Report: Panther II Transportation
Category: Trucking Companies
Panther II Transportation ripoff Medina Ohio
*UPDATE Ex-Employee responds ..Panther Fleet Owners, Oh my, so glad to know there are more dishonest one! lol
Rebuttal Box
Respond to this report!
Are you an owner, employee or ex-employee with either negative or positive information about the company or individual, or can you provide "insider information" on this company? Victim of this person/company?
Are you also a victim of the same company or individual? Want Justice? File a Rip-off Report, help other consumers to be educated and don´t let them get away with it!
Panther II Transportation
Fax: 330-725-4530
Medina, Ohio, 44256
U.S.A.
Submitted: 6/28/2004 3:53:31 PM
Modified: 8/24/2008 9:22:57 PM
Susan
Reidsville, GeorgiaI have seen and read about Trucking companies that rip people off. So many trucking companies and so few know how / or do take care of their drivers. Had my husband and I known how bad they are we would have never gotten into this profession.
I scanned over alot of these companies and did not see anything about Panther II, so I knew it was up to me to let you know how they work.
If you do not own a truck and drive for someone that is a fleet owner.( sorry but I can't tell you from a owner's point of view )They pay good... very good if you run. But Panther II preapproves everyone that pulls for them. I teamed with my husband and had a speeding ticket so they had me on a one year probation.
When you run for them you are considered a lease driver and must turn in your trip pack by Thursday night to get paid in three weeks for those runs. But the money does not go to you, it goes to the owner of the truck. Each owner is different, but by law they are supposed to give you a settlment statment with each pay check.And if your luck is like mine seems to be running and the owner does not pay you Panther II will tell you that it is between you and the owner. They will tell you that you do not work for them and that they have nothing to do with it.
Panther II will run a check on you, make you pay $250.00 for a two day orintation, your own motel and food cost. They do feed you all the lunch you can eat anytime you are in the yard.
When my husband got to know acouple of people in the office there we found out that several other drivers had reported that Ken Smay was not paying them. But Panther II still continues to recommend drivers to drive for him. That is if a driver contacts them wanting to drive for their company Panther II will give the drivers info to Ken Smay ( or another fleet owner )and that owner will contact the driver and explain what is expected.
Each owner is different and one may pay your expences while another will not. One might rip you off while another might not.
Ken Smay did not pay my husband right while he was driving for him, but when he had had enough and quit Mr Smay said he had wrecked his truck.He mailed him a repair bill ( estiment) for one price and deducted another $150.00. I'm sure that in three mths. my husband had been ripped off for more then $2000.00.
So I have learned acouple of things about trucking. (1) make copies of everything you do ( I bought a copier and kept it on the truck with me,I am sure it paid for itself) (2)If it sounds or feels wrong there probably is something wrong with it. (3) get everything in writing...the Qual-Comm is a pain, but everything on it is a record. If a dispatcher says call me, don't.Make them put it in the Q-Comm. And your logs are legal records, so if the truck breaks down or you have to stop for anything...LOG IT!!! And keep notes of everything you do. (4) Do everything legal. I know the DM'S, dispatcher's or trucking companies tell you they want it legal, but turn around and tell you to fix your logs and make what they want you to do work. Do it legal. If they are going to do you wrong and Rip U Off, then it don't matter how hard you try to make them happy, they are just going to Rip U Off.
And if you have been RIPPED OFF tell people about it. This web site is the best thing I have seen on the web. It let's you tell people what you have been threw and warn other's of what they can face if they mess with these Rip Off's.And believe it or not you might even feel better after getting it off your chest. So Please tell others about your experences.
Susan
Reidsville, Georgia
U.S.A.
Looking for premium tickets? Concert Tickets | Sports Tickets | Theatre Tickets just visit www.TicketFeeder.com
Search for additional reports
If you would like to see more Rip-off Reports on this company/individual, please use the search box below:
In order to assure the best results in your search:
- Keep the name short & simple, and try different variations of the name.
- Do not include ".com", "S", "Inc.", "Corp", or "LLC" at the end of the Company name.
- Use only the first/main part of a name to get best results.
- Only search one name at a time if Company has many AKA’s.
Rebuttal Box
Respond to this report!
Are you an owner, employee or ex-employee with either negative or positive information about the company or individual, or can you provide "insider information" on this company? Victim of this person/company?
Are you also a victim of the same company or individual? Want Justice? File a Rip-off Report, help other consumers to be educated and don´t let them get away with it!Repair Your Reputation
Got Reports filed against you? Resolve the issues and rebuild trust through our Corporate Advocacy Program.
Updates & Rebuttals:
- This is crazy! goofy, screwy Jim [7/6/2004 6:21:03 PM]
- Panther II Transportation Dennis [6/2/2006 2:40:52 PM]
- Panther II Curtis [7/7/2006 8:08:15 PM]
- Susan...The Rip Off is NOT with Panther II..... Steve [7/9/2006 7:26:07 AM]
- Owners screwing drivers Brandon [7/26/2006 10:20:09 PM]
- Not all owners are bad Lynn [7/30/2006 10:41:31 PM]
- I stand corrected by Panthers lack of response Brandon [8/7/2006 7:54:41 PM]
- Taking Action Ruby [7/1/2007 6:05:49 AM]
- Ruby, STOP!! You have absolutely NO IDEA what you are talking about! Steve [7/2/2007 9:08:31 AM]
- Panther II Mistreats Owners, Drivers and Staff Beverly [8/18/2008 3:56:52 PM]
- Beverly, 'Supervisors' do not apply to contractors...Legally. Steve [8/18/2008 5:17:33 PM]
- Panther Fleet Owners, Oh my, so glad to know there are more dishonest one! lol Pardel [8/24/2008 2:01:28 PM]
This is crazy! goofy, screwy
Susan:
Why mess around with such a goofy, screwy arrangement? If you want to drive, then get a
job as a company driver with a reputable company.
This is not a blanket indictment of O/O's, but
unless that O/O has a very strong financial backing, then you're taking a great big risk.
One more thing Susan. When people get into the business, right away so many of them want to become an O/O and they get hooked up with companies like Prime and the rest. These places take advantage of drivers thru their 'fleece-purchase' arrangement.
YOU make their truck payments, YOU pay the truck's expenses and they get a great big tax advantage because you are then considered an independent contractor.
Oh yes, they will make you feel good by calling you an owner operator! They hold all the cards and
pull all the strings! If you want to be an owner operator, you establish a credit history and go buy a truck. That truck you buy will be enough truck to get the job done and it won't be the biggest long nose on the road with all the chrome and chicken lights. You'll be making a profit whereas Mr. Supertrucker O/O will be blaming all his problems on JB Hunt, Schneider and the state of Ohio. (Of course we know running your truck at 85, idling 100% of the time you're parked and throwing your money away on the video machines isn't a factor in their inablity to make it.) Yep, its a grand conspiracy between the Federal Government, the Hunts and Schneiders, the state of Ohio and the D. O. T.
JT
Panther II Transportation
Susan I am sorry your luck was not good with Panther but it looks like your problem was with Kenny Smay- the owner of the truck -not Panther II Transportation. Kenny being the contracted owner by Panther and you and your husband were contracted to drive for Kenny by Kenny. Panther only acted as an intermediary sending a would be driver looking for work- to an owner with an available truck. --that does not hold Panther liable. Panther has nothing to do with the terms set between Owners and their Drivers. Panther is not legally bound to enforce any agreement between any owner and their his drivers.
Panther II
check the ripoff report for last chance logistics. The problem with panther is that they do not stand behind the drivers. the owners of the trucks leased to panther are giving the company a bad name. alot of o/o are acctually employed at panther II, as well as having their trucks leased to pantherII. one o/o is employed at panther II and works in the driver settlement/payroll department. this should be a conflict of interest within the company and should not be allowed. however, she is employed under her maiden name and therefore does not appear to have any connection to the owner of the truck. the key is to go to the owners of panther and log your complaints about the o/o.
Susan...The Rip Off is NOT with Panther II.....
Susan,
Panther II is not really a trucking company as they own no trucks. They are nothing more than a glorified broker!
Your issues here are with the truck owner, and the contract you entered into with that truck owner as an independent contractor.
Until you learn more about the trucking business, you should take the advice of the other poster and get a job as an employee driver.
Do this right away...Go to the IRS website and print out form SS-8, 'Determination of worker status'...Fill it out truthfully and mail it in.
This will create your foundation for all other complaints, and to possibly get you paid the money you were shorted.
Good luck!
Owners screwing drivers
Okay Susan, I for one have been screwed, and reported it to this site as well. Majestic Transport owned by Dale and Christina Shively (assuming the name even exisits, I cannot find any records of it) have screwed me out of $1,000. Look at the wording in your contract with this Mr. Smay. As the employee stated very well above. You do not pay the TRUCK PAYMENTS, and you probably did not pay the cost of running the truck.
In my case, I DID NOT, which does not make me an independent contractor, it makes me an employee. Basically nullifieing the contract that I had with them. Thus, making them liable to Texas wage an hour laws, etc. They claim the governing law of their contract is the state of Nevada. Failing to realize they have no office in Nevada, and perform no business in Nevada. Panther II does not appreciate owners trying to screw drivers. I have contacted Panther myself in the matter with the Shivelys.
Ultimately while they may not force the owner to pay you. They can and most likely will remove the decals from their trucks, and truthfully notify other companies when referenced of the owners doings. I have contacted Panther and they are investigating other drivers who worked for them, and are looking into Shivelys bankruptcy that they knew nothing about. They had no idea that he 'might' loose his tractor he has leased to them. Which is a problem because the repo man can come pick the truck up at any truck stop, and take the truck and load.
I cannot say that anything has been done as of yet. But I am confident that Panther does not appreciate owners ruining their image. Making them look to be a company that allows an owner to do such things. Shively thinks I am to lazy to go through the motions and take the time to sue him. However, he will be quite surprised when were both deadheading home to be in court, and he is paying for those lost miles, full contract rate according to HIS contract. Which I am certain any Judge would laugh at. Look carefully through the contract and have an attorney look at it as well. And find anything and everything that could have, or was breached by the owner.
Panther does not appreciate it when drivers are getting screwed by owners. Ultimately they cannot take your money from their settlements. But, they can apply pressure forcing them to pay by threatening to terminate their contracts and remove their decals from the trucks they have leased to them. One big name brought up by Shively was Dave Handshoe (probably mispelled it). I blew a gasket, when he actually mentioned his name, basically implying that he knows whats going on. If he does, then I will stop at nothing until they both no longer have anything tied to Panther whatsoever. X ohio cop or not. I do not care, and I aint scared. Voice your opinion to the company. Somebody there will listen.
Not all owners are bad
Susan, I was just reading your message, and I am sorry to hear of what happened in your situation, but I work for PantherII and the owner of my van pays me each and every week with no problem, there are many owners that is who you need to have the problem with not Panther. My owner paid the orientation fee, my hotel, and my exspenses to get there, so see it was just the owner that 'ripped' you off.
I stand corrected by Panthers lack of response
Well Susan, I stand corrected. Panther DOES NOT give a terd and a shake about the drivers. They seem to think that the owners are what matters. I hope that someday they will be very pleased with all of the trucks they have leased to them. Then sadly disappointed once they realize that they have no drivers. Because with no drivers, ultimately they have no business at all.
I have emailed two 'big-wigs' at Panther explaining my situation. I have also filed a lawsuit against the owners I was driving for. And if Panther can be found liable for anything in the contract that the owners had with me (Panthers name is an many places within their contract), I will pursue a lawsuit against them as well. Panther is nothing but a bunch of pukes sitting around laughing and patting the owners who do not pay their drivers on the back.
And 'Lynn' the owners that do pay you 'right' and what not, are probably the ones who either really want to keep their trucks moving, or do not realize that Panther will not do anything regarding them trying to give their drivers the shaft.
I plan to come off the truck in November and either go back to work where I was working, or go to Swift or some other trucking company that actually gives you thousands of miles each week. Contrary to what Panther thinks, and says. If your wheels aren't moving, you aren't making any money. Sure, your last load might have paid you $800 or whatever. But you also have to 'dollar cost' your sitting and waiting time too. Which they seem to think will 'balance out'. Bunch of retards to me. Now I see why they have no 'company' equipment. They would fail themselves. Especially with the way that they operate.
There is no true 'first in - first out' basis. If the load is more than 500 miles, you can count on you the solo driver being passed on for it to go to a team truck, or having to swap it mid-way. They suck. If I should ever own my own truck, I will NOT lease it to Panther. And they are full of crap thinking that buying Conway Now made them the 'largest' expediting company in North America. Think about it, the largest in North America, probably the whole world is FedEx. FedEx is like the USPS, everybody uses FedEx. Panther is a bunch of small fries trying to claim their place in the business. And apparently getting shoved out little by little more and more each year. Panther is not a good company for an owner or driver.
Any company that allows the owner to screw the driver, I really do not care to stay driving for. I was making more money at $9.50 an hour working here in Houston. I have already lost just about everything I own except for my car and furniture that are in storage all because the last owner I drove for jipped me out of money, and did not pay me according to the contract. I wish I could copy that and paste it on here, but this site probably would never post it. Anyways, I agree Susan. Panther is a BAD BAD BAD company. I hate Panther and cannot wait to get back to working for Tom-Mac making REAL money again.
Taking Action
Susan, I hated to hear that you had been mistreated by a Fleet Owner not all of them are bad people. My Father owned several Trucks and had several Drivers that worked for him. I am happy to say that if he was still alive they would probable still work for him. There are ways that you can get the money that is due to you. But Panther is not responsible for that situation and as long as the fleet owner does complie with their regulations they are obligated to keep them leased on the lease agreement that a fleet owner signs with a trucking company is very complexed in regards to both parties rights.
It would not be smart for the trucking company to take on the task of managing someone elsa's fleet in that respect.
But you as a self employed contractor for the fleet owner do have rights to protect you from loss of wages that are earned. I would suggest that you contact your local Labor Board and get with the person that handles non payment of wages to contract labores. You will need to get any information that you can regarding the loads that you hauled and the rate of pay that was agreeded on when you took the job.
I would start by asking for dispatch report on the loads you pulled. Don't forget your log book either that is a legal record by all means that you drove and delivered ay load and this has to be kept by the fleet owner the trucking company and you should also keep this record. File the complaint against the fleet owner and watch things turn around. Panther has no dog in this race they are as much a victim in this as you are no trucking company wants to have a bad reputation for not trating drivers in a fair manner. But they have no control over the fleet owners finances. But they do have a legal obligation to honor their lease agreement until such time the fleetowner breaks that lease in some way.
Another thing I would like to touch on with you is how you think that Panther is just a glorified Broker because they do not own any trucks. Actually a Trucking Company is a company the retains customers with freight for haul directly and moves that frieght on trucks that are leased to them using their own authority and Insurance Most Trucking Companies in the beginning did not own very many trucks if any.
Now a Broker is a company or individual that contracts freight movement from direct customers and then has the freight moved by a Trucking Company The Brokers do not have to have operating authorities or Cargo Insurance they have Broker Authority and a lot less liability than the trucking Company.
I have not had any experience with Panther Myself but I get upset when a Trucking Company that is dedicated to owner operators is accussed of being a glorified broker just because they do not own trucks them self when in reality They are the main stay of the independent Owner operators of america. Just think about it for a minute if you are a trucking company with a fleet of your own and owner operators who's truck do you think will get the best freight and be set up on the dedicated routes as they become available.
Human nature says that the company trucks would be first and that is to be expected you have to make money to stay in buisness and maintain your equipment. And most Trucking companies with fleets start out adding O/O's simply to haul the over flow of freight their own trucks cannot handle this is common knowledge in this buisness and quit acceptable.
If you do not have trucks then the Owner Operator's have the priority of course because they make the freight move. So please don't judge a trucking Company by the amount of trucks they own judge them by their performance (Performance that is legally within their abilities) Remember they have rules and regulations to live by as well.
Ruby, STOP!! You have absolutely NO IDEA what you are talking about!
Ruby,
It is obvious that you have never driven a big truck as a Class A CDL holding individual. The fact that your father owned trucks does not mean that you know anything about the business.
Here is part of what you wrote that proves you have no idea what you are talking about:
>>
'...But you as a self employed contractor for the fleet owner do have rights to protect you from loss of wages that are earned. I would suggest that you contact your local Labor Board and get with the person that handles non payment of wages to contract labores. You will need to get any information that you can regarding the loads that you hauled and the rate of pay that was agreeded on when you took the job'.
>>
If you are a 'self employed' contractor as you stated, there are no 'wages' involved, AND the local labor board has absolutely no authority! They only have authority over employer/employee issues. And, the 'JOB' terminology DOES NOT apply to independent contractors. As soon as you say JOB, you are an employee. The same as if you use the words hire or fire.
That is the root of the scam here. Here's why.
To TRULY be an 'independent contractor' you MUST be able to suffer 'substantial financial loss' OTHER THAN monies earned for services performed. This means you must have a financial investment in place to LEGALLY be an 'independent contractor'. Just because you sign an agreement to be one, does NOT make it so.
Furthermore, if anyone imposes work rules on you or sets your schedule, you are an employee.
To truly be an independent contractor, you must be able to offer your services to anyone you choose any time you choose. Which means, you would actually have to own your own truck and even have your own authority to LEGALLY be an independent contractor. That way you could offer your services to anyone of your choosing at any time, and also would have financial risk.
I have fought these issues, in court, as well as with the labor board and the IRS. I know EXACTLY what I am talking about as I have written determination from the USDOL and the IRS to prove it.
Panther II Mistreats Owners, Drivers and Staff
Don't worry....Panther II doesn't play favorites...they mistreat everyone.
I got in trouble for being too nice to the drivers. I got in trouble because I would try to give back to owners the money taken from them, and what did I get for my troubles????? I'll tell you....no raise, no respect and no one to stand up for the abuse 'MOST' of the employees take. Folks....you have no idea what the dispatchers have endured. Yes....they do know who are the 'worst' owners...and yes they do find drivers for them, but they are not honest with the owners either.
To be fair....there are a couple of wonderful supervisors, and staff...but when it comes to the 'big-wigs'.....they don't care. For all of you that leave...there are 50 more coming thru the door for the next round of orientation....and you know how much money that makes them!
Beverly, 'Supervisors' do not apply to contractors...Legally.
Beverly,
I hope you were referring to supervisors only in regards to the dispatchers and office staff, etc. The drivers are independent contractors which means no 'supervisor' can tell them anything...legally.
As soon as you create 'work rules'...You have an employee!
You cannot direct the time or activities of an INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR.
You can only 'contract' the end result.
That is the law.
It is defined under IRS rules and USDOL regulations.
The FMCSA has also made determinations.
As has State Law in many states.
It is common in the trucking industry for companies to illegally treat independent contractors as employees. It happens only because most drivers are uninformed in regard to the law, or are too desperate to do or say anything about it.
Man up.
Step up.
Quit whining.
Take action.
>>>
Submitted: 8/18/2008 3:56:52 PM
Modified: 8/18/2008 4:25:33 PM Beverly
Chippewa Lake, Ohio
U.S.A.
Panther II Mistreats Owners, Drivers and Staff
Don't worry....Panther II doesn't play favorites...they mistreat everyone.
I got in trouble for being too nice to the drivers. I got in trouble because I would try to give back to owners the money taken from them, and what did I get for my troubles????? I'll tell you....no raise, no respect and no one to stand up for the abuse 'MOST' of the employees take. Folks....you have no idea what the dispatchers have endured. Yes....they do know who are the 'worst' owners...and yes they do find drivers for them, but they are not honest with the owners either.
To be fair....there are a couple of wonderful supervisors, and staff...but when it comes to the 'big-wigs'.....they don't care. For all of you that leave...there are 50 more coming thru the door for the next round of orientation....and you know how much money that makes them!
>>>
Panther Fleet Owners, Oh my, so glad to know there are more dishonest one! lol
Oh my, Sounds like you got off easy if your only out 2000.00! Believe me, your not alone, others have been ripped off by fleet owners as well. Unfortunately, it does not matter which company your truck is leased on with. The issue is between you and the fleet owner, not the trucking company. We drove for PantherII as well for Expedite Solutions. Want to talk about a rip-off? Go drive for them and you will really find out what rip-off means. They still owe us approx 9000.00 and you can bet we will never see it. Then on top of not paying us they send us a bill for my husbands Class B cdl for 6900.00 and try to bill me for mine that I have had for 14 years, and with no mention of the 9000.00 they owe us. lol The fleet owner I drove for is Vile Kyle Ochs. We have been driving for an honest fleet owner now for the past 15 months and are very happy and making good money and GETTING PAID.
Ahhhhh, I thought Vile Kyle was one of a kind, guess not! Misery loves company! lol You can check Vile Kyle out by typing Expedite Solutions into your rip off report search. It will make you feel sooooo much better to know you weren't nearly as screwed as some of us was. lol :)
Rebuttal Box
Respond to this report!
Are you an owner, employee or ex-employee with either negative or positive information about the company or individual, or can you provide "insider information" on this company? Victim of this person/company?
Are you also a victim of the same company or individual? Want Justice? File a Rip-off Report, help other consumers to be educated and don´t let them get away with it!Repair Your Reputation
Got Reports filed against you? Resolve the issues and rebuild trust through our Corporate Advocacy Program.
Advertisers below have met our strict standards for business conduct.
