Panther: an unconscionable and uncaring company

[rotcacls]

I just quit panther and with my honest fleet owner, although my fleet owner is staying with the company. Panther is holding back the last settlement that is to be received from being paid until the truck is back in service. Well, the loads have been completed and a paycheck is due me and my fleet owner. Panther claims it is a policy, but, without a straight forward or much further explanation. There is $1000 in escrow from my fleet owner, what is the reason panther needs to keep our money??? They simply just don't care about the well being of their employees and the inconvenience that they do cause anyone.

Panthers' powers at be are *******! Good riddance and without looking back.

 

[greg334]

Well I understand your frustration, but let's look at this a bit differently.

First off no one at Panther is at fault, it is their policy and it is something that you didn't sign for but the fleet owner who signed the contract.

Second this is a business and the fleet owner is the one who owes you, not Panther because you are a Sub-Contractor.

With those two things in mind, you didn't quit panther, you quit the fleet owner and he/she is the one who owes you your money for the work you did for them.

 

[guido4475]

Kinda harsh words, but I understand your frustration.I strongly believe there are alot of companies that dont care about their owner-operators well being, then there are a few that do.The best experience with the ones who care about their owner-operators were from the smaller co's I have been with.The larger ones simply only care about revenue, such as sending a driver out to a place that produces zero freight movement,and after getting unloaded a driver may call dispatch and ask if they have found a load yet, only to be told "we never get freight out of there". So why even take the load to begin with? Because they made their revenue off of the load.Now it costs you, the driver, money out of your pocket to either sit or relocate, shaving more off of your profit.But Greg is correct, you quit your fleet owner, not panther,so to speak.It is up to you to go after your owner to get your money.This is one reason why I have always drove my own trucks, too much dishonesty out there. The only fleet owner I would consider is Expeditor Services, never heard a bad thing about them, and they have alot of happy drivers, with great equipment. But they only hire teams now, so that killed that idea.I wish you the best of luck wherever you may go, and the best thing you can do is not carry a chip on your shoulder and not badmouth whoever to the new fleetowner or company. I am having alot of problems with my carrier, but I am trying my best to be as patient and understanding as I can about this, also.

 

[Darmstadter]

.The larger ones simply only care about revenue, such as sending a driver out to a place that produces zero freight movement,and after getting unloaded a driver may call dispatch and ask if they have found a load yet, only to be told "we never get freight out of there". So why even take the load to begin with?

I agree with most of what you called out there. Yes, the fleet owner is the one that owes you.

Only comment I'd add is on being sent out to a bad freight area. I think when you sign on with a carrier you owe it to yourself to find out what their primary lanes are. If dispatch is asking you to take a load to FL, ask em how much freight they get out of there. If they lie to you--that's another story. If they're up front with you, factor that into your decision in whether or not to take the load. Sometimes you can ask for extra money on the load---because you darned well know you'll have to dh to a better area.
Remember,the carrier doesn't want to have you sit either. If it's a good customer---they often have to handle the garbage loads in order to keep the gravy ones.

 

[davekc]

I am not aware of a policy in which Panther holds your fleet owner's money unless paperwork hasn't been sent in. Run revenue is different than the fleet owners escrow with the carrier. As mentioned, you are a contractor for the fleet owner rather than a employee.
If and I said if, your fleet owner is as honest as you say, then he can write you a check at any time. Panther would have nothing to do with it. Having a truck in service would have nothing to do with it except the hold on the escrow. I think they hold that for 45 days.
In my personal situation, I would pay as soon as all paperwork is received and truck returned.
It shouldn't be any more complicated than that. If the fleet owner tells you anything different, then consider it a gain as the fleet owner appears to be near broke if he can't pay you prior to receiving a check from Panther. Might be your lucky day as any future revenue may not be paid.
As for revenue, that is all I am interested in as far as the carrier. I don't want to hear how hard or not they are trying. Only results.
And as mentioned, if I am dumb enough to take a load into the woods, it is on me to get the truck out. Better get some revenue on the front end, or have the knowledge to get it out profitably.
Hand holding doesn't pay the bills.
Good luck on your next gig.

 

[Doggie Daddy]

They simply just don't care about the well being of their employees and the inconvenience that they do cause anyone.

Ya gotta get your terminology squared away on how this expediting thing works.

The only employees that Panther has are sitting in an air/conditioned modern building in Seville,Ohio, not riding around in trucks and vans.

 

[guido4475]

I understand what you are saying Dave KC and ****stader, but there are alot of times a carrier will not be up front with you about the good and bad areas. And I believe with the way the economy is, or has been, the typical good areas to go are no longer the good areas.Freight is so unpredictable now.But anyways, what happens when you have a situation where a load is offered to you taking you into the woods, and if you turn it down, you get put out of service or put at the bottom of the board? So man y times I see drivers on here talking about this.Where I am leased at, we dont have rules like this, because we are not big enough to have a bunch of trucks sitting in let's say, Dallas, or some major city.I'm not saying this in a bad way, but just for an example.So many times drivers are strongarmed into taking a crap load for the driver and his revenue, but as far as the company goes,they made their money off of it.And I dont need my hand to be held,as mentioned, if this was pertaining to me.I have been doing this since 89, so I think I have a little knowledge of where not to go.All of this was mentioned as examples and what I have heard happening to other drivers in the past.

 

[greg334]

Guido,
The first rule of expediting is that there is no predictable freight.

The company can do only so much as to project or guess at where the freight is going to be and most of the time it is that bad word that our in house expert said didn't exist - LUCK.

Being at the right place at the right time.

 

[davekc]

I think you answered your own question. Too many jump into this with a employee mentality.
If a company puts you out of service or drops you down boards and that type of thing, I would be shopping for another carrier.
Sometimes one has to do that.
Even more so in a turbulent economy.
But, you can find yourself possibly stuck somewhere, that is why I have always advocated that one must have the ability to obtain their own freight whether as a contractor or a independent. I find that eliminates all that type of madness.

 

[guido4475]

Guido,
The first rule of expediting is that there is no predictable freight.

The company can do only so much as to project or guess at where the freight is going to be and most of the time it is that bad word that our in house expert said didn't exist - LUCK.

Being at the right place at the right time.

Greg, Back in the day freight most certainly was predictable.I would take any load going to L.A or the surrounding areas because I knew freight moved out of Ontario, CA, and I would load out of there almost everytime going to the southeast.Or I would take loads going to Laredo,then go to Eagle Pass, because there is a co. that ships out twice a week going to Michigan.Or When I had a pre-load picking up in Houston, Tx, after my Denver to Dallas load,The hurricane came through there the night before the pickup, but they wanted me to pick up anyway down there. Fridge full, toilet empty, generator gassed up,I headed down to the war zone,as predicted, they and everything down there was closed up, without power.So I waited 2 days, because I felt that load would come up again, as it had, going to Yakima, Wa.So, yes, freight used to be predictable.This was back in 2008, not too long ago.But not anymore.

Yes, you are correct, being at the right place at the right time is important, such as 4 weeks ago, when I had a load taking me to New Hampshire, then 1 day later got a 975 mile run 21 miles away from first load drop-off.

Luck does help,I guess, if a person believes in it.

 

[Bruno]

I would have to agree with DaveKC on this. But, you said that owner is still staying leased on with Panther and you are leaving. Why would Panther hold the settlements on the loads that where done and then tell you they wont be paid out until the truck is brought back? Panther don't own the truck, the person you drive for does. Something is not adding up here.

You need to have your honest owner pay you the money that is owed to you, as you work for them not Panther. We have been with Panther over a year now and we are very happy with Panther. All companys have things you may or may not like. I don't see that Panther did anything wrong. I think it is the person you drove for may have. I don't know, there is always two sides to every story.

 

[ds1450]

Dave KC... Same thing happened to me when I had a driver quit and I put the truck out of service. They held the funds until I or the other van was running again. Anytime I was with Panther and you were out on vacation for (I think) 10 or more days, they held settlement. A real killer around Christmas 06. Anyway, thought I would chime in. The escrow is a whole other story that I won't bother with as it has been covered here before.

 

[davekc]

Dave KC... Same thing happened to me when I had a driver quit and I put the truck out of service. They held the funds until I or the other van was running again. Anytime I was with Panther and you were out on vacation for (I think) 10 or more days, they held settlement. A real killer around Christmas 06. Anyway, thought I would chime in. The escrow is a whole other story that I won't bother with as it has been covered here before.

Can't say that has happened, so I am wondering if that is something for a single truck owner? Not sure?
But either way, I would just pay the driver if the run is due to be paid. I do recall in the past there was some fleet owners that borrowed money from Panther for repairs, so I could see them not paying in those situations. Outside of that, we never had a truck parked that long.