Speaking of White Glove.....

[pjjjjj]

Unfortunately I needed to begin a new topic since I am not able to post in the FECC forum. Altho info in there might be relevant to FECC people, sometimes outsiders also appreciate the opportunity to make enquiries about how things work over there.

I was reading the thread in there regarding a certain fleet owner's ability to get inexperienced FECC drivers immediately into WG services, based on the fleet owner's trucks already being qualified for WG.
I was just wondering...
If drivers are being put into WG service when they're first contracted with FECC, and get some experience doing so, say a year.. what happens if those drivers go out and purchase their own truck which also has all the appropriate amenities to qualify for WG?
Would they immediately be allowed to put their truck into WG since they, as drivers, were already performing WG services up until that time?
Or would they be put to the end of the waiting list, along with all the other OOs who have been waiting?

I would *ssume that FECC only allows a certain percentage of their contracted vehicles to be involved in WG services?
If so, if the WG drivers who buy their own truck are allowed to put it immediately into WG, does that mean their previous fleet owner is allowed one less truck in WG?

Seems like a tough situation for FECC to find a way to fairly deal with all parties. I'm wondering if anyone has presented a possible solution, as opposed to simply complaining about it? (Not saying the complaint is not valid by any means). As an outsider it is easy to see the issues from both sides (existing fleet owner with a certain percentage of WG trucks, vs qualified OO on a waiting list).

 

[TeamCaffee]

The truck is in White Glove not the drivers in a sense. So if the drivers go out and buy their own truck that is not all ready in WG they have to get in line. There are so many trucks in WG and the WG division is full. There are some instances where this is not true but for the general rule this is how it works from what we have seen.

I have lately heard of owners getting a little more for their WG truck when selling as they are also selling as a packaged deal WG spot and truck.

 

[FIS53]

The selling with the job along with it sounds just like a lot of the taxis who sell the vehicle and the license to operate. Personally I don't think fecc should allow that. If a driver/truck/unit leaves wg service then it should open up to next unit that fits requirements.

Glad I work for a smaller outfit where if you have the extra equipment it is considered and utilized when necessary.
Rob

 

[TeamCaffee]

The selling with the job along with it sounds just like a lot of the taxis who sell the vehicle and the license to operate. Personally I don't think fecc should allow that. If a driver/truck/unit leaves wg service then it should open up to next unit that fits requirements.

Glad I work for a smaller outfit where if you have the extra equipment it is considered and utilized when necessary.
Rob

I agree with you and we have had many discussions with the company on the WG policy but the policy still stands. To us there are so many other benefits being leased to FCC that this is a minor irritant or as Leo has said often this is one of FCC warts.

 

[greg334]

Selling the truck as a WG package and it staying in the fleet is the same as letting inexperienced drivers joining WG - it really slams the people who are working hard trying to get into WG who are playing by the rules.

This is supposed to be the elite of the best within the company but I see it as cheapening the serivces to the customer and nothing less.

If FedEx cared, they would stop it but....

 

[layoutshooter]

Buying an exsiting White Glove truck that is still in a, for lack of a better term, White Glove slot does NOT get you into White Glove, you go on the list. We had too. We were White Glove 2 years prior to buying our own truck. We bought a truck that was in the fleet and White Glove. We were put into surface. It took a lot of phone calls etc to get back to White Glove. We too were told first, if you buy an exsisting WG truck you stay WG, not true. Then we were told, well when you run your first WG load you will then be WG, not true. It took a lot of calls, complaining etc to get us back into doing what we had already been doing for 2 years.

We too can live with the warts but the system is wrong and needs fixed.

Layoutshooter

 

[bubblehead]

I agree with you and we have had many discussions with the company on the WG policy but the policy still stands. To us there are so many other benefits being leased to FCC that this is a minor irritant or as Leo has said often this is one of FCC warts.

It may be a minor irratant to you but it is hurting the company image! Look, your reputation proceeds you. We know you are professional, cordial and a problem solver. You are company oriented people who get results instead of excuses and have played by the rules. You played by the rules and paid your dues. So why can someone with no qualification other than getting into one of those favored trucks get access to our nuclear plants, top secret defense facilities etc. (see link below)

Valparaiso woman, her brother charged in her husband's slaying / nwi.com

Yes they were in a white glove truck and were advanced over you Bob and Linda. If I was responsible for one of those facilities and you showed up I would feel secure. But if the other team came to my facility, I would be inclined to turn them awy. DOD certified, top secret clearance, CDC, DDPS? I think not. It just the facts, straight and true. Image presented by some of these new WG drivers is not helping in marketing for FEDEX and is contrary to the image FEDEX portrays in their advertisement.

 

[davekc]

Ummm.
I would have sworn I read somewhere that there was no preferential treatment or favoritism?
Certainly not exclusive to the Fed, but one would have to be naive to think it doesn't go on. In this case, if it is going on in one place, one wouldn't have to stretch far to realize it is going on somewhere else. That is also usually how those rumors start with trucks getting loaded ahead of others.

 

[Humble2drive]

Yes they were in a white glove truck and were advanced over you Bob and Linda.

You seem to have missed a small point. No one was "advanced over Bob and Linda". They have made the informed decision to enjoy the lifestyle of running surface expedite with their furry loved one at their side. Good for them!
WG does have it's downside: Expensive equipment, physical labor, increased exposure to claims, increased chance of exposure to dangerous chemicals and No Dogs just to name a few.

 

[nightcreacher]

what i guess you missed,to be radioactive and explosive qualified,you dont have to be in white glove.If you have been asked to attend blow and glow class,only means the company feels you would be an asset to do this type of freight.
If you are in white glove and go buy your own truck,you will be put on the list till a spot opens up,you may be on top of the list,and that is even if you buy a truck already flagged white glove
most everyone in fdcc knows that surface and white glove are almost like 2 different companies that dont get along

 

[TeamCaffee]

No one advanced over Bob and I as we have a dog and had a dog when we signed on with FedEx Custom Critical and we still thought they were and still think they are the best company for us.

I also agree it is hurting the company image but it is a company policy and as of now it stays the way it is. That does not stop us from reminding them that they have a lot of trucks out here who are not keeping the "Purple Promise". We also now have a Safety Liaison that is in the field performing inspections. In time I hope some of the less desirable trucks and also the drivers who give all of us a bad reputation will be weeded out.

Joe you only bought a WG truck you did not buy a slot I believe. There are T-Val trucks that are being sold as a package as the owner is getting out of the business.

 

[piper1]

In time I hope some of the less desirable trucks and also the drivers who give all of us a bad reputation will be weeded out.

Amen to that one Linda!!

 

[nightcreacher]

Speaking of undesirables.I was in Romeolville,a newbie E unit,said he was 1 month old,didnt know what was meant by 1 in the nose,1 on the tail.He honestly thought he was suppose to put the load on the hood of the truck.I did all I could do to not crack up laughing.I did explain what was wanted of him,he relly had no idea what I was talking about

 

[greg334]

Ummm.
I would have sworn I read somewhere that there was no preferential treatment or favoritism?

Well Dave, I think that the policy was put in place to shut people up, because I remember a lot of this going on and a lot of complaints from it. If I remember right there were a lot of problems being overlooked with a lot of drivers who were substandard (and still there) working in WG who worked for those owners who had WG trucks in the fleet.

A better policy would be if you lose a WG driver or team, the trucik gets taken out of the fleet until the new driver or team proves themselves to be worthy of being a WG driver or team.

But alas, I don't care anyway, I am bored and trying to excersize my smashed hand so I am typing as much as possible. I also don't care because I have hauled a bunch of high value special handing loads for my present company that the clients didn't want WG near.

 

[spudhead911]

Buying an exsiting White Glove truck that is still in a, for lack of a better term, White Glove slot does NOT get you into White Glove, you go on the list. We had too. We were White Glove 2 years prior to buying our own truck. We bought a truck that was in the fleet and White Glove. We were put into surface. It took a lot of phone calls etc to get back to White Glove. We too were told first, if you buy an exsisting WG truck you stay WG, not true. Then we were told, well when you run your first WG load you will then be WG, not true. It took a lot of calls, complaining etc to get us back into doing what we had already been doing for 2 years.

We too can live with the warts but the system is wrong and needs fixed.

Layoutshooter

I quess the rules change for the large fleets, like the red KW's, who made deals with FECC so they can put WG equiped trucks right into WG with their new drivers without having to wait for an opening or go on the WG list.

I wonder if they are letting the red KW's and other fleets trucks in WG even though they tell those on the WG list that there are no openings?

If they are adding WG trucks beyond the WG truck limit it could be why a lot of WG loads are harder to get, especially the longer loads. I know part of the reason is the economy, but adding more WG trucks than they usually allow just because they made a deal with the larger fleet trucks will come back to bite all of us in WG along with FECC. FECC could wind up losing the expierenced drivers and end up with a bunch of new drivers who know nothing about what WG Services is all about, and WG quality will drop and the carrier with whom the experienced O/O's go to will eventually win FECC WG customers because the former FECC WG teams know how to treat the WG customers, and have the experience the customers are looking for.

I'm not saying the above will happen but it sure could. It could be food for thought with the O/O's waiting on the WG list, and the O/O in WG not getting the loads due to the increase in WG trucks with newbie drivers, and for FECC. An O/O in WG takes great pains in keeping his/her/their WG unit in tip top shape every day. I don't think the large fleet drivers will do the same for trucks they don't own. Nothing replaces experience, and experience takes a long time to come by.

 

[dabluzman1]

The current policy per the WG recruiter as of April 4th is: if you purchase a TVAL unit
currently in good standing in the WG TVAL division and the owner who you purchased it from isnt replacing it with another TVAL with WG, then you could ( if a qualified TVAL driver) take the existing slot.
Otherwise, buying a TVAL unit or dry box equipted to WG will only get you on a list.
Asfor the drivers whos owner brought in a large fleet and benefited from negotiations
to have a certain number of his units immediatley qualify as WG, well, biz is biz. If the
new owner had the clout to negotiate and got some concessions, thats the the
American way.
Some will take pot shots and shout out about favorism when it was really shrewd
business on the owners part, something which these same naysayers chortle about
being so adept in running ther own biz.
One side of the mouth doesnt know what the other is saying.
Oh, the driver(s) that benefited from this may of had some or all the qualifications required,
but that didnt get him into WG, his owners savy did. He should count his blessings as
he would fall to the back of the line if he went out and bought his own unit (unless yaddayadda see above opening comment).

 

[greg334]

The current policy per the WG recruiter as of April 4th is: if you purchase a TVAL unit
currently in good standing in the WG TVAL division and the owner who you purchased it from isnt replacing it with another TVAL with WG, then you could ( if a qualified TVAL driver) take the existing slot.
Otherwise, buying a TVAL unit or dry box equipted to WG will only get you on a list.
Asfor the drivers whos owner brought in a large fleet and benefited from negotiations
to have a certain number of his units immediatley qualify as WG, well, biz is biz. If the
new owner had the clout to negotiate and got some concessions, thats the the
American way.
Some will take pot shots and shout out about favorism when it was really shrewd
business on the owners part, something which these same naysayers chortle about
being so adept in running ther own biz.
One side of the mouth doesnt know what the other is saying.
Oh, the driver(s) that benefited from this may of had some or all the qualifications required,
but that didnt get him into WG, his owners savy did. He should count his blessings as
he would fall to the back of the line if he went out and bought his own unit (unless yaddayadda see above opening comment).

It is favoritism at the expense of the single truck owners - bad business.

Once the rules were clear, getting into WG meant that you had to start out at the bottom as a surface driver/owner to prove yourself and then apply to be put on the WG list all because it was the fair thing to do for all involved.

But with people being brought on through fleet owners and now this happeneing with the trucks, it is no where near business savvy - clearly.

The service is sold as a premium service, not as a cut rate service and a customer should expect high quality people to handle the customer's needs for the price does not get either proven quality people or expience people. If FedEx puts people with little experience on a WG load and charges top dollar, then they are screwing the customer - bad business savvy in the long run.

The truth is that this is favoritism, nothing short of it and to say there is qualifications to apply for it and then say oh by the way if you buy a WG truck oir work for a WG truck owner we will put you on the list is akin to saying we don't have any qualifications at all and you can start tomorrow hauling that million dollar peice of frieght. It comes down to the entire WG program at that point be folded into surface and forget about all of it.

The company doesn't listen to anyone on this, it is obvious but hey it is kind of getting funny now because of favrotism was always poo poo'ed in the past.....

 

[davekc]

I thiink that is the issue. There is somehow this idea that favoritism doesn't exist, and it is as rampant as it gets. I do agree with Dave in that if a fleet owner takes advantage of a system to better his fleet, more power to him. I would do the same thing. My only issue is with the o/o or the fleet drivers that put up posts acting like this doesn't happen.
As for putting new/inexperienced people into WG, it probably has degenerated their program. Any proof of that only one has to look at Panther"s Elite service and see how fast it took off.

 

[layoutshooter]

The truck I bought was in the fleet, not being replaced, and we had been running a White Glove truck for 2 years prior. The rules seem to change with every truck/team etc. We got 3 different stories, it changed each time we complained. We like FedEx, but this is one wart that really needs fixed. Layoutshooter

 

[dabluzman1]

It is favoritism at the expense of the single truck owners - bad business.

Once the rules were clear, getting into WG meant that you had to start out at the bottom as a surface driver/owner to prove yourself and then apply to be put on the WG list all because it was the fair thing to do for all involved.

But with people being brought on through fleet owners and now this happeneing with the trucks, it is no where near business savvy - clearly.

The service is sold as a premium service, not as a cut rate service and a customer should expect high quality people to handle the customer's needs for the price does not get either proven quality people or expience people. If FedEx puts people with little experience on a WG load and charges top dollar, then they are screwing the customer - bad business savvy in the long run.

The truth is that this is favoritism, nothing short of it and to say there is qualifications to apply for it and then say oh by the way if you buy a WG truck oir work for a WG truck owner we will put you on the list is akin to saying we don't have any qualifications at all and you can start tomorrow hauling that million dollar peice of frieght. It comes down to the entire WG program at that point be folded into surface and forget about all of it.

The company doesn't listen to anyone on this, it is obvious but hey it is kind of getting funny now because of favrotism was always poo poo'ed in the past.....

It may be bad biz in your eyes. change from one set of standards to another often irritate
a group that may have been negatively affected.
bad biz, maybe.
If the quality of the product has diminished certain things in the natural course of biz will occur. Someone sees a weakness or crack in the armour and attacks it ( maybe Elite srvcs)
the company sets new standards which may confuse old timers, maybe. the company
loses to much in the market and shuts down, hope not, a thinning of the herd to help strenghten work ethics and performance, maybe. more accountability, probably some of
all the above.
one thing is for certain, change. This environment of expediting ( 24 months ) is all I have
ever known of the biz. The way it use to be means nothing to me as it had zero impact on me.
I am dealing with what was placed on my plate April 14th 2007 and going foreward with it.

clearly business savy isnt a fav topic of gregg. while he readily intermixed the term to
vent his irritation, my comment on the fleet owners ability to negotiate and get concessions for his fleet was and is , clearly, business savy.

your idealism is better suited for late night sobbing into beers than in the real business world where wheeling and dealing take place everyday, different price lists exist for different customers, different terms are available, tiered rebates to those strong enough to out perform the competition.
clearly while you talk a good game, to a degree, you are very naive in real business dealings.
and i mean this is common place, the very crux of american enterptise in action.
clearly the small business owner is at a disadvantage most times.
but yet small businesses continue to pop up and people succeed.
cleary showing business savy themselves.

"grasshopper, be one with the wind and bend do not stiffen as you will be broken" blind kungfu master to cane.
clearly savage savy.

yet a lesson to learn to be flexable and survive and prosper.

the playing field IS NOT level or equal for all players. fact not opinion.
yet success can be achieved if you play within your set of rules ( go ahead ask me how i know).

clearly a difference of opinion.