Thank you, FedEx :-)

[JimF51]

Friday evening, I delivered in AL. My relo choices were paid miles to Huntsville AL or paid miles to Louisville, KY. I chose Huntsville, then immediately thought, It's Fri., I may be better off in Louisville. So I called in and asked the dispatcher if she could change my choice and give me the paid miles to Louisville, She said 'Yes', no problem. So I headed north. Finished the drive up on Sat.

I get a load op Sat afternoon, and it shows DHPL miles to Huntsville, not Louisville. So I call in, and am told, "Sorry, we can't change it now".

Since I have come back to expediting last Aug., I've been asked by dispatch or load planners several times to "help me out with this load", or "can you work with me" when I won't except a load because it's lower than the min. I want to run it for.

Well, no more. Favors only seem to work one way, so it's strictly business from now on. I thank FedEx reminding me that that's how I had resolved to do it.

Thanks again, Purple

Jim

 

[jjoerger]

I have done the same thing. But I ask on the Quallcom and wait for a yes reply. Then when I do my next run, after the departure call I explain to the dispatcher that I was authorized to Louisville. I tell them the date and time of the QC message authorizing me to go there and ask them to send updated pay info for that run. I have never had a problem. Knowing the date and time of the QC message makes it easier for the dispatcher to find it. If you do it on the phone someone would have to go through the tapes to check to see if you were authorized.
I always say that if it's not on the QC it's not easy to prove.

 

[bubblehead]

I get a load op Sat afternoon, and it shows DHPL miles to Huntsville, not Louisville. So I call in, and am told, "Sorry, we can't change it now".

Well, no more. Favors only seem to work one way, so it's strictly business from now on. I thank FedEx reminding me that that's how I had resolved to do it.

Thanks again, Purple

Jim

Jim, just like any other company there is always some that are too lazy or unimformed to do their job properly. Unless they just changed the policy that day you can have it adjusted if Louisville was your other option as you indicated. Call your CC and refer to the run number that was the one that had the option when you did your delivery and she/he will adjust it to the proper pay. I have had a few times where I had to call in and it was adjusted...its 'that' person and not the company...fortunately you can escalate it higher up as recomended in your Contractors Helper Guide. Don't just get mad or upset, get your money!

 

[Dreamer]

Ive changed my mind several times as others said, if you call in and get one of the newer dispatchers who doesnt know how to fix it, a quick change to CC gets it fixed. If it was one of the original choices, its always an easy fix. Now, if you pick somewhere else.. then Planning must approve.

Dale

 

[ATeam]

Well, no more. Favors only seem to work one way, so it's strictly business from now on.

It should always be strictly business. Regardless of what led up to your DHPU incident and how it is worked out, dealing with dispatch should always be strictly business.

 

[JimF51]

Thanks for the replies. I did call my CC and we did get it resolved. But it shouldn't have to be that way. I know, stop dreaming

ATeam, I realize it's strictly business, but every company/dispatcher uses the 'favor' tactic now and then. I'm finding FedEx seems to use it more than any other company I've driven for. And also is the one that doesn't seem too inclined to do in return.

Anyway, thanks again, all.

Jim

 

[LDB]

I'm not sure I've ever had the favor card pulled by Fedex although maybe once that I don't recall in a little over 2 years. I know it was pulled much more often at a prior carrier.

 

[ATeam]

ATeam, I realize it's strictly business, but every company/dispatcher uses the 'favor' tactic now and then. I'm finding FedEx seems to use it more than any other company I've driven for. And also is the one that doesn't seem too inclined to do in return.

When Diane and I were new in the business, we were asked to do favors or help dispatchers out of a bind or go to bat for the customer or whatever way they put it at the time. After agreeing a few times and finding out that favors done are soon forgotten as dispatchers busy themselves with dozens of other loads, we took a more businesslike approach to load acceptance.

After you have been with the company for a while and the dispatchers get to know you, they also get to know who the favor card can be played on and who it can't. They seem to have concluded that it does not work on us because we are seldom asked to do favors any more.

We made a positive step forward in our business when we got as serious about protecting our bottom line as our carrier is about protecting theirs.

There are exceptions, like if we want to get home, we'll consider a lower price.

Another important exception is rescue loads. When a truck breaks down or driver becomes incapacitated and we are asked to do the favor of a rescue, we will do it at whatever money is offered, even low money.

We have been rescued twice under load, once when the truck broke down, and once when I unexpectedly had to go to the ER. In both cases, teams saved our skins by getting the freight to the customer without a service failure being charged to us. It was huge to be set free of the freight so the situation at hand could be addressed.

While customers and dispatch are served in freight rescue cases like this, Diane and I view them not as dispatch favors but contractor-to-contractor favors. Having been on the rescued side of things, we understand how meaningful it can be to have a rescuer on the way to free you from the freight.

With the ER thing, one team showed up and took the load off our truck. The team was available and not far away. Another team happened to be passing through the area. These folks were out of service and on their way home when they heard what was up. They stopped going home, changed their route and showed up to help us! After the freight was on its way, they stayed with our truck so Diane could leave it behind in the dark, in a strange town, parked some distance from the hospital, without having to worry about it while coming to be with me at the hospital.

As it turned out, I was quickly in and out of the ER but we will NEVER forget both teams who came to our rescue in a way that meant the world to us.

In the spirit of paying it forward, but also just knowing how much of a positive difference it can make to come to another contractor's aid when aid is truly needed, we are always ready to do dispatch a rescue favor, regardless of pay.

 

[JimF51]

My 1st 5 weeks getting back into expediting, I was in that mind set of 'gotta have a load'. Not real cheap ones, but many that were below what the truck owner and I had decided was a good min. amount. Think I was thinking that more loads would equal things out. Not so. I took a week off, and since coming back out, I have held to that min. rate. It has paid off well, at least till this week, which seems to be awfully slow, at least for me.

I think I've been lucky in the past, driving OTR for other companies, in that I've always seemed to have a good dispatcher. The type that will ask you to do a favor, but doesn't forget that you did it, and tries to do for for you in return.

One thing I think is a big difference with FedEx (don't know about other expedited companies) is not dealing with the same one or 2 dispatchers all the time. I've driven for small companies, where everybody knows each other and and you are a actual person, and large mega companies (Swift) were, to the company, you are basically only a truck number. However, even in a company like that, you would work with 1 or 2 dispatchers most of the time, to whom you are a person, not a number.

As for the rescuing, I definitely agree, it's about helping the contractor/driver more than it's about helping the company.. I haven't been rescued yet, knock on wood, but have done one, long ago.

Sorry for the length, up early and just killing time.

Jim