FedEx Custom Critical ???? Are they what they say they are??

[Dreamer]

I find it funny how if you support your company, you're a cheerleader and got the purple haze...:but if you bash them, you're expressing your opinion. I like how people who havent been there in years, still know how things are done today.


"FedEx" does not FORCE you to take anything. A frustrated DISPATCHER may get unprofessional and try to convince you to take something you dont want. I had one dispatcher get rude with me over a load... and threaten OOS. A professional call from me to correct person got the call pulled, reviewed, and taken care of.

True, the DVA is hard to understand... but I dont stress on it... I either get the run or not.

By the way.... Fedex requires a van have at least 8 ft cargo area available. Its our responsibility to set up our sleeping area, not theirs to guess. Customers change.loads all the time. I keep getting these 0 piece, 0 pound offers lol..... then I get there, and they wanna put a van load on!


Dale

Posted with my Droid EO Forum App

 

[TeamCaffee]

A Post for a friend and his old screen name follows his post:


Yep I knew that would get your attention. But now I need a favor.

Somehow i need you to post the following on e o for me and I hope sign my name.I tried and tried and I can't seem to sign in. The system just doesent like lurkers.If you can't that's ok.I understand...

As a self proclaimed lurker I have been following this thread and have reached a point where I have to come out of the dark corner for a minuet.
First off I am a solo D unit, White Glove ,T Val. Yes there is such a thing.I am at Fed Ex 81/2 years and have 6 Four Star Trophy's sitting at home,there would be more but I was trying to disprove the theory about 2 vehicles occupying the same space at the same time. I do make money and I have a lot of fun along the way doing,sometime I think a lot more fun then some of you folks sound like your having.I'm saying all this only to qualify myself.
Now regarding this thread,When I signed on here at FXCC I was told I could have any color truck I wanted with any graphics I wanted as long as I had a white box, and it still holds that way today.About dispatch, in all the load offers I have had I have never had a dispatcher try to force a load on me. I have had them beg,plead, continue to raise the price, offer me more the FX was charging to cover a load,But never ever has any one tried to force or threaten my to take a load. When I started in this business 25 years ago I worked for a forced dispatch carrier and trust me FXCC dispatchers are not even close. If you are available for a load then you are supposed to be available for any load,dispatch send out offers based solely on the info they are given by the shipper,if it's wrong when you get there,then deal with it.If it's too much weight for your class then they will send a bigger truck or another truck to assist.Been there done that. If you can't safely run 2 pieces then odds are you can't run 1 safely either and you should have been oos and sleeping.
In reply to the original posting here yes FXC is what they say they are and a single can make money here, but to be honest you better like running on either coast and in the major cities,NY,BOS,PHILA. because that's how a single makes money.
Now speaking only for my self I would be grateful if you regulars on this sight would go back to the way things used to be when this sight was useful and informative rather then sounding like a bunch of children fighting over who messed up the sand box. Oh and one more thing,am I a Fed EX Custom Critical cheerleader , you **** well better believe it,I know how good it is here and if your unhappy I have one suggestion, leave.Thank you
Big Redd

 

[greg334]

Dispatch works as they want it to work. Seriously.

So I hope this will answer a few things for you.

The loads come from different sources, outside FedEx and inside FedEx. Some of it comes from their logistics division, some from Freight, some is Air freight where CC handles the pickup and delivery, some of it is just plain call in stuff.

Then the loads are sent to the right group, high value is sent to those special people in Whitie Glove, those from Freight go to the 'surface' group and the air stuff goes to the air stuff group who see if it is high value or not. The first and last group sometimes works with the intake people when the loads are booked or even in some cases book the loads directly from the customer.

Then the computer, which is the mastermind to all of this and their leader looks at the nearest group of trucks to the pickup based on the weight of the load, the time to delivery, the time to pickup, the size of the load, the HOS used at the time of dispatch by the truck drivers, the insurance requirements, the training and most of all who is in the truck (well ... not really that last part but its fun to say to get more purple streamers flying).

Needless to say this is not all they look at, acceptance and revenue may be used for some customers and in some cases may be if it is a fleet truck or not (pom pom people can say what they want, this comes DIRECTLY from FedEx).

Once the computer determines out of that group of trucks (EXCEPT in the Whitie glove group, something magical happens there which I can't say what happens because I don't remember) which ones will fit the requirement and then a broadcast message is sent out at the same time the dispatcher may get a notice that a load offer has gone out (that may have changed but that's what I remember). THEN the refusals start to roll in until someone takes the load, if no one does take it, the dispatcher who got the load starts calling or counter offering.

AND all this time, there is another computer in Memphis that is keeping track of all kinds of info, time of call from the customer, time of dispatch related to that first quote, the time of pickup and delivery, ALL the truck stats and so on. These metrics are used to judge those in Green in order to make them happy little FedEx'ers at the top.

Hope that answers your question, I know it wasn't an easy question to answer like what is the meaning of Life or asked to solve cold fusion.

The one question I asked but never got a straight answer is this; what if a contractor wants to counter offer with a lower rate, will the fancy computer system allow that or will dispatch bump the truck that accepts the load from the broadcast offer?

 

[dabluzman1]

All carriers are bad.
Not one will re-morgage their home or biz or sell their children to buy me a Porsche.
NOT ONE.
They all suck.
Now that being said, I have had 4+ years of financial success with Fedex.
Would I recommend them to someone else....SURE.
Would I guarentee their success with Fedex......NOPE.
It is well documented here on those who couldnt cut it
at Fedex yet, went on to successful endevours someplace else.
WOW, kinda like REAL life.
GROW UP.
One may be better for you than another, but what is good
for you make stink for 10 others.

 

[greg334]

Dale, supporting the company is one thing, droning in a defensive manner is another and the cause for my pom pom comments.

FedEx is a good company but it is one that looks at two things that are important to them -

1 - a member of FedEx has to be a company person (big business syndrome)

2 - that every contractor is just a contractor - a tool to produce revenue.

Revenue is not important to them as those two things and neither is real loyalty as a separate entity providing them a service. You can accept every load without hesitation, go the extra mile with them by pleasing the customer or even producing more revenue for them but if you don't act like you are a company person as they want you to act, you simply don't rank and it reflects in how they treat you during all business transactions.

I still support them, I use their services, I own their stock and I recommend things like air freight and other non-expediting services without hesitation. However I don't think that criticism is not justified nor out of line when it is there for them to listen and think about what is going on.

Many do well by them but for every one that does, it seems two or three don't and sometimes there are no reason for that at all. It is those two or three that sometimes matter because if they, FedEx CC wants to actually become better, then they will listen to the negitive feedback, ask questions and make changes to improve themselves - but they don't.

 

[TeamCaffee]

no one has answered how the dispatch works???????? still waiting. yes I said load was unsafe and was threatened, to be taking out of service......that's illegal!!!!!!!!!
what happened to non force dispatch? It's all true.....they do not call me back....not Mary, not Scott, not Kevin from dispatch.......Also have had confirmed load and clink message from confirming times sent to me....Then a phone call saying time has been moved 12 hours.....but no pay for the 12 hours to wait......How is that a confirmed load then? Illegal rip off!!!!!!

Have yet to see anyone post numbers.....how many runs in 6 months with Fedex?

I know nothing about tractors or straight trucks.

So to answer original post......I have would have seconds thoughts about coming on board........still how does the dispatch work?????? no answer buddy........no answer

I am going to assume that after all of your rants and raves about how horrible FedEx Custom Critical has been to you that you have moved to a different company that fits your criteria? Please let us know which company turns out to have the best fit.

 

[ATeam]

They promised steady loads with hardly no wait time, salary weekly of 3,000+ and also being able to pu loads anytime. They said you work about 3 weeks out of the month and home 1 week if you choose to do so. They said you can make more $$$ than the 3,000 if you want to by being out on the road longer. They said average driver makes about 3,000 per wk? How true are these promises??? Again thank you everyone ahead of time for the replys

I don't belileve such promises were made at all. Salary? Self-employed contractors are not on salary. Hardly no wait time? Expediters (true expedited freight) of all companies are known for waiting. That's part of the expediting gig. You wait.

Wishful thinking and hearing what one wants to hear has doomed many an expediter to emotional turmoil when unrealsitic expectations are formed and not met.

Expedite wannabees: The question to ask is not how much money you can make as an expediter? It is how much are real expediters actually making? Ask the question and then get your answers from reliable sources, and even then being skeptical of what you hear.

 

[ATeam]

no one has answered how the dispatch works???????? still waiting. yes I said load was unsafe and was threatened, to be taking out of service......that's illegal!!!!!!!!!
what happened to non force dispatch? It's all true.....they do not call me back....not Mary, not Scott, not Kevin from dispatch.......Also have had confirmed load and clink message from confirming times sent to me....Then a phone call saying time has been moved 12 hours.....but no pay for the 12 hours to wait......How is that a confirmed load then? Illegal rip off!!!!!!

You can drop the explaination points, pookie98me. You are working harder at being right than considering other points of view and getting at the truth.

I read in your earlier posts that you flat out told dispatch that you were too tired to drive and needed space to sleep in your van. Dispatch, concerned about your safety, did what I think any good dispatcher did. They bumped the load to give you time to sleep. Had they been able to otherwise cover the load it might have gone to another truck. There was no rip off here. You arrived for a pickup unable to hold up your end. Under the circumstances, it seems to me that you were given a second chance at the load that many drivers would not normally see.

 

[Bruno]

I find it funny how if you support your company, you're a cheerleader and got the purple haze...:but if you bash them, you're expressing your opinion. I like how people who havent been there in years, still know how things are done today.


"FedEx" does not FORCE you to take anything. A frustrated DISPATCHER may get unprofessional and try to convince you to take something you dont want. I had one dispatcher get rude with me over a load... and threaten OOS. A professional call from me to correct person got the call pulled, reviewed, and taken care of.

True, the DVA is hard to understand... but I dont stress on it... I either get the run or not.

By the way.... Fedex requires a van have at least 8 ft cargo area available. Its our responsibility to set up our sleeping area, not theirs to guess. Customers change.loads all the time. I keep getting these 0 piece, 0 pound offers lol..... then I get there, and they wanna put a van load on!


Dale

Posted with my Droid EO Forum App

I understand where your coming from about what has happened to you since you have been with the company. But it does happen and you can't prove that it doesn't. But really it don't matter. I was a FedEx Cheerleader for many years and now I'm a Panther Cheerleader. We all cheer and brag about our carriers, I know I do. Does it really matter now anyways?

 

[pookie8me]

Ha HA HA HA HA well let me say I'm not the best at explaining things......but I said "we" accept or decline loads.....that's right "we"........Thats two of us.....WE ran all night till 5am and this trip was about 900 miles picking up at 9pm eastern.......later that day.......WE take turns driving while one sleeps......WE sometimes need the space to sleep on long runs........WE could safely take 1 skid and accepted load for 1 skid........We said it was unsafe for us..to take 2...like I said....maybe a daytime run would of been no problem.........WE had no problem till Kevin from dispatch said he was putting us out of service......that's illegal.......AND our 5 hour dh was not paid.....I am contracted per load and terms.....if those terms change that's fine.....but WE should not be threatened or penalized......So yes it does happen....To defend it is foolish to me.....None of you were there or heard call....My driver did....So I wonder if some of these accounts on this forum are really fedex employee's? Hmmmmmmm just thinking.....And thanks for the real people doing real posts. Some of you get the picture.

 

[davekc]

I would agree with Phil in that IF that was the conversation from any recruiter, I would be sceptical.
As to the paint issue, our color wasn't white on the box.

 

[x06col]

That is the way it should have been from the start Phil. I bet DaveKc would still be there.

Believe the deuce coupe was around about the time of Daves delema. Gotta tink is was a case of looking the other way.......happens ya know.

And, I betcha five dolla to a donut he would NOT still be there, considering the foolishness I observed and felt.

 

[nightcreacher]

Pookie,a B unit is suppose to be able to haul 2 skids and 2000 lbs.My tractor is suppose to haul 44000.I once said I would do a load that was suppose to weight 25000 lbs.When I got the shipper it weighed 42000lbs.I called dispatch and complained,but since the E units are to be able to haul 44000# ,I couldn't do anything about the extra weight.Your in a B unit that is suppose to be able to haul 2000# and 2 skids.If the second skid takes up sleeping space,then you are not legal to be running team.
As far as the dva,yest there are 20 points for anyones truck to get the dispatch.Not always the closest truck will get the run.Most of the time,the dwell time will put you up first,but ,if a guy in a different excenter has more dwell than you,and can still make the pickup on time,he may get the load.Dwell is 1 point another is 75 status,another is closest to the load,another may be how busy your truck has been,
but no matter what the points are,if you win the dispatch thats great,if not,then you don't.I never liked the dva from the time they spent milions to install it.I don't like how it's used for planning,if it relly worked,you wouldn't find express centers over manned with trucks.I was with FDCC for 25 enjoyable years,and I'm still a cheer leader,even though I still feel they did me wrong ,cutting my lease.But,I'm at Tri State now,and I'm liking being at a smaller company even more.THere are les trucks,and we all stay much busier.THe reason I have been on EO more lately,I blew the motoer in my truck and I'm enjoying the time off.I believe I sold my truck today,and will be driving someone elses truck starting Monday.You shouldn't talk on here about 2 skids and your wife wont have a place to sleep,you wont be offered anymore team loads.Good luck,sounds like your going to need it

 

[ATeam]

Believe the deuce coupe was around about the time of Daves delema. Gotta tink is was a case of looking the other way.......happens ya know.

Glen and Janice put their truck on with FedEx Custom Critical in March, 2002. It was destroyed in an accident in December, 2003.

Glen tells me that a policy change was made to accomodate his truck body and all that followed that were not painted fully white.

He presented drawings to the then CEO of the company and others before bringing the truck on. They let the truck in but prohibited company logos. The Rices were already FCC contractors with another truck before bringing this one on.

No one looked the other way. In response to activism by one or more contractors, the powers that be reconsidered the rules and made a change. The new rules applied to everyone the same and were very much in force when Diane and I put our truck on in 2006.

We too presented drawings to the powers that be before committing to a graphic design. That was not required but it seemed like a good idea to play it safe. Our design was approved but there was no question that if we chose to do anything other than bring a fully white box on board, we, like the Rices, would have been prohibited from displaying the FedEx Custom Critical logos.

While the design could have used the full length of the truck to create a spectacular look, we left the box white because we saw greater advantages in displaying the logo.

 

[x06col]

My how time flys when I wuz having fun. Seem'd to me is was earlier than that. Regardless, changing policy to accomodate someone is certainly akin to looking the other way in my book. They certainly lost a lot of good contractors by not accomodating them, and gained one by doing so.......makes perfectly good corporate sense to me.

 

[greg334]

If I had to submit drawings and/or sketches to the company to approve something that they neither pay for or own, I would expect a lot more than what I get from them.

Have any of you actually read the FedEx standards and style manual to see what is actually allowed?

 

[ljubisa]

I don't belileve such promises were made at all. Salary? Self-employed contractors are not on salary. Hardly no wait time? Expediters (true expedited freight) of all companies are known for waiting. That's part of the expediting gig. You wait.

Wishful thinking and hearing what one wants to hear has doomed many an expediter to emotional turmoil when unrealsitic expectations are formed and not met.

Expedite wannabees: The question to ask is not how much money you can make as an expediter? It is how much are real expediters actually making? Ask the question and then get your answers from reliable sources, and even then being skeptical of what you hear.

Ok so maybe I did not use the correct verbage here, but the bottom line is I was promised that I could make 3,000 per week. I understand the wait for cargo. What was not told to me the wait could be 3,4,5,6 days. All I wanted to know is if those figures could be achieved as a solo. Here is the question then " how much money can a straight truck driving solo make as an expediter?

 

[ATeam]

Ok so maybe I did not use the correct verbage here, but the bottom line is I was promised that I could make 3,000 per week.

You were PROMISED that you could make $3,000 a week? Who made such a promise and when, and what written document do you have on file that proves it?

Get real, ljubisa. My parents used to promise me that Santa Clause would come to the house every Christmas Eve...my own parents told me this and even they turned out to be liars.

...Here is the question then " how much money can a straight truck driving solo make as an expediter?

A solo straight truck driver at FedEx Custom Critical can gross over $100,000 a year. I know that to be true because I know one who does. I also know of a number of solo straight truck drivers who failed at FedEx Custom Critical. It had nothing to do with the opportunity but with their skills or lack thereof.

 

[scottm4211]

Throwing Santa under the bus is a bit harsh, just sayin'.

 

[usafk9]

$3k per week solo in a surface straight truck is attainable, but depends where you run.

You beat me to my comment, Dreamer, although you were much more polite than I.

92 runs in 6 months? That's all? Looking for a pat on the back? Call Mom.


Lastly, although we were a tad overdue for the monthly "bash the Fed" post, it never ceases to amaze me how several of the folks throwing stones have never contracted with the Fed, or haven't been with the for quite a long while, acting like they're still 'in the know'. Wonder if the reason they're no longer with FedEx has anything to do with their perpetually positive, sparkling personality?

Thanks for the laugh.