OOPS! It's "4" to Decline

BigRed32771 · Oct 1, 2008

There's more than one way to make yourself feel dumb in this business. In addition to going the wrong way or to the wrong city (as a recent thread disclosed) how about accidentally accepting a load you didn't want, for example.

We're at home, but as of noon 10/1 back in service available. I turned down one opportunity that didn't make sense, and was still waiting. Mid-afternoon I decided to take a little nap in case I got something going out this evening. Of course, going to sleep is one way to insure a call from dispatch...or in this case, the "machine" with an "opportunity" (Ha!)

I listened to the info while I was shaking the fog from my head, and my wife did a quick calculation. No brainer...low pay all miles. The machine is still rattling off info as I make it repeat endlessly until I'm ready to respond, but I'm still not quite out of the fog when it reaches the decision point again. "No way," I say as I jam key number 3.

The machine politely informs me that I will be notified if I received the load and hangs up as the remaining head fog disappears in a major eye-opening moment. 3 accepts, 4 declines.

Oh, no!

Okay. Maybe I won't get the load. After all, it was over 300 miles DH for a 400-some odd mile run. Surely there was another truck closer that accepted. Please let there be another truck closer...

Maybe I should call in and try to explain about the head fog. Dispatchers are understanding about such things, right? What's the speed dial for dispatch? It's not ringing! Why isn't it ringing? Try again! Find the speed dial listing again...

The wife intervenes. Let it go, she says. If we got it, we'll take it. It's not the end of the world...

But...but...OK.

I wait for the phone to ring with the news. Nothing.
I wait. Still nothing.

Why isn't the phone ringing? Oh, no...maybe it called in just as I was calling out! The call with no ringing on the other end! It can't be! What can I do? Call in and ask? Ah...the Qualcomm! If we got the load it would have downloaded the run info by now. I'll go check.

I stumble in a panic toward the truck, pull the door open and peer in, dreading what message may be waiting there for me, all the while hoping against hope that there will be none.

The baleful red gleam of the "Message Waiting" light stabs that hope, and my heart falls as I climb up to read, "11 Messages."

I've been dispatched.

Tennesseahawk · Oct 1, 2008

Ahh... the joy of being able to tell a live person "No thanx!" Makes the simple things in life that much better, now, doesn't it?

late4dinner · Oct 1, 2008

I'm not sure if this is true or not but it makes for a good story.

Years ago, back in Roberts Express days there was a D unit team that had a pet monkey. This team was somewhere waiting for a load and decided to get something to eat. They thought they went off the C Link and straight onto the pager so they could have a nice meal in a restaurant without the C-Link pager bothering them. They even left the C-Link pager in the truck.

After a nice meal and a little stroll around the area they returned to the truck only to find out dispatch had sent a load offer to the truck and the monkey accepted it.

Long story short, they were already getting "running late messages"

ATeam · Oct 1, 2008

This may be one of those stories that evolved as it was told and re-told. It probably started out as a story told by a wife half of a husband/wife team and there was no pet in the truck at all.

Bruno · Oct 1, 2008

late4dinner said:
I'm not sure if this is true or not but it makes for a good story.

Years ago, back in Roberts Express days there was a D unit team that had a pet monkey. This team was somewhere waiting for a load and decided to get something to eat. They thought they went off the C Link and straight onto the pager so they could have a nice meal in a restaurant without the C-Link pager bothering them. They even left the C-Link pager in the truck.

After a nice meal and a little stroll around the area they returned to the truck only to find out dispatch had sent a load offer to the truck and the monkey accepted it.

Long story short, they were already getting "running late messages"

LMAO ROTF I don't know if that is true but who cares if it isn't it made me laugh. that was the best one yet.

LDB · Oct 1, 2008

Well, I did the opposite the first time I replied and said no to one I wanted. I called in the VRU for next available and explained my newbie stupidity. She changed my response and turned out I got the load. Based on my own experience I'm guessing this is basically true with maybe a little embelleshing for humor value.

davekc · Oct 1, 2008

If one is in a busy area, how does one get any sleep? Maybe I am missing something?

BigRed32771 · Oct 2, 2008

LDB said:
Based on my own experience I'm guessing this is basically true with maybe a little embelleshing for humor value.

Other than leaving out a five minute conversation with a neighbor standing beside my truck before I climbed in to see if I had indeed gotten dispatch info, that's just exactly how it went down. P/U is 10/2 at 1700, so we don't have to leave till first thing in the morning. One last night in the big bed at home before leaving...

Writing it was therapeutic; it helped me get over my frustration with myself for a dumb mistake. Hope you enjoyed the tale and the telling.

Bruno · Oct 2, 2008

davekc said:
If one is in a busy area, how does one get any sleep? Maybe I am missing something?

You don't Dave. Our one female driver called it Robo *itch. She said it would wake them up for a load that was 500 miles away that paid really good. Then they wouldn't get the load or anymore sleep either. She hated it and was the 1st one to stand up when I asked the drivers about leaving and going to Panther.

blizzard2014 · Oct 2, 2008

late4dinner said:
I'm not sure if this is true or not but it makes for a good story.

Years ago, back in Roberts Express days there was a D unit team that had a pet monkey. This team was somewhere waiting for a load and decided to get something to eat. They thought they went off the C Link and straight onto the pager so they could have a nice meal in a restaurant without the C-Link pager bothering them. They even left the C-Link pager in the truck.

After a nice meal and a little stroll around the area they returned to the truck only to find out dispatch had sent a load offer to the truck and the monkey accepted it.

Long story short, they were already getting "running late messages"

Did that poor monkey get slapped by the owner of that truck?

ATeam · Oct 2, 2008

Bruno said:
You don't Dave. Our one female driver called it Robo *itch. She said it would wake them up for a load that was 500 miles away that paid really good. Then they wouldn't get the load or anymore sleep either. She hated it and was the 1st one to stand up when I asked the drivers about leaving and going to Panther.

That's right, DaveKC and Bruno. Too many load offers are driving FedEx Custom Critical drivers crazy. Since the new program was instituted, the entire fleet has turned over three times. If you go to Panther HQ on any given day, you will see dozens of solo drivers and teams, all in FedEx uniform, lined at up the door begging recruiting to put take them in. It has become a real problem, all those FedEx trucks camping out in the parking lot. Bruno can't get in to do his laundry any more.

nightcreacher · Oct 2, 2008

If you want to get some sleep,just call dispatch and have them put you out of service on an 88,thats out of hours,your dwell time will still add up,and you can get your 10 hours sleep.If you go to sleep under anyother circumstance,you may get woke up.You cant do this with the c-link,you have to call in and tell them you want out on an 88.When Jerry was out on his own that week,he had no problems after he did that.

davekc · Oct 2, 2008

Thanks Steve,

I think that information would be quite beneficially for one to know if that is an issue in a busy freight area. It appears many aren't aware of that option. That kind of information is of much greater value than the wasted bandwidth Phil put up.

LDB · Oct 2, 2008

They did a good job explaining 88 in orientation and it's in the manual. I'm sure a lot don't know about it because they don't pay attention in orientation and don't bother looking at the manual.

davekc · Oct 2, 2008

LDB said:
They did a good job explaining 88 in orientation and it's in the manual. I'm sure a lot don't know about it because they don't pay attention in orientation and don't bother looking at the manual.

I think that is an issue with a lot of these orientations. Sleeping, texting, and a range of other things I think really hurt ones just starting out.

Bruno · Oct 2, 2008

ATeam said:
That's right, DaveKC and Bruno. Too many load offers are driving FedEx Custom Critical drivers crazy. Since the new program was instituted, the entire fleet has turned over three times. If you go to Panther HQ on any given day, you will see dozens of solo drivers and teams, all in FedEx uniform, lined at up the door begging recruiting to put take them in. It has become a real problem, all those FedEx trucks camping out in the parking lot. Bruno can't get in to do his laundry any more.

Phil

Why are you trying to slam me and DaveKC. I forgot your the "King of Expediting" with your "Million Dollar Plan". Lord knows someone better not say anything about FedEx or Phil will be slaming them. I bet you have been calling other carriers like Tri-state and Panther because your worried about FedEx. Nothing I have posted here is nothing I wouldn't say to FedEx Customm Critical. You need to thank guys like Davekc, Richm,Terry and Rene, Steve, Ken Jackson. Jim Bais, Lawrence, Herny Church, Harold Leader, Roger Hunt, and many more that fought to get what you now enjoy at FedEx today.

You can turn down as many runs as you want today without being put out of service for refusals. You can go to any Express Centers on your own, not where Planning tells you to go. You enjoy getting 60% for every load you do. Not 54% going away from your house and 46% if you going towards home. You can sit in your home express without a layover going ahead of you. So Phil Quit slamming the people that helped made it better for people like you that only has 5 years in this business to enjoy. Your the EO and Expedite Now Editor and you shouldn't be slamming people. I think you was wrong for saying things like that about me and Davekc.

Thanks to all the veteran guys for all you did.