Paschall Truck Lines - Murray, Ky.

Discussion in 'Report A BAD Trucking Company Here' started by rundowner, Dec 7, 2006.

  1. rundowner

    rundowner Bobtail Member

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    Dec 7, 2006
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    There are a couple things that need to be known about this company. First, the recruiter told me that I could run regional out of Indiana (I live in Ohio) and be home weekly. NOT. You have to live in Cinci or Dayton only. Secondly, when employed, the home time is after 6 days out then you can ask to get home. They have 5 days to get you there (11 days total) NOT happening. I could not get home unless I bobtailed home for an important court date. Bottom line, they hire about 60 new people a week, treat you like a bunch of cattle, and tell you whatever you want to hear to get you to say yes. Unless you want to live in the truck and get home every month or so for a day maybe, don't work for this company. After I was out for 15 days I was told that for every 5 days out, 1 day off. I signed up for a 3 day off time and got a bunch of BS about it. Hey, is was their policy to begin with. Same with the 6 day out policy. They can't even be straight with their own policies. Good point, they paid what they said they would pay and I got my feet wet and am now with another, smaller, company, that hopefully will do what they say they will do. All I ask for is some honesty, just a bit, about what they will do. We'll see.
     
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  3. Tip

    Tip Tipster

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    PTL hires 60 drivers a WEEK? Man, that's some turnover. How many trucks do they have? 500? I never found out. It doesn't matter if it's 100, 500, or 1000. Sixty drivers a week at PTL is WAY too much turnover. You should have been able to see this at your orientation. You could have just counted the heads and figured out they aren't worth working for by 10 a.m. on day one and fled before getting hired on. This would have been ideal, as you always want to find out a company sucks before getting hired. And you'll usually know by noon if you're dealing with a rotten company because it's easy to figure out when you know what to look for. Yeah, you gotta use your noodle and go in with a skeptical mind. No company that has 60 drivers a week going through their revolving door will come out and tell you they suck, after all. Am I right?

    When I was driving, if the crap was knee deep by noon on the first day, I'd head back to my Celica and would be showing my taillights to that company's orientation. I was able to do this because I always drove my own vehicle to those orientations.

    If you figure out what to look for at orientation classes and never compromise, you'll be fine. You'll probably drive away from a few on your own dime, but it'll be worth it later when you find a good company worth working for. You know--a company that MIGHT have 2 guys quit a month at most.

    Good luck.
     
  4. KD5AXG

    KD5AXG Papa Bear

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    Well, I am sitting in Murray right now at the motel, waiting to get upgraded tomorrow. First off, I have to say that outside of DOT physical and drug screen, I never felt like I was in a herd. Second, if you took everything your recruiter said at face value, I have a nice bridge to sell you. I guess I learned on this site and a couple of others not to trust your recruiter. Third, its 1 day off for 6 days out, and yes, they MAY take up to 5 days to get you home after your request. Does it make ANY sense to have you in Florida, only to have you bobtail home to Ohio? Not to me. I'd rather route my way home and make money. Fourth, yes you can ask for more days off, but they request prior notice.

    I don't think they are unfair. PTL is WAY better than most anyone else I have checked into. You are the first negative I have heard on the company driver side. Infact my orientation class had at least 6 return drivers. Most of us were new drivers, and they told us in class that they didn't expect maybe 20% to be here in a year. Most of the new drivers have no clue what to expect out there. I missed my 17 year wedding aniversary, 1st one my wife and I have EVER been apart for.

    I am not sure what you expect from them, but this is a trucking company, and a good one for drivers if you work with them. And they will work with you back. I am sorry if you are not having a good time. I am having a BLAST!!!:headbang: :occasion5:
     
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  5. Tip

    Tip Tipster

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    I remember Murray well. I used to pick up loads at the dairy there. I spent many a day waiting on loads at the small truckstop north of town, the truckstop just north of the skating rink.

    Sometimes to kill time I'd bobtail down to Murray State.

    Murry's a cool little town in the middle of nowhere.
     
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  6. THE BEST

    THE BEST Light Load Member

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    I am sorry if you are not having a good time. I am
    ___________________________________________________________

    Different strokes for different folks.:-D
     
  7. thunderhead_driver

    thunderhead_driver Bobtail Member

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    Dec 30, 2006
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    former driver with ptl, possibly going back. their main problem i had, was a new system they put in just before i left. they wanted to put the fuel stop in your route plan so u have to use that one, instead of one of the other authorized fuel stops that best fits your schedule. sometimes the stop they want u to use may not be the most convienient.
     
  8. KD5AXG

    KD5AXG Papa Bear

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    Commerce, Texas
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    Yes, they do provide you with a "Fuel Solution" with each trip. Sometimes they hit right, sometimes they don't. Not that big of a deal for me. But I am still a newbie.:smt047
     
  9. Guitarstring

    Guitarstring Bobtail Member

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    Feb 13, 2007
    Missouri
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    We were a small fleet of around a dozen trucks with our own authority doing work for other motor carriers. I grew up in this business. My dad is a veteran driver of almost 40 years with a perfect driving record. Myself, a veteran driver of 17 years. Also a perfect driving record, and I have never dealt with a more dishonest, morally bankrupt company in my life. These people were only concerned with one thing, and that was crushing the little guy. They found out that we were also doing work for another Murray KY company Rudolph Freight. Probably some of the best people we have ever worked with. Then all they were concerned with was getting ALL of our trucks away from them. They talked very poorly about Rudolph and offered to give me what appeared to be a pretty good package on our trucks if we quit hauling for Rudolph. We explained to them that we would be happy to put one or two trucks on their board to see how it works out. We explained to them that that's the same way we did Rudolph. We gave Rudolph 2 trucks to start off with then we realized what special people they were and built up to 10 trucks on their board. Paschall got very aggressive trying to get ALL of our Rudolph trucks. We told them that their program sounded really good and they may very well wind up with those trucks, however we wanted to start out slow. We wanted to see how well they treated us before we would make that big of a commitment. That was not good enough. They did not want any of our trucks hauling Rudolph freight. Suddenly their true colors were starting to show. They promised us paid in 7 days. It was more like 30. They started charging us fees for things of which they promised to waive. We attempted to work things out with them. Talking to the girl who recruited us. She knew the agreement. She was very nice. Paschall started denying all of these agreements. She really wanted to help us. She knew first hand what they promissed us. However after many long and aggrevating discussions she expressed to us in a whisper that she was told to keep quite or it would be her job. We felt so sad for her that she worked for people like Paschall. We could literally here her heartache for the wrong that was being done to us as well as the fear in her voice of losing her job. We even spoke directly with Randy Waller the owner. He said all of the right things but backed up NONE of them. He too had some kind of vendetta against Rudolph. It was appearant that the deception came from the top. We know that it's a tough road out there for the small fleets. They charged us $500 to uninstall a Qualcomm that we uninstalled our selves. They also charged us $1500 per truck for not hauling for them for atleast 6 months (one of the fees they promissed to waive for us). They also refused to load us back to Murray KY to bring their trailer back. They told us that we had to bring their trailer back empty from KC to Murray even though they had alot of KC freight. They even admitted that they could load the trailer but they said that they weren't going to do it. We just hope this message can save another fellow small businessman or woman from enduring the same abuse that we received from this underhanded, dishonest, sorry excuse of a trucking company. I don't know anything about the PTL side of things but leave Paschall Services alone.
     
  10. moose

    moose Bobtail Member

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    Apr 2, 2007
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    :biggrin_2552: PTL COULD BE A GOOD COMPANY FOR CO. DRIVERS. THE TRUCKS ARE GOOD. THOUGH THE TRAILERS NEED WORK. THEY ARE FAIR IN MOST CASES. THIER HOMETIME POLICY IS GOOD AND THEY ALLOW RIDERS AND PETS.THE STAFF REALLY DOSE CARE ABOUT THE DRIVER. HOWEVER THE PROBLEM IS MILES! MOST OF THE RUNS ARE SHORT. AND MOST DRIVERS DO TOO MUCH SITTING. ALSO THEY SEAM TO HAVE A PROBLEM GETTING DRIVERS HOME. THE PROBLEM IS ANOTHER DIV OF PTL. AS LONG AS PASCHALL SERVICES IS THERE CO, DRIVERS WILL HAVE A HARD TIME MAKING MONEY.
     
  11. Tip

    Tip Tipster

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    Guitar, if all these things that were "agreed to" are in writing, you need to be heading to small claims court. You may even need to call a lawyer and get a lawsuit cranked up against PTL. They charged you for the removal of the Q-Comm unit, although you did that yourself. Sounds like someone made an unauthorized charge or deduction. That alone is grounds for going to court.

    These companies like PTL need to learn the hard way, unfortunately. If you like being their whipping boy who takes their sucker punches, they'll never learn. Forget that tear-jerking lady working there. She's a sad sap who doesn't have the backbone to run from an abusive situation. She's not your problem or burden. If she loses her job, who cares? I sure as hell wouldn't. Better she lose her job than you lose your fleet.

    When you own a small fleet, you have to forget being a "nice" guy. You gotta fight tooth and nail for what's yours or you'll be run over by your competition. You know that already. It's too bad it's this way, but that's what the free market brings.

    You also may want to call OOIDA if this fight gets big. I bet those guys can help a small outfit/fleet like yours.
     
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