Fed Ex CC.... the good, the bad, the ugly ..please

guest · Mar 4, 2004

Ok, I have to ask about Fedex. They do seem to be the main player in Memphis. I figure if they could get me into memphis more often, I could get home for often, or at least when I wanted to. I'm not looking for every weekend, every 2nd weekend would be nice, but I wouldn't mind staying out 3 weeks either.

I know that some of you work for them and some of you used to work for them and hate them, but I really have to give them some consideration because of the above situation. Any info. is, as always, greatly appreciated.

Thx,

RichM · Mar 4, 2004

RE: Fed Ex CC.... the good, the bad, the ugly ..pl

FedexCC is actually headquarted in Green Ohio near Canton. The corporate offices of Federal Express is in Memphis which will not get you home quicker.
The good, They pay on time,they have an excellent communication and computer system. Their safety department is real and concerned about how you are treated by the operations folks. One of the most important items is that they are truly a National Company with a highly visible name and can get you backhauls from almost anywhere.
The bad, you are only a number and are considered to be POWER not an individual with a personal agenda. Your operations are tracked and recorded but only the negative items such as availability and load acceptance ratio, no positive things such as going out at 0300 to rescue a shipement in the middle of an ice storm are recorded.
The ugly,you will get very condensending messages from the safety department which gives you the impression that they think you are 15 years old with an IQ of 50. Many of the Dispatchers will talk down to you but have no idea of the costs involved in operating a truck or what long deadhead trips can mean to your bottom line.
I have been with FDX CC (Roberts) for 17 years and truly believe that they are the best of the pack. In the last few years their policys have changed that make it much more attractive to be with them.

mcbride · Mar 4, 2004

RE: Fed Ex CC.... the good, the bad, the ugly ..pl

>I have been with FDX CC (Roberts) for 17 years...

Rich -- you should be called Saint Rich from now on! OH MY GAWD,17 years with FedexCC....you are my hero.

mcbride-

teacel · Mar 4, 2004

RE: Fed Ex CC.... the good, the bad, the ugly ..pl

http://www.emotipad.com/liteemoticons/Mail for you.gif Rich!!!
That does have a nice little ring http://www.emotipad.com/liteemoticons/Band.gif to it. But Rich is a far cry http://www.emotipad.com/liteemoticons/Argh.gif from a saint http://www.emotipad.com/liteemoticons/Hypocrit.gif

Weave · Mar 4, 2004

RE: Fed Ex CC.... the good, the bad, the ugly ..pl

I was with FedEx CC for only three months, in '00, but Rich summed up my thoughts about them almost exactly.
FedEx is VERY team oriented, and didn't really have much to offer up the solo driver. Money wise as a solo, I have done much better at every other company I have been leased to, which at this point has been five different carriers. That might sound bad, but it gives me a good basis for comparison.
Basically who you lease to comes down to your personal preferences. Some people like being treated like a number, in which case a big carrier is best for them. The big carriers will have advantages such as comdata and run pay advances, weekly settlements with direct deposit, training and acceptability for new drivers, etc.
I have preferred the smaller carriers such as C&M and All-State. They offer up plenty of work for solos, and treat you with respect. The smaller carriers however prefer experienced drivers who they don't have to wet nurse and can put to full bore use right away and expect you to be able to handle a lot of situations on your own. The reward is more loads and more money.
Hope this gives you a little more food for thought- you must have a very busy mind at this time Arky

-Weave-

guest · Mar 5, 2004

RE: Fed Ex CC.... the good, the bad, the ugly ..pl

RichM,
thx for the insight...i was hoping to get input from someone who's been with them for a while...sounds like I got it.

do you run solo? I've heard before that they were much better for teams than solo, and Weave mentions something to that effect in this thread. Thx for the input.

Oh..almost forgot...care to mention what policy changes you are referring to?

Weave,
I was pretty sure of your opinion from some of the other threads, but I do appreciate the input. The main part that worries me would be if they don't keep you busy as a solo. The rest, I could probably put up with...kinda used to being treated like a dummy at the factory

..maybe they see something in me?..or lack of?...lol. The training and acceptance part sounds good to me, I need that! I shoudn't need the pay advances, but I do like the weekly settlements and comdata, etc. We did some work with the dump trucks that paid weekly, and that just helps in keeping the paperwork together and knowing exactly where you stand from week to week.

If you've worked for five companies as a solo, you know what my next question is...who were they?.. lol I know you may not want to get into that, but would sure be nice to know where you had the best luck. I'm not qualified for the co. your with now, so I'll have to look elsewhere anyway.

I feel lucky..I'm gonna guess..Conway, Tri-state, Fedex, C&M, and I won't mention where you are now. I'll leave that to you.

Thx for the help,

Weave · Mar 5, 2004

RE: Fed Ex CC.... the good, the bad, the ugly ..pl

Not too bad guesswork:7 I'm with All-State now, and the only one you had wrong was Tri-State, haven't been there. The missing link is Thompson Energency, where I started off at. I heard a rumor that FedEx isn't even leasing on any more solo operated trucks, but that probably isn't true. In '00, it was a struggle for me to gross much over $1300 a week at FedEx, and they wanted me to go into NYC all the time, which I won't do anymore for numerous reasons.
If you start off at one of the bigger places, keep in mind that after a year or so of exp, you can move on to just about anywhere.
-Weave-

I think Rich is out on the road now. He runs as a team with his wife.

guest · Mar 5, 2004

RE: Fed Ex CC.... the good, the bad, the ugly ..pl

ok..thx for the info on Rich...if he's on the road, it may be a while before he gets back online. I have talked to Fedex and the recruiter said they were needing solo's. He's sending literature. I wouldn't want to go with them if that's the best I could do. I've just been trying to make sure I leave no stone unturned

. We'll see.

Onother question though...was a 2000 a good year in expediting? I'm sure you see what I'm getting at, but could part of that $1300/wk be faulted to the economy? Best I remember the economy was actually still in pretty good shape in 2000 though.

btw..yes...a very busy mind...lol..but that's the fun part

thx,

Weave · Mar 5, 2004

RE: Fed Ex CC.... the good, the bad, the ugly ..pl

'00 was a very good year for expediting, and most of the struggle to make money at FedEx ($1100/wk was about the average) was due to my having to wait behind a million other trucks after dropping a load just about anywhere. And of course all the good mile loads were given to the teams who were and always will be their priority. Even on loads I could have handled as a solo, the team trucks would come in and move out right around me.
By contrast, when I went to C&M in '00 right after FedEx, my average weekly gross jumped to about $1700/wk, which is about what I look for. C&M's dispatch and staff, along with that of All-State are a far cry from what one has to put up with at FedEx, and that is something that matters to me. The thing Rich mentioned about being treated like a 15 year old did not fly well with me when leased with FedEx x(
-Weave-

guest · Mar 5, 2004

RE: Fed Ex CC.... the good, the bad, the ugly ..pl

Well...that's pretty understandable..you know, I just realized that I don't have C&M on my favorites list, which I review pretty often to look through the companies websites and I have literature from many of them. I'll go try to find their website..my guess is that they require experience..i haven't saved many of the companies that require exp. since it's no use for the time being.

I would like to think I could work for fedex, but I have noticed that not even one solo o/o has come on here to defend them. That say's something too

. For now, I think I'll probably mark 'em off.

I'm planning to try to talk to all of the companies that I can at the truck show. Maybe I can get a better feel for them face to face. Of course, that is face to face with a recruiter..small difference..lol.

thx for the input,

vernon946 · Mar 6, 2004

RE: Fed Ex CC.... the good, the bad, the ugly ..pl

Arky, we too drive team for FedExCC, and have since 1997. Memphis has been a good area for us to pass thru or deliver nearby roughly every two weeks.
As I've said on here before, we're partial to FedExCC as a starting point because they really do everything well and you can make decent money there. The big drawback for us has been keeping our mouths (or typing fingers) zipped when dealing with some of the prima dona dispatchers they get, who seldom see a truck unless it is parked out back.
The bottom line out here, you have to learn how to work within the system your company uses and you have to learn how to make intelligent business decisions. An example: after delivery, their DVA computer program may give me 3 layover choices between 100 and 400 miles away, while we're already in a perfectly good express center. We ignore the computer and choose the closest location.
We had one experience as a solo last year. My wife had to attend a funeral in New York, and we had just delivered in Texas. While sitting at the station waiting for her train, I got a decent load offer. I had a load every day until ending up in Memphis to wait for her.

Vernon

RichM · Mar 6, 2004

RE: Fed Ex CC.... the good, the bad, the ugly ..pl

The FDX CC policies that have changed for the better is that they no longer have forced dispatch.At one time if you refused 2 consecutive run offers they would put you out of service.This went away as they were getting into the grey area of ,is the contractor really independent or is he an employee that can bre punished for his/her actions. The other policy change as Vernon pointed out is that you know longer have to go where they tell you to.In the past if you were not at the assigned city location they wanted you to go to ,you would not be authorized for that location and you would be passed over for run offers until all of the authorized trucks left. Also when you are at home you now take your place on the dipatch board immeadiatelty,in the past there was a waiting time to come onto your home dispatch board. I normally run team about 80% of the time,running solo is iffy,you can sometimes get lucky and have a good week,sometimes you will sit.One small advantage to running solo is you usually don!t get begged into long deadhead trips as you don!t have the hours available.
Good luck

Weave · Mar 6, 2004

RE: Fed Ex CC.... the good, the bad, the ugly ..pl

It is good to hear they changed a lot of those asinine policies and are now more on-par with the ways other expediting companies operate.
-Weave-

guest · Mar 6, 2004

RE: Fed Ex CC.... the good, the bad, the ugly ..pl

I just got their info. packet today. The avg. numbers they state are very good. They do get them by combining teams and solos together, but then they show a breakdown that seoerates the two and by unit size. Looks like you could gross $70k/yr as a solo "d" unit. I would like to be able to do better than that, but the way they have done this report seems more straight forward than most I have seen. I like that. I've got a feeling these numbers are closer to what you can expect from the other companies too. Closer than they try to lead you to believe anyway.

Weave, what do you think? Are those the major issues you had problems with? I'm a long ways from choosing who I want to lease to, but all this research can't be done overnight. That's why I keep nibbling on it

.

Thx to all for the great input!!

Weave · Mar 6, 2004

RE: Fed Ex CC.... the good, the bad, the ugly ..pl

The policies Rich mentioned were issues with me, along with the NYC thing. If they got rid of that forced dispatch policy, that would be a big thumbs up.
I think what they mentioned as far as what a solo can expect to make with them was very honest. There are recruiters out there for other big companies claiming their solos average $2500 a week, which is a flat out lie. $70k a year is about a $1350 weekly average. By contrast I grossed $80k for last year, about a $1500 weekly average, but I admit I take a lot of time off too, and am only out for around 8-12 days at a time. For the actual time I am out, which was 222 days last year, my weekly average was $2500 and change. They are not being overly optimistic with the $70k a year, which is a good thing rather than climing you'll average $130k a year, which isn't going to happen.
I always used to love FedEx'es "open door policy" when they were in Akron- open the doors to a desk full of security guards

I have never come across that anywhere else, and wondered if it was to keep the drivers out or the workers in? ..Just a joke as I know people at FedEx read these posts

It looks like they have taken strides to make the atmosphere much better for their contractors, and if I think your buddy JP is where I think he is, they will take on new drivers if you pass a company supervised road test. Doesn't sound like too bad of a deal for "green sprouts."
-Weave-

guest · Mar 7, 2004

RE: Fed Ex CC.... the good, the bad, the ugly ..pl

lol..I can definitely read between those lines..lol. Well, guess that gets them back on the list then. There are some good reasons why they would be a good company for to at least start with. I like the name recognition thing. One thing that I will be faced with that doesn't really have anything to do with it, but does add to the decision is that I will be leaving a good job to do this. I have no problems with that and actually wish the truck was ready and I was ready so I could hit the road tonight. But, I bet I've been asked at least 100 questions just by having that truck in the yard..lol. I don't mind the questions, what does get to me is the continuous second guessing by close family members. While I'm, not one to let them make my decisions for me, there is one thing to remember. If a person gets him/her self into some kind of financial problems or otherwise, those people are the one's who you will need to help you out of it. So, that's one of the biggest reasons fedex would work well for me as a starting point. The name recognition would help quiet some of the skeptics and maybe keep me from having to be a real a** in explaining who makes my decisions for me.

I'm going to try to have list of 3 maybe 4 carriers to spend some time with at the expo. I would like to actually sit and down talk face to face with each of their recruiters for a while, then probably come back with some follow up questions after I think on it awhile.

I SURE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM A SOLO D-UNIT LEASED TO FED-EX

Thx folks,

redytrk · Mar 7, 2004

RE: Fed Ex CC.... the good, the bad, the ugly ..pl

ARKY...if you are allready looking forward to the day when family will come to bail you out,you are programing yourself to failure. The only way to survive in this business is to be extremely frugal,and resist the temptation to blow those big settlement checks.You will need that surplus to ride out the slow spells.As for not hearing from many FDCC Solo drivers,there arent really that many.It is really hard for a solo whith the HOS we have to abide by.Dont think you are going to cheat on the logs and get around this.The computers will keep track of your hrs,and you wont br offered any load that you can't run legal

Weave · Mar 7, 2004

RE: Fed Ex CC.... the good, the bad, the ugly ..pl

With 11 now instead of 10 driving hours, solos can now take approx 60 mile longer runs than before redytrk. Since just about all expedite loads go on the truck and run straight through, violating the 14 hour rule really isn't a big issue for the solo. Logging since Jan 1 has not been an issue at all for me. As far as cheating goes, I do understand if one does this at the bigger companies that audit your logs against the qualcomm readings you can get into trouble. But there are a good share of 600-650 mile expedite loads out there that the solo driver can run prefectly legally.
-Weave-

BigBusBob · Mar 8, 2004

FedEx

Arky said: "I'm going to try to have list of 3 maybe 4 carriers to spend some time with at the expo, then probably come back with some follow up questions after I think on it awhile."

I think you're making a great choice by going to the truck show & talking to the co.'s & then coming back here & asking questions...

FedEx CC-solo's....the guy I'm on with took his solo driver & the 2 trucks off of FedEx & put them on with Panther II. He simply said he wasn't happy with FedEx's "discounting of loads", and "alot of other things".

Me? I just drive, I don't get into politics. lol, that comes from bus driving some-rules of bus work: don't mention politics or religion-the stuff that makes wars happen. I just drive-ok, so I talk a little too. Smile!

As far as the teams, teams will be welcome more at any company-whether it's Swift or FedEx CC. You want your freight running 22 hours or 11 hours? Think about it from their standpoint-if that freight is not moving they don't make any money...solo or team. However, Teams can roll it thru alot quicker than a solo can.

Hope it all works out for you, Later, Bob.

Weave · Mar 8, 2004

RE: FedEx

Yes, very true most OTR trucking companies prefer the teams, but the simple truth is there will never be enough teams to move all the freight, and solos still make up the vast majority of OTR truckers.
Teams are a luxury for OTR companies!
-Weave-