Glass slippers

ihamner

Expert Expediter
Frank & I wear Red Wing steel toe shoes and they are really comfortable and last forever but with Spring/Summer coming I don't want to wear my steel toe boots. My granddaughter insists that I am wearing her granddaddy's shoes! I just discovered that WalMart has steel toe tennis shoes!!! They will be perfect this summer and they even have them in black (a company preference). Not all places we pick up or deliver require steel toe shoes but what do you do for summer shoes? I think last summer I wore my sandals and changed to my boots if a company required that. Any ideas???
 

theoldprof

Veteran Expediter
Easy remedy: Cut the steel toes, leather and all out of your work boots. Epoxy magnets on your toe nails. Paint the magnets the correct color for your outfit. Then.....when you have to go into a place requiring steel toes, slip the steel toes complete with the leather covering onto your toesies and the magnets will hold them. Open toed sandals and safety work boots all in one. That much less weight you have to carry in your truck.
 

TeamCaffee

Administrator
Staff member
Owner/Operator
I have thought about your post and how often we have worn our steel toed boots. I believe in the whole time we have been with FedEx Custom Critical Bob has worn his twice and my Redwings are just the same as when I put them in the side box. We would not run without our steel toed shoes as the loads where we had to have steel toed shoes we would have lost.

What Bob does is when they are required before he gets out he puts his boots on and then when we are done at that customer he takes them off and puts them back in the side box.

I have started asking around a bit and was surprised at how many people wear steel toed boots all the time. One guy has a high top boot he wears in the winter and a short top boot he wears all summer. His partner said she has also never had hers on as the places they have been required she did not need to get out of the truck.

It sounds to me like the Prof has the real solution though.
 

pelicn

Veteran Expediter
I don't own any steel toed shoes. We've been to very few places that required them and if they did, I stayed in the truck. I think if you really need to have them, the sneakers would be the best best. They are lighter and more comfortable than boots.
 

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
In the interests of personal safety and professional appearances, Diane and I wear black, polished, steel-toed shoes (not boots) at every pickup and delivery, and driving shoes most other times.

The driving shoes are open-heel clogs that are very comfortable and easy to slip on and off. The easy on/off is important as we don't wear shoes in the sleeper.

Our steel-toe shoes are not comfortable to wear all day long. We wear them only when handling freight, and to meetings and training at FedEx Custom Critical headquarters. The steel-toed shoes are part of our uniform and we want people at HQ to see us as the customers see us.

We have in the truck a custom-built shoe rack that sits over the boot (the part that connects the cab to the sleeper). Whatever pair of shoes we are wearing at the time, the other is in the rack. Without leaving the driver's seat, we can easily reach the shoes, quickly put on the steel-toes for freight handling, and quickly return to driving shoes when we are done with the freight.

The photo below is taken from the driver's seat. You can see the top of the passenger seat in the top left corner of the photo.

The shelves are angled to keep the shoes in place when the truck is moving. On top of the rack is our permit book (also within easy reach of the driver). A piece of non-skid shelf liner between the book and the shelf keeps the book in place (having a smooth-riding truck also helps). The bottom shelf hosts the digital video recorder for the security camera system.

This shoe rack is one of the best ideas built into the truck. With every load, it keeps the steel-toe shoes handy, yet out of the way. It also keeps dirt from the shoes out of the sleeper.

We had the rack built by our sleeper manufacturer, using their materials to give it a finished look. But there is nothing to it. People so inclined would find it easy to build.

shoe_rack.jpg
 
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ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
The wires are bunched up behind the passenger seat. They are the feeds for the camera system. It has been on my to-do list for a long time to wire-tie them neatly behind the shoe rack where space designed just for that exists. It is one of those projects that are easy to forget about. I hope to have it done sometime before we dispose of the truck.
 

Doggie Daddy

Veteran Expediter
The wires are bunched up behind the passenger seat. They are the feeds for the camera system. It has been on my to-do list for a long time to wire-tie them neatly behind the shoe rack where space designed just for that exists. It is one of those projects that are easy to forget about. I hope to have it done sometime before we dispose of the truck.

I hear ya,I too have a truck to-do list and will never reach the end of it,because as items are completed and removed more keep piling up.
 

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Just be careful to not put too much weight on the boot and think about surface wear between the shelf and the boot. As you know, the boot flexes some as the truck drives down the road.

If you look close at the photo, you will see part of the shelf extends down past the boot. That part rests on the sleeper floor and supports the weight of the shelf on that side. The rest of the weight rides on the boot. We thought about doing the same thing on the other side of the boot but the sleeper manufacturer did not think it was necessary. The shelf moves with the boot. Its back side is free. It does not contact or attach to anything.

As with any custom-built item, after you do it once, you think of better ways to do it the next time. In this case, there probably won't be a next time because the shelf is working great. For anyone else wanting to do this, there is nothing special about this design. Use it as food for thought and come up with something better.

If you do, be sure to share it here.
 
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