Nervous newbie

[Gear_Grinder]

Hey josh. Yeah our owner has been good since day one and stuck by our side knowing everything in had and told us there was hope and kept us positive. He pushed and got us in as quickly as possible. He did tell us that FedEx was changing their system to pulling our own loads off the c-link but I thought that was everybody did not know that was for white glove only so that is good to know. I’m just excited about going in and getting our feet wet before we go back to training to digest more information of white glove and tval. I just feel it would be easier to understand and comprehend instead of digesting everything brand new into the field hoping we remember everything. As for Facebook we never had one since we have been together but she did create one for us a combined Facebook we are still trying to figure out how to use but doesn’t seem to hard. So maybe we will join that. That was the purpose of creating the Facebook to stay in touch with what family we have and to reach out and to meet other expediters. So I’ll look into that page and join. Thanks for everything and I’ll update here in a couple days let you know how everything is going. Stay safe all.

 

[Ragman]

... and to reach out and to meet other expediters.

That's the purpose of EO.

 

[Josh]

Hey josh. Yeah our owner has been good since day one and stuck by our side knowing everything in had and told us there was hope and kept us positive. He pushed and got us in as quickly as possible. He did tell us that FedEx was changing their system to pulling our own loads off the c-link but I thought that was everybody did not know that was for white glove only so that is good to know. I’m just excited about going in and getting our feet wet before we go back to training to digest more information of white glove and tval. I just feel it would be easier to understand and comprehend instead of digesting everything brand new into the field hoping we remember everything. As for Facebook we never had one since we have been together but she did create one for us a combined Facebook we are still trying to figure out how to use but doesn’t seem to hard. So maybe we will join that. That was the purpose of creating the Facebook to stay in touch with what family we have and to reach out and to meet other expediters. So I’ll look into that page and join. Thanks for everything and I’ll update here in a couple days let you know how everything is going. Stay safe all.

If I remember right, FedEx sends you on a "practice run" for white glove. I think you may travel from one place to another keeping your box whithin a specific temperature range. There will be a monitor on the truck that will print out a piece of paper to let whomever know what the temps were along your run. This is something that is always there so you'll always be able to reference, but then again, you'll also have the controls on the dash and be able to see the temp at a glance. You'll also have a lift gate on the back.

I think the biggest thing that will help is to get your box straight before you grab a load. Make sure you have 4 bars and 4 straps minimum. Pads wouldn't hurt either. We currently have 4 bars plus the one a shipper smashed up with their forklift, 3 ratchet straps, and two non ratcheting straps. And 4 pads. Example, there is a load on the load board right now that requires 6 straps and 6 pads. We cannot accept this load since we don't meet the requirements. Harbor freight sells pads, loves has the e-track straps we want. Just have to buy those out of pocket and get reimbursed since expeditor services doesn't have an account with loves. Most I have seen a load require is 8 pads and 8 stars. You should also have a pallet jack in your truck with white glove.

Gonna sound stupid, but give your wife a crash course in securing and taking down the load bars and straps. And yourself if you don't know how they work, seems dumb, but fumbling with them while someone is watching you at the shipper/receiver is embarrassing I'm sure. Same with your lift gate.

 

[Josh]

Grabbed some small loads. (AR to MS, then MS to IL) and just accepted a load from Kenosha wi (our home town) heading to Texas.

 

[Gear_Grinder]

Hey Josh, we’re on our way to Ohio now going across the 80 in Pa. yeah when we go there our truck is there so I was going to go over everything and hopefully it’s loaded already with equipment but don’t know if it will be since it just got done over at FYDA Freightliner. Since we cant drive the truck I figured I would teach her a lot while we’re just sitting there in the lot. We just got our FedEx package in the mail today right before we left to go to Ohio so we couldn’t do our drug test etc... since we didn’t take a drug test we can’t move the truck until we get one done and the results in. So since they rushed everything they decided to have us take our drug test up there and our photos and hopefully 24 hours the results come back. But I’ll go over the apu and cargo securement etc. she did learn that in school but it’s better to feel and see the equipment in hand to make more sense.
Thanks for the info on where to get the straps and pads. There is a harbor freight near our home so maybe when I get back with the truck I will grab some. Our truck is going to still have a lift gate and tag axle on it. I’ll have to take some pictures and post them. You do surface freight for FedEx right? You didn’t go white glove or tval? Just curious so the load board is not for the surface freight only white glove and tval? Just wondering since we’re are doing surface freight for the first couple to few months. Also you said driving a test run for white glove and tval. You didn’t have to do that with the regular orientation? Just asking because when we got our package today from them of course it had our drug test info, employment verification paper and a paper stating about drive time. Looks like you needed so much drive time or if not they give it to you there. I mean our school should qualify I would assume but just wondering if they made you drive a test run also? Sorry for the long rant, but be safe on your small runs and enjoy going home for a day to pick up a load.

 

[Josh]

Hey Josh, we’re on our way to Ohio now going across the 80 in Pa. yeah when we go there our truck is there so I was going to go over everything and hopefully it’s loaded already with equipment but don’t know if it will be since it just got done over at FYDA Freightliner. Since we cant drive the truck I figured I would teach her a lot while we’re just sitting there in the lot. We just got our FedEx package in the mail today right before we left to go to Ohio so we couldn’t do our drug test etc... since we didn’t take a drug test we can’t move the truck until we get one done and the results in. So since they rushed everything they decided to have us take our drug test up there and our photos and hopefully 24 hours the results come back. But I’ll go over the apu and cargo securement etc. she did learn that in school but it’s better to feel and see the equipment in hand to make more sense.
Thanks for the info on where to get the straps and pads. There is a harbor freight near our home so maybe when I get back with the truck I will grab some. Our truck is going to still have a lift gate and tag axle on it. I’ll have to take some pictures and post them. You do surface freight for FedEx right? You didn’t go white glove or tval? Just curious so the load board is not for the surface freight only white glove and tval? Just wondering since we’re are doing surface freight for the first couple to few months. Also you said driving a test run for white glove and tval. You didn’t have to do that with the regular orientation? Just asking because when we got our package today from them of course it had our drug test info, employment verification paper and a paper stating about drive time. Looks like you needed so much drive time or if not they give it to you there. I mean our school should qualify I would assume but just wondering if they made you drive a test run also? Sorry for the long rant, but be safe on your small runs and enjoy going home for a day to pick up a load.

We did our drug tests and pictures there. I believe the drug test comes back before you are done with orientation. Our id's did.

Yea, we do surface freight. We have a load board and so does white glove, but they are seperate. Surface freight cannot see white glove but white glove I believe can see surface freight since they could take a surface freight load if they wanted to.

There was no driving time required and none was done while at FedEx. We didn't even get our truck till a week later and once we did we jumped right in. So I don't believe you guys are required to do any. The white glove test run would be to make sure you can keep a load at the correct temp. (Pretty sure that's what they do, don't take my word for it though). They will touch on white glove in orientation and if you have a question just ask. It's all super laid back and a good environment, after a few hrs there you will be comfortable enough to ask any random questions you may have. There will also be a fleet planner? Guy that is assigned to you and will speak with you guys one on one during breaks and stuff. Our guy was Jeff. Also super nice, tell him josh and emiley say hi while your there. lol Lisa also (the teacher).

Not sure what you would have gotten in the mail for drive time. I know they will give you a paper log. You need to keep a paper log for 7 days prior to your training (your paper log will say no driving or "off duty" for the 6 days prior to your orientation and orientation will start your "on duty" clock. You always need to have a 7 day history and the paper log is to prove what the c link can't (since you won't log into a c link until your first day on the job). After 7 days you can throw the paper log away. You fill that out in class and they tell you what to fill in.

 

[Gear_Grinder]

Awesome, ok. Everyone I talked to said it was a good environment and everyone is friendly and that the headquarters is really nice. I will definitely will tell them you said hi if I see them. Hopefully we get the same people since you complimented them. So we will have to do a paper log, that’s alright that’s what they taught us in class to so we got that down pretty good but the electronic log they didn’t touch on much so I hope that’s pretty easy. I assume since we have log into the clink they will provide us employee codes or whatever to sign in? I got into the FedEx CC group page on Facebook and did like I did on here EO scrolled down check to see what people asked and info given and what was going on out there. Good group, good info just like on here. I like EO a lot and everyday I’m always on looking through more info old and new seems endless. I’m constantly on here. But they are both good for information.

 

[Josh]

Awesome, ok. Everyone I talked to said it was a good environment and everyone is friendly and that the headquarters is really nice. I will definitely will tell them you said hi if I see them. Hopefully we get the same people since you complimented them. So we will have to do a paper log, that’s alright that’s what they taught us in class to so we got that down pretty good but the electronic log they didn’t touch on much so I hope that’s pretty easy. I assume since we have log into the clink they will provide us employee codes or whatever to sign in? I got into the FedEx CC group page on Facebook and did like I did on here EO scrolled down check to see what people asked and info given and what was going on out there. Good group, good info just like on here. I like EO a lot and everyday I’m always on looking through more info old and new seems endless. I’m constantly on here. But they are both good for information.

Correct. You use your badge number and a password they give you (you can change to something more convenient) to log into c-link. If you got the paper log down, the c link is cake. Pretty much stupid proof now. If you sit for more than a few minute it auto bumps you to "on duty not driving", if you start to move it bumps you to "driving" just remember to put yourself on sleeper berth when your done drivin. But even if you forget to you can go back and edit it. You just can't edit driving time. Example : if you start the truck and take off in the morning and forget to even change the c link status, it will change the active driver to driving, which means if the wife was the last one driving, you just started her day. Lmao. ...completely hypothetical.. ...*cough cough*

 

[Josh]

Uuggghhhh. Been sitting at the shipper since 9am this morning. "Should only be a little while before we're ready" he said. Currently 1:20pm.. granted we are getting paid while we wait here, we have a 1500 mile trip ahead of us and I was hoping to get an early start. We were suppose to deliver tomorrow. That might get bumped to the 2nd now, which decreases our chance for a load over the weekend. Oh well, at least if we end up sitting until Monday the weather should be nice.

 

[GR8WING]

We just spent 10, yes ten, hours at shipper. SMH

 

[Josh]

We just spent 10, yes ten, hours at shipper. SMH

Lmfao. Ridiculous.

Another fun fact I overlooked. It would appear the wife may actually run out of hours on her 70hr week. May have to do a reset once we get to Texas. Assuming we even make it on time.

 

[Josh]

Ok. Question for the smarts out there.

The wife currently has 16 hrs and 24 minutes left on her 70hrs

8 days ago she drove 4hrs and 50 min, and was on duty for 6hrs and 6mins.

Now. At midnight how many hours does she get back? Just the driving time of 4hrs and 50min? Or both driving hours and on duty hours?

 

[ucfd608]

The way it is set is up is that when u get to the seventh day one day falls off you really don’t run out of time to drive you don’t have to do a reset you won’t run over the seventy hours


Sent from my iPhone using EO Forums

 

[jhead64]

Your qc hours of service screen should show hours to be gained at midnight and also hours to be gained on the second night.

Sent from my Pixel XL using EO Forums mobile app

 

[DBenton]

I have always wondered why we sit at the shippers for so long. Are they so busy they can' get the load ready? Are they union and just don' care? I have been fortunate that the longest we have sat is 5 hours. Now our time is coming and we will have to sit longer. I guess I just expect they should not take 10 hours to load someone. Or change the appointment time.
I hope everyone has a great week. We are headed to parts unknown that we have never been to. The scenery should be beautiful! Peace!

 

[DBenton]

Gear_Grinder when you attend WG and TVAL training you will be required to take a temp assured load and run it like a TVAL load. Setting up Ameriscan, setting a Journey Marker, printing said journey marker to prove box is right temp, and printing a Journey ticket at completion. They give you the paperwork to send in. When you complete it and it is sent in and approved you receive a message that say your truck is approved for TVAL loads. We completed it out first load and it was a piece of cake. No worries you got this!

 

[Josh]

When we sit at the shipper we typically know why. They are either not ready, product isn't finished yet, waiting for quality control or something like that. I always go inside and prod them for information. I like to be there when they are loading and will be pretty persistent. It seems most will load like crap and not leave me any way to secure it (block in the load bars or set skids on the strap ends so I can't get them out.

We delivered in Texas day before yesterday to a windmill place. Miles upon miles of a small, narrow, gravel road. This is after we went down the wrong road. See below





It was at this point I decided to back out and find another way. Pretty cool to see either way



Now we're waiting a few hrs before we pick up a load from Oklahoma to Minnesota. We're picking up from the same place we did in our second load. We were starting to get a lot of repeats, less stress when you've been there before. Not looking forward to the cold.


Side note. We delivered to hildago tx a few days go. Spend about 200 miles on a highway as opposed to interstates. There was a lot of cool things to see, some run down buildings that seemed to be frozen in time. A very cool feeling to drive through.

 

[BigStickJr]

Never in my life have I had freight set on a strap.
Wind your straps after each load.
Stow then in a box or bag out of the way.
Look to see how other drivers take care of their’s.

 

[Josh]

Never in my life have I had freight set on a strap.
Wind your straps after each load.
Stow then in a box or bag out of the way.
Look to see how other drivers take care of their’s.

From what I've seen everyone else does the same thing we do. Hang them on the wall at the tail. The ends of the straps end up touching the floor and that's when people set things on them. I've since started to spread them out where they hook to the wall to keep them off the floor.

Maybe just me being lazy, but I'm not wrapping them up every time. I do with my personal straps in my personal truck but when at a shipper or receiver, I just wanna get in and out as soon as possible.

 

[Josh]

Started this journey at 9am. Gone a whole 300 miles...