The concluding phone call happened a few hours ago and I remain not just surprised but shocked by the positive and unexpectedly strong support Diane and I received from dispatch yesterday and today.
A courier was in our truck from Monday morning through late Tuesday afternoon. The freight was not explosive but she was. The core issue was the courier's insistence that she did not have to stay in the passenger seat with her seat belt on for the duration of the trip, and our insistence that she did (per DOT requirement).
Over a half-dozen calls were made to dispatch during the run to either provide updates or to have dispatch talk to the courier. Each time, someone different answered the phone. Each time, the agent, dispatcher or facilitator was 100 percent supportive of us. Their support was total. They never questioned our actions or suggested we change our behavior or attitude. They were in our corner 100 percent. (We were level-headed and professional the whole time, which probably helped.)
After we got the freight safely delivered and the courier off the truck, I called the facilitator who was monitoring the situation to report that the run was successfully completed. As we discussed the run, the facilitator shocked me when she said that courier is now banned from all FedEx Custom Critical trucks. Diane and I did not request or expect this. The ban was a decision made by people in the office on their own. The facilitator was adamant. "We do not tolerate that kind of behavoir from anyone" she said. (The courier did not go off on just us. She let dispatch have it with both barrels too.)
There was a lot of behavior and I won't go into the details. What I want to share here is the gratitude Diane and I have for the support given us by dispatch on this run. This kind of support and understanding is something we have not experienced in recent months. It felt good to experience it again.
Usually, it is something like, "In the interest of putting the customer first, can't you do _______ just this once?" or "The customer has requested ______ and there is nothing we can do." Not this time. This time it was, "We do not tolerate that kind of behavior from anyone" and the customer (courier) was banned.
Wow!
Tip: If you are having difficulty with a courier or custoemr, and you know you are on solid ground, put him or her on the phone with dispatch. They can help. You don't have to deal with such things alone, and in most cases, it is better not to.
p.s. We have had many couriers in our truck over the years. This is the first time ever that we had an issue like this and got dispatch involved. Most courier runs are issue-free (though it is always great to the that third person out of the truck when the run is over).
A courier was in our truck from Monday morning through late Tuesday afternoon. The freight was not explosive but she was. The core issue was the courier's insistence that she did not have to stay in the passenger seat with her seat belt on for the duration of the trip, and our insistence that she did (per DOT requirement).
Over a half-dozen calls were made to dispatch during the run to either provide updates or to have dispatch talk to the courier. Each time, someone different answered the phone. Each time, the agent, dispatcher or facilitator was 100 percent supportive of us. Their support was total. They never questioned our actions or suggested we change our behavior or attitude. They were in our corner 100 percent. (We were level-headed and professional the whole time, which probably helped.)
After we got the freight safely delivered and the courier off the truck, I called the facilitator who was monitoring the situation to report that the run was successfully completed. As we discussed the run, the facilitator shocked me when she said that courier is now banned from all FedEx Custom Critical trucks. Diane and I did not request or expect this. The ban was a decision made by people in the office on their own. The facilitator was adamant. "We do not tolerate that kind of behavoir from anyone" she said. (The courier did not go off on just us. She let dispatch have it with both barrels too.)
There was a lot of behavior and I won't go into the details. What I want to share here is the gratitude Diane and I have for the support given us by dispatch on this run. This kind of support and understanding is something we have not experienced in recent months. It felt good to experience it again.
Usually, it is something like, "In the interest of putting the customer first, can't you do _______ just this once?" or "The customer has requested ______ and there is nothing we can do." Not this time. This time it was, "We do not tolerate that kind of behavior from anyone" and the customer (courier) was banned.
Wow!
Tip: If you are having difficulty with a courier or custoemr, and you know you are on solid ground, put him or her on the phone with dispatch. They can help. You don't have to deal with such things alone, and in most cases, it is better not to.
p.s. We have had many couriers in our truck over the years. This is the first time ever that we had an issue like this and got dispatch involved. Most courier runs are issue-free (though it is always great to the that third person out of the truck when the run is over).
Last edited:
