arkjarhead
Veteran Expediter
I heard that FedEx was shutting down 15 express centers is there any truth to that?
FedEx Express Centers
- Thread starter arkjarhead
- Start date
Have not heard that. Would not make a real difference. I seldom get my loads out of the express center I am at or any express center. I just take what comes my why. Deadheading is the norm. No problem with that if the pay is right. I often just stay where ever I unload if I think it is a good area. Layoutshooter
Effective Sunday, Oct 28, 15 ExpressCenters will be consolodated with the remaining ExpressCenters. Letters have been sent to those that don't subscribe to the weekly newletter. The following is a list of those Centers deleted
BAY (Bay City, Mich.)
BPK (Bedford Park, Ill.)
DET (Detroit, Mich.)
ELY (Elyria, Ohio)
FIN (Findlay, Ohio)
LNW (Lincolnwood, Ill.)
MAR (Marion, Ohio)
MID (Middletown, Ohio)
MUS (Muskegon, Mich.)
NPH (New Philadelphia, Ohio)
PON (Pontiac, Mich.)
SAG (Saginaw, Mich.)
SFD (Springfield, Ohio)
SHL (South Holland, Ill.)
TVC (Traverse City, Mich.)
The change will have have no adverse effect on business levels or contractors in these areas.
BAY (Bay City, Mich.)
BPK (Bedford Park, Ill.)
DET (Detroit, Mich.)
ELY (Elyria, Ohio)
FIN (Findlay, Ohio)
LNW (Lincolnwood, Ill.)
MAR (Marion, Ohio)
MID (Middletown, Ohio)
MUS (Muskegon, Mich.)
NPH (New Philadelphia, Ohio)
PON (Pontiac, Mich.)
SAG (Saginaw, Mich.)
SFD (Springfield, Ohio)
SHL (South Holland, Ill.)
TVC (Traverse City, Mich.)
The change will have have no adverse effect on business levels or contractors in these areas.
This seems like a long overdue change that recognizes the fact that FedEx Custom Critical hauls nowhere near the percentage of automotive freight as it used to, is that right?
We have been with FedEx Custom Critical for over four years and I don't recall picking up freight in more than one or two of those express centers more than one or two times.
We have been with FedEx Custom Critical for over four years and I don't recall picking up freight in more than one or two of those express centers more than one or two times.
sixwheeler
Expert Expediter
With the real estate market being what it is presently, maybe they should have waited until things picked up a little. 
Elimination of DET speaks volumes. I remember the early nightys when you would be #12 on the board and would be dispatched in about an hour.
Of course we as a company diversified away from he auto business,but that is not all thats going on. NAFTA is just "sucking" everything to Mexico. Bye Bye!
Of course we as a company diversified away from he auto business,but that is not all thats going on. NAFTA is just "sucking" everything to Mexico. Bye Bye!
Yes, this is ture. I feel that this will better serve our customers needs at Fedex Custom Critical. FedEx has moved away from auto freight and cheap freight over all. The whole ideal behind this is to put the O/O and drivers in the best place to get freight on their trucks. The only thing that I'm worried about is just having one Express Center in Chicago because of traffic. FedEx Custom Critical needs to have two Express Centers there, North Chicago and South Chicago.
Also I wish they would go back to having Cat Teams again too. Terry, Dreamer and DaveKC I'm sure you remember that? You talked to the same agents all the time that was from your home Express Center. Also those agents delt with the same customers all the time too and the customers liked the personal touch. Some how that got lost over the years and many customers loved personal touch as well as the O/O and drivers did too. You just didn't feel like a truck number. The agents knew you and you knew them, everyone would work as a team. That is what made Roberts Express a great company to work for.
God Bless and Drive safe
Dave Mayfield
FedEx Custom Critical
14 years as an O/O in Expediting.
Also I wish they would go back to having Cat Teams again too. Terry, Dreamer and DaveKC I'm sure you remember that? You talked to the same agents all the time that was from your home Express Center. Also those agents delt with the same customers all the time too and the customers liked the personal touch. Some how that got lost over the years and many customers loved personal touch as well as the O/O and drivers did too. You just didn't feel like a truck number. The agents knew you and you knew them, everyone would work as a team. That is what made Roberts Express a great company to work for.
God Bless and Drive safe
Dave Mayfield
FedEx Custom Critical
14 years as an O/O in Expediting.
RE: FedEx Custom Critical Express Centers
For the benefit of the non-FedEx Custom Critical folks, and perhaps others, here's an explanation of the ExpressCenter (EC) situation, as I understand it.
The former Roberts Express business model provided for a pickup within 90 minutes if the shipper was located within 25 miles of an ExpressCenter. Delivery times were determined by programming trucks average speed at 45 miles per hour, plus a half hour at the pickup location. As business levels grew, ExpressCenters and trucks were added to maintain the 90 minute pickup promise. Metro Chicago, with its notorious traffic jams was a good example.
In the beginning, all of metro Chicago was an EC. Around 1990, Des Plaines was added as an EC, followed shortly thereafter by splitting Chicago in half and designating North Chicago and South Chicago as ExpressCenters divided by the I-290 freeway. Another realignment of ECs occurred a few years later when the slate was wiped clean and Lincolnwood (LNW), Elk Grove Village (ELK), Bedford Park (BPK), and South Holland (SHL) were the areas where it was desired to have trucks laying over to accomodate the pickup times in all of the Metro Chicago area, at any time of day or night.
In the very recent past, the Chicago toll roads have allowed a speedy transit for those of us equipped with the I-Pass EZ-Pass or FastLane. GPS receivers have also allowed us to get to a customer with minimal angst over getting lost and delayed. Finally, we drivers have learned where the frequent customers are located and we tend to layover near the pockets of freight activity rather than congregating in common spots as we did in the past. (remember the Denny's at Devon and Il-83?)
Many of the laptop equipped folks with mapping software have pinpointed every customer they've ever visited and have picked layover spots based on the density of their pinpoints. I 'spect it's reasonable to assume that the IT folks at Custom Critical have used sophisticated software that allowed them to match customer locations, pickup time successes and failures, proximity of deliveries to layover spots and their other data to determine the optimum ExpressCenter locations where their trucks would be able to get to the majority of their customers in the 90 minute timeframe.
For the benefit of the non-FedEx Custom Critical folks, and perhaps others, here's an explanation of the ExpressCenter (EC) situation, as I understand it.
The former Roberts Express business model provided for a pickup within 90 minutes if the shipper was located within 25 miles of an ExpressCenter. Delivery times were determined by programming trucks average speed at 45 miles per hour, plus a half hour at the pickup location. As business levels grew, ExpressCenters and trucks were added to maintain the 90 minute pickup promise. Metro Chicago, with its notorious traffic jams was a good example.
In the beginning, all of metro Chicago was an EC. Around 1990, Des Plaines was added as an EC, followed shortly thereafter by splitting Chicago in half and designating North Chicago and South Chicago as ExpressCenters divided by the I-290 freeway. Another realignment of ECs occurred a few years later when the slate was wiped clean and Lincolnwood (LNW), Elk Grove Village (ELK), Bedford Park (BPK), and South Holland (SHL) were the areas where it was desired to have trucks laying over to accomodate the pickup times in all of the Metro Chicago area, at any time of day or night.
In the very recent past, the Chicago toll roads have allowed a speedy transit for those of us equipped with the I-Pass EZ-Pass or FastLane. GPS receivers have also allowed us to get to a customer with minimal angst over getting lost and delayed. Finally, we drivers have learned where the frequent customers are located and we tend to layover near the pockets of freight activity rather than congregating in common spots as we did in the past. (remember the Denny's at Devon and Il-83?)
Many of the laptop equipped folks with mapping software have pinpointed every customer they've ever visited and have picked layover spots based on the density of their pinpoints. I 'spect it's reasonable to assume that the IT folks at Custom Critical have used sophisticated software that allowed them to match customer locations, pickup time successes and failures, proximity of deliveries to layover spots and their other data to determine the optimum ExpressCenter locations where their trucks would be able to get to the majority of their customers in the 90 minute timeframe.
RE: FedEx Custom Critical Express Centers
Terry I forgot about Denny's. Remember the Denny's at 14 mile Road in Detroit, Mi? The movie house got mad because we parked on their lot to go into Denny's and towed a few trucks.
Drive safe
Dave Mayfield
FedEx Custom Critical
14 years as an O/O in Expediting.
Terry I forgot about Denny's. Remember the Denny's at 14 mile Road in Detroit, Mi? The movie house got mad because we parked on their lot to go into Denny's and towed a few trucks.
Drive safe
Dave Mayfield
FedEx Custom Critical
14 years as an O/O in Expediting.
RE: FedEx Custom Critical Express Centers
They never got made a me for towing a few trucks ;-}
They never got made a me for towing a few trucks ;-}
RE: FedEx Custom Critical Express Centers
sixwheeler
FedEx Custom Critical does not actually own a piece of property called an Express Center so they are not selling anything. An Express Center means you need to be parked with 25 miles of the city center. So getting rid of an Express Center just means we will not hang out near that city we will be going to a different city that will cover both cities. FedEx Custom Critical found that many of the service centers over lapped each other. All areas will still be covered by FedEx Custom Critical Trucks.
sixwheeler
FedEx Custom Critical does not actually own a piece of property called an Express Center so they are not selling anything. An Express Center means you need to be parked with 25 miles of the city center. So getting rid of an Express Center just means we will not hang out near that city we will be going to a different city that will cover both cities. FedEx Custom Critical found that many of the service centers over lapped each other. All areas will still be covered by FedEx Custom Critical Trucks.
RE: FedEx Custom Critical Express Centers
Good Point TeamCaffee about Express Centers. As a matter of fact FedEx Custom Critical does not own any land or buildings anymore. The old home office on Arlington street in Akron, Ohio was sold to the contractor who now owns the new building that FedEx custom Critical leases. Fedex Corp would rather lease a building than own it.
Drive safe
Dave Mayfield
FedEx Custom Critical
14 years as an O/O in Expediting.
Good Point TeamCaffee about Express Centers. As a matter of fact FedEx Custom Critical does not own any land or buildings anymore. The old home office on Arlington street in Akron, Ohio was sold to the contractor who now owns the new building that FedEx custom Critical leases. Fedex Corp would rather lease a building than own it.
Drive safe
Dave Mayfield
FedEx Custom Critical
14 years as an O/O in Expediting.
RE: FedEx Custom Critical Express Centers
Geez, I live in Michigan, near Detroit. Kinda speaks volumes on Michigan politics and taxes. I hate to think I might have to move, but, if things don't change I might. At least I live closer to Toledo than Detroit. Layoutshooter.
Geez, I live in Michigan, near Detroit. Kinda speaks volumes on Michigan politics and taxes. I hate to think I might have to move, but, if things don't change I might. At least I live closer to Toledo than Detroit. Layoutshooter.
sixwheeler
Expert Expediter
RE: FedEx Custom Critical Express Centers
An express center is not an actual physical structure, but if fedex cc did decide to acquire such structures they would more than likely lease.
Got it thanks.
An express center is not an actual physical structure, but if fedex cc did decide to acquire such structures they would more than likely lease.
Got it thanks.
RE: FedEx Custom Critical Express Centers
And to think they kept the massive frieght area of Washington Court House in Ohio!!!*LOL*
And to think they kept the massive frieght area of Washington Court House in Ohio!!!*LOL*