FECC
- Thread starter Marmino
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i ahve been d unit opertator team white glove for 8 years. the dispatcing is fair because fcc rotates the dispatching person every
week so they don't get familar with the units (good or bad ). there
are good areas for loads like the states mic,oh, il, ind, nad ny.
Canada is manditory but its good for longgg loads!.. the sales team
works on a percentage of sales so good area salesmen are hungry and
fat denping on there area. layovers could long or short depending
on the area your in.. I have been good years and not so good years
good luck OLDTIMER
week so they don't get familar with the units (good or bad ). there
are good areas for loads like the states mic,oh, il, ind, nad ny.
Canada is manditory but its good for longgg loads!.. the sales team
works on a percentage of sales so good area salesmen are hungry and
fat denping on there area. layovers could long or short depending
on the area your in.. I have been good years and not so good years
good luck OLDTIMER
i have been with fedex cc for three years and have good and bad experiences too, however that is the nature of this industry. i still feel they are the best to be with overall and im now white glove and things are even better now. i dont sit anywhere longer than 24 hours in most cases. I also do not check-in to a center that has over three d-units unless its a busy center like memphis, chicago, etc. good luck
Hey thanks everyone for the input. This is a big career change for us and we want to check out every nook and cranny. We are mid 40's to 50 yrs old and have lost alot in the steel industry and certainly don't want that to happen to us again. I think this forum is the best thing we have found so far. This is great!
Winston Churchill once said."Democracy is a very bad form of goverment.But all of the others are so much worse" I feel much the same about FECC.We have been with them for 16 years.From time to time recruters from other companys have approached us about switching.Whenever they try to compare their revenue with what we average they back off.They say you better stay where you are.
Lady Expediter
Expert Expediter
Greetings,
Well - I can not answer much about "D" units, as I have "E" units.
As for myself I am VERY satisfied w/FECC.
I have been a driver and drove for another owner with FECC, before I purchased my own truck E unit and I drove as O/O,
as I like to do my homework/research before I made a committment as I prefer low risk investment/s and you can hear so much conflicting information out on the road.
Now I own a few trucks all E units, and I drive actually I am sitting here in my Volvo 770 at my workstation writing you from my laptop, as I have just completed my delivery and I am catching up on my email,etc..
I love the benefits of taking off when I want (given I keep my % rate/s good w/fecc.) My trucks run pretty well every year revenue has increased
God has Blessed me w/ some great driving teams!
Well - hopefully this is helpful. Yes, sometimes directions are bad, and sometimes paperwork to Canada takes longer than expected, and sometimes you get a delivery - to a deadhead forever zone back into the busy area for FECC. But ALL in ALL for me there is more positive's than neg. and really if we keep a good attitude or neg.s can be an adventure in learning or ???? whatever one finds the silver lining in it, huh.
God Bless You both. Have Fun, make money and enjoy the sights!
Lady Expediter
Well - I can not answer much about "D" units, as I have "E" units.
As for myself I am VERY satisfied w/FECC.
I have been a driver and drove for another owner with FECC, before I purchased my own truck E unit and I drove as O/O,
as I like to do my homework/research before I made a committment as I prefer low risk investment/s and you can hear so much conflicting information out on the road.
Now I own a few trucks all E units, and I drive actually I am sitting here in my Volvo 770 at my workstation writing you from my laptop, as I have just completed my delivery and I am catching up on my email,etc..
I love the benefits of taking off when I want (given I keep my % rate/s good w/fecc.) My trucks run pretty well every year revenue has increased
God has Blessed me w/ some great driving teams! Well - hopefully this is helpful. Yes, sometimes directions are bad, and sometimes paperwork to Canada takes longer than expected, and sometimes you get a delivery - to a deadhead forever zone back into the busy area for FECC. But ALL in ALL for me there is more positive's than neg. and really if we keep a good attitude or neg.s can be an adventure in learning or ???? whatever one finds the silver lining in it, huh.
God Bless You both. Have Fun, make money and enjoy the sights!
Lady Expediter
My wife and I have been running team in a D unit with FedEx CC for nine months now. We couldn't be happier. Yes, there have been times when we'd rather run than sit. Yes, some loads are better than others. And yes, we've had a couple loads from hell that we'd turn down if we had it to do over again. But I know of no company where such things don't happen. We did a lot of research before we started expediting. FedEx CC met our expectations and more. We're pleased and proud to be running with FedEx Blue.
We have been with FedEx CC for a while too, and really believe we are the best outfit for newcomers to the expediting industry.
If you want more opinions on FedEx, search the archives here. The reading will keep you busy for some time.
Blindman, I can't tell you specifically how business would be for a solo over a long period, but for a short period I can speak. My wife had to be off the truck for a week earlier this month. The dogs and I had work every day until Friday when she came back. We went out then with a team run. In my opinion, the work is there. You just have to learn the basics - don't layover where 3 other D units are, don't d/h to a layover express center 480 miles away because the computer suggests they need trucks there, and don't take too many runs to places that are a days drive back to the nearest express center.
Vernon
If you want more opinions on FedEx, search the archives here. The reading will keep you busy for some time.
Blindman, I can't tell you specifically how business would be for a solo over a long period, but for a short period I can speak. My wife had to be off the truck for a week earlier this month. The dogs and I had work every day until Friday when she came back. We went out then with a team run. In my opinion, the work is there. You just have to learn the basics - don't layover where 3 other D units are, don't d/h to a layover express center 480 miles away because the computer suggests they need trucks there, and don't take too many runs to places that are a days drive back to the nearest express center.
Vernon
<snip>
>Is FECC *that* busy?
--
>Mike N
Yes, FedEx CC is that busy. Other carriers are busy too. All the drivers I talk to (FedEx CC and others ) are saying it's busy out there. FedEx CC recruiters tell me FedEx CC has increased the size of its recruiting staff for the purpose of increasing the overall FedEx CC fleet size.
Mindful of the many sad stories posted here by long-time drivers about another time FedEx CC expanded its fleet, I asked the recruiters if they were concerned about overexpanding. The concern is they'll put on too many units (trucks), thus reducing the number of available loads per unit. It happened before, to the point that many contractors' expenses exceeded their revenues. Some contractors went bankrupt or failed in the business as a result.
For people like us that are getting ready to invest in a truck of our own and take on the truck payments that go with it, this is no small issue. It's an issue common to all drivers and carriers.
Yes, times are good now, but for how long? And even if the good times persist, what about the risk of an over-expanded fleet? Will we buy a new truck only to have the economy turn against us? Will we buy a new truck only to have our profitability eroded by a carrier's fleet expansion?
Most expediters are independent contractors. Carriers don't buy trucks, owner/operators do. It costs a carrier relatively little to bring a new truck into the fleet. It can cost an owner/operator one's life savings and/or a long-term committment to debt.
Is it a risk worth taking? Are you better off driving a fleet owner's truck so you won't have to put your own capital at risk? Those are the uncertainties self-employed people get to deal with every day.
One thing is certain. No matter how much a carrier's decision-decision making managers say they understand a contractor's concerns regarding fleet over expansion (some actually do), and no matter how convincingly the recruiters pass those assurances along, there will be other managers that focus more on the money the carrier is leaving on the table because they don't have enough trucks to cover all the loads. Those managers will urge rapid fleet expansion. The driver advocates in the organization will counter and urge slower expansion.
Which point of view will win out? Time will tell carriers learned and applied the lessons learned from previous freight cycle booms. At present, the expansion rate seems to be within reason at FedEx CC (my view, one man's opinion).
>Is FECC *that* busy?
--
>Mike N
Yes, FedEx CC is that busy. Other carriers are busy too. All the drivers I talk to (FedEx CC and others ) are saying it's busy out there. FedEx CC recruiters tell me FedEx CC has increased the size of its recruiting staff for the purpose of increasing the overall FedEx CC fleet size.
Mindful of the many sad stories posted here by long-time drivers about another time FedEx CC expanded its fleet, I asked the recruiters if they were concerned about overexpanding. The concern is they'll put on too many units (trucks), thus reducing the number of available loads per unit. It happened before, to the point that many contractors' expenses exceeded their revenues. Some contractors went bankrupt or failed in the business as a result.
For people like us that are getting ready to invest in a truck of our own and take on the truck payments that go with it, this is no small issue. It's an issue common to all drivers and carriers.
Yes, times are good now, but for how long? And even if the good times persist, what about the risk of an over-expanded fleet? Will we buy a new truck only to have the economy turn against us? Will we buy a new truck only to have our profitability eroded by a carrier's fleet expansion?
Most expediters are independent contractors. Carriers don't buy trucks, owner/operators do. It costs a carrier relatively little to bring a new truck into the fleet. It can cost an owner/operator one's life savings and/or a long-term committment to debt.
Is it a risk worth taking? Are you better off driving a fleet owner's truck so you won't have to put your own capital at risk? Those are the uncertainties self-employed people get to deal with every day.
One thing is certain. No matter how much a carrier's decision-decision making managers say they understand a contractor's concerns regarding fleet over expansion (some actually do), and no matter how convincingly the recruiters pass those assurances along, there will be other managers that focus more on the money the carrier is leaving on the table because they don't have enough trucks to cover all the loads. Those managers will urge rapid fleet expansion. The driver advocates in the organization will counter and urge slower expansion.
Which point of view will win out? Time will tell carriers learned and applied the lessons learned from previous freight cycle booms. At present, the expansion rate seems to be within reason at FedEx CC (my view, one man's opinion).
Spend as much time researching every company that you can. Some companies are better than others for particular units and many things whether your a team or single. And my own personal observation is that who is a good company this year or last, may not be now.
We went from one company to Panther and just about doubled our revenue. As to whether that will continue.....only time will tell.
We went from one company to Panther and just about doubled our revenue. As to whether that will continue.....only time will tell.
glad to hear everyone is happy at FECC. This will probably be my last month. WAY too much deadhead. Tired of hearing "you're the only truck in the area" when they want to send me to NO WHERE land. Tired of the bartering "what will it take to get you to take the load", "will you do it if we give you .50 cpm d/h", etc. It seems as if certain dispatchers have their favorite group of drivers. I have already complained about being passed over for money loads. The worst one yet was being offer a load that paid 45 miles but I was expected to drive 212 miles to get there. Then I get dinged on my acceptance percentage. They told me that they needed team trucks and yet since the first of the year I have had exactly 9 loads that required a team. I can always count on sitting for at least 24 hours after a delivery. My worst week for pay was $246.00, this is for a team E unit! Get ready for those Friday load offers. You will either be baby sitting a load for a Monday delivery, at less than 1000 miles, or you end up in Washington or the New England states. Lots of d/h to get out of there. Other than that, I love my job. I'm getting pretty good with my Playstation. If you are really considering joining on try to make friends with a current driver. I believe FECC is offering bonuses to drivers that bring on a D unit. Maybe you can split it. Good luck
While I have never driven for FedEx, I have driven for Roberts. It would seem to me to avoid those types of loads. I on occasion will take a smaller load, only for the purpose of helping the company out. However, with sky high fuel, one must limit how often they do that. Our company as well has service percentages that they monitor. I don't look at those numbers as this is a business. I am in it to turn a profit not make someone happy. The numbers I am looking at are the (CPM). You can easily gross several thousand dollars, but that doesn't mean you made a dime. It amazes me how many people really don't know what it costs them to run their truck. I think if they did you would not see some of the abuses that go on.
I would have thought with a E unit FedEx would keep you busy? Where we are at, that size unit runs pretty consistantly.
I would have thought with a E unit FedEx would keep you busy? Where we are at, that size unit runs pretty consistantly.
Twmaster
Expert Expediter
"I don't look at those numbers as this is a business. I am in it to turn a profit not make someone happy. The numbers I am looking at are the (CPM). You can easily gross several thousand dollars, but that doesn't mean you made a dime. It amazes me how many people really don't know what it costs them to run their truck." -- Davekc
That my friends was worth repeating. when I told my present company to keep their 'special' work they just didn't get it. "But look how big your check is!" was the statement to me from the driver manager. And I preceeded to explain to him that the week netted me an extra $89 after all the smoke cleared for driving 1500 more miles than my regular week.
No thank you. These companies are not looking out for you.
--
Mike N
That my friends was worth repeating. when I told my present company to keep their 'special' work they just didn't get it. "But look how big your check is!" was the statement to me from the driver manager. And I preceeded to explain to him that the week netted me an extra $89 after all the smoke cleared for driving 1500 more miles than my regular week.
No thank you. These companies are not looking out for you.
--
Mike N
hi all
the true fact of units is no matter how many units they put
on the fedex cc interal agreement with the higher ups is every load
has to have 3 units (trucks) per load! The famous DVA was program to
calculate this with every load / per ratio of trucks.There are allot
of missed loads per day but that is only because the dispatcher wasn't
fast enough to dispatch the load and the customer call back to cancel the load. HERE IS A THOUGHT FOR EVERBODY WHY DON'T YOU TRY A GHOST
CO DRIVER !!!
the true fact of units is no matter how many units they put
on the fedex cc interal agreement with the higher ups is every load
has to have 3 units (trucks) per load! The famous DVA was program to
calculate this with every load / per ratio of trucks.There are allot
of missed loads per day but that is only because the dispatcher wasn't
fast enough to dispatch the load and the customer call back to cancel the load. HERE IS A THOUGHT FOR EVERBODY WHY DON'T YOU TRY A GHOST
CO DRIVER !!!
I will refrain from using my first personal on this site - to protect my wife. I used to pull snakes for years, then drove bundled out LTL cages' I drive a 2003 F/L Coranado - 70" Raised roof sleeper cab, w/186 chicken lights (it's my life) I have been with FDCC for just over 6 months and have made more money in that time then I did the entire year of 2003. I have a team operation and have been running solid the hole time. I never feel like a duped Earl b/c I am always treated fairly. I can say the grass is sometimes greener on the other side.
Gatlin' Jim
Gatlin' Jim