You can be bold during the phone screen and ask some more hard hitting questions AFTER the HR rep asks if she can schedule you for an on-site interview. Script to be something like:
HR: Are you able to come in for an interview with Mr. Dickman sometime next week?
You: I'd be happy to! Could I ask you a couple more questions about the position first?
HR: Of course!
You: I've noticed companies can be all over the map with benefits packages and vacation time, and that can make a big impact on the total salary package. What benefits are available for this position?
Every HR rep under the sun knows this information by heart, and it's not a weird question to ask. Lots of new hires fall apart when a particularly crappy health insurance plan is revealed, or the PTO package is pathetic, and I'm sure HR doesn't want to waste time chasing a candidate that isn't going to want what they can offer.
I also feel like those gentle push back questions can give me an idea of where I rank in the stack of resumes. If the phone interviewer is accommodating and in sales mode, then I'm probably a top candidate. If the interviewer sounds annoyed or put out that I'm daring to ask questions, then I'm more than likely the obligatory "3rd" they are dragging in for variety. (Or it's just a crap-tastic place to work.)
I'm like you. I don't want to waste my precious vacation day on a waste-of-time interview, so I try to answer as many important to me questions as I can while I have them on the phone. There's nothing worse than being 15 minutes into your interview with a fake smile plastered on your face thinking, "Seriously? If I had known about this, I never would have come in here. Well, this is a dealbreaker."
One of my life goals? To hit that moment in an interview, and instead of just sitting there going through the interview motions and playing my part, to be 100% bad ass and just stand up and say, "Sorry, but the low wage combined with the work load you're expecting isn't something I'm interested in. I'm afraid I'm going to have to end this interview now. Thank you for your consideration, and good luck with your hiring process!"
MIC DROP.