Republican and Democrat party that know me. But now I don't think that info will be offered to anyone here.

Funny isn't it that most people who want to see improvements to the state know not to be involved with the Democrat party, the party of Spitzer, Kwame and Grandholm.

Are you too in denial about how she got us into this mess in the state?

I bet you are and I bet you think she is doing a great job, well thank her for your failures because all roads lead to Lansing.

I still think it is too bad you are leaving the business, and I still hope everyone does well. but again.....

 

[Tennesseahawk]

Third Quarter US GDP was a plus 4.9 percent, and the 4th Quarter was also up, but only up 0.7 percent. We've got a long way to go before we're engulfed in a recession, much less an actual depression.

I wonder if those numbers take into account the inflation, cause by the Fed's non-stop printing of all this new found wealth. $200 billion lately. Someone high up in the Fed doesn't remember the Carter years very well. Then again, who wants to?

 

[whitey1]

You attacked me, with no facts, as soon as I began posting here.
It was interesting to see how you replied to suggestions that you are a little less than perfect.
"GASBAG!"
Again and again. What have you ever contributed to this forum that has a positive value?
And in that vain, I was just charged a $250 Qualcomm processing fee on my final settleup by Panther. When I called to inquire, I was told, "We charge you so many upfront fees that we don't want to charge you for installing the Qualcomm, so we just charge everyone that fee when they leave."
I was a little dissapointed to learn that as my truck went directly to a new Panther driver so all they need do was change the truck number, no decals, no qualcomm removal/re-install. $250 charge to leave, thanks Panther.
I feel that jerks like Gregg34 that do nothing but attack people should be politely asked to leave this forum, but that's just how I feel. Have you EVER added anything worthwhile here Greg(about the expedite business), I've been reading for a few years now and I might have missed it.

 

[BillChaffey]

I was under the impression that Panther and most all of Expediting Companies Es crowed a fixed amount of a O/O monies each week. Held in a non interest bearing account. If you left either before or after the amount was fulfilled they would hold your monies until the Unit (s) were returned.