Driver Lifestyles

Keeping Informed: How does your carrier stay in touch?

It was all the way back in the late 1980's and early 1990's (sarcasm intended) that maintaining contact with your expediting company was not the piece of cake it is today.

There was the phone system of course.  Alexander Graham Bell's invention from more than a century before has been improved for sure, but it didn't seem that way in those pre-wireless phone days.

Do you remember standing outside in a zero degree wind chill on the only pay phone you could find while listening to the on-hold music as it starts its fourth cycle of the easy listening instrumental music you've been enjoying for the last half hour and waiting for a dispatcher to answer?

We also had the CUE "nationwide" pager.  That is, allegedly "nationwide".  There were as many places where the device didn't work as where it did work and veterans can recall entire cities and/or areas where the gadget couldn't receive a signal.  It was necessary to find alternate methods of being "contactable" in those poor coverage areas.  One of those expediting vets recalls leaving call back numbers for various Denny's restaurants with his dispatcher and then tipping the cashiers to act as receptionists in case a load offer came in.

Some long-time expediters remember when the Qualcomm satellite system made it's emergency freight debut.  The veterans recall that some of the contractors were hesitant to use the new-fangled equipment at first because they were suspicious of the tracking ability of the satellite system and loss of their independence.  But, the benefits and wide range of extras that the system could provide - text, routing and local directions, etc. - were eventually embraced by the owner-operators and drivers.

The satellite system however, still required that someone be in the truck to answer the Qualcomm when it went off, so one was still tied to a location until...the next improvement. 

It was a Roberts Express contractor who discovered that a Radio Shack car alarm remote pager could be triggered by the Qualcomm, so it wasn't long before the company's fleet was sent wiring diagrams for the device and how to hook it to the satellite unit.  This was later replaced by Qualcomm's own paging system.

It was towards the end of the last decade that cell phones came into their own and became the invaluable tool that we enjoy today.  This writer can remember dragging a bag phone around in the early 90's and being hit with some very extreme phone bills at the end of the month.  The affordable cell phone that we take for granted today has allowed us to dispose of the nationwide pagers and more easily stay in touch with family, friends and company.

The expedited carriers have made progress as well in communicating with their fleets.  A quick survey of some of the larger carriers reveals that staying in touch with their contractors is a matter of concern and they have a variety of tools to accomplish that.

Express-1
The Express-1 newsletter is called "The Expediter", published on a monthly basis and "a great place for heads-up, attaboys and general knowledge that will help people acclimate to Express-1," says recruiter Scott Hancock.  "It's not just for drivers, but for families of drivers as well."

The paper is published by a local Buchanan, MI media company and Hancock says that it "allows our office personnel a chance to see some of the ins and outs of the drivers' lifestyle."

Tri-State Expedited Service
The company publishes a quarterly newsletter for it's contractors, the "Tri-State Tracker".  The paper is compiled by Carol Boulander who collects news and tidbits from contractors and various Tri-State departments.
Information that requires immediate action can be broadcast on the Qualcomm.

Panther II
"We have Internet locations that both our owner-operators and drivers can access," says Jeff Brown, Manager of Panther II's Contractor Support and Development.   "On the owners' pages, they can find payroll information, truck location, load history, with much of this in a downloadable format."

"Drivers can access most of this same information on the drivers' pages, with the exception of the payroll info.  We also have what we call 'News You Can Use' on the front web page. "

Brown says that the company also produces a quarterly publication called the "Paws".  This newsletter features a section for each Panther II department such as Contractor Relations, Safety, etc.  Typically, the cover story will come from President Dan Sokolowski and other articles will emanate from department heads or others.

Brown says that the Qualcomm is still the prime communication tool for Panther II contractors.  "As far as load information, that is, information from Panther II, the majority of that info comes from the Qualcomm.  We encourage the drivers to use it, after all, they're paying for it.  Besides, many guys are conservative when it comes to their cell phone minutes."

"However, a cell phone is an indispensable tool and it's tough to get by without one.   And, more and more drivers are wired now, using laptops and Wi-Fi to stay in touch. 

FedEx Custom Critical
The company publishes the On Times, a bi-monthly newsletter. It also has studio-produced recordings that are distributed to its contractors three times a year, available on CD or cassette.

Other ways that the company stays in touch with its contractors is through the C-Link (Qualcomm), the Voice Response Unit (VRU) an automated phone system and the company's Extranet. 

The VRU allows the contractor to see what paperwork is due, check on Express Center activity, check on load acceptance and availability numbers, order supplies and a suggestion box.

The Extranet (contractor web site) offers a news section, an area that lists various discounts available to contractors, order logo apparel and business supplies, vehicle statistics.

Con-Way NOW
April Hafner, Director of Recruiting,  says that her company uses primarily two means of communication with its contractors - a quarterly newsletter and Qualcomm messages.  For example, in the latest issue of the Con-Way NOW "Chronicles,"  an article recognized the National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, another piece gave updates on crossing the border and there were safety tips and industry news pieces.

Ms. Hafner states that Con-Way NOW frequently uses Qualcomm fleet messages to spread the news on a hot topic and points to the recent fleet messages regarding the Katrina disaster donations as an example of how the satellite system can be used effectively.

Landstar Express America
The "LCAPP News" gives Landstar's BCO's (contractors) news about fuel rebates, information about any new programs that are offering discounts.  A booklet also goes out to contractors on a quarterly schedule that lists various rebates and discounts.

"Safety News" is a publication that tells of the topics and gives details for the company's monthly safety conference calls.

Landstar uses the Qualcomm for fleet-wide distribution of memos from the President and other breaking company news.