This bumbs me out. My wife and I were getting ready to come into some money and were going to buy a truck and dedicate to it, what ever it took, but our mutts are like our kids and being limited I think would/could hurt us. This site has been awesome and has provided a wealth of knowledge. Thank you for your replies
FedEx Custom Critical allows dogs in its trucks but not in their White Glove trucks. Most other expedite carriers allow dogs in their trucks, and some of those serve the very same customers FedEx Custom Critical does.
Diane and I run with Landstar Express America and dogs are allowed in all trucks. When a customer prohibits dogs, the agents who dispatch our freight know it and make sure they put dog-free trucks on such loads. At Landstar, there is no such thing as a White Glove truck or team or service. But many of the very same customers call both carriers for trucks. Beyond the loss of certain freight opportunities because certain customers prohibit dogs, there is no bias or rule against dogs in trucks at Landstar.
Note that the FedEx dog rules are not cut and dry. It has happened many times that a non-White Glove (Surface Expedite) truck that has a dog in it gets dispatched on a White Glove load (a load that requires certain equipment or driver credentials). This happens when a customer has no anti-dog rules and a FedEx White Glove truck is not available. Ask the Caffee's about that. They ran a truck with a dog in it and forfeited their eligibility to be a White Glove truck and team because of it. Yet they have done White Glove loads because dispatch needed to cover them and the Caffee's had the needed training and equipment.
The story is the same with several other FedEx contractors we know. I mention the Caffee's because they are prominent on EO and have talked in the Open Forum about doing White Glove loads with a dog in their truck.
You are new to the industry so let me mention that "White Glove" is used in different ways by different carriers.
FedEx has a line of services that they brand "White Glove." They also designate drivers as White Glove qualified and trucks as White Glove equipped. Other carriers use the term differently. They may do the same kind of work for the very same customers at the very same pay (or maybe even better) but have no term for it at all. Another variant is Panther Elite (do I have that term right?). That's Panther's version of teams and trucks that have certain capabilities and equipment (HAZMAT trained, lift gate, etc.).
Changing the subject a bit, allow me to add that a big red flag went up for me when you said that you and your wife are getting ready to come into some money and plan to buy a truck.
My advice is DON'T! At least not yet. Get into a fleet owner's truck first and learn the business with it. More importantly, learn exactly what you want in a truck before buying one of your own. If you buy a truck first and then hit the road, it is virtually certain that you will wish you spec'ed something different. If you spend some time in a fleet owner's truck and talk to other expediters on the road about their trucks, you will have a much better idea of what you really want and the money you spend will be better spent.
