FedEx Custom Critical ???? Are they what they say they are??

[ljubisa]

Is it worth working for fedex? They promise alot, and to be honest when someone promises many things it always turns out to be the opposite. I need to hear from fedex drivers who are driving a straight truck solo if the pay is worth it before I go and buy/lease a truck plus other expenses. Can someone help me out here? Thanks in advance!

 

[ljubisa]

Anyone out there working for fedex straight job solo????

Is it worth working for fedex? They promise alot, and to be honest when someone promises many things it always turns out to be the opposite. I need to hear from fedex drivers who are driving a straight truck solo if the pay is worth it before I go and buy/lease a truck plus other expenses. Can someone help me out here? Thanks in advance!

 

[ATeam]

Before we can answer your question, we need to know what you were promised. What were you promised exactly?

 

[Bruno]

Before we can answer your question, we need to know what you were promised. What were you promised exactly?

I agree Phil. FedEx Custom Critical is a good company I was leased to them for fourteen years. I know we never had a problem getting paid, we was treated fairly until the end. I still have FedEx Custom Critical and Roberts Express pictures and toy trucks in our office. We changed carriers because we wanted a change and a chance to do other things. Go to the Expedite Expo and talk to Claude Lawson or call Claude he tells it like it is.

 

[dabluzman1]

Re: Anyone out there working for fedex straight job solo????

Is it worth working for fedex? They promise alot, and to be honest when someone promises many things it always turns out to be the opposite. I need to hear from fedex drivers who are driving a straight truck solo if the pay is worth it before I go and buy/lease a truck plus other expenses. Can someone help me out here? Thanks in advance!

To make it easy for you, I even put a pink bow around the answer.
But 1st:
What is your work experience.
Have you ever been self employed before?
If you were self employed, were you successful?
Now define your idea of success.
Can you qualify for a DOD clearance and get a Passport or
Free card to go into Canada?
How long have you been a CDL driver?
Can you stay out 4 weeks+ at a time?
How is your driving record?
How.............
Never mind about what is being said, look into the
mirror and ask the person you see if they are up for the
challenge of a very demanding career that can be very finacialy
rewarding.
Can you handle it?

I was uncertain when my wife and I got into expediting.
But I was very sure of my abilities, desire, work ethic and
need to succeed.
Things have worked for Linda and me the past four years.

Thats a view from a team stand point.

Good luck.

 

[astikhossw]

If you plan to run solo and live east of the mississippi you should do ok and if you like running loads less than 500 miles.Custom critical is more of a team friendily company.

 

[Deville]

I've been a solo with them for 7...YES 7 years. Most solos don't last a year from what i'm told, the turn over rate is very high. I am able to make it because FDCC is not my only source of income. I have a courier side of my business & other light trucking. If I were to rely soley on FDCC I would have been bankrupt long ago. Sadly I had to learn that the hard way. For a long time I bought into the purple promise & I almost had to shut the doors. FDCC will sell you on the Fedex name & that's all you need. That is not the case for some people

What you need to remeber is that the old addage you will only get out of it what you put into it doesn't really apply to expediting. You could run every load you are offerde & not make nay money or be in the red because the loads are heavily discounted or your running on a flat rate.

As far as the dispatchers go, for a time we had some of the best in the business, that all changed when the turnover rate at green became so high. They lost alot of good people, consilidated certain areas & brought on new dispatchers that really have no idea about trucking.

As far as getting paid on time, if you put your paper work in the trippack & it's filled out correctly the money will be there the following week. The few times I had an issue getting paid it was because trip pak lost the paper work of did not pick up the box on time. That usually happens around christmas.

Overall FDCC is a good company to be leased too. But you are just a number & I don't agree with many of there Policies, the grass isn't always greenier on the other side.

 

[ATeam]

As far as the dispatchers go, for a time we had some of the best in the business, that all changed when the turnover rate at green became so high. They lost alot of good people, consilidated certain areas & brought on new dispatchers that really have no idea about trucking.

That is correct. I would add that the turnovers happened during the recession when a lot of senior dispatchers were laid off and new people were brought in. For a while we were explaining things to dispatchers that we could not believe we had to point out. However, as time passed and these new people settled into their jobs and gained experience, dispatch has improved. Our transactions with them have become routine and generally trouble free once again.

 

[davekc]

Apparently seniority has its privileges.

 

[greg334]

I would add that the turnovers happened during the recession when a lot of senior dispatchers were laid off and new people were brought in. For a while we were explaining things to dispatchers that we could not believe we had to point out. However, as time passed and these new people settled into their jobs and gained experience, dispatch has improved.

Thanks Phil, I couldn't ask for better. It illustrates some of the things I and others have said about dispatchers at the purple porcelain palace.

The scary part is how this shows their lack of foresight in managing things, you don't lay off your senior people when times get hard, you lay off the lower inexperienced people. This may be one reason why it reflects on turnover of contractors.

 

[Deville]

That is correct. I would add that the turnovers happened during the recession when a lot of senior dispatchers were laid off and new people were brought in. For a while we were explaining things to dispatchers that we could not believe we had to point out. However, as time passed and these new people settled into their jobs and gained experience, dispatch has improved. Our transactions with them have become routine and generally trouble free once again.

I have had to walk a dispatcher though haz-mat load depature calls.

 

[pookie8me]

fedex cc is no good......will change loads and try to force you to accept or take you out of service......even if it is unsafe.....no good.....B unit cargo van team average $2500 week....on road 6-8 weeks at time...some weeks $3000 and some $2000. most workers are nice but the few dumb one's ruin the whole bunch...oh and don't worry about a call back....Fedex never calls you back....never......

 

[LDB]

fedex cc is no good......will change loads and try to force you to accept or take you out of service......even if it is unsafe.....no good.....B unit cargo van team average $2500 week....on road 6-8 weeks at time...some weeks $3000 and some $2000. most workers are nice but the few dumb one's ruin the whole bunch...oh and don't worry about a call back....Fedex never calls you back....never......

The several times it would have been unsafe for me to run a specific load, for whatever reason, I told the dispatcher and that was that. Not once did they try to talk me out of refusing or question why it wasn't safe. I said so and that was good enough. I've had them ask me if I was sure about a refusal. I've had them come back with more money in hopes of changing my mind. I've never been forced to accept or had them try to force me to accept a load.

 

[pookie8me]

Well good for you....but for me that is not the case.....Fedex most def tried to force a load on me that was unsafe...........Just because you never had a problem does not mean, stuff like that is not happening........it is!!!!!!!!!

Also Fedex lied to me about how dispatch works............Once I got to Green I got smacked in the face with the VRU system.........

 

[ATeam]

Goodness knows how many hundreds of load offers Diane and I have received over the seven years we have been with the company. NOT ONCE has dispatch tried to force a load on us that we turned down.

We have been offered the same load more than once. We have been offered the same load a second and even third time at higher pay. But NEVER ONCE has FedEx tried to pressure us into taking a load we declined for safety reasons. And even with repeated load offers, it was without consequence to us if we declined them as often as they were offered.

There was a period a few months ago where contractors howled loud about repeated load offers that were first declined. The message was heard and the practice ceased.

Repeated load offers is different than pressure to take loads that would have been unsafe to run. Pressure to run unsafe loads simply does not happen at FedEx Custom Critical. Diane and I have never seen it. No contractor we have ever met has complained about it. Based on our experience and the experiences of others, I remain of the opinion that it does not happen.

Before changing my mind, I'd need specifics from you about unsafe loads.

Regarding the threat to being put out of service if loads are not accepted, that has never happened to us either. However, I can see where it might happen if a contractor has a ridiculously low acceptance rate.

Regarding call backs, rare are the times that our calls have not been returned. More commonly, our calls are returned the same day or the next business day if we call after hours. That said, if you come across on the phone like you do here, the people in the office might not be so eager to return your calls.

 

[TheRebel]

Is it worth working for fedex? They promise alot, and to be honest when someone promises many things it always turns out to be the opposite. I need to hear from fedex drivers who are driving a straight truck solo if the pay is worth it before I go and buy/lease a truck plus other expenses. Can someone help me out here? Thanks in advance!

If I were you I'd stay away from them... you better go with Nations Express...

 

[Bruno]

Goodness knows how many hundreds of load offers Diane and I have received over the seven years we have been with the company. NOT ONCE has dispatch tried to force a load on us that we turned down.

We have been offered the same load more than once. We have been offered the same load a second and even third time at higher pay. But NEVER ONCE has FedEx tried to pressure us into taking a load we declined for safety reasons. And even with repeated load offers, it was without consequence to us if we declined them as often as they were offered.

There was a period a few months ago where contractors howled loud about repeated load offers that were first declined. The message was heard and the practice ceased.

Repeated load offers is different than pressure to take loads that would have been unsafe to run. Pressure to run unsafe loads simply does not happen at FedEx Custom Critical. Diane and I have never seen it. No contractor we have ever met has complained about it. Based on our experience and the experiences of others, I remain of the opinion that it does not happen.

Before changing my mind, I'd need specifics from you about unsafe loads.

Regarding the threat to being put out of service if loads are not accepted, that has never happened to us either. However, I can see where it might happen if a contractor has a ridiculously low acceptance rate.

Regarding call backs, rare are the times that our calls have not been returned. More commonly, our calls are returned the same day or the next business day if we call after hours. That said, if you come across on the phone like you do here, the people in the office might not be so eager to return your calls.

Phil

I wish I could say the same. I never thought they would do something like that until it happened to me before they termed me as a driver over a load. I was even told by this by a White Glove supervisor that my lease could be pulled for not servicing the customers needs if I didn't take this load.. The load was a 9000 lb reefer load and I was driving a CR unit. FedEx people can say what they want and try to say different about it, but I still have the paperwork to prove it. I gave many years of service to a company that in the drop of a hat will term someone for anything. Then had the guts to ask if we was going to leave our trucks on with them. I'm glad your still doing well with FedEx Phil as you and your wife are good contractors and take pride in the job you do. Many of the great people that we dealt with a Roberts Express/FedEx are now at Panther Expedite services where we are very happy today.

 

[TeamCaffee]

There are two side to every story...

We have never been told our lease would be pulled if we did not accept a load. We have never been FORCED to take a load we turned down.

We have been asked why we have turned down a load, sometimes I reply sometimes I do not.

 

[davekc]

They will pull it if you don't paint YOUR truck their colors.
I can speak on some first hand experience on that one.

As for the rest of it Dave, don't give them any ideas.

 

[TeamCaffee]

They will pull it if you don't paint YOUR truck their colors.
I can speak on some first hand experience on that one.

As for the rest of it Dave, don't give them any ideas.

Dave could you please tell me what year your first hand experience was as I have been at FCC for a bit now and I believe you time was WAY before my time.