Truck Topics
A few laps around the parking lot: A day at FedEx Custom Critical
On Saturday, June 19, FedEx Custom Critical held it's fourth annual "Safety Takes Priority" Skills Challenge at the company's headquarters in Green, OH.
The day was filled with precision driving, free chow and a chance for old friends from the road to say hello. The Skills Challenge was open to all FedEx Custom Critical drivers who competed in three divisions - tractor/trailer, straight truck and cargo van.
Ryan Henary of FedEx Custom Critical’s Marketing Department says, "This is the fourth year for the event and the second year it's been held at our new facility. It's a chance to get our contractors together for some free food and fun, whether or not they are competing."
"As a matter of fact, we have a number of contractors who are not here for the competition but are here just to say hello to friends and we're happy to have them."
Michelle Terwilliger of the Safety Department was the organizing force behind the event and she says, "We've had a great turnout. Everyone seems to be happy to be here and they're very willing to participate. It's great to have the vendors here and we have some great prizes to give away, like the TV/VCR, 50 dollar gift certificates and the security system - all kinds of good stuff."
The Skills Challenge Competition
The event kicked off around 0900 with the competitors signing in at the registration desk. Before the drivers even turned a wheel, they were winners! At time of registration, the competitors received:
T-shirt Petro cap or mug Safety glasses A raffle ticket for duffle bags, t-shirts, trucks and other merchandise A Chance for a fuel card - (1) $500.00, (2) $250.00, (4) $100.00
The 34 entrants of the Skills Challenge started with a written test in the bullpen area. Michelle says that the 25-question exam tested the competitors' knowledge of FedEx Custom Critical safety procedures and took about fifteen minutes to complete.
That test was followed by a five minute pre-trip inspection/test that required the driver to point out safety issues on a particular vehicle, such as a broken taillight, cracked windshield or under-inflated tires. Suffice it to say that the donated tractor used for that test had definitely seen better days.
The driving test featured a few changes from the 2003 event. The course had been changed from a serpentine configuration to one that required the driver to parallel park, perform an alley-dock parking and make front-line and straight-line stops. Some of the contestants commented that the course represented the "real world" conditions that a driver faces on a daily basis.
To "expedite" the testing, two back parking lots of the FDXCC property were used, offering simultaneous testing of straight trucks and tractors (hooked to a FedEx Custom Critical trailer). The seven competing cargo vans were tested last.
Another change for this years Skills Challenge was patterned after state and national competitions - the use of donated trucks that all of the drivers used for the contest. Fyda Freightliner of Columbus donated a Class 8, stretched Century Class straight truck with an Eaton auto shift and a Century Class tractor with a Freedom Line automatic transmission.
Joseph Yelton has operated as a solo driver with FedEx Custom Critical for two years and was a winner in the Skills Challenge of 2003. He says, "The trucks were supplied this year and the course was different from 2003. I competed in the state driving competition last year, and they used donated trucks there as well. I feel that this year's course was very fair and it levels the playing field when everyone is using the same trucks."
John LeLonde of Fyda Freightliner of Columbus says, "We specialize in late model used equipment and we brought some equipment for these folks to use in the event. I've been working with FedEx Custom Critical for four or five years now and I think they're one of the best, cutting edge companies in the expediting business. I'm very happy to be associated with them."
In addition to the competition trucks donated by Fyda Freightliner, John also displayed a new temperature-controlled Sprinter with a roof-mounted refrigeration unit and completely insulated cargo area.
Bill Moore of TSI/Western Star of North Jackson, OH was also on hand, displaying a beautiful new Western Star tractor. He says, "It's great to see the FedEx Custom Critical drivers compete in an event like this, these folks are real pro's! I'm grateful that the company invited us here and it's turned out to be a beautiful day."
An event of this size requires lots of manpower and this was supplied by twenty-four Custom Critical volunteers who handled the administration of the tests. The testers used the ATA driving course book for judging.
It appeared that two sections of the driving test gave the contestants more difficulty than the others - the parallel parking test and the railroad stopping test.
(Note: Contestant Terry O'Connell was second in line for the cargo van competition and elicited chuckles from the judges when attempting the first test, parallel parking. His truck's back-up alarm consisted of train sounds that included locomotive whistles and the sound of a train chugging down the track. No extra points were given for audio creativity, however.)
By 1400, all of the drivers had taken their turns on the course and the judging was completed. A crowd of drivers and attendees had gathered in the common area and awaited the results of the Skills Challenge.
Tanya Stemple and Karl Kussow of FDXCC conducted drawings for a variety of prizes from the exhibiting vendors and FDXCC including:
Safety Vision - A backup camera system
Freightliner of Knoxville - A TV/VCR
Leyman Liftgate - $50.00
Cargo King Midwest Precision - Leather carryall full of goodies
Expediters Online - 3 $50.00 T/A fuel cards
FedEx Custom Critical- Fuel cards and many other prizes
Tanya then took the microphone and announced the Skills Challenge winners:
Cargo Van
1st Place - Melvin Shank
2nd Place - Steve Moats
3rd Place - Terry O'Connell
Straight Truck
1st Place - Jim King
2nd Place - Johnny Keschl
3rd Place - Norman Brown Jr.
5 Axle Sleeper Class (Tractor)
1st Place - Chuck Adams
2nd Place - Sidney White
3rd Place - George Penciu
The first place winners received an embossed bomber-style leather jacket, patch and plaque. Second and third place finishers received the plaque and patch.
Terry O'Connell, who took a third place finish in the Cargo Van category says, "I was in Wytheville, Virginia when another FedEx Custom Critical driver, Charlie Hodge, suggested that we head up to Green, OH and take in the Skills Challenge. We ran up here together and I decided to compete at the last minute."
"I enjoyed the heck out it! It was a hoot just being with everybody and I really enjoy the camaraderie."
Jon Mosier of Freightliner of Knoxville says, "This is the first Skills Challenge that I've attended and I'm excited to see the interaction among the Custom Critical employees and their contractors. It's a lot more relaxed atmosphere than the events I go to on a regular basis. It's a great opportunity to network with the contractors and also to see some folks I knew from way back when."
"It's a beautiful day and we've had a great turnout," says FedEx Custom Critical's VP of Operations, Virginia Albanese. "We're really impressed with our drivers; many of them are competing in the state competition. Michelle Terwilliger has been very instrumental in getting this event going."
"This is also the first year that we have one of our FedEx Custom Critical contractors going to the Nationals. Our President, Jack Pickard, Safety Director Scott McCahan and myself are planning to attend the Nationals to see him compete."
She adds, "Business is booming and we're keeping all of our trucks very busy. We're looking for tractors and straight trucks and we're also recruiting in our White Glove and Temp-Assure Divisions."
Reflecting on her busy Saturday, Michelle Terwilliger says, "The day has been a complete success with 34 drivers competing in the 3 classes. It was the independent contractor family reunion of the year, hands down."
On a personal note: 
This was the first opportunity for this reporter to visit the beautiful FedEx Custom Critical headquarters facility. The company moved into this purpose-built structure in 2002, and it offers more than twice the area of the old building it occupied.
Impressions: The place is huge! Marketing's Ryan Henary gave a quick tour of the building and I discovered that you can wear yourself out from a walk-through of the HQ's three floors. Some of the building's amenities include:
*An Internet Cafe for use by visiting contractors and employees
*A fully-equipped workout center
*A separate contractors' entrance
*A full-service employees cafeteria
*Many conference and meeting rooms
An impressive structure, indeed!