[Tennesseahawk]

Turtle... that was my original thought about outsmarting the secrets... go where there are no other trucks. You keep giving away your thoughts, and they'll all park around YOU!

[LDB]

I don't know if they are still giving a little bit of bonus or not. I do know it has happened in the past but not sure about 2008. My observations are just that, my observations. Panther doesn't have enough money to buy me to report something that isn't so and certainly not $50.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by LDB

I can't speak about all carriers but I can speak about Panther. I've sat in dispatch observing. They encourage that. Next time you're near Seville instead of sitting at the T/A waiting on a load go sit in dispatch and see for yourself. Now, I'm not a computer programmer so I can't comment on the inner workings of the computer but I can tell you the dispatch screens I saw didn't highlight miles or revenues in the truck availability lists. If you know ahead of time you will be there and can sit in dispatch email Rick Buffington to set it up. There's a rumor that if you spend a 1/2 day sitting in dispatch observing $50 will magically appear on your next settlement.

I can't speak about Panther as of yet Leo, but I can speak about FedEx Custom Critical. I have sat with the agents many times at FedEx and the agents can't do that at FedEx without a good reason. If they want to skip a truck to to give it to another unit. At FedEx a screen will pop up saying you need a reason to do this and it better be a good one. Like the other unit can make the pickup on time. If they skip you and it is found that the reason was not a valid reason the agent will be fired. So I will say it's not worth it to an agent to lose there job.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Twizted1

Yes, I fully understand that some equipment will get loads before other equipment. Im talking about cargo vans and I do have a class c with haz-mat team, working on a b .I talked with and viewed others equipment in my class of truck, on the same board as me and they were in fact dispatched before me even though I was ahead of them.I called in and cant get my team lead to call me back.

I'm sorry I wouldn't wait for your team lead to call you back after 24 hrs. My next step would be to their boss. The change of command works great. Even the president has a boss, his boss is his WIFE. lol

If your in a van running as a husband and wife team like Terry and Rene did for years at Robert Express/FedEx Custom Critcal as a owner you can do fine. But to be honest if your running for a owner in a van I don't know how you can make alot of money. In a van there is so many things that can stop you from getting that van load. Yea the customer may have just one skid that is only 500 lbs, but they don't have a ramp to load a cargo van either. So many different things to look at. Can you go to Canada? Does your Cargo Van have a DOT sleeper. How long is the load? If the load is over 1150 miles at most carriers they will have to a transfer because they don't let b units teams do load over 1150 miles.

I will say this Phil Madison and me don't always see eye to eye on things. But Phil did his homework when him and his wife did his truck build. They checked into what truck has the best chance of getting the best of both worlds. I have always said that a C-Unit or a CR unit is the best unit to have. My 1st truck was a C-unit. Lets say a full rate B-load comes up and its going 2500 miles who is going to get the offer 1st? A C-unit team because it's over 1150 miles and the company will not have to set a transfer on the load a few times if the load was put on a C-unit team.

Something to think about. Just some of my thoughts.

[pjjjjj]

Originally Posted by LDB

Panther doesn't have enough money to buy me to report something that isn't so and certainly not $50.

I was kiddin ya Leo, I know you're not for sale (like the rest of us!!!). Just having fun. It is nice of PII tho, to even allow a driver to sit in dispatch awhile. I would imagine that would be the last thing many carriers would want their drivers to do.

[pjjjjj]

Oh myyyyyyy.. look how fast my horses are trotting today!!!!!!!!! Wow!!!!
Ok.. so right after I posted this, the horses stopped altogether.. I closed EO and reopened.. still the horses are stopped.. I really DO have computer issues lately, don't I tho?

[TeamCaffee]

Your horses are only stopped for you! They look like they are moving on to me.

We have also sat watching loads being dispatched, drivers calling in, and loads being called in. What an eye opener to see all of this. We put on head sets to listen to the calls between customers and also when drivers were called by dispatch and also when drivers called in.

Next time we are at the office we will once again sit with the dispatchers and watch how the load opps are sent out to the trucks and how the replies come in.

The more we have done this the more comfortable we with how FedEx dispatches loads and why the loads are given to certain trucks. The more you can learn about how the system works the better you can understand why things happen the way they do.

I agree if you are in the area stop by the office and set with the dispatchers. If you are at the office in Green I am sure you will get a meal in the cafeteria and that food is great!

[LDB]

Oh man, talk about good cafeteria food. It's unexpected to find that in there, at least to me. I got to sit in dispatch at Fedex for about 30-40 minutes when I was there. It's a less hectic pace than Panther, at least on that day, but there's no favoritism going on there that can be seen, even if you are ignoring who you're sitting with and secretly observing someone else to get the most honest picture possible of whether there's favoritism or not.

[Twizted1]

Originally Posted by LDB

I don't know if they are still giving a little bit of bonus or not. I do know it has happened in the past but not sure about 2008. My observations are just that, my observations. Panther doesn't have enough money to buy me to report something that isn't so and certainly not $50.

I do appreciate your honesty and also knowledge of the inner workings of panther.I hope, maybee the higher ups could respond and enlighten us all.I will make a trip to seville either to see dispatch in action or turn in my QC in the near future.You would think teams in general would be gold in there eyes.

[pelicn]

We've also had the opportunity to watch dispatch in action. I have to say, that's a job I would NOT want. Just watching them, I felt like "a one legged man in a butt kickin contest" and I didn't see any favoritism.

[cheri1122]

Twizted1: the problem isn't that Panther doesn't appreciate teams, it's that there are just too many cargo vans competing for the loads available. Driving a van is (relatively) easy, which makes it attractive to a much larger pool of O/Os & drivers than the bigger trucks, and consequently there are probably always going to be more vans available than freight to keep them running. It's the nature of the business, and unless you can work very smart, or are very lucky, I think the really good weeks are outnumbered by those that aren't. They were for me, anyway, when I was a van O/O.

[Twizted1]

Originally Posted by cheri1122

Twizted1: the problem isn't that Panther doesn't appreciate teams, it's that there are just too many cargo vans competing for the loads available. Driving a van is (relatively) easy, which makes it attractive to a much larger pool of O/Os & drivers than the bigger trucks, and consequently there are probably always going to be more vans available than freight to keep them running. It's the nature of the business, and unless you can work very smart, or are very lucky, I think the really good weeks are outnumbered by those that aren't. They were for me, anyway, when I was a van O/O.

Cheri,
I do understand that the industry is saturated with vans and it would seem that getting into a van would be a easy job to some.I just dont understand why they advertise,how they need teams,favore teams,when they dont run them any different than a solo.Makes no sense to me why bother even having teams in a van at all?Doesnt the swap out fees justify having teams? also,the freight is sopposedly inclusive to that truck one way?Another pointer would be that a team in a cargo van would work there way up to a bigger truck if treated fairly at that carrier.I have a very sour taste in my mouth from the latest events and ready to move to a carrier who appreciates a team!!!

[cheri1122]

They advertise for teams because it's to their advantage to have teams available for the long runs. They really don't care whether you would 'move up' to a larger truck, (if you earned enough money to do so), they care about covering all the loads they might get. Which means having more units signed on than are needed on any given day (some of which will be out of service).
I personally would think that turnover is a very bad (and costly) problem, but apparently, many carriers consider it preferable to doing what it takes to retain the good O/Os & drivers. And as long as there are newbies ready to jump in, they have no problem signing them on. Until the labor market changes, (which aint happening any time soon), the carriers have an almost endless supply of folks ready to sign on, most of whom won't stay more than a few months.
I keep remembering an interview in one of the trucking mags, where the president of Panther was bragging about his ability to pull 50 cargo vans to a shipper, on an hour's notice. In order to accomplish that (probably once in a lifetime deal) he needed to have 50 vans available, and that there were, says it all, for me.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by cheri1122

Twizted1: the problem isn't that Panther doesn't appreciate teams, it's that there are just too many cargo vans competing for the loads available. Driving a van is (relatively) easy, which makes it attractive to a much larger pool of O/Os & drivers than the bigger trucks, and consequently there are probably always going to be more vans available than freight to keep them running. It's the nature of the business, and unless you can work very smart, or are very lucky, I think the really good weeks are outnumbered by those that aren't. They were for me, anyway, when I was a van O/O.

I will say this Cheri1122 and TerryandRene are the pro's when it comes to vans.

[OntarioVanMan]

cheri.....define good weeks and bad weeks....

is that your good or my good or turtles good or my bad?

i get sooo confused....


in the van world one can't measure good or bad in such a small time frame...you know that...aggregate average is the only way to measure.