Owners at Panther and Fed Ex CC are taking a huge risk hiring drivers and putting them into equipment with absolutely little support from the carrier. Recently a team Dead Headed a truck 1,000 miles and trashed the truck and even lost the cover to the generator. To add insult to injury the drivers naturaly left their garbage behind and left the truck without fuel. PROFESSIONALS! Come to find out, the previous owner was done pretty much the same way. The big joke about all of this is that the Carrier in question calls the owner to ask that the driver be released to go into another owners truck. OWNER BEWARE! Drivers that jump from truck to truck is not the fault of the owner. It is the fault of poor judgement of the drivers. Expediting requires weeks on the road at a time and drivers should understand this before they wate their time and owners and carriers time before they even obtain a class B CDL. I own a few truck and I have been on the road for 2 months with the Holidays coming. What else you going to do when class B drivers are allowed to jump from one fleet to another abussing equipment and taking advantage of the industry.
Driver Referances
- Thread starter bassasom1
- Start date
There is an inherent risk hiring anyone in any profession..its a risk that comes with Ownership.
Maybe Owners should have or create or carriers could help supply a web page where bad drivers can be listed. Carriers seem to ignore the problem owners have with their non involvement policy BUT a bad driver also impacts them as well.
Maybe Owners should have or create or carriers could help supply a web page where bad drivers can be listed. Carriers seem to ignore the problem owners have with their non involvement policy BUT a bad driver also impacts them as well.
Sorry to read about your difficulties. People, are the main reason I never (owned) more trucks than I could drive at the same time. Jes the nature of the beast.
As far as your Carrier(s) taking responsibility......don't hold your breath, it is simply contractor beware, jes like any other endeavor.
As far as your Carrier(s) taking responsibility......don't hold your breath, it is simply contractor beware, jes like any other endeavor.
Wingnut
Seasoned Expediter
This is something that has been brought up time after time on EO. For legal reasons, no carrier will give out a list of 'bad' drivers or owners. For the same legal reasons, no list will also be put on EO.
Wingnut
Seasoned Expediter
Normally, I don't pick apart someone's thread but yours just seems to be begging me to jump in, so here goes:
I noticed that you only mentioned 2 carriers in your post. Makes me wonder why and if they are the 2 carriers that you happen to have trucks on with. Why should Panther & Fed Ex be any different than the other carriers.
Just what kind of 'support' are you talking about or looking for from the carriers in regards to 'hiring' drivers? I must say that as a fleet owner myself, it was me, NOT the carrier, who put drivers in my trucks. The carriers have given me names of drivers but ultimately it was ME who made the decision as to who I put in my trucks...NOT the carrier.
You mentioned an alledged incident about a team who you claim dh 1000 miles, trashed the truck, etc. Makes me wonder if you know this to be a FACT (like, it's one of YOUR teams) or did someone tell you this story.
Unless a driver violates the CARRIER's rules, the carrier has no legal obligation or standing to stop that driver from going on with another owner.
Your statement about drivers jumping from truck to truck is not the owner's fault is not entirely a correct or true statement. Somtimes it IS the owner's fault for a driver to leave and go on with a different owner.
Not everyone is cut out to be an expediter. A driver will not know whether or not they can make the cut until they give it a try. It's unfair of you to think that those drivers who have a CDL , give expedite a try, then decide at one point that it's not for them, should NOT be allowed to even obtain a CDL. Are you for real? That theory would be the same as me saying that if all you men don't open the door for us women, then you should not be allowed out in public. It's an ignorant statement & theory.
From what I gather from reading your post, you are very bitter. I can tell you that as a fellow fleet owner that you need to get over it and move on. Not all drivers are cut out to be expediters. Not all people are cut out to be owners. If you're going to let an incident, such as this, make you bitter, then maybe YOU're the one NOT cut out for expediting...or to be a fleet owner.
As a business man, I am 100% responsible for the success of my new-hires. This includes a number of things:
Did I perform a proper and thorough back ground on them to include talking to previous employers?
Did I over promise and under deliver on their potential success or failure?
Being fully aware of the costs associated with hiring new people, did I do everything in my power to ensure I found the right people and then did everything that I could to make us both successful?
Was their open communication so issues might have been addressed before they became insurmountable?
Why did you not know how they left the last company until after they left yours, allegedly the same way?
This is why big companies do exit interviews, to find out where they went wrong and to not make the same mistakes again. Small companies that think and act like big companies, become successful. I am willing to bet the 1000 mile dead head was to the next truck...
Scott
Did I perform a proper and thorough back ground on them to include talking to previous employers?
Did I over promise and under deliver on their potential success or failure?
Being fully aware of the costs associated with hiring new people, did I do everything in my power to ensure I found the right people and then did everything that I could to make us both successful?
Was their open communication so issues might have been addressed before they became insurmountable?
Why did you not know how they left the last company until after they left yours, allegedly the same way?
This is why big companies do exit interviews, to find out where they went wrong and to not make the same mistakes again. Small companies that think and act like big companies, become successful. I am willing to bet the 1000 mile dead head was to the next truck...
Scott
arkjarhead
Veteran Expediter
Why would a carrier get involved in a contracter/sub contracter issue? The two large expedite carriers I've hauled for told us straight up from the get go in oreintation they weren't going to side with drivers or owners. It's just not in their best intrest.
Yes it does suck to have your stuff left somewhere, trust me. It stinks even when it's someone else's vehicle you have to drive. I worked for one company and it seemed every time I was in the yard I was getting put in a truck that looked nice on the outside, but once the wife and I got the inside it was filthy. Come to find the shop staff at this small trucking company knew the wife would clean it up because I said something to them. I found this out by telling the boss what kept happening and I was ready to quit. He got down to the bottom of it and told me the shop staff knew the wife would clean it up instead of riding in a dirty truck. So the boss gave my wife a decent amount of cash for about 15 truck interior detailings over about 6 months. Then we picked up a brand new truck a road in it for 3 months straight until I had to leave the road the first time. It never made me want to trash a truck and leave it at a truck stop though. Some people get into that sort of thing, I don't.
Yes it does suck to have your stuff left somewhere, trust me. It stinks even when it's someone else's vehicle you have to drive. I worked for one company and it seemed every time I was in the yard I was getting put in a truck that looked nice on the outside, but once the wife and I got the inside it was filthy. Come to find the shop staff at this small trucking company knew the wife would clean it up because I said something to them. I found this out by telling the boss what kept happening and I was ready to quit. He got down to the bottom of it and told me the shop staff knew the wife would clean it up instead of riding in a dirty truck. So the boss gave my wife a decent amount of cash for about 15 truck interior detailings over about 6 months. Then we picked up a brand new truck a road in it for 3 months straight until I had to leave the road the first time. It never made me want to trash a truck and leave it at a truck stop though. Some people get into that sort of thing, I don't.
It's the same sort of thing with owners of investment properties who have tenants. There are a lot of bad tenants out there. It would be great to have a list of bad apples available, but potential liability prevents such a thing.
It's possible though, for owners to band together, much like other groups do, and create a private-members, membership-dues-paying, self-supporting, not-for-profit association, where information could be shared in confidence amongst members. Anyone know how to start an association?
Wingnut
Seasoned Expediter
Actually, several of us owners contact each other when we have a driver who does us 'big time wrong'....and I'm NOT talking about just qitting to go on with another owner. We also tend to call each other before we put a driver on our fleet to see what, if anything, we know about the person.
That is a line of garbage...A bad driver to an owner is just as likely a liability to the carrier as well....late deliveries/shabby appearance/dirty truck.
The carriers are just too cheap to have someone get involved that might cost them money.
Got kinda an informal thingee going eh? Good for you..
jaminjim
Veteran Expediter
You forgot to add that they probably even go so far as to have alcohol Served on Christmas! Blasphemes buggers.
You forgot to add that they probably even go so far as to have alcohol Served on Christmas! Blasphemes buggers.
Smartbutt..
I did say a glass of wine at dinner...*L*As fleet owners, you could charge an application fee that pays for a legitimate background and that eliminates the guessing and opinions, relying only on facts.
You could use Google Documents, produce a spread sheet utilizing a driver's personal identifiers and allow access to your members from anywhere they have internet access. You can password protect the document and any time the spread sheet is modified, an email goes out to all members, so there is no communications lapse.
This could happen in 15 minutes, tops.
I am a licensed PI and do Federal Back Ground Investigations as a Contractor. The level of investigation that the owners would need would require written authorization and information release from the applicants, standard work history, and explanation of any gaps in employment, with verifiers. Most could be done over the phone.
Scott
You could use Google Documents, produce a spread sheet utilizing a driver's personal identifiers and allow access to your members from anywhere they have internet access. You can password protect the document and any time the spread sheet is modified, an email goes out to all members, so there is no communications lapse.
This could happen in 15 minutes, tops.
I am a licensed PI and do Federal Back Ground Investigations as a Contractor. The level of investigation that the owners would need would require written authorization and information release from the applicants, standard work history, and explanation of any gaps in employment, with verifiers. Most could be done over the phone.
Scott
Try this out and PM me with your email address for access to modify it.
Expedite Fleet Owner's Spreadsheet
Scott
Expedite Fleet Owner's Spreadsheet
Scott
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Wingnut
Seasoned Expediter
The expedite companies run extensive MVR & background check on ALL drivers before they're allowed to come on to the company. This includes work history & criminal. Why should an owner pay for this service when the expedite company does it for you?
witness23
Veteran Expediter
Great post Scott, some of the best of advice I've seen on here in a long time. You have to remember that company's have to use the guidelines set by the FMCSR which is only the minimum standards it would benefit you greatly by going above and beyond what your company already requires for new hires, in which I think you did a great job showing some examples of those things you can do.
Hi Mdbtyhtr (what's the scoop behind THAT nick??)
What do I have to do to access that document?
Thanks
PJJJJ
That nick is related to one of the professions I have, as I have been a Bounty Hunter or Bail Enforcement Agent since the mid-eighties. I own a Bail Bond business and a PI business as well as other businesses.
PM me your email address and I will provide the access to you
That nick is related to one of the professions I have, as I have been a Bounty Hunter or Bail Enforcement Agent since the mid-eighties. I own a Bail Bond business and a PI business as well as other businesses.
PM me your email address and I will provide the access to you
Wingnut
If the back ground checks were as thorough as you state, why are we having this discussion? The reason is that there are issues or behaviors that were not uncovered, and as fleet owners, this remains an issue for all of you.
If the investigation performed by the Big Guys does not uncover a potential flaw, who does it cost when the issue arises? Who does it cost when a driver jumps one company to another? I would assume that the cost to the Big Guys is nil, but quite expensive to the fleet owner. The Big Guys still have a team of drivers that can seamlessly transition to another fleet, you have to recover a vehicle and find more people to fill the seat. I would believe that the lost revenue is never recoverable.
As one who does Back Ground Investigations, I am fully aware that there are multiple levels of "Thorough" and all are related to cost. There are property management companies that are confident that they can do these for $7.00 each, and it can't be done to any level of competency. Further, who determines what issues or histories are acceptable and what issues are deal breakers?
My motivations are not to seek business from fleet owners, but to lend my expertise in the form of opinion or critique. I have never been a fan of employees or coworkers that can tell everybody that there is a problem, but have no thought process to provide a potential solution.
I am here researching an additional business venture at the behest of my Father in Law, and attended an Expediting seminar in Knoxville, TN to learn the business. I can't in good conscious take information on this site for free and not contribute where I can.
Scott
If the back ground checks were as thorough as you state, why are we having this discussion? The reason is that there are issues or behaviors that were not uncovered, and as fleet owners, this remains an issue for all of you.
If the investigation performed by the Big Guys does not uncover a potential flaw, who does it cost when the issue arises? Who does it cost when a driver jumps one company to another? I would assume that the cost to the Big Guys is nil, but quite expensive to the fleet owner. The Big Guys still have a team of drivers that can seamlessly transition to another fleet, you have to recover a vehicle and find more people to fill the seat. I would believe that the lost revenue is never recoverable.
As one who does Back Ground Investigations, I am fully aware that there are multiple levels of "Thorough" and all are related to cost. There are property management companies that are confident that they can do these for $7.00 each, and it can't be done to any level of competency. Further, who determines what issues or histories are acceptable and what issues are deal breakers?
My motivations are not to seek business from fleet owners, but to lend my expertise in the form of opinion or critique. I have never been a fan of employees or coworkers that can tell everybody that there is a problem, but have no thought process to provide a potential solution.
I am here researching an additional business venture at the behest of my Father in Law, and attended an Expediting seminar in Knoxville, TN to learn the business. I can't in good conscious take information on this site for free and not contribute where I can.
Scott