Panther ii Has 500 Trucks Refusing To Work?

garman351 · Oct 7, 2005

"Has any body heard the rumer," I was told a lot of owner/operators are refusing to work their trucks until Panther ii starts to help them by increasing the fuel S/C and possibly more per mile rate!

All drivers have to dead head, and with the severally increased price of fuel the freight Company's are not proactive to help the drivers make a living! They are not willing it appears to raise their rates to help, or is it because they are charging top rates now and most Company's are not willing to pay any more?

It's funny most Company's will get rid of key people who makes the wheels turn, thinking they will save money so the people at the top will continue to keep their big saleries. But in the end they also lose because eventually their job goes to Mexico!

I hope America never has to get involved into any major war in the future, it was our manufacturing might that pulled us through.

In closing, Why is Diesel so-expensive, last I knew it was a byproduct of gasoline?

teacel · Oct 7, 2005

If this is true, it's about time!!!

The only bad thing is the other drivers who aren't sitting out will raise to the occasions and even try and bad rap the drivers who have the heart to sit out.

As for the question of fuel, it's all about supply and demand.

davekc · Oct 7, 2005

As for the question of fuel, it's all about supply and demand.

So true.

I would apply that thought as well to the transportation industry.
Rates will increase when there are less drivers and available equipment to move the freight. I think we are just about at that point now.

Davekc

scootr68 · Oct 8, 2005

Not sure if this is the case with them but most companies have contracts with their customers which has a set forth fsc percentage that the customer will pay. So in essence if this is the same thing I would think their hands are tied in raising the fsc.
As other have mentioned...it's all supply and demand and seeing that we use diesel daily as part of our lifeblood they have us but the short hairs.

ACE · Oct 8, 2005

I have seen a number of times that the Expedite Companies {EC} have negotiated fixed or maximum fuel surcharges with their customers.
The people hauling the freight are paying for the EC mistake of locking a fixed fuel surcharge rate in the contract.
There are many reasons why an EC will do this. But I believe it is unfair to penalize the drivers for a decision that they are not parties to except for hauling the materials.
The EC should look to help the drivers in these times of rising fuel prices. The EC can afford to reduce there margins on certain loads that have these fixed fuel surcharges because they can average out the lower profit on certain loads with normal loads on a larger scale than any driver or O/O can. Because of the greater number of loads they handle versus a single driver.
The good public relations that would come to the EC by doing this would help to off set the loss. The good will would be remembered long after this crisis has past.
Drivers would be happier, would be able to recruit experienced and quality O/O's.

highway star · Oct 8, 2005

Diesel fuel is not a by-product of gasoline. It's 2 different refineing processes.

garman351 · Oct 9, 2005

"Supply & Demand," Lets see oh thats right Harley Davidson motorcycles, are maid that way. They produce less so you have to get on a waiting list to buy one so you pay a hell of a lot more than what they are worth.

I read the petroleum Compnay's made 200% profit last year, at the expence of the rest of us barley making a living now days.

Just where is it going to end and it's getting worse, lets see we have no public health care, so when most of us go to the hospital we are wiped out and from that point on have nothing to look forward to in your golden years becuse for the rest of our lives were trying to pay back that inflated bill! I hear a lot of Hospitals will refuse you if you do not have insurance, so we just go out and die after working our whole lives. most Company's are leaving the United States to produce their goods else where, now what are we going to do with all the People out of work!

Diesel Fuel, might not be a by product of gasoline, but it's a lot cheaper to produce, but as you all know it's a lot more than regular gas.

Look at all the foreigners coming into our country legal and other wise, when was the last time you talked to any big Company to pay a bill or ask for assistance, and you could not understand their severly broken english, I have asked to talk to a supervisor hoping I could talk to a person who speaks english,only to end up talking to another person who's english was even worse.

Were all in big trouble, and it scares the hell out of me because it's only going to get worse. I cannot wait to see my heating bill this year!

Be safe all of you!

Garman351

bryan · Oct 9, 2005

HI
200% profit and now US tax payers are going to help them build new refineries.Who do I have to kill to get in on that deal?

highway star · Oct 10, 2005

What the heck, let's throw in a stadium while we're at it!

ACE · Oct 10, 2005

Hi Garman 351,

The Indians {Native Americans} may of thought the same thing when the Europeans arrived. Our ancestors thought the same thing when the Irish and Chinese came here and worked in building the railroads and cities. Remember that the southwest and California was Spanish speaking untill after the Mexican American war.
We were not as political correct back then we believed might made right. This forced people to adapt to our culture so they to may reap the rewards of our expansion and become more easily accepted.
These Ideas changed in the 60's and 70's. The country was forced to become more understanding to cultures that are not like ours. Before this Business and Gov. would of never thought of using any other language but english in there day to day activities.
The Gov. did not help disaster victims untill early 1920's we had to take care of ourselves. We had no hospitalization back then, no Social Security, no pensions, no medicare, no min. wage, no Unions, no welfare.These Ideas only came about in the 30's thru 60's.
These programs are now thought to be our rights and we deserve them. They are not in the Constitution.
The nation is evolving and we will have bumps in the road but we are still the best place to be. These problems we face today are minor, ask people who lived during the great depression, or people who escaped facism and communism.

terryandrene · Oct 10, 2005

Great reminder from ACE; now let the rest of us get this thread back on topic.

Terry

garman351 · Oct 10, 2005

Thanks for the reminder to get this subject back on track!

If I did not know any better I thought all of the replies back to me were all related to the trucking industry, and how it effects all of our dailey operations & lives.

Loved that history lesson, it is a great story that has nothing to do with the year 2005. I guess the Indians had it maid not worrying about the cost of Diesel fuel and health care like we all do. Yes their were simplier times no social security this that and the other,the Government has evolved through the years to really be creative in how they take away most of what we earn in one way or another.

Last reply.
Garman351

bigguy1001 · Oct 10, 2005

It's amazing to watch the life of a rumor. Panther has been very agressive about encouraging drivers to be in service in spite of high fuel prices. This is being done by pointing out to contractors how much help the fuel surcharge has been in off setting their fuel costs. It has been extremely time consuming. Doing the math for drivers who are laying out because of fuel prices. In most cases the drivers per gallon fuel costs, after surcharges, have been below $1.50 a gallon. If you weren't getting any fuel surcharges and fuel cost $1.43 a gallon wouldn't you be running you butt off? This rumor started as a result of a fleet message sent the Monday morning after Rita had gone through. There were a lot of contractors taking a wait and see approach to that week as fuel prices had just jumped to over $3.00. As of this moment Panthers availability is pretty good, all things considered, as most contractors have come to accept the fact the surcharge is carrying the bulk of the burden of todays high fuel costs.

davekc · Oct 10, 2005

There was a short duration of time that all companies were effected by an absence of trucks following both hurricanes. I recieved my information through various brokers and not a QC message. I will say at least, they informed their fleet of what was going on.

Lastly, it is apparent that the majority of trucks have returned to service or you would see a bunch up for sale on EO classifieds, or they moved on to a big high dollar carrier all at the same time. Wonder who that could be? Maybe I should start a rumor?
Upon review, I saw two straight trucks trucks for sale on EO
They all must have split a lottery ticket to cover those payments while they sit.
Two out of five hundred trucks is not exactly a huge percentage.
Just my take.

Davekc

jasonsprouse · Oct 10, 2005

>Diesel fuel is not a by-product of gasoline. It's 2
>different refineing processes.

Technically, back in the old days gasoline was a byproduct of oil and kerosene production, and before the invention of the gasoline engine was simply allowed to run off or was burned off.

Since Europe uses so much diesel fuel, it kept gasoline prices low here. Basically from each gallon of crude, there is a relative amount of each weight of oil, fuel etc that can be produced from it. Diesel, fuel oil, and kerosene are all made from roughly the same components of crude. Where gasoline is a much lighter component and so volatile that it isn't used for much else.

One of the biggest issues in the U.S. is the lack of investment in refining capacity.

RichM · Oct 11, 2005

Well I will add my 2 cents in to this thread. Several years ago I was coming through Bakersfield CA and was listening to a PBS Radio program( Thats right PBS) and the topic was Shell Oil in Bakersfield wanted to double the size of their refinery. Within 2 weeks of their announcement 147 lawsuits were filed against this expansion. One lady in San Francisco filed over 50 on her own behalf,so what does Shell Oil do, you guessed it they basically said, " don't complain when you have no fuel". Lots of good that will do.

Tennesseahawk · Oct 12, 2005

While on the road, a trucker announced that he was getting .54/mi FSC for two skids weighing 1000#. It was a Panther truck. I don't know what kind of vehicle it was, but DAYAM!!! Are surcharges really getting that high?

jaminjim · Oct 12, 2005

Best one we have seen was $0.39 pm. it paid for all fuel, plus enough to get back to the busy areas.

BigBusBob · Oct 12, 2005

Ok, time for my 2 cents... I was at the DMV recently, getting ready to go into Class A OTR work... and, there was a driver talking to us about his co. & their procedures.

He's leased on (with his own tractor) to the trucking co. called "Barr-Nunn". He was telling me and another truck driver that BarrNunn has a "Fuel Network", and that if he fuels, as an example, roughly $1,800 in a week within that fuel network (going to certain truckstops/fuel stops) then he gets back about 900 bucks at the end of the month. He said there's all kinds of incentives and bonuses too that they offer.

Hearing that, and reading this thread - my question is why don't the expediting co.'s offer anything like that? I think one of the reasons might be because They (the expediting co.'s) do not own any co. equipment like the large trucking co.'s do. The Expedite Co.'s lease their trailers as far as I know, and that would explain why you hear some O/O's pulling expediter trailers complaining on these trailers conditions... missing lights, bad cranks, bad tires, bad seals on doors and on and on. Though some of that has to do with the amount of drop and hook some of those trailers see. I can comment with conviction there, because when I ran for PII I got to see many PII trailers up close and personal, because I moved loads with the straight truck on and off of them on a regular basis.

To me though, the idea of a "Fuel Network" sounds nice... and for expediters - most of the freight lies in the following states: OH, MI, MO, AR, WI, IN, IL, KY, TN, AL, SC, NC, VA, WV, PA, NY, and MD/DE, along with Ontario and Texas. Basically the freight for expediting is found primarily east of the MS, and rarely north of NY/CT area. Rarely does it go south into FL, and rarely does it go west of TX and esp. west of I-35, unless you got a team runnin' out to CA or west somewhere out in never never land. When you do go out there, what goes thru your mind?
Getting a load back to the main freight lanes.
I can easily see one of the major expediting co.'s in the near future creating their own "Fuel Network" to help their drivers and teams.

If they don't??? What's going to happen? The Fuel Price will continue to go up, but how much can the surcharge go up? Perhaps there is room for a thread regarding the subject of the pro's and cons of a fuel network versus the fuel surcharge?

I enjoyed expediting when I was in it, I enjoyed running for PII. yes, I said it. I liked it.
For the most part, dispite having some village idiots (newbies no doubt) as dispatchers from time to time, it's a good co. in my opinion.

However, the fuel is a major issue right now throughout the transportation industry, from busses to trucking to expediters. Everything that uses tires and gas/diesel is having to adjust their rates to pay for the cost of fuel.

That's why I'm gettin' out of bus work right now, and back into the trucking business... also due to the hurricanes -
Bilox trips are toast, so are New Orleans trips.
I've done my work for/with FEMA with the buses and with buses in general... Granted I do love the work, but the miles aren't there unless somethin' like Katrina hits - and it's not worth it- they waived the hours of service for goooood reason.
They wanted us to still keep a log of what we did, only this time we didn't have to doctor it up.
Logged as we did... and we did.
720 miles is legal in one shot right? Smile EO drivers!!

I went out good, and for a good cause. Katrina & Rita Folks!!!
I moved some people for good cause... some of which were those power crews - those boys work for their money! Let me tell you, They run them in there for 21 day cycles - on for 16 hours, 8 off,
in all kinds of conditions -

truckin' and driving OTR isn't all that bad after you've seen what some people's work is after storms like Katrina and Rita.

I'm goin' back to truckin' now...
Why? well, it might sound strange, but the way I see it, Biloxi and all those other gulf towns are going to have to be "reborn"...
what does that mean? Buses aren't goin' down there...
There's not going to be any kind of real "tourism draw" any time soon.
Soooo, what else is there????
Construction!!! along with re-construction... and maybe even some relocating for some co.'s/operations in the gulf region.

What does that mean?
Materials will be needed, therefore trucks and freight will be needed. Freight will be going into Biloxi, MS, New Orleans area and Lake Charles, Louisiana and all those other big and small towns for atleast the next 6 to 8 months. Therefore, if the Freight will be moving, then as a truck driver - so will I.

Why struggle in the bus biz thru the winter season when I can be bouncin' all over the country movin' freight around, some of which will most likely end up in LA, MS, SE TX, and lower AL (eventually) for the reconstruction of the area. I foresee freight in regular trucking and expediting moving good for atleast the next year.
Katrina and Rita having alot to do with that, as freight haulers... I think we'll all be seeing alot more of LA & MS (more regularly) for some time.

The bus biz has been severely effected by those 2 hurricanes - Biloxi & New Orleans trips are toast - went up in smoke with Katrina. Rita didn't effect the bus trips that much since it really did not hit too much of the touristy area's, and what it did hit - Katrina already took a good chunk out of. The price of fuel is effecting the prices of trips, and therefore co.'s are having to charge more on trips that have already been scheduled. The bus biz in the SE has gotten to be a bidding war in some parts (due to fuel prices)... and that bidding war is effecting work for the drivers... People don't like to spend more money than they had planned to. When the trips price has to go up so the bus co. can make any kind of profit, people don't care... what do they do? they look elswhere for a lower price.
Price matching and bidding wars develop fast in scenario's like that.
therefore...

truckin' is gettin' me back, as a co. driver 1st.
And I'm glad to be goin' back.