Debris Removal Charge?? Permission From Dispatch??

[Freightdawg]

I had a pickup at Pontiac, Mi one day. The truck driver backed up to my airplane, then told me that his union didn't allow him to pass the boxes out of his truck. I sat down in the door way of the airplane and told him that my union didn't allow me in his truck, so we were basically screwed. After about 2 minutes, he decided that maybe he could pass me the boxes.
I just Love unions....not!

 

[Tennesseahawk]

Since they had missed their first three tries I picked up the line to give it a try. They went nuts. Your no deck hand! leave that line alone, you trying to beat a Union man out of his job!?

I would've told them, "No... you're doing a pretty good job of that yourself."

 

[Humble2drive]

The higher rates talk is not crap. It is the exact truth. Customers choose to pay higher rates to us because they believe we deliver a higher quality of service. And they believe it because it is the truth. It's not that they don't have other options. It's that they want what we provide. There are hundreds if not thousands of lower-cost providers that our customers can choose from. They choose us and pay the higher rates because they get what they pay for.

As a fellow WG, T-Val, Owner/op with FECC it is with great regret that I must point out the above statement as untrue and misleading.

As a former member of the North American Van Lines Vanguard
Elite High Value Goods team (Remember " We Moved The Treasures of a King") my wife and I were very familiar with the hoops that must be jumped through in order to be promoted truthfully as having a higher standard than normal.
Most companies that advertise superior service have an

Earned, not given

approach to promoting their higher acheivers into these divisions.
It was immediately obvious to us in our first day of White Glove training that FECC was using a

Given, not earned

approach to their "elite" division. The teams in class had no formal customer service training, no loading and securement training and no record of success in either.

I have spoken at length to the older more seasoned White Glove teams and once upon a time it was something that had to be earned; however, for whatever reason that approach was abandoned and it became the truck that was promoted with little regard to the driver in that truck.

It is correct that customers believe we offer a higher quality of service and many of us do; however, most WG teams are no different from any other division or company out there and it is misleading to advertise them as such.

 

[ATeam]

...
It was immediately obvious to us in our first day of White Glove training that FECC was using a

Given, not earned

approach to their "elite" division. The teams in class had no formal customer service training, no loading and securement training and no record of success in either.

I cannot disagree as it is Diane's and my own experience to have been White Glove flagged before we hauled even one load of any kind.

In the minds of the powers that were at the time, we "earned" our WG flag by presenting ourselves well in an interview at company headquarters (easily done coming from the professional backgrounds we did), and getting into a truck that was owned by a WG reefer truck fleet owner who was well regarded by the company (so we were told).

However, it is not true that we provided inferior service for lack of experience. We brought many years of customer service experience to the table from our previous careers. Our fleet owner advised us well and our personal commitment to professionalism ensured that WG standards were met. From the first day in the business we produced strong revenues with zero service failures, zero freight damage claims and no customer complaints that we know of.

Almost eight years later, we might be a little quicker at pad-wrapping a load or carefully working something onto or off a liftgate but our numbers remain nearly the same (a couple mechanical breakdowns produced a couple of service failures, still zero damage claims).

Granted, we do not know them all, but the WG people we do know take their work seriously and I would have no problem trusting them to transport the most precious goods we own.

We have never been in a WG orientation. When we were new and wanted to be, the company prohibited us from attending because they said it was the fleet owner's job to train us. Three years later when we got a truck of our own they required us to attend but we were let out of it because of the experience and track record we had. That was then. It is different now, I understand.

 

[davekc]

As a fellow WG, T-Val, Owner/op with FECC it is with great regret that I must point out the above statement as untrue and misleading.

As a former member of the North American Van Lines Vanguard
Elite High Value Goods team (Remember " We Moved The Treasures of a King") my wife and I were very familiar with the hoops that must be jumped through in order to be promoted truthfully as having a higher standard than normal.
Most companies that advertise superior service have an

Earned, not given

approach to promoting their higher acheivers into these divisions.
It was immediately obvious to us in our first day of White Glove training that FECC was using a

Given, not earned

approach to their "elite" division. The teams in class had no formal customer service training, no loading and securement training and no record of success in either.

I have spoken at length to the older more seasoned White Glove teams and once upon a time it was something that had to be earned; however, for whatever reason that approach was abandoned and it became the truck that was promoted with little regard to the driver in that truck.

It is correct that customers believe we offer a higher quality of service and many of us do; however, most WG teams are no different from any other division or company out there and it is misleading to advertise them as such.

I believe you are thinking back to the old Roberts days. Now I think they just look at whether your blood pressure is good.

 

[Brisco]

I believe you are thinking back to the old Roberts days. Now I think they just look at whether your blood pressure is good.

Or like the way "Courier and Logistics" Companies are here in the DFW area. They could care less if you come in there for the interview naked as you were at birth, a 3rd leg surgically implanted in your left butt cheek, you have a speech impediment that makes you talk backwards, it's the "Vehicle" sitting out in the parking lot that they're truely interested in.

 

[Turtle]

They could care less if you come in there for the interview naked as you were at birth, a 3rd leg surgically implanted in your left butt cheek, you have a speech impediment that makes you talk backwards...

I'm not sure if this is straight up humor, or if this is a tale related from personal experience.

 

[Brisco]

I'm not sure if this is straight up humor, or if this is a tale related from personal experience.

Well.........probably both.

Humor......Yes. I just forgot to add the when I originally posted and it won't let you add smileys when you try to edit.

Personal Experience.........I have some stories on that when it comes to "3rd Party Logistical" companies that hire contract drivers to deliver parts for dealerships all over the DFW area. (Noble Logistics - Crown Logistics - First Place Logistics - Etc)

Let's just say the Owners/Managers of those companies always look out the window as applicants are filling out paperwork to work for them as a Contractor to see what type of vehicle it is they came in.

I was with First Place for over 4 1/2 years mainly running OTR routes delivering Auto Parts in a 5 state area. FPL had about 175 "LOCAL Contract Drivers" on payroll servicing about 30-40 Dealerships and other customers. During my 4 1/2 years there, I basically became the interim Manager at times. (high turnover rate with both Drivers and Office Personel) There would be times I was running the office for a week or two or three until they hired a new person to run the office. (I am a "behind the windshield guy!!)

Let me tell you, some of the applicants they brought on were in such sad shape that if it was my company, I would've ran and locked the doors when I saw them drive up in the parking lot. Like the guy that walked in smelling of both Beer and Puke. Looked like he a put a good drunk on the night before, and I just happened to notice that Yes, he still had chunks of Puke on his Shoes. I refused to interview him, so one of the Owners did. Next thing I know he's walking out the door with a company Nextel heading to one of our customers to do their deliveries. Gave the owner a sob story that if he didn't find a job today that his wife would kick him out of the house. Didn't matter to the owner, the guy had a nice looking Ford pickup out there and that truck met the criteria just fine.

Well, 3 days later I am at the Watauga Police Stations impound yard trying to recover our customers merchandise out of the back of his truck after he got stopped for a speeding violation and had warrants out for his arrest.

Are Expediting Companies that lackadazical in hiring Contractors??? Probably not, but I bet there are some companies out there that will consider the Vehicle the applicant has over the applicant themself just get that Vehicle in service to service their customers. Know what I mean.

 

[Turtle]

Well, it's just that the whole "a 3rd leg surgically implanted in your left butt cheek" thing leaves a pretty stark mental image that's hard to get rid of. LOL

How long is that third leg? What would a chair look like? How fast could you run? Would you still put your pants on one leg at a time like everyone else?

How about a baby arm growing out of your head?

 

[ccrider]

There is nothing unprofessional about charging for your time and the use of your truck and equipment. Last time I checked, I was in this for the money. I can't count how many times I have been expected to use my equipment by the customer, at no charge to the customer, simply because it was there.

Just this week we delivered 6 pallets of drums straight thru arriving at 2 AM for a hot-rush. The guy at the delivery saw the lift gate and said, "just put them over there" as he sipped his coffee. Yeah right... I saw the fork lift and I knew we didn't get any lift gate pay. My response was "sure, just let me get the pay authorized before we start". Oh.. well I guess that fork lift worked after all.

Guess what, lift gates cost money! Pallet jacks cost money too!
I am not getting any younger either.

I know that this is "a way of life" for many of you who are out here "doing what you love" and "making friends" everyday. Well it may be all that for me too, but, this is a means to an end, not the end for me.

The sooner we have the truck and expenses paid for the better off our financial position becomes and the better life gets for honey and I.

If the sun was shining and the pay for the load was respectable and the nurse was smiling when she asked... well maybe I would have taken the pallet to the dumpster for her.

However, here of late, it has been raining, the pay for the load was lower than we hoped and there was a three hour traffic delay on the non-paying re-route. Dispatch was a bit nasty when we asked for the POC and a phone number, and we have a marker light out. Not to mention that the offers are not keeping pace with the increased fuel costs!

Being a Professional means GETTING PAID!

Just my thoughts...

 

[ATeam]

There is nothing unprofessional about charging for your time and the use of your truck and equipment. Last time I checked, I was in this for the money....

People have different beliefs when it comes to money and the value of their labor and skills. They have different beliefs when it comes to marketing, reputation and customer service too. These topis are something every business person needs to work through in one's own mind.

When I was a younger man and had little business experience beyond the newspaper route I had as a boy, I graduated from college and then went to a trade school to learn how to fix cars. I next went to graduate school and got a part time job at a gas station to help pay the way.

One day, a regular customer and one of the sweetest old ladies you could ever meet drove into the fuel island for gas (full service in those days). I noticed one of her headlights was out and offered to change it for her. She agreed.

Being brand new at the station, I got help writing up the order and about died when I saw the labor charge was $7.00. How could anyone in good conscience charge anyone that much money for so simple of a task, while making a profit on the headlight too? I was aghast. And for this regular customer, why would we not do the work for free?

It took me a while to learn about business and get comfortable with the idea of making a profit. Getting there was not a simple matter of understanding costs and markups. It involved an emotional journey in which core values about the meaning of money, personal worth, the morality of making money off other people and other such things had to be considered.

Human beings work through values conversations in a variety of ways. Some of those ways are revealed in the posts in this thread.

 

[greg334]

There is nothing unprofessional about charging for your time and the use of your truck and equipment.

BUT your truck is already paid for when you accept the offer to work for that customer.

As for Phil and WG, how can one sell themselves as being qualified for the elite in the fleet while never having to drive a truck before or proving themselves in the general fleet?

Something seems to be wrong when a company sells the services of having experienced people handling a customer's product or property but they never did anything like this before.

 

[davekc]

BUT your truck is already paid for when you accept the offer to work for that customer.

As for Phil and WG, how can one sell themselves as being qualified for the elite in the fleet while never having to drive a truck before or proving themselves in the general fleet?

Something seems to be wrong when a company sells the services of having experienced people handling a customer's product or property but they never did anything like this before.

I'm still going with the blood pressure as the unique qualifier.

 

[ccrider]

BUT your truck is already paid for when you accept the offer to work for that customer.

My truck was NOT paid for that extra service.

When I accepted the load it based on an understanding of what work was involved.

Further, It would be highly unprofessional to give away a service to some randomly, while charging other customers for the same extra service, simply because they had the courtesy, foresight, and professionalism to tell you of their specific needs up front.

None of this even begins to address who's dime will pay for your convalescence when you get injured on the dock while tossing out that special favor. (just don't tell anyone it was a favor)

 

[ccrider]

As for Phil and WG, how can one sell themselves as being qualified for the elite in the fleet while never having to drive a truck before or proving themselves in the general fleet?

Something seems to be wrong when a company sells the services of having experienced people handling a customer's product or property but they never did anything like this before.

I don't know Phil. We have never met. But as it happens, we refer to ourselves as the "B" Team.

I get really tired of these so called "professional drivers" who think you have to "pay your dues" before you too can be one of the "ignorant" oh wait.. that was my word.

This isn't brain surgery. This isn't rocket science. Hell, this isn't even breaking a sweat! Almost anyone can do this job. That is if you are smart enough to realize that the only dues you owe are to yourself. Why would you begrudge Phil because he was smart enough to look after himself? He certainly has taken risk, and it appears to have paid off for him.

Live and Learn. The bigger the risk, the greater the payoff.

For those of you who still feel the need to pay your dues, please send it to my PayPal account.
Thanks

 

[greg334]

I get really tired of these so called "professional drivers" who think you have to "pay your dues" before you too can be one of the "ignorant" oh wait.. that was my word.

This isn't brain surgery. This isn't rocket science. Hell, this isn't even breaking a sweat! Almost anyone can do this job. That is if you are smart enough to realize that the only dues you owe are to yourself. Why would you begrudge Phil because he was smart enough to look after himself? He certainly has taken risk, and it appears to have paid off for him.

Live and Learn. The bigger the risk, the greater the payoff.

For those of you who still feel the need to pay your dues, please send it to my PayPal account.
Thanks

Because the company, FedEx, is selective in how they bend the rules.

IF they are selling a service to a customer and the they advertise or mention that the service is handled by an elite of the fleet which happens to be by invitation only after they proved themselves worthy of the invite, it is somewhat like crapping all over the customer when they stick a driver or drivers onto a load who never have been either invited or even drove a truck before.

IT isn't just Phil, it is a lot of others who seem to get in long before others who have been there for years are even asked - long after they started to ask to be put on the list. A few here know exactly what I'm saying and they agree but won't openly say because of the time it took getting into the program.

My truck was NOT paid for that extra service.

When I accepted the load it based on an understanding of what work was involved.

Further, It would be highly unprofessional to give away a service to some randomly, while charging other customers for the same extra service, simply because they had the courtesy, foresight, and professionalism to tell you of their specific needs up front.

None of this even begins to address who's dime will pay for your convalescence when you get injured on the dock while tossing out that special favor. (just don't tell anyone it was a favor)

But see here is the thing, you are not doing anyone a favor, you are providing the service for the customer so your competition doesn't get that work in the future. I know it is hard for many to understand that but that's what customer service is about sometimes.

The problem I see is you are not in control, which is a good thing for many because they will screw it up but overall just giving that little extra, even a calender or having a question answered is just as good as hauling a couple pallets away or finding someone to do it.

 

[ccrider]

IT isn't just Phil, it is a lot of others who seem to get in long before others who have been there for years are even asked - long after they started to ask to be put on the list. A few here know exactly what I'm saying and they agree but won't openly say because of the time it took getting into the program.



But see here is the thing, you are not doing anyone a favor, you are providing the service for the customer so your competition doesn't get that work in the future. I know it is hard for many to understand that but that's what customer service is about sometimes.

The problem I see is you are not in control, which is a good thing for many because they will screw it up but overall just giving that little extra, even a calender or having a question answered is just as good as hauling a couple pallets away or finding someone to do it.

This may be hard for you to understand.
We don't speak the same language. You use words and phrases out of context to their accepted meanings in business.
Customer service is not the same as the service/product we offer.. It is how we handle the selling. Removing a pallet falls under what we get paid for or the product/service we offer while pleasantly describing the services we offer and explaining their value is what "customer service" is.

You are confused. It is understandable. Many people are not trained in business and business terms.

FDCC as well as many other professional logistics companies reward competent knowledgeable contractors with greater opportunities. Those left behind should learn why they were left behind rather than be bitter about it.

See, here's the thing. We don't do favors. A favor that "gives away billable services free of charge" leads to going out of business. This is when your competition gets ahead.

As an independent contractor, I am in control.

I really don't know you either... do you own the truck you drive?

Most Owner Operators would understand what I am saying.
Some might not, but that would most likely be because they are not serious about this as a business. They are enjoying a working retirement so to speak or just too tired to care about anything but the next settlement.

FDCC, like any other company, has a set of rules to the game.
If the rules include billable pallet removal service, you too should play by the rule. If you chose to not play by the rules of the game... don't be surprised when you don't get ahead.
Those who play by the rules will always get ahead of those who do not play by the rules.

Not understanding the rules, or not having the same understanding of words and phrases used in the rules can be a real problem.

 

[zero3nine]

Not everyone who purchases a pallet of product actually expects to receive the pallet itself.

Just saying. I personally remove pallets and debris for any customer who wants it. Most don't expect it, but sometimes you can tell they want it gone... so I make it disappear.

I own my trucks and I'm not in any kind of danger of going out of business. It's really not all that hard to get rid of an empty skid or two. To each his own.

fired at you from my Droideka

 

[fastrod]

As an independent contractor, I am in control.

As a leased contractor your not independent, your dependent. If your leased to fedex than your dependent on them for your loads.
As far as being in control your comment in an earlier post "sure, just let me get the pay authorized before we start" shows who is really in control, the carrier.
Having to ask permission from the carrier for services performed puts you closer to being an employee than a contractor.

 

[ccrider]

As a leased contractor your not independent, your dependent. If your leased to fedex than your dependent on them for your loads.
As far as being in control your comment in an earlier post "sure, just let me get the pay authorized before we start" shows who is really in control, the carrier.
Having to ask permission from the carrier for services performed puts you closer to being an employee than a contractor.

There are way too many drivers and too few contractors in this industry! YOU MUST BE JUST A DRIVER.

Stay with me now. This may be a bit over your collective heads and I usually collect a consultant fee for what I am about to disclose unless I place this in the "rhetorical" category.

SOMEONE HAS TO GET APPROVAL FROM THE DECISION MAKER AT THE CUSTOMER SIDE!!!! THE NURSE SURE ISN'T GOING TO AUTHORIZE IT. IF YOU THINK SHE CAN, THAN YOU ARE REALLY OUT OF TOUCH.

ANY OF US CAN DECIDE TO GIVE AWAY OUR SWEAT FREE TO ANYONE ANYWHERE ANYTIME. THE QUESTION IS WHY WOULD YOU FREAKING DO THAT???

I DON'T CARE IF YOUR MISTER fREAKING fED-ups OR NOT!!

MAYBE THIS ILLUSTRATION WOULD HELP.

You are at the dock of a hospital and the nurse asked you to take away and toss out the pallet, "so she won't have to".

(This is where we have our break in logic)

You think that this is a fair and reasonable request from the nurse. You think that it is fair and reasonable because you are a professional and this is exactly the type of thing you do professionally. What's it going to hurt to go ahead and take away the pallet, so she won't have too?

(ok, now it gets fun)

She too, (the nurse) is a professional. We are are both professionals standing there at the dock.

What if you said to her, "I'd be happy to take away that pallet, so you won't have too", "and oh by the way", "as a driver I soil my pants quite often while on the road" Would you mind cleaning up my rear-end for me, so I won't have too?"

In your world, this would be a perfectly reasonable request (and perhaps a necessary one) applying your logic to this new situation.

After all, she is a professional and you haven't asked her to do anything she wouldn't normally do in the course of her job as a nurse. She should be eager to clean up your rear end just for the practice alone! And besides, the hospital would not mind since most hospitals don't charge to wipe your arse anyway.

This is just good customer service on her part. And think of the equity the hospital will gain in the community! Why, when I get sick, I'll go there instead of the other hospital. Maybe she'll even give me a calender! And she is clearly a great nurse too!

Has this illustration helped you any?
I hope so.

It doesn't matter what any of you give away free. It is your choice. You don't have to justify it to anyone but yourself.
Just don't be whining about how professionals do the job.

If you give it away, you, by definition, ARE NOT A PROFESSIONAL.

You can keep pretending you are, but the we all know the truth (some here just are too polite to say the truth).