[Lawrence]

Originally Posted by Suds43

Lawrence, I think you should put this post back on here! Let people read it and judge for themselves. After all, isn't this site to help prospective 'newbies', and others looking for a "good" o/o, and inform?? Not hide things. People need to see both sides of the industry. Why let them stumble into something that will in the least ruin them financially, not to mention the safety of their (and other's) lives.
It brings up another question, Why on earth would PII even want a fleet owner be associated with them and put their decals on unsafe trucks! It will reflect on PII, not the fleet owner. The public sees the PII decals, not who owns the truck.
I think if I was driving for the 'fleet in question', with the problems they had with both trucks assigned to them I'd of made a bee-line to the closest D.O.T. and request an inspection, give them all the details!!! As for not receiving their 1099's from the company, I'd probably head for the nearest gov't. tax office I could find!!!! It appears that this couple have all the receipts, paperwork they need, hopefully they've hired a good lawyer and went after this company!!!
Sometimes ya have to fight back!!!!
Fleet owners like this have no business being involved in the trucking industry.
Geeze, I wonder why people look down on truckers??? Can't figure it out!
The post that was removed is MUST READ for ALL drivers, and o/o's............

Rip-off Report: Expedite Solutions - Drivers Solutions DECEIT SCAM TRICKERY SLAVERY Indianappolis Indiana

Suds,

You missed the whole point. I'm going to ask you to do the following:
1. Read our Code of Conduct (Nothing new really, just codifying our values on the forums)
2. Read my comments carefully.

[tnt1271]

May I say that My husband and I drive for this owner and have heard many negative things. Although personally we have never been treated that way. There are always two sides to every story and everyone that goes through him has a chance to look at and even have an attorney look at the contract if they take the time to do it. I know of people who have gotten the shaft and I also know people who are still with them and have had no problems. He puts people that have had no experience in older trucks and as you get more experience and sees what your work ethic is like they upgrade you to better and better equipment. We have never had a problem with them fixing anything unsafe and we also have a brand new truck now.

I can say this though if you are planning on getting your class b the price they charge is a little steep and if you don't have money going into it you probably won't stay with them. So my suggestion is make sure you research thoroughly before making any commitments.

I can also say that they are not the best owners but they are also not the worst.

[mrgoodtude]

I agree with all the stated concerns hell I even started with CR England back in the day (on a lease).
Just want to paste a scenario that supports the drive by posting rule...
A driver of a fleet owner gets irritated at the owner for something they do not completely understand maybe is even clueless about how expedite really works..
Same person registers 5 aliases so as to slam the fleet owner and does so well..
1 person appearing as many tarnish the credibility of the fleet owner but wait all five of the slammers are 1st time posters.
Not fair practice for the fleet owner or the jury of peers here on the forum..
Just an example

[Lawrence]

Tude and TNT,
Agreed and Agreed.

There are ALWAYS two side to every story.

[cheri1122]

As for Panther's attitude towards safety inspections, my experience may have been an anomaly, but I think it's relevant to this discussion: when I signed on to Panther, from ConWay Now, part of the procedure was to have a vehicle inspection at Panther HQ. I gave the inspection report to the mechanic to fill out, and he said "Hell, it's just a cargo van!" and he filled out and signed it, without doing any inspection whatsoever. (I didn't object, having taken the van to my own mechanic on a regular basis, I felt secure in it's safety without an inspection)
Maybe the mechanics at Panther were overwhelmed by the influx of vehicles signing on at the same time, but still, it wasn't a good impression, for me. If that attitude prevails among the mechanics, I can see how unsafe vehicles get past the safety inspection.

[jaminjim]

Okay, he probably is a great owner. Someone just got a truck that the owner was unaware of some of the problems. Heck for that matter the settlement sheet that I saw from his drivers were probably fakes. I think being how they are a well known, and large fleet, they need the benefit of doubt. So what say everyone give him a fair chance.

[mrgoodtude]

Originally Posted by jaminjim

Okay, he probably is a great owner. Someone just got a truck that the owner was unaware of some of the problems. Heck for that matter the settlement sheet that I saw from his drivers were probably fakes. I think being how they are a well known, and large fleet, they need the benefit of doubt. So what say everyone give him a fair chance.

Naw Jim I agree with you and if the program is as described it "IS" a sham (no brainer) I am merely pointing out the possible abuse.
Had a new poster started with "has anyone else had this experience?" there would be no loss of credibility in responses from posters that are established.
CR England operated much the same way and it is no secret that they spend a lot of dollars in litigation to defend their way of doing business..
If nothing else (I think Kraig said it) Buyer beware...

[davekc]

After reading this thread, I am beginning to think I am the prince of fleet ownership.

Hey Broom.......thanks for the plug!

[Tennesseahawk]

Suds... I agree with all your points, save putting it back on. If EO made an exception here, they'd have to in other cases. Then the poster would disappear after having disrupted the forum with what could be false accusations. Think of it this way... banks usually don't offer loans to new accounts. (well... they didn't use to)

You stole my thunder on a couple points. Panther had to SEE the trucks they put decals on. This falls back on a post made not long ago, about should Panther implement a policy retiring trucks based on what they look like. I said that such a policy would be subject to favoritism. This kinda makes my point.

Also, I agree that if the truck was that unsafe, it should've been stopped at the first weigh station, and asked to have a level 1 performed.

Lawyers? One could only hope, though I doubt that will happen. While the driver involved made very specific points, it makes me wonder why they waited 8 months and two unsafe trucks before they quit. Not to mention all the questionable practices made either verbally or in contract. Red flags all around, yet they stayed put? And her husband was 20 yrs in law enforcement? I'm sure he had SOME contacts to ask about such abuses. Unless law enforcement now means security guard.

I will bring this up tho... being that IF the owner in question willfully and knowingly placed them in an "illegal" truck to fullfill that contract; doesn't the whole contract becomes null and void? Please correct me if my logic is wrong.

[Moot]

After reading The Ripoff Report I have also formed an opinion that I will not share. But I would like to comment on the writer's last line about not getting a 1099. If this company owes you money and made your life that miserable, why not return the favor. Call and report them to the IRS. It won't help you but it could put these people out of business, in jail or at the very least mess up the next few years of their lives.

[davekc]

Many of those points raise more questions than answers.
It seems we are really hearing part of the story and not necessarily all of it.
So much of this stuff could be easily avoided if one had done alittle research here at EO and just asking questions of drivers at some truck stops.

[LDB]

Originally Posted by Tennesseahawk

Panther had to SEE the trucks they put decals on.

Also, I agree that if the truck was that unsafe, it should've been stopped at the first weigh station, and asked to have a level 1 performed.

When Panther saw the truck and put decals on it it may have been a new truck or at least not nearly as bad as reported. If anything it reinforces the point that after a certain age all trucks need to be visually inspected.

I agree the thing to do with any truck owner who refuses to provide safe equipment is to pull in a weigh station for an inspection, perhaps even while under load. I say that because if a truck is truly that bad in that many different areas it will have more effect under load. Getting shut down loaded will definitely get the carrier's attention and have them looking into the safety of the truck. If a large fleet owner has several trucks similarly unsafe and more than one does this in a relative short timespan it may get the entire fleet properly inspected.

[arkjarhead]

Everyone keeps saying there are 2 sides to every story. Actually there are 3. The driver's side, the owner's side and the truth. Recently my father in law and my wife's uncle got into it. My father in law told me what happened. Then a couple of days later my wife's uncle told me what happened. 2 different stories. I told my wife's uncle the thing about 3 sides of the story. My wife's grandmaw says oh the uncle's side was the truth. Even though she wasn't there. She just dislikes her oldest daughter's husband(my father in law) so she sides with the uncle.

What does that have to do with the price of tea in China and this topic? It's quite simple. My father in law has a bad reputation. Just like for the most part fleet owners tend to have a smeared rep. People tend to beleive a driver that says they have been wronged because we see so much of it. Both people perceive the same situation differently. Therefore one story is off to the left and the other to the right. Somewhere in the middle is usually where the third side(the truth) is at. Hopes that makes sense. It made sense as I was typing it. If not feel free to think I am a retard.

[davekc]

Three works for me

[Broompilot]

[It is availabale the post I read last night thru the other site.

The rules are simple on here: No negative slander Right or Wrong in this case probably right, but you need to achieve a reputation.

I stand by Lawrence and the Rule... But I also enjoyed all of the reading, Education People I studied this site and made phone calls eliminated Panther from the begining was not for me, eliminated driving for someone else looked at their equipment, eliminated a used truck not enough expierence to determine a good one from a bad one. But in my elimination of a truck based on how clean they were everything I looked at I would not even park next to let alone live in for a week.