Fair Warning to White Glove Dog Owners

[greg334]

This is just too funny. Sorry if I sound sarcastic, I'm loving it.

Maybe some of you need to actually work for a big corporation to understand their culture, because being a contractor doesn't seem to even open the door to the cafeteria.

So far we have Terry letting everyone know through Phil that he is checking up on W/G drivers about pets. We have several in the audience who didn't understand why this would happen and then we have a few who seem to think this is wrong or it is a new thing and should be left alone.

Never was good at Soap Opera recaps but I think that's about right - oh I forgot the worried expediter who brought the obvious to our attention.

It would be a real shame if FedEx is going down that road. It will hurt them bad if it is what is going on. It always does. They will find that if they don't show trust in those working for them that they will no longer be trusted.

Joe, I didn't catch this earlier but come on, you know the score and what makes them tick.

Terry O'Connell is not the cause of this behavior shift in the company but a manifestation of it.

This has to be the funniest comment yet in this thread.

Where in the h*ll have you been Phil?

This has been happening long before I was there.

OMG I think I said if I can stop laughing about it, seems Phil is on a crusade to put another notch in his worry stick. EOBRs, CSA2010, now spying? Really Phil - relax.

In addition now to add to it is the evolution of FedEx into some monster company that wants to spy on everyone including their top contractors - Oh my oh my.

This is a thread for the hall of fame.

 

[ATeam]

Anyone else find it ironic that Phil chose FedEx for their reputation & image, and yet he finds it 'disheartening' that they are willing to go further to protect the image than most?

I don't find it ironic but sad and disturbing. Not because the company seeks to protect its image but by how it now goes about it.

We don't have a dog in our truck. Never have. Our truck is just 4 years old, well under the company age limit beyond which company inspections (different than DOT inspections) are required. We were not at a pickup or delivery or on a run. We were enjoying a truck show while waiting for load offers.

Then we bump into the Safety Field Liaison and in a short conversation with him learn that he knew our truck number by memory, knew where we had delivered the day before, knew where we spent the night, knew exactly where our truck was then parked, and had the ability to access our personal and career-vital CSA scores without our knowledge.

Why am I upset? I am upset because while no cause whatsoever existed for an inspection, we were spied on. We were spied on and I resent it.

This new aggression against contractors is one of several things that have changed since Diane and I joined this company partly for its image. And it's why we find it demoralizing.

I spoke above about how the whole world has changed since 911. My concerns go beyond the company's legitimate desire to uphold its image. It troubles me deeply that the company's response to the post-911 government mandates has been to treat contractors not as the solution but as the problem.

Comply! Comply! Comply! is the cry of the day. Our company has done little or nothing to create the sense that carrier and contractors can team up and work together to help keep our nation safe. When you think about it, there is a great deal we could together do. But instead of looking to contractors as a solution, the company has done exactly the opposite...treating contractors like security risks and putting a man on the road to make sure the contractors Comply! Comply! Comply!

A corporate culture of cooperation will take the company much further than a culture of compliance, but, clearly, compliance is the company's chosen way.

There is still a lot about the job we like and a lot about the company in which to take pride. Regrettably, that is getting more difficult to remember as negatives like those mentioned above become part of the contractor experience.

 

[ATeam]

OK. I have pretty much vented about our O'Connell encounter. In the interests of fairness I am compelled to detail the good he did for us as well.

First of all, he was cordial and professional. If he holds any animosity against us for past deeds unrelated to his present position, it did not come through.

He answered in a straightforward manner the few questions we had.

He shared information about the company that we did not know before and were genuinely interested to learn.

He re-supplied us with log books and gave us log book covers.

He bought us lunch at company expense.

He gave us the chance to see the new Qualcomm unit which we have not seen before.

He looked up our CSA record and told us what showed up. That is something we have been meaning to find out. He made it easy and did so at our request. While I don't believe he should have the ability to view our record like that, it was a convenience.

He explained to us how he got the job, what he puts into it, and what he hopes to accomplish. It helped us to know that.

He spends some of his time taking agents and dispatchers out on the road where they can see and meet contractors in the contractor's world. I'm all for that. The more the office people understand contractors, the better it is for everyone (and vice versa).

We all know that a few cheating contractors put dogs in their White Glove trucks and that some contractors are clueless when it comes to presenting a professional image with customers. There is no question that the Field Safety Liaison mitigates this to an extent, and that the company image is thereby enhanced, and that a good company image benefits all contractors.

We all know that some contractors and fleet owners don't keep their trucks up like they should, and that under the new CSA rules, one contractor's violation can negatively affect all other contractors with the same carrier. Think what I may about O'Connell's methods, it is undeniable that the numerous violations he has spotted and had corrected on contractor trucks are that many less that will be written up by a real cop to every contractor's detriment.

O'Connell believes he is doing a good thing for the company and its contractors and a case can be made that he is. So too can a counter-case but it would be unfair to do so without acknowledging the validity of the first.

EDIT: Two additional items came to mind overnight:

O'Connell went to school to learn how to inspect trucks.

He shared information via a fleet message about how to prevent or fight citations for lamps that are not required but are found to be inoperative. That is a very good thing to know, especially with a truck like ours that has 98 such lamps (chicken lights).

 

[panthercub]

I've spent enough time at truck stops to think some companies should be more concerned about the PEOPLE in their vehicles than the pets.

 

[moose]

Stop pounding it ,
I see a large blue star on your horizon ...

 

[greg334]

Nope Moose, he would not like it under the star. He is a C unit and C units well don't do well.

I seem to think he will be chasing cats soon, maybe in a b unit?

Although I think it is odd, he mentioned Terry as a spy but seems to be tight lipped about the access some contractors have with information there.

 

[moose]

. I need a few minutes to gather the details.

Very EZ ,he have a hole in the muffler ,and it will out-load any whistle blower ....(so2Speek)

I got a purple pen from him the day before...

 

[moose]

Nope Moose, he would not like it under the star. He is a C unit and C units well don't do well. .

O.K ,so trading the Box & LG for a 5th wheel or something...

 

[cheri1122]

Phil: I'm not sure what post 911 security has to do with it, as others have mentioned, the Fed has always been more vigilant than most in protecting it's image [which is such a huge part of it's marketing, and a reason for many of it's contractors to be perceived as snobs], and 911 has nothing to do with it.
But they aren't by any stretch the only carrier who basically says "It's our way or the highway" - every last one of them offers a contract that you can take or leave, and if they decide to change it, you can take that or leave it, too.
Of course we can get our own authority - but how many are willing [or even capable of] dealing with the many skills required to succeed?
Most, including me, [and you, by your own words] are not.
We play by their rules, or else.

 

[davekc]

Nope, don't think he could handle the two headed cat.
On a side note,
Does look like the blinders finally fell off.

 

[greg334]

O.K ,so trading the Box & LG for a 5th wheel or something...

Moose, he would have to do a lot of selling to maintain that great rolling apartment ... a fifth wheel? nope but a 24 foot dry box with a lg would do well for him.

Cheri,
Why are you trying to reason this out. Phil doesn't like change and he seems to be either just awakening from his dream or actually been told the truth by a select few about what the company has been like for 20 years. His worry is just that, a worry. Many of us lived with worse, so ...

 

[greg334]

Nope, don't think he could handle the two headed cat.
On a side note,
Does look like the blinders finally fell off.

Well if he comes to the star, he will be on my level and he won't like it at all.

I think he will chase the purple monster until he sells the truck.

It may be that the glasses got broke?

 

[davekc]

Maybe an addiction that can be hard to overcome. Reeferism

 

[ATeam]

Of course we can get our own authority - but how many are willing [or even capable of] dealing with the many skills required to succeed?
Most, including me, [and you, by your own words] are not.
We play by their rules, or else.

We are capable but not willing.

 

[davekc]

That is how it all starts. Denial followed by the unwillingness to understand the obvious.
Happened to me as well many years ago. Had to attend a few counseling and rehab sessions in Seville to finally come around.

 

[dabluzman1]

Wow, I cant tell the pots from the kettles here.
Greg, davekc and Phil three of a kind.
I think that is why you bicker so much amongst yourselves.
THREEE OF A KIND.......all different of course ( yeah right ).
Oh well, sleep tight my babies, morning will break soon and
the sound of the highway will cure all,,,,
HEY wait a minute.........Davekc doesnt run the road with us, he is one of THEM ( a junior Fedex wanna be), and Greg,..... WELL,..... he'll
get all those other "things" he is doing (top secret ya know)
and maybe get back on the road, you do remember the road?
Ahhh shucks fellas just yankin yer little chain there.
eheheheheh

 

[greg334]

Maybe an addiction that can be hard to overcome. Reeferism

No Dave, I think is really has to do with the Cheer Leading syndrome or the Purple Haze syndrome, either way it is something like the Stockholm syndrome but worse.

Reeferism isn't all that bad for some of us. Some of us know how to control ourselves.

Dave or is it Linda?

Be informed ... oh that's your tag ... guess you have to be there at the beginning

 

[jj214]

This thread reminds me of the old parlor game where you would whisper something to the person next to you, and by the time it had been through a dozen people, the original meaning had been lost. Simply put; a contract signed by a contractor is expected to be followed. Using a dog whistle or a trail of dog treats as a means to find violations of the contract does not seem unreasonable. I suspect the company was made aware of violations and are taking the necessary steps to eliminate the violations. My grandchildren reviewed this tread and found it amusing how far it drifted from the original post. Have 20+ years with FDCC/Roberts and find them no better or worse than other companies I have worked for in my 67 years.

 

[greg334]

Simply put; a contract signed by a contractor is expected to be followed.

Thank you, amazing some don't think of that.

 

[davekc]

Sometimes you just have to love cheap entertainment.