Panther Expedited Services, Inc. recently appointed several of its' contractors to a Drivers' Council that is comprised of drivers, of each truck size, that were elected by their peers. The Council will meet with Panther management on a quarterly basis. The announcement of this council has sparked many comments related to the existence of a similar group at FedEx Custom Critical.
Several years ago, FedEx Custom Critical established a Contractor Council. This Council's membership includes solo and team owner/operators from each truck size and one or more fleet owners. The Council members are not elected because they are not intended to be representatives of the other owners in their fleet. They are, however, selected by management because they are believed to be representative of the typical contractor. The members serve at the pleasure of management and usually serve on the Council for two or three years. The Council meets twice annually and the members are invited to submit agenda items prior to each meeting.
Management and Owner/Operators are brought together to exchange comments, ideas and opinions. Driver issues, single truck owner issues, fleet truck owner issues and carrier issues are each given due consideration. The impact on company and driver, and the pros and cons of any government regulations, company policies or Owner/Operator recommendations are often reviewed or resolved before many operational changes are implemented. Issues brought to the table by council members are the subject of copious notes taken by the company personnel. They use them in consultation with their respective staff before any action is considered; if any changes are made, the council usually hears about them at the same time as the rest of the Custom Critical fleet.
Council meetings bear no resemblance to a driver gathering at a truck stop restaurant. Individual's stories of a run gone bad, of being dispatched around, or a seemingly uncooperative dispatcher are seldom brought to the table, unless a trend is identified that affects the fleet as a whole. The council's purpose is to work with the carrier in identifying issues that are broad based. There are other vehicles available to drivers to resolve individual issues; these include FedEx Custom Critical's Facilitators, Contractor Coordinators, and the folks in the Contractor Relations Department.
The Council meetings have never been a furtive venture nor have the membership been a secret group. The company occasionally mentions the Council and recently featured one of its members in the Fall 2006 Contractor Quarterly Report on DVD. Rene' and I have been honored to have been selected to volunteer to attend Council meetings. I say volunteer because members are not paid for attendance nor compensated for time lost to run opportunities. Members must even go out of service to attend the meetings. We have not often mentioned our association with the Council for various reasons. We haven't wanted to be perceived to receive any special consideration from dispatch or management. In fact, I doubt that any dispatcher could name more than a couple of members and most dispatchers probably don't know the Council exists. Another reason that council members are not publicly announced is because of past experiences in being inundated with complaints from disgruntled drivers.
To my knowledge, we are the only EO forum members to have served on the Council, so that may be the reason for a lack of discussion here. I trust you each now know what we know about the FedEx Custom Critical Contractor Council.
Several years ago, FedEx Custom Critical established a Contractor Council. This Council's membership includes solo and team owner/operators from each truck size and one or more fleet owners. The Council members are not elected because they are not intended to be representatives of the other owners in their fleet. They are, however, selected by management because they are believed to be representative of the typical contractor. The members serve at the pleasure of management and usually serve on the Council for two or three years. The Council meets twice annually and the members are invited to submit agenda items prior to each meeting.
Management and Owner/Operators are brought together to exchange comments, ideas and opinions. Driver issues, single truck owner issues, fleet truck owner issues and carrier issues are each given due consideration. The impact on company and driver, and the pros and cons of any government regulations, company policies or Owner/Operator recommendations are often reviewed or resolved before many operational changes are implemented. Issues brought to the table by council members are the subject of copious notes taken by the company personnel. They use them in consultation with their respective staff before any action is considered; if any changes are made, the council usually hears about them at the same time as the rest of the Custom Critical fleet.
Council meetings bear no resemblance to a driver gathering at a truck stop restaurant. Individual's stories of a run gone bad, of being dispatched around, or a seemingly uncooperative dispatcher are seldom brought to the table, unless a trend is identified that affects the fleet as a whole. The council's purpose is to work with the carrier in identifying issues that are broad based. There are other vehicles available to drivers to resolve individual issues; these include FedEx Custom Critical's Facilitators, Contractor Coordinators, and the folks in the Contractor Relations Department.
The Council meetings have never been a furtive venture nor have the membership been a secret group. The company occasionally mentions the Council and recently featured one of its members in the Fall 2006 Contractor Quarterly Report on DVD. Rene' and I have been honored to have been selected to volunteer to attend Council meetings. I say volunteer because members are not paid for attendance nor compensated for time lost to run opportunities. Members must even go out of service to attend the meetings. We have not often mentioned our association with the Council for various reasons. We haven't wanted to be perceived to receive any special consideration from dispatch or management. In fact, I doubt that any dispatcher could name more than a couple of members and most dispatchers probably don't know the Council exists. Another reason that council members are not publicly announced is because of past experiences in being inundated with complaints from disgruntled drivers.
To my knowledge, we are the only EO forum members to have served on the Council, so that may be the reason for a lack of discussion here. I trust you each now know what we know about the FedEx Custom Critical Contractor Council.
