More Compound W please

[LDB]

The warts are swelling. We need more wart remover. The new phone number to call in compliance with the one touch dialing rule caused a major swelling of one of the warts. Modern, up to date, contemporary companies operate with cutting age components and procedures.

Every contractor calling in is recognized instantly by caller ID. They don't have to punch in their code and their PIN number. Being old fashioned and out of date, at least until the charade was exposed by the new phone number, we have been wasting who knows how many THOUSANDS of man hours and the associated cell phone minutes THAT WE HAVE TO PAY FOR waiting on prompts to needlessly enter those numbers.

Now we learn that Fedex is less out of date and handicapped than we've believed. They actually can, and do, have at least one system that's up to date and capable just like some of the other companies that wear big boy pants.

Why is this not set up on the main VRU number as well? When are we going to make our systems that operators interact with as up to date as many other companies, a number of which do not wear big boy pants and yet still outdo us?

 

[Dreamer]

I'd say because on the regular VRU, we have access to secure information. We can get accounting information etc.. not that anyone could do much, but they could cause a headache, changing pin numbers, passwords, etc. Perhaps with going direct to dispatcher, there's less chance for someone to do damage, or access private info.


Dale

 

[LDB]

I suspect that's not an issue or some of the big boy pants companies would not be using caller ID when answering. Conceding that perhaps there is one chance in thousands the wrong person gets hold of the phone and then rather than calling China and all their friends from the hood and the 900 numbers they start calling stored phone numbers and then they choose the VRU number out of the scores/hundreds of stored numbers it could just ask for the PIN number and at least lessen the severity of the wart.

 

[jansiemoo]

I was wondering myself how they found a herd of unicorns to make their magic new phone system work.

 

[redytrk]

I have friends who let their kids use/play with their phone all the time. Sadly maybe there needs to be a little more protection from these little buggers and other snoops.

 

[jansiemoo]

Hey, I'm not the only one who thinks this is the stuff of fairy tales. I am reminded everyday of how screwed up the system as a whole is. The newest problem is the trailer tracs disconnect msgs. It's two msgs, dual tones, really catches your attention...every hour and a half. Haven't had trailer tracs in over a year, msgs just started this winter. :-/

 

[TeamCaffee]

The Driver Council was instrumental in working with the company to address the importance of complying with the regulations. This work came to fruition this week with the implementation of the 800 number. The announcement addressed the companies desire to continue the use of the VRU for security reasons addressed in the following paragraph.

FedEx takes information security very seriously, which is why a PIN is needed to access the normal VRU. A PIN adds a layer of security regarding information on your business. Since the new law prohibits entering multiple numbers (like a PIN) while you are driving, we created the new toll-free for contractors to call in when they need to speak to an agent.

The full explanation of the new rule is available at the FMCSA website.

The rule clarification was sent to owners and drivers in the weekly email. I am including this for those who do not get the weekly email. If you do not get the weekly email contact your CC.

New Toll-Free Number Set Up for Vehicles in Motion
The FMCSA regulation banning the use of hand-held cell phones and text messaging in commercial vehicles went into effect Jan. 3, 2012. There are times in which you may need to reach us while you are moving, so we have established a new toll-free number that will put you through directly to a live agent.

As a reminder, under the FedEx Custom Critical Safety Policy, owners agree not to use any electronic devices while their vehicles are in motion, except for hands-free devices. 


Clarifications on the New Rule
The rule has undergone some clarifications from the FMCSA, so here is a summary of the new rule. The rule prohibits commercial drivers from the following:
• Holding a cell phone.
• Reaching for a cell phone.
• Entering a phone number unless it meets the single-button exemption. This exemption means that a driver can initiate, answer or terminate a call by touching a single button on a mobile telephone or on a headset.
The law allows for the use of hands-free devices (Bluetooth devices, headphones with speakers, etc.) that can be operated by pressing a single button. It also contains an exemption to allow hand-held cell phone use for emergency purposes only. 

Additionally, a push-to-talk feature is permitted under certain circumstances. A driver is permitted to use the push-to-talk feature as long as he or she is not required to reach for, dial or actually hold the mobile phone while driving. 



 

[layoutshooter]

Thanks for the post

 

[LDB]

Ok, so use the automatic recognition of the number to eliminate "please enter your security code that can be found on your ID card". Presume that at least 99.997% of calls to the VRU will be by e correct person and that requiring the correct PIN code is adequate. That would at least shrink the wart. It's just insane that other companies are wearing big boy pants in this area and we are running around in little boy shorts.