Each passing day its getting closer to closer to me joining ya'll out on the road. Next week I go to a oreination. Im nervous, excited, and antsy all at the same time. This is going to be a adventure to get use to a completly new life style. And at this moment ya'll are probably wondering what company i'll be going to, it will be Panther. Figure it's a good starting point. So hopefully if all goes well next week, i'll see you on the great open road!
My time is comming...
- Thread starter Rob1982
- Start date
My friend just got a load from indy to laredo, dropped last friday and got a load right back out of there to orangeburg sc, then that same day got a load from sc back to indiana, and today got a load indiana to wisconsin. He's done around 10k miles in 5 weeks as far as i've counted, but he has been there for 6 years, and knows how to work the system.
I made 15k in 11 weeks when I first signed on with them with my own cargo van. It's hard to say if you will be as successful, because you are going to have to go through a learning curve of their system of operation, and to discover where they can get you loads from.
Any how, I wish you good luck in orientation, and when you get out, don't sit with all the other vans at that lodi ta, drive out of there and get yourself away from the pack!! If you need any help or advice about how to work the 16 hour clock or how to make sure you don't get loads swapped out on you, just send me a pm. I can't make these trade secrets public lol!
I made 15k in 11 weeks when I first signed on with them with my own cargo van. It's hard to say if you will be as successful, because you are going to have to go through a learning curve of their system of operation, and to discover where they can get you loads from.
Any how, I wish you good luck in orientation, and when you get out, don't sit with all the other vans at that lodi ta, drive out of there and get yourself away from the pack!! If you need any help or advice about how to work the 16 hour clock or how to make sure you don't get loads swapped out on you, just send me a pm. I can't make these trade secrets public lol!
Thanks for the best wishes Mike. Ive heard its not going to be easy with Panther, but hey we all got to start somewhere some time. A lot of the company's I wanted to get in with require experince. So i'm hoping I at least gain that.
And Blizzard chances are once I get going, I will shoot you a message to pick your brain some. Every little bit helps!
And Blizzard chances are once I get going, I will shoot you a message to pick your brain some. Every little bit helps!
You will get good experience at panther. They will micro-manage you a lot which will instill very keen delivery skills into your method of operation. I still hear the beep coming when I am doing a load for a broker and take a 15 minute fuel stop and feel that i've sat for too long. I am not working for panther anymore and their tracking team is still tacking me telepathically. But this is a good thing, as it will make you a better driver!! Panther has helped shape me into the driver I am today. Good Luck!
Well thanks for them words yet again Blizzard. I know starting off and with no experince, I have to find a starting point, we all do. I've already have had a few people tell me i'm going to really not like it at Panther. Just cause how they like to operate. But again my big thing specially with the first few months is to get experince, and more experince and learn as much as I possibly can. And it sounds like I will be working for a good fleet owner, so that's got to help i'd like to think lol
jimby82
Veteran Expediter
Rob,
Good luck to you! We (my wife and I) are in the same boat as you, having no experience, and with few choices with respect to carriers. We are going with FedEx, teaming in a D straight truck.
Hope we are both successful! We'll be joining you out on the road before too long.
Good luck to you! We (my wife and I) are in the same boat as you, having no experience, and with few choices with respect to carriers. We are going with FedEx, teaming in a D straight truck.
Hope we are both successful! We'll be joining you out on the road before too long.
Don't be to surprised if the first thing you see after Orientation is the great open parking lot.
Yes Panther's Safety department restricts us vanners to 16 hours, after which we must take a 5 hour break. They tell us on the QualComm what time we must stop and swap loads off us if the 5 hour break interferes with on time delivery.
I think this practice is unsafe. My friend has had to drive 1k miles straight through in 16 hours just to be able to hang onto a load. He was tired and could have used a cat nap, but they would have swapped the load if he slowed down his speed and stopped. When I get a thousand mile load to do in 23 hours, I know that there is time for a break in it, the only difference is that I decide when to take the break, not some arbitrary rule system. I take my break when I am no longer safe to contune on. I think the driver should be the one to make the call on when the break needs to be taken and what not. But, hey, that's just me!
Mike99
Veteran Expediter
You are right. Panther does not tell the driver in the load offer or when he pick up the load that will be or not a transfer. What the driver do? Speed over and run because he is afraid that if he is late Panther will swap the load.I have a friend who did an accident because of this two winters ago.I don't know why Panther can not tell you from the beginning that will be a transfer or not. For example ,TriState when offer you a long load they tell from the beginning (in the load offer) that will be a transfer, when ,where and the exact miles. A lot of times Panther gives you a load, 600 miles with 80 miles pick up and after just 150-200 miles the quallcom start beeping to stop and transfer the load. They are very annoying with this procedure.So when you accept a load over 500 miles you never know where your trip will end. In a good area or in the middle of nothing. I think they are the only company who do that.They calculate your speed at 47 mph.So even if the GPS show you that you can do the run in safe time they said that after their math you can't. I think a CDL driver can drive safe a 7-800 miles run without any problem. Other stupid Panther method is that if you are wake up in the morning and drive to have a coffee or a breakfast the QC start counting your hours....But what can I say, it is their company and they makes the rules. You can stay or leave...I know that they lost a lot of quality drivers because this ''safety'' method .I have a friend who was in NC before Thanks giving and get a load home in Miami FL. He was very happy. What Panther did? Swap the load in Jacksonville FL.So after they did the swap the load, both vans went in Miami, one following the other one
) .My friend was so upset ,that after he arrived home ,took down the QC and sent it back in OH.
You are right. Panther does not tell the driver in the load offer or when he pick up the load that will be or not a transfer. What the driver do? Speed over and run because he is afraid that if he is late Panther will swap the load.I have a friend who did an accident because of this two winters ago.I don't know why Panther can not tell you from the beginning that will be a transfer or not. For example ,TriState when offer you a long load they tell from the beginning (in the load offer) that will be a transfer, when ,where and the exact miles. A lot of times Panther gives you a load, 600 miles with 80 miles pick up and after just 150-200 miles the quallcom start beeping to stop and transfer the load. They are very annoying with this procedure.So when you accept a load over 500 miles you never know where your trip will end. In a good area or in the middle of nothing. I think they are the only company who do that.They calculate your speed at 47 mph.So even if the GPS show you that you can do the run in safe time they said that after their math you can't. I think a CDL driver can drive safe a 7-800 miles run without any problem. Other stupid Panther method is that if you are wake up in the morning and drive to have a coffee or a breakfast the QC start counting your hours....But what can I say, it is their company and they makes the rules. You can stay or leave...I know that they lost a lot of quality drivers because this ''safety'' method .I have a friend who was in NC before Thanks giving and get a load home in Miami FL. He was very happy. What Panther did? Swap the load in Jacksonville FL.So after they did the swap the load, both vans went in Miami, one following the other one
I have a friend that drives for Panther. He will concur with the above statements. The coffee thing is true, u turn that switch and u go from first out to some number down the line. Why is he still there u say, hes got a pension and is out here just to stay busy and see the country, well it works for him.
So I have a update. Im not going to mention the company just yet I want to make sure things get more finalized first. But I got a better offer with a smaller company, and from what Ive been seeing, if I get that chance I should take it. And I will! Don't know when the next oreination will be but when I find out more ill defitnly fill ya'll in!
AMonger
Veteran Expediter
And people wonder why I detest any company that wants to put a satellite tracker on board. It lets them do stupid crap like that.
When I was a computer operator, we had two mainframe systems in the room, one for production and the other for backup and development. Everybody liked running the production system but nobody liked running the development system because programmers were all over it and you continually mounted tapes and tore print at their request. The operator ran the primary system, but the development system runs the operator. That's how I view companies that want to track van drivers with satellites; something that should work to our benefit is turned around and works against us in some circumstances.