New Advance Policy at Panther?
- Thread starter bernieh48
- Start date
nightcreacher
Veteran Expediter
i was going to put my 2 cents in this about bad looking trucks,even though they may be safe,if the body work is just patched,you may get stopped by every dot to see if its safe,and its hard to deliver expedite freight when hanging out at you favorite state scale
nightcreacher
Veteran Expediter
the way i work my advance,and i kjow fed ex cc advances different than panther,but i take 40% after my pick up,that bus fuel,puts money in my co-drivers pocket,and the rest of the daily rpad expenses.at the end of the week,whats left over after all expenses,is left on the t check card,for the unseen part of trucking that only Mr Murphy knows about.there is usually 1500 bucks on my t check card,so in most cases if there is a problem,i have the cash to fix most problems.then 60% of my pay goes home, and that pays the billsand keeps uncle sam happy
Scuba
Veteran Expediter
Just yesterday i swapped trailers with the truck in question. After my rest break i spent 3 hours in line to have trailer lights repaired. Of course the lights burnt out only after he dropped the trailer. When i hooked up and saw the lights out he said " they were all working the last time i checked" He proved my point if you don't care how your truck looks then it's more than likley you aren't taking care of the maintance either. By the way the trailer i gave him i had a light go out on it but i had it fixed BEFORE i pulled another load.
Reasons, or (excuses) why people are hard up abound. They are everywhere. Might I mention that managing finances covers a large range of things. One comes to mind, being properly insured for your environment, Trucking, living---whatever. Just a passing thought for you gamblers out there.
bernieh48
Veteran Expediter
Well.... Being properly insured isn't a fair assesment either. We were fully insured and got hit by 3 hurricanes. Paid Three deductables until the governor of FL stepped in and told the insurance companies they couldn't charge people a deductable for each storm. The governor told said insurance companies to reimburse the other 3 deductables. Have we even seen that money back yet? NO Also several people in my neighborhood that only had minimal damage have already been paid by their insurance companies. Our hasn't yet because of all the inspections needed to see if the house would be condemmed, and 6 different agencies trying to make up their minds of whether to condemn it or not. And before you even bring up the next idea about we must have been with a fly by night insurance company we werent'! We were with All State. And now they can't even write an insurance policy in most of FL.
And secondly I"m not using any of this as an excuse for anything. I had mearly asked a question about a policy change in the advance system! Period
And secondly I"m not using any of this as an excuse for anything. I had mearly asked a question about a policy change in the advance system! Period
In regards to not being paid on pick up I can understand. My problem was being new and knowing nothing about Exoediting, being expected to fuel & maintain my truck and live on 45% while waiting 18 to 21 days for the first pay off was difficult to say the least. The earliest I was ever paid through PantherII was 18 days after the first delivery.
P
PARDEL
Guest
I am a former driver for Expedite Solutions. My husband and I drove for Panther for 8 months while with Expedite Solutions. If Panther had conducted inspections on their trucks we would still be with Panther today. Instead for the past 8 months we have been with Tri-State. Tri-State inspects every truck in its fleet every 120 days. This is a very good policey. With this policy unscrupulous fleet owners (such as Expedite Solutions owner Kyle Ochs) cannot trick new drivers into bogus contracts and force the drivers to risk their lives in un-safe vehicles. It is a miracle my husband and I are alive today after driving Expedite Solutions trucks for 8 months. Here is our story.
My husband (a 20+ year Police officer) and I (a cosmotologist)decided to try team driving in September 2006. Since I already had a class B CDL we decided to try the Expediting Industry. Keith started checking the Internet for expediting companies and put out several feelers with different companies. We were immediately contacted by Expedite Solutions. We explained that I already had my CDL for 14 years so only Keith would need to attend 'school' to obtain his. We were told that I would only have to attend orientation. We started with Expedite Solutions Oct 2, 2006.
We were told we would recieve 52% of the truck earnings, plus 100% of the fuel surcharge, we were to pay for fuel, oil, wiper fluid, tolls, ect... out of our 52%. What we were not told until after we were contracted with them for a year was that they would be holding an extra 30% of the fuel surcharge and an additional 30% of your 52% percent for a 'savings account' they require you to have with them. They also require you to pay 25.00 a week for a financial advisor ($1250 a year), and require you to rent a laptop at an additional $35.00 per week, plus insurance resulting in the driver actually receiving about 12% of the actual truck revenue. There were many weeks we would end with a negative balance resulting in our having to pay Expedite Solutions for working all week.
As for Expedite Solutions equipment, the first truck we were assigned was in such poor condition we had to keep plastic over the floor because when it rained we had standing water in the floor. We also consistently had to find someone to, or call someone to, "jump start" the truck as it had a bad starter. This truck also had rusted out fuel tanks. On one instance we filled our fuel tanks at the Flying J truck stop in Greenville S.C., we parked the truck in the parking lot, it was about 4 hours later we noticed a huge puddle of fuel under our truck with a little river running down the parking lot under the other trucks parked beside us, our truck had sprung a leak through the rusted out fuel tank and dropped 27 gallons of fuel (we know it was 27 gallons because the tanks were full when we parked the truck and was a little under 2/3 full 4 hours later). We called Expedite Solutions owner Kyle Ochs and was told to "run with it" like that "just don't fill it above the leak". We refused to do this, as we were not only paying for this fuel that was leaking out but also this was a major DOT and OSHA violation.
Kyle finally agreed to fix the tank. He had the tank sealed off for $35.00 resulting with us having to run with one tank for the next 3 months. The tread on the tires of this truck were so bad the tread was barely visable.
We were then assigned a 2nd truck. Oh yes, the second truck, even nicer than the first truck. (almost 800,000 miles on this truck) When it rained the truck was like a waterfall. The entire ceiling leaked on this truck all the way across, front and back. This truck also had a major oil leak and an antifreeze leak (the radiator hoses finally blew out near Laredo, Texas). We were adding a gallon of oil every 2nd day to this truck. Our truck was actually barred from the Mitsubishi plant near Bloomington, IL. They called Panther II and told them our truck would not be allowed back on their property as they had to have an OSHA clean-up done because we leaked so much oil sitting on their docks (we were only on the dock for about 30 minutes). This truck also had a major bulge on the front drivers side steer tire, we informed Kyle of the issue with the tire and once again we were told to "run with it" as it was, even though this was not only jeopardizing our lives but was also a DOT violation. (the tire finally blew out in Hurricane, West Virginia)
The brake drums on this truck were worn down to nothing and the brake shoes were cracked and worn. When checked by the mechanic at the Bloomington, IL TA we were told this truck did not meet DOT regulations and was not safe to drive. The mechanic called Kyle Ochs and was told "do not fix it". We asked have the mechanic to give us a written statement the truck was unsafe to move and did not meet DOT regulations (I still have the mechanics statement) and the owner ordered him not to fix. So we were now being told to drive a truck without brakes and with a huge bulge on the drivers steer tire. This was not only jeopardizing the cargo we were transporting but also our very lives.
We finally had enough of risking our lives, and after 8 months of these truck issues, plus making no money, we were living on our savings from before we started with Expedite Solutions, and of being told, even though we were suppose to be "independant contractors", we could go home no more than a 2 or 3 days a month. If you go home for more than that they hold what little you make for an additional two weeks. We finally decided we had enough, we contacted another fleet owner, resulting with us leaving Panther and moving over to Tri-State.
After leaving Expedite Solutions we received a letter from them saying we broke their contract by quiting and they were charging us both for our CDL's. (remember I already had my CDL for 14 years before starting with them.) When we quit Expedite Solutions they owed us the last two weeks of loads we ran, plus the last 6 weeks of fuel surcharges. They also had the $6000 in the savings plan they required drivers to keep, and in addition to all of this money which amounted to about 9000.00 they sent us a letter that read we haven't done a final accounting yet, but we're pretty sure your going to owe us $6995.00. This pretty sure letter went on to explain how we could just make them a check for half the amount and call it even or we could set up payments for the full amount. No mention of the $9000. they owed us or of a final settlement.
The only semi-honest thing Expedite Solutions does is when during the orientation they present each driver with a future income projection sheet. This paper shows the teams current bill evaluation with so much percentage going to house payment, utilities, car payments, credit cards, ect... they then give each driver another projection for the end of one year of driving for Expedite Solutions that shows no percentage going toward house payments, credit cards, or car payments. This is very true because by the end of the year your house will have been forclosed on, your car repossessed, and you will have filed bankruptcy on your credit cards.
Oh yes, they would not provide us with a 1099 at the end of the year either. So much for their required $1250.00 a year financial advice!
Sheila (ex-Panther Driver)
(current Tri-State Driver)
Bernie, MO
My husband (a 20+ year Police officer) and I (a cosmotologist)decided to try team driving in September 2006. Since I already had a class B CDL we decided to try the Expediting Industry. Keith started checking the Internet for expediting companies and put out several feelers with different companies. We were immediately contacted by Expedite Solutions. We explained that I already had my CDL for 14 years so only Keith would need to attend 'school' to obtain his. We were told that I would only have to attend orientation. We started with Expedite Solutions Oct 2, 2006.
We were told we would recieve 52% of the truck earnings, plus 100% of the fuel surcharge, we were to pay for fuel, oil, wiper fluid, tolls, ect... out of our 52%. What we were not told until after we were contracted with them for a year was that they would be holding an extra 30% of the fuel surcharge and an additional 30% of your 52% percent for a 'savings account' they require you to have with them. They also require you to pay 25.00 a week for a financial advisor ($1250 a year), and require you to rent a laptop at an additional $35.00 per week, plus insurance resulting in the driver actually receiving about 12% of the actual truck revenue. There were many weeks we would end with a negative balance resulting in our having to pay Expedite Solutions for working all week.
As for Expedite Solutions equipment, the first truck we were assigned was in such poor condition we had to keep plastic over the floor because when it rained we had standing water in the floor. We also consistently had to find someone to, or call someone to, "jump start" the truck as it had a bad starter. This truck also had rusted out fuel tanks. On one instance we filled our fuel tanks at the Flying J truck stop in Greenville S.C., we parked the truck in the parking lot, it was about 4 hours later we noticed a huge puddle of fuel under our truck with a little river running down the parking lot under the other trucks parked beside us, our truck had sprung a leak through the rusted out fuel tank and dropped 27 gallons of fuel (we know it was 27 gallons because the tanks were full when we parked the truck and was a little under 2/3 full 4 hours later). We called Expedite Solutions owner Kyle Ochs and was told to "run with it" like that "just don't fill it above the leak". We refused to do this, as we were not only paying for this fuel that was leaking out but also this was a major DOT and OSHA violation.
Kyle finally agreed to fix the tank. He had the tank sealed off for $35.00 resulting with us having to run with one tank for the next 3 months. The tread on the tires of this truck were so bad the tread was barely visable.
We were then assigned a 2nd truck. Oh yes, the second truck, even nicer than the first truck. (almost 800,000 miles on this truck) When it rained the truck was like a waterfall. The entire ceiling leaked on this truck all the way across, front and back. This truck also had a major oil leak and an antifreeze leak (the radiator hoses finally blew out near Laredo, Texas). We were adding a gallon of oil every 2nd day to this truck. Our truck was actually barred from the Mitsubishi plant near Bloomington, IL. They called Panther II and told them our truck would not be allowed back on their property as they had to have an OSHA clean-up done because we leaked so much oil sitting on their docks (we were only on the dock for about 30 minutes). This truck also had a major bulge on the front drivers side steer tire, we informed Kyle of the issue with the tire and once again we were told to "run with it" as it was, even though this was not only jeopardizing our lives but was also a DOT violation. (the tire finally blew out in Hurricane, West Virginia)
The brake drums on this truck were worn down to nothing and the brake shoes were cracked and worn. When checked by the mechanic at the Bloomington, IL TA we were told this truck did not meet DOT regulations and was not safe to drive. The mechanic called Kyle Ochs and was told "do not fix it". We asked have the mechanic to give us a written statement the truck was unsafe to move and did not meet DOT regulations (I still have the mechanics statement) and the owner ordered him not to fix. So we were now being told to drive a truck without brakes and with a huge bulge on the drivers steer tire. This was not only jeopardizing the cargo we were transporting but also our very lives.
We finally had enough of risking our lives, and after 8 months of these truck issues, plus making no money, we were living on our savings from before we started with Expedite Solutions, and of being told, even though we were suppose to be "independant contractors", we could go home no more than a 2 or 3 days a month. If you go home for more than that they hold what little you make for an additional two weeks. We finally decided we had enough, we contacted another fleet owner, resulting with us leaving Panther and moving over to Tri-State.
After leaving Expedite Solutions we received a letter from them saying we broke their contract by quiting and they were charging us both for our CDL's. (remember I already had my CDL for 14 years before starting with them.) When we quit Expedite Solutions they owed us the last two weeks of loads we ran, plus the last 6 weeks of fuel surcharges. They also had the $6000 in the savings plan they required drivers to keep, and in addition to all of this money which amounted to about 9000.00 they sent us a letter that read we haven't done a final accounting yet, but we're pretty sure your going to owe us $6995.00. This pretty sure letter went on to explain how we could just make them a check for half the amount and call it even or we could set up payments for the full amount. No mention of the $9000. they owed us or of a final settlement.
The only semi-honest thing Expedite Solutions does is when during the orientation they present each driver with a future income projection sheet. This paper shows the teams current bill evaluation with so much percentage going to house payment, utilities, car payments, credit cards, ect... they then give each driver another projection for the end of one year of driving for Expedite Solutions that shows no percentage going toward house payments, credit cards, or car payments. This is very true because by the end of the year your house will have been forclosed on, your car repossessed, and you will have filed bankruptcy on your credit cards.
Oh yes, they would not provide us with a 1099 at the end of the year either. So much for their required $1250.00 a year financial advice!
Sheila (ex-Panther Driver)
(current Tri-State Driver)
Bernie, MO
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Ms Pardel, excuse me for being slow but I am having some trouble understanding your post. You say you drove for Panther while with Expedited Solutions. Then in your remarks about the Equipment Expedited Soultions supplied to you, through an owner, Kyle Ochs you say while at Mitsubishi Plant they barred you in a Panther II truck. How did you get from Kyle Ochs equipment to Panther II? I was only with Panther II for a short time but it seemed to me they were very Saftey conscious.
Falligator
Expert Expediter
Also stated that expedite solutions held your 1099 b/c you quit. Wouldn't this be illegal? I was just talking to my friend about this yesterday and he had to call the irs and get an extension. Finally, the guy mailed my friend his 1099 after the irs had gotten on him and sent him a letter. If you need to you can send me a pm. i may be able to forward you my friends number when I talk to him and he can steer you the right way.
greg334
Veteran Expediter
Amazing, you actually drove a truck without brakes?
If you do not get a 1099 by the end of January, you can call the IRS and they will tell you to estimate the amount of money and write a letter, notarized explaining the reason for the lack of a 1099. I have had to do this a few times and filed my return on time, amending it when I received the 1099. If there are a few of these from a company, they will audit the company and fine them by the day if I am not mistaken for each 1099 that they did not send out.
If you do not get a 1099 by the end of January, you can call the IRS and they will tell you to estimate the amount of money and write a letter, notarized explaining the reason for the lack of a 1099. I have had to do this a few times and filed my return on time, amending it when I received the 1099. If there are a few of these from a company, they will audit the company and fine them by the day if I am not mistaken for each 1099 that they did not send out.
greg334
Veteran Expediter
Said this before, and will say it again; you're first move into this business is to find a lawyer and an accountant. build a relationship with them and then when you have a question about pay, taxes or 1099s you can start with the accountant and then go to the lawyer for help resolving the problem.