Complaint Review: Paschall Truck Lines - Murray Kentucky

I am relatively new to the industry. Having only been with Werner for approximately a year, I left and took some time away. PTL was enticing with their statement of all trucks having APUs and 33cpm was a pay raise from Werner, added to the fact that they are not forced dispatch to NYC or Northeast and offering a bonus if you take a load there.

My problems; lack of miles, not reimbursing me for expenses, sitting...

I like to run hard, I averaged about 3000-3400 miles a week with Werner, PTL, I have yet to break 1500 miles, my average is around 1100 miles a week... I did not get back into trucking for $200 a week paychecks. I have spoken with my "fleet manager" who says he would talk with the "planner"--why they are not the same person is beyond me. The planner looks at where you are and how many hours you have left on your clock and plans a load for you; even sending you the information. What the dispatcher does, I have no idea... maybe they are there as an intermediary for the planner and driver?

Several times I have had to scale out loads, or pay tolls in Oklahoma, as they do not have the Pike Pass. I have yet to be reimbursed for a single expense. Calling payroll causes you to be put on hold while they talk to someone else and eventually you are disconnected.

Also, I have sat every weekend so far. If I do not have a load by Friday afternoon, I do not have a load until Monday morning... they have yet to pay the promised layover pay. And the several times I have been detained at a shipper, I have not beed paid their promised detained pay.. if you call to inquire about it, they tell you that they talk to the shipper and it is up to them if they pay it or not. The few times I have been under a load on a Friday, 99% of the time, it is something that picks up in the early morning and delivers late in the evening on Monday and is only 300 or so miles away... if I am not going to be home on a weekend, give me a 1500 mile run to work with!

Also, there have been several shortages on my paycheck. When I call to inquire about them, I am put through the same routine when calling to ask about expense reimbursement. There are several deductions that I have no idea what they are and payroll will not explain. If you opt for their insurance, there is a six month waiting period before you are eligible; but they still take the money out of your weekly paycheck.. when asked, I was told, "It's just how things are done".

My dispatcher is short with me, I call to ask about a shipper number so I can call and see if they will load me early, or if I arrive the night before, if I can park at their lot. He starts yelling saying shippers don't like it when drivers call them so they don't give out numbers. The several times I have called driver services to ask to be given a new dispatcher, they ask what is wrong with the current one I have. When I tell them my issues, they tell me they will investigate--yet nothing gets done.

My APU has broken down a few times and I was told by Road Maintenance to idle my truck and they will route me to get it fixed. On average, it takes three weeks to get around to getting it fixed and then some department complains about your idle percent. To which I have told them to talk with RM because they are the ones that told me to idle my truck... I am not willing to roast/freeze to death sitting in the cab and I will not roll down the windows because of the chances of someone climbing in and robbing/assaulting me. If they don't like my idle times, get my APU fixed faster. The few times I have blown a tire, it takes on average six hours from the time you call it in, before they let you know they got someone on the way to fix it...  And of all the trailers I have pulled, only one has not had any issues... their equipment is poorly maintained. Bad tires, bad electrical, broken tandem pins, holes in the sides or floor, leaking trailers, etc.

I have many complaints with this company that often go unresolved when brought to the attention of driver services... which it is their sole purpose to resolve driver complaints...