The good old days of expedited freight.

Bruno · May 20, 2012

I was looking up some things on the web and came across a article that was wrote about Roberts Express back in 1998. It was a great article and a great read. I thought I would post the link to article on here for everyone to enjoy.

Roberts Rules the Road | Fast Company

ATeam · May 20, 2012

Bruno said:
I thought I would post the link to article on here for everyone to enjoy.

Great find, Bruno! Thank you for sharing.

PreacherRich · May 20, 2012

Great read, thanks for posting.

CharlesD · May 20, 2012

Seeing the title reminds me of a certain Carly Simon song.

davekc · May 21, 2012

Yes, "the good old days".

skyraider · May 21, 2012

"You have to know the drivers' personalities to know how to deal with them," says Brenda Arthur, a dispatcher who came to Roberts in 1983. "There's one couple, a husband and wife team, who was near-impossible. They took everything personally. Later I learned they were having money problems and that they had a grandchild with leukemia. The next time I talked to the wife, I asked for the grandchild's name. She was taken aback. I told her I wanted to pray for him in the Sunday school teen group I lead. Well, that broke the ice. After that, she warmed up to me."

The most carrying paragraph , someone actually prayed for a family member in need, now that was truly a Hallmark moment. God bless Brenda.

canesman07 · May 22, 2012

I am curious. I have been doing this for a while, a tad over 9 years, I never recall anyone ever saying 'this is the best time I have ever had'. People generally only complain then remininence about how great things were but in reality there has never been a great time. People do the same thing about the economy in general or who ever was president.....Bush sucked. Clinton was great...as an example. Life is what u make it and how you perceive is really not based on reality. Sorry to burst everyone's bubble but man really?

I remember paying 1.40$ a gallon and getting a "GREAT" .06 fsc. Now as a van I avg over a 1$ mile. These are the good times, next year will be a good time and the year after and you want to know why? We do not get paid by the hour with a 40 hr max week. We control our income, pay no taxes of the income type and do not support the social insecurity or govt med programs.

Tirade over feel free to dispute me.

paullud · May 23, 2012

canesman07 said:
I am curious. I have been doing this for a while, a tad over 9 years, I never recall anyone ever saying 'this is the best time I have ever had'. People generally only complain then remininence about how great things were but in reality there has never been a great time. People do the same thing about the economy in general or who ever was president.....Bush sucked. Clinton was great...as an example. Life is what u make it and how you perceive is really not based on reality. Sorry to burst everyone's bubble but man really?

I remember paying 1.40$ a gallon and getting a "GREAT" .06 fsc. Now as a van I avg over a 1$ mile. These are the good times, next year will be a good time and the year after and you want to know why? We do not get paid by the hour with a 40 hr max week. We control our income, pay no taxes of the income type and do not support the social insecurity or govt med programs.

Tirade over feel free to dispute me.

I think when people are referring to the "good ol' days" in the transportation industry they are referring to a time when there was less regulations and more money in the '80's. It is an undeniable fact that regulations have increased and rates are down, but it is the world we are faced with today. It is still worth it to me to be out on the road rather than being stuck in a cubicle wishing the clock would speed up. In life sometimes a certain past is easier to deal with than an uncertain future.

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cheri1122 · May 23, 2012

There's a scary thought: in 10 years, we may think right now is 'the good old days'!

LDB · May 23, 2012

Ah, the good old days, when eyesight was good enough to read even the whispering that many are now too old to read comfortably.

Doggie Daddy · May 23, 2012

cheri1122 said:
There's a scary thought: in 10 years, we may think right now is 'the good old days'!

NO WAY, and it's because of the " idiot in cheif".

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Bruno · May 23, 2012

The good old days we didn't have cell phones and had to rely on pagers and C-link pagers. Everyone would hang out at the Detroiter truck stop or at the Denny's at eight mile road for coffee.

skyraider · May 23, 2012

what would have been the good old days to an 18 wheeler pilot who retired in 1960. omy well I guess most of them are gone now.

jjoerger · May 23, 2012

I hope the good old days for me are still to come.

x06col · May 24, 2012

Bruno said:
I was looking up some things on the web and came across a article that was wrote about Roberts Express back in 1998. It was a great article and a great read. I thought I would post the link to article on here for everyone to enjoy.

Roberts Rules the Road | Fast Company

Actually, this was about the time that a once great Company (Roberts) started the steady decline because of a couple ownership changes. Too bad!!

Bruno · May 25, 2012

x06col said:
Actually, this was about the time that a once great Company (Roberts) started the steady decline because of a couple ownership changes. Too bad!!

Yes, sir you are so right. I was thinking the same thing and can remember all the Roberts Express people in the article.

ATeam · May 25, 2012

x06col said:
Actually, this was about the time that a once great Company (Roberts) started the steady decline because of a couple ownership changes. Too bad!!

Suppose Roberts did not get picked up by FedEx like it did and instead managed to continue on as the independent expedite carrier it once was. What made that company great back in the good old days and -- with all the new technology and competition that emarged in the last 25 years -- what parts of the greatness would have survived? What path through expedite history might the Roberts of yesteryear have taken to live to haul freight today?

Deville · May 26, 2012

skyraider said:
"You have to know the drivers' personalities to know how to deal with them," says Brenda Arthur, a dispatcher who came to Roberts in 1983. "There's one couple, a husband and wife team, who was near-impossible. They took everything personally. Later I learned they were having money problems and that they had a grandchild with leukemia. The next time I talked to the wife, I asked for the grandchild's name. She was taken aback. I told her I wanted to pray for him in the Sunday school teen group I lead. Well, that broke the ice. After that, she warmed up to me."

The most carrying paragraph , someone actually prayed for a family member in need, now that was truly a Hallmark moment. God bless Brenda.

I like Brenda so much. We have helped each other out over the years & she is truly a wonderful women.

wimpy007 · May 26, 2012

I was with Roberts from 1996 until the FedEx purchase, at a meeting in Chicago we were told it would be the best thing since slice bread. We argued to keep the Roberts name in some manner but were told no way. For the next year or so when you said to shipper "FedEx" they would say not today. When we said how about Roberts , Ohh you should have said so. I tried retire after 11 year with FedEx, that lasted about 3 or 4 months got another van and went back to it. Now at 78 I guess I should thing about retirement again. It sure has had its ups and down, but all in all its been fun and met some great people.