About Leaving FedEx Custom Critical

JohnMueller · Jun 27, 2011

Phil and Diane;

Good luck in your new adventures at LEA. You will have no problems adjusting to a new carrier. You both are highly educated (ExpeditersOnLine University) and are itelligent business people. Any carrier should feel fortunate to have you in their ranks.

Best wishes.

Sincerely,
John Mueller, CDS
Safety Director
Premium Transportation Logistics
(aka HotFr8Recruiter)

Lawrence · Jun 27, 2011

HotFr8Recruiter said:
Phil and Diane;

Good luck in your new adventures at LEA. You will have no problems adjusting to a new carrier. You both are highly educated (ExpeditersOnLine University) and are itelligent business people. Any carrier should feel fortunate to have you in their ranks.

Best wishes.

Sincerely,
John Mueller, CDS
Safety Director
Premium Transportation Logistics
(aka HotFr8Recruiter)

John, I love ExpeditersOnLine University LOL!

x06col · Jun 27, 2011

Lawrence said:
John, I love ExpeditersOnLine University LOL!

EOU, yep that is a good one. FEDEX lost it's luster for me in bout 2000. I lingered, like ATeam for a bit like they did, hoping for a glimmer of some kind of fair play. Alas, I had to give em up for reasons that defy explanation as to their foolishness regarding contractors.

I went my way, and it seems ATeam are going their way. And that's a good thing!! I feel (when) they get their "business" spirit, after dusting off all the networking cobwebs and actually using them again.......steada, wait'n for the beep they will do right well. Takes some longer than others to wake up in a situation that is losing for them. Tis fun to watch the Dynamics of this business, specially when i'm jes watch'in. Good Luck ATeam, i'm sure you'll let us know how the mop flops.

On a side note......I cannot believe someone gave that fella Falligator a perfectly good Sprinter to drive, and, ............let it set in 0h10!!!!!!! Or, traveling back to 0h10.

ATeam · Jun 27, 2011

Coco said:
I'm sure you will get a lot of general advice, I'm going to give you some specific advice. Contact Tommy at DF1, he has good refrigerated freight. We wish you and Diane well!

Reefer freight for straight trucks at Landstar? Who woulda thunk!

Actually, Diane and I are finding out that much of what passes for conventional wisdom about Landstar may be generally true, but when you enter the company with a clear purpose and drill deeper down into the system, there is a lot more going on than what many people know.

I did not know you were at Landstar, Coco, but am glad to know it now. Landstar agents are sharp, versatile, industry-informed, entrepreneurial people who have made careers of building professional networks. As they see additional reefer trucks entering the fleet, I have little doubt that some of them will seek to profit by finding freight to put on our trucks.

Thanks for the tip, Coco. We received our agent list today. Your guy will be one of the first agents we will contact once our new truck number shows up in the system. While we have done very little to explore the agent base, your guy is the second agent we have been told of who dispatches reefer freight.

BigBusBob · Jun 27, 2011

I can say this... it says something about a company when an Owner Operator (in this case, For LandStar) for the company is told a price at a shop and they don't even so much as wink or scoff at the price. They simply say where do I sign? I've met a few O/O's with LandStar and they're thrilled and have all said they couldn't imagine working for other co.'s.

They run them good, they all seem to keep good clean trucks for the most part too. Their drivers are friendly, and that all says a lot about a fleet and/or company as a whole.

Triple B.

Monty · Jun 28, 2011

Is it worth repeating? I love it here at LEA ....

EOU ... can we get some bumper stickers and t-shirts? (Please make them grey, as they don't show my sloppy eating habits as badly!)

fredb29617 · Jun 28, 2011

ATeam said:
I posted a few minutes ago in the FedEx Custom Critical forum that Diane and I have left that carrier for another (Landstar Express America).

The post was the post and I thought little more about it as we prepare to enjoy a quiet weekend. But with questions already coming to us by phone and e-mail, it is evident that many eyes are on us. That being the case, it is important to share the following:

1. While Diane and I believe this to be a good move FOR US, we have nothing to say about our new carrier. We have not even been to orientation yet. If you want to know more about any carrier, talk to recruiters and talk to contractors who have experience with the company.

2. If you are thinking about leaving FedEx Custom Critical, do not breathe a word of it to anyone unless you are prepared to be terminated without notice.

Regular readers know that Diane and I have been making our intentions known here on EO and on my blog for a while now. We also told people at the office. Additionally, we signed a release that allows our new carrier to contact FedEx Custom Critical and obtain our contact dates, driving record and other such info. While we planned to leave, it also made sense to haul freight and make money while the paperwork cleared.

Seventeen hours before we would have given our official notice on Thursday, FedEx Custom Critical called on Wednesday (06/22/11) to give us theirs. I learned then that when FedEx Custom Critical gives its 10 day notice of their intent to terminate the lease agreement, the call comes without warning and no reason or explanation is provided. You are simply told that your lease agreement will be terminated as of a certain date. You are then told that a letter with instructions is being sent to your home.

In our case, the call was well timed since it gave us a one day jump start on our move from one carrier to another. As we were driving into the Qualcomm shop to have the FedEx equipment removed, our new carrier called with the final detail we were waiting for before serving notice ourselves.

We went next to the drug test clinic and then to a truck stop for the DOT inspection. Already having our paperwork in, and getting this stuff quickly done, we were approved on Friday and able to get into orientation this coming Monday. On the way to the orientation location, we made a stop to have the FDCC-required speed limiter removed.

That's our story. Your story might be totally different if FDCC gets wind that you are thinking about leaving. If you are, be very, very careful about what you say and who you say it too. It may be best to keep it to yourself for as long as you possibly can.

Phil as you know there are a lot for company's out there that have that same attitude. And that is a shame.