Diane and I were at Landstar headquarters in Jacksonville, FL yesterday to complete some refresher training that is required every two years. We were one of over two-dozen teams in the room. It was a large class of over 50 people. We've been through this training before. The materials were good and the instructor delivered the training in her usual high-quality fashion.
Truck parking is provided on the property, in a grassy area a few hundred yards from the building. We do not go there often. Having parked there a couple times before but never overnight, we called ahead to ask if it would be OK to spend the night. "Of course you can!" was the answer.
The day began as usual for a Landstar BCO (contractor) who enters the building; a white, high-rise building surrounded on three sides by a golf course and graced with Florida palm trees and flower gardens. If they know you are coming, there is a name badge waiting for you. The security officer at the door lets you in and you have freedom to go where you want as long as you are wearing your badge (everyone who works there wears a badge).
During a break in our training day, a fellow BCO brought it to my attention that Diane and I should have a blue card in our truck that makes things easier on the New York Thruway. I did not understand what he was talking about, but at his urging, I went quickly up to the second floor to make the request for a card from the woman whose name he gave me.
The need to move quickly rose because the end of the business day was near. The people upstairs would leave soon and I needed to move fast to catch them at their desks. There was a brand-new team sitting next to us in the room so I took their truck number with me to get them a card too. Diane paid attention in class for both of us while I was gone.
The large-area second floor was set up as many modern office buildings are these days. A great many cubes are set up in the center and a number of private offices ring the outside walls. The office walls that face the interior are made of glass.
Being unfamiliar with the department I was trying to find, I asked for help from someone and received it immediately. A moment later I was standing beside the cube of the woman to whom I had been directed. She was on the phone, deep in conversation and focused on her screen and did not realize I was there. Feeling no rush to get back to class, I was content to wait and did nothing to attract her attention.
About two minutes went by and a woman in one of the glass offices came out to greet me. "Are you here to see ____?" she asked.
"Yes." I answered.
"I'm sorry that she's on the phone, can I help you with something?"
"Well, I don't know, maybe. I'm here to get a blue card for the New York Thruway."
"Yes. What's your truck number?"
As I handed her a little Post-It note with two truck numbers written on it, I said, "I'm here for ourselves and one other team."
She said nothing and went to a file cabinet to dig out cards and paperwork. By that time, a woman in another nearby cube, was off her telephone call. The office woman told her "Bring up the ________ screen." These cards are truck specific and info needed to be entered in. While the first woman continued her phone call, still unaware of what was going on around her, the other two continued their work to get me the cards.
Moments later, that call was completed. Learning what was up, she jumped in to complete the process.
The office woman then said to me, "Are you _____?"
"Nope."
"This truck number is familiar ... something about an incident with a Florida trooper."
"Oh yeah, they told me about that. I don't know the details but it has something to do with how the truck was lettered and the registration displayed while they were driving from Florida to orientation in Rockford. They got a ticket from a trooper who insisted he was right and Landstar is insisting that the instructions they provided are right."
"Yes, that's right. The fine has already been paid by Landstar. That paperwork is here because I will be calling Tallahassee (the state capitol) to have the ticket removed and his record cleared."
The blue-card work was then complete. They were packaged with the accompanying paperwork into envelopes, one for each truck, and I was sent on my way. At that point the three woman were standing together, all smiling at me as I left.
"Thank you for getting up out of your chair," I said to the office woman. That comment brought loud laughs out of the other two. And then I added, "That's what makes Landstar, Landstar."
"That's right!" the office woman said and the other two said "yes" at the same time.
It was an interesting and pleasing site. The three of them stood there together, counting this episode as one of the day's little victories because they had quickly and successfully served a BCO. Seemingly appreciative of the feedback, they beamed with obvious pride at having done so.
Another remarkable part of the day was the drop-in visit by the company president. The honcho of this 8,800-BCO company took the time to thank us for the "heavy lifting" we do for the company every day. And he shared a bit about the challenges of the day and what Landstar is doing to address them.
Another remarkable part of the day was when the main instructor turned the class over to the next person who came in to teach. Before leaving, she had us hide our name badges and then went around the room and correctly named every person in the room. Diane and I last saw her two years ago but, this day, she was able to address us and everyone else in the room by name. In the morning, as we gathered in the cafeteria before class, she was there too, addressing almost everyone in our group by name.
A lot of information was presented to Diane and me that day. We also were able to catch up with BCO's we knew and meet and visit with new ones. With much to think about and remember from that day, I woke up the next morning thinking about the profound difference between Landstar's attitude toward its BCO's and our former carrier's attitude toward its contractors.
At our former carrier, overnight truck parking is prohibited. The president never visited any class we attended. We were not allowed to go anywhere in the building where employees were seated without an escort, and then, if we wanted to use the bathroom, the escort would stand outside and wait. If you had an issue or request, like for a blue turnpike card, it was impossible to approach anyone about it without an escort, and almost always, by phone or in person, you could not get to the right person without going through another person first.
It does not have to be that way, and I post this to goad the decision makers at our former carrier to think about that. Diane and I are the same human beings and trucking professionals at Landstar as we were at our former carrier. We bring the same skills to the table and do the same work.
There is no good reason on earth why contractors should be treated with the respect and dignity that Landstar so eagerly provides while our former carrier, seemingly by design, withholds the same.
Truck parking is provided on the property, in a grassy area a few hundred yards from the building. We do not go there often. Having parked there a couple times before but never overnight, we called ahead to ask if it would be OK to spend the night. "Of course you can!" was the answer.
The day began as usual for a Landstar BCO (contractor) who enters the building; a white, high-rise building surrounded on three sides by a golf course and graced with Florida palm trees and flower gardens. If they know you are coming, there is a name badge waiting for you. The security officer at the door lets you in and you have freedom to go where you want as long as you are wearing your badge (everyone who works there wears a badge).
During a break in our training day, a fellow BCO brought it to my attention that Diane and I should have a blue card in our truck that makes things easier on the New York Thruway. I did not understand what he was talking about, but at his urging, I went quickly up to the second floor to make the request for a card from the woman whose name he gave me.
The need to move quickly rose because the end of the business day was near. The people upstairs would leave soon and I needed to move fast to catch them at their desks. There was a brand-new team sitting next to us in the room so I took their truck number with me to get them a card too. Diane paid attention in class for both of us while I was gone.
The large-area second floor was set up as many modern office buildings are these days. A great many cubes are set up in the center and a number of private offices ring the outside walls. The office walls that face the interior are made of glass.
Being unfamiliar with the department I was trying to find, I asked for help from someone and received it immediately. A moment later I was standing beside the cube of the woman to whom I had been directed. She was on the phone, deep in conversation and focused on her screen and did not realize I was there. Feeling no rush to get back to class, I was content to wait and did nothing to attract her attention.
About two minutes went by and a woman in one of the glass offices came out to greet me. "Are you here to see ____?" she asked.
"Yes." I answered.
"I'm sorry that she's on the phone, can I help you with something?"
"Well, I don't know, maybe. I'm here to get a blue card for the New York Thruway."
"Yes. What's your truck number?"
As I handed her a little Post-It note with two truck numbers written on it, I said, "I'm here for ourselves and one other team."
She said nothing and went to a file cabinet to dig out cards and paperwork. By that time, a woman in another nearby cube, was off her telephone call. The office woman told her "Bring up the ________ screen." These cards are truck specific and info needed to be entered in. While the first woman continued her phone call, still unaware of what was going on around her, the other two continued their work to get me the cards.
Moments later, that call was completed. Learning what was up, she jumped in to complete the process.
The office woman then said to me, "Are you _____?"
"Nope."
"This truck number is familiar ... something about an incident with a Florida trooper."
"Oh yeah, they told me about that. I don't know the details but it has something to do with how the truck was lettered and the registration displayed while they were driving from Florida to orientation in Rockford. They got a ticket from a trooper who insisted he was right and Landstar is insisting that the instructions they provided are right."
"Yes, that's right. The fine has already been paid by Landstar. That paperwork is here because I will be calling Tallahassee (the state capitol) to have the ticket removed and his record cleared."
The blue-card work was then complete. They were packaged with the accompanying paperwork into envelopes, one for each truck, and I was sent on my way. At that point the three woman were standing together, all smiling at me as I left.
"Thank you for getting up out of your chair," I said to the office woman. That comment brought loud laughs out of the other two. And then I added, "That's what makes Landstar, Landstar."
"That's right!" the office woman said and the other two said "yes" at the same time.
It was an interesting and pleasing site. The three of them stood there together, counting this episode as one of the day's little victories because they had quickly and successfully served a BCO. Seemingly appreciative of the feedback, they beamed with obvious pride at having done so.
Another remarkable part of the day was the drop-in visit by the company president. The honcho of this 8,800-BCO company took the time to thank us for the "heavy lifting" we do for the company every day. And he shared a bit about the challenges of the day and what Landstar is doing to address them.
Another remarkable part of the day was when the main instructor turned the class over to the next person who came in to teach. Before leaving, she had us hide our name badges and then went around the room and correctly named every person in the room. Diane and I last saw her two years ago but, this day, she was able to address us and everyone else in the room by name. In the morning, as we gathered in the cafeteria before class, she was there too, addressing almost everyone in our group by name.
A lot of information was presented to Diane and me that day. We also were able to catch up with BCO's we knew and meet and visit with new ones. With much to think about and remember from that day, I woke up the next morning thinking about the profound difference between Landstar's attitude toward its BCO's and our former carrier's attitude toward its contractors.
At our former carrier, overnight truck parking is prohibited. The president never visited any class we attended. We were not allowed to go anywhere in the building where employees were seated without an escort, and then, if we wanted to use the bathroom, the escort would stand outside and wait. If you had an issue or request, like for a blue turnpike card, it was impossible to approach anyone about it without an escort, and almost always, by phone or in person, you could not get to the right person without going through another person first.
It does not have to be that way, and I post this to goad the decision makers at our former carrier to think about that. Diane and I are the same human beings and trucking professionals at Landstar as we were at our former carrier. We bring the same skills to the table and do the same work.
There is no good reason on earth why contractors should be treated with the respect and dignity that Landstar so eagerly provides while our former carrier, seemingly by design, withholds the same.
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