mcavoy33
Seasoned Expediter
I'm curious, how does wearing a uniform not appear professional?
What exactly is your point? You think that ATeam making his own mock uniform is unprofessional?
Carrier Appearal Question; Removing Old Logos
- Thread starter ATeam
- Start date
I'm curious, how does wearing a uniform not appear professional?
What exactly is your point? You think that ATeam making his own mock uniform is unprofessional?
Streakn1
Veteran Expediter
Ya know those purple tee shirts they have? Very durable! Still use them regularly. They make great muscle shirts for showing off the tats, tarping in 100 degree plus weather sweat'n my a... off, etc. Simply cut the sleeves off with a pair of scissors, kinda like Larry the Cable Guy. Through grease and aviation fuel, rain and snow, sweat and dust from the desert, can't kill those son of a guns. They take a lick'n and clean up just like a pretty girl ready for the prom!
Gave our jackets away three years ago. Leave that homeless guy with the nice jacket alone!!! It belongs to him now. JUST KIDDING. He's really one of the drivers that looks like a homeless guy!
Gave our jackets away three years ago. Leave that homeless guy with the nice jacket alone!!! It belongs to him now. JUST KIDDING. He's really one of the drivers that looks like a homeless guy!
Dave Sorry you thought I was implying that if you don't wear a uniform your in sandals, or sweat pants with yesterday dinner on it. That is not the case, a uniform is cheaper than buying new pants and shirts all the time that got messed up from the truck. When I first started I messed up some nice shirts and pants from moving freight. You can't buy a nice shirt like the ones from FedEx and Panther for $14.99 that will last. I still have FedEx shirts from when they changed over to FedEx Custom Critical from Roberts Express. People can still look good without a uniform on, but they can look just as good with one on too.
When I was a young kid a friend of ours down the street drove truck and was a union driver. He wore his uniform from CW transport and I always thought it look like a great job. Bob got laid off and worked for another union company that didn't wear uniforms, but I can't tell you which one it was. Bob even drove the truck home a few times and parked it in his driveway. I can't tell you the name of the company, but I can remember the name of CW Transport where he did wear a uniform. Just like Buster Brown (UPS) and FedEx, when you see one of those drivers you know who they are. UPS has been around longer than FedEx but I would have to say that FedEx drivers are more well known. Why? because of the uniform.
Greg you said that Henry Alberts is in a different world which I said no he isn't. But really he is, Henry is a Salesman, a Dispatcher, Customer service agent and a driver and much more.
Henry still does drive Greg, so I don't know why you think he don't. Henry is part of the Slice of Life program with Freightliner. I have met Henry many times over the years and he still the same down to earth driver that is a positive role model for trucking.
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I'd just like to add that while Diane and I like to wear uniforms when interacting with customers at the loading docks and elsewhere, I have never once suggested that anyone else should.
I have explained why we wear them and the benefits we see but if an expediter does not feel the need or desire to wear a uniform, nothing more needs to be said. Most expedite carriers do not require a uniform, or even have one for that matter. For them, it is obviously appropriate to serve customers while wearing ordinary work clothes.
It is nice to see that no one in this thread has suggested that it is OK to arrive at a customer's location looking like a slob. On that, all agree.
I have explained why we wear them and the benefits we see but if an expediter does not feel the need or desire to wear a uniform, nothing more needs to be said. Most expedite carriers do not require a uniform, or even have one for that matter. For them, it is obviously appropriate to serve customers while wearing ordinary work clothes.
It is nice to see that no one in this thread has suggested that it is OK to arrive at a customer's location looking like a slob. On that, all agree.
Now if we could get most to go along with that, it would be good for the whole industry. Still seeing quite a few rough ones out there at times.
greg334
Veteran Expediter
Because appearances are one half of the package you have to present. The other half is attitude and the uniform does not make you have a good attitude. I have to deal with FedEx Freight driver once a month who have an impecible uniform and washed truck but the attitude this guy has is one of the worst I have seen with any driver - demanding, aggressive on the road, etc. From a distance he looks professional but when he opens his mouth, he is an a**. The uniform makes the brand appear clean and professional but the attitude takes from the brand - another way of looking at it.
The same can be applied to one of us, if we are not willing to help a customer out, then the uniform is just an empty suit. I can bring up a pallet issue one of our members had in the past which illustrates my point.
I had a customer a while ago who said to me that they love to see a few drivers in their docks over others because they can depend on those drivers and if there are problems, they don't feel that they are inconveniencing the drivers - those drivers provide good service. When I worked on their dock to learn their operation, I met these drivers and not one of them had a uniform on, most wore jeans or had some work clothes on. ALL of them had the right attitude and one time one driver was held up for 7 hours because the entire production run was scraped so he got paid but didn't get upset or called his company every fifteen minutes but just went into his sleeper and slept. Outside of those drivers, I have seen a few drivers who get impatient, get p&ssed off at the girl handling the paper work and a few call their company and complain. A few of them were in uniforms.
Nope just the opposite with Phil and Diane, they are conscience about their appearance enough to ask, which is a great thing and they want to present the best package they can to any and all, which is a great thing so it has nothing to do with them. Meeting them a few times, they always presented a professional attitude and appearance.
HOWEVER it has to do with this thing that most work within, a system that the company does not care or may never care what you look like. IT goes for almost all of the companies and most don't just get that. IF we were required to be in uniform as part of the agreement we make with the carrier of our choice, then I would think they would have to preform a bit better than to have us just be drivers and wait for work. This means that they would have to stop treating us like children and let us to more than just drive or at least allow us to be informed drivers of what is going on.
A good example is Henry, he works with his company and there is a trade off with his general approach, that is he makes them money and he makes money. Our world is not the same, we may be drivers but we don't in general have that professional connection between the driver and company.
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chefdennis
Veteran Expediter
greg wrote:
Now that there is pretty funny stuff!! Anyone else laugh out load where you read that...I think the "interaction" here with one particular LS O/O might come to somes mind....LOL... LOL, and just maybe 1 Load 1 O/O also...
Now that there is pretty funny stuff!!
Anyone else laugh out load where you read that...I think the "interaction" here with one particular LS O/O might come to somes mind....LOL... LOL, and just maybe 1 Load 1 O/O also...
mcavoy33
Seasoned Expediter
But those are issues not related to the uniform. Of course if a driver acts unprofessional, then wearing a uniform doesn't matter.
But you specifically said that wearing a uniform doesn't give you the appearance of being professional. I disagree and you merely pointed out things other than the uniform that don't make you professional.
Overall my point is the uniform does not make a professional or makes someone appear professional
I think it does make them look professional but I also agree that it takes more than a uniform, but for you to claim it doesn't give the "appearance" of looking profession, then your just silly.
greg334
Veteran Expediter
OK, I understand what you are saying and reread my posts, I could have done better with it and agree in part to what you are saying.
tbubster
Seasoned Expediter
Because sometimes there are more than just dock workers on the dock, don't know how many times I've had a pickup or delivery and the guy signing my paperwork is the owner of the company.
I've seen truck drivers in sleep bottoms and a wife beater shirt, with flip flops I wear those around the house but never when I am doing business.
I worked for a company in michigan with 5 drivers.we all had to wear tan pants with a blue polo with company logo on it.This company did millions in business a year.The two owners had no problem coming out of their offices and working in the warehouse and doing what ever needed to be done.The funny thing was you could not tell them from the drivers because unless they had a big meeting they wore the same thing as the drivers did.I to have had owners of companys sign my paper work and unload my truck.If people admit it or not our appearance is a very improtant factor in life.
I found a way to remove the FedEx logos from our old FedEx jackets and parkas. It is not easy and will require a lot of time and delicate work but it gets the job done. It's the kind of project that can be done while watching football.
Saturate a small portion of the logo with a few drops of acetone (fingernail polish remover). Allow it to soak for a few minutes and saturate it again. Then stretch the fabric tight and use a sharp fingernail or dull knife edge to scrape the soaked portion of the logo away. I use an eye dropper to apply the acetone and a dull paring knife to scrape.
If anyone knows a better way to remove these logos, I'm all ears.
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paullud
Veteran Expediter
This can only be done while watching football and even then it is questionable. If you are caught playing with finger nail polish remover while doing anything else they take your Man Card away.
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Phil
We have the jackets that just say FedEx on the front. We had a patch made that goes right over the FedEx logo. You can't even tell it said FedEx on it.
This can only be done while watching football and even then it is questionable. If you are caught playing with finger nail polish remover while doing anything else they take your Man Card away.
Almost correct - nail polish remover is fine, [especially if you refer to it as acetone], but nail polish is grounds for instant Man Card revocation, no appeals allowed.
PS What I'd do [and have done] is simply cover the logo with something different - much easier.
Posted with my Droid EO Forum App
Almost correct - nail polish remover is fine, [especially if you refer to it as acetone], but nail polish is grounds for instant Man Card revocation, no appeals allowed.
Posted with my Droid EO Forum App
