If I ruled the World

Bob and Hooligan · Mar 24, 2001

This last week was a very bad one for me. I was sitting in Ft Wayne with about 16 hours of dwell time. Figured that I would be the next truck out. One of my friends and I went into the truck stop for coffee. Imagine my shock when he got a run to Michigan. He had only been there for about 2 hours. I called dispatch. Nobody could tell me why he got the run, and I was still sitting. Finally, I got a facilitator who told me that it was a bug in their system. "Sorry"

The next morning I got a less that 75 mile run, so I took it home with me. Days go by. Trucks move. I sit. 10 am the next morning, I go into town to get some parts for the truck. During the time it took me to drive those 20 miles, a 675 mile run was given to someone else. They said that the miles would put me over my 700. However, it was a transfer load, and would not transfer until 8 that night. So I could have gotten my 8 hours rest.

Next day, I turned down a discount run going to Detroit. Trucks moved. I sat. Thursday, I was offered a less than 75 mile run. They wanted me to go 75 miles to pick it up. In the past, I had been told that you would not be charged with a refusal if deadhead miles exceeded run miles. I asked about this. The dispatcher said he did not know, but would give me my contact. The contact told me that some regions had done this, but it was decided that all refusal would be chargable. The bottome line to all this is I was taken out of service, and lost my less than 75 status.

So, I guess the company can make up the rules as we play the game.

When I rule the world, I will still screw the little guy, but only if I can profit from it. I promise that I will not do you wrong just for the hell of it.

Thanks for allowing me to vent.

RichM · Mar 24, 2001

Roy unfortunately what you vented about is becoming mor and more of a reality. I gather from your post you drive a B unit,we drive a d but last week we had similar problems. We were deadheading near Normal IL when a run offer came that required a 196 mile deadhead to Sheobogan WI,then a TPS discount load to St Thomas ON, with at least another 100 mile deadhead to a layover location. This would have paid about .59 per mile to the truck.We refused,30 minutes later another run offer came,this time we were in Decatur IL,would have had to deadhead 246 miles to Iowa City IA,then to Winsor ON.This would have paid .61 per miles.So after the second refusal we were put out of service,even though we were not on any express center board. The next day I complained to my so called coordinator and she said a refusal is a refusal no matter what the circumstances.I said " We are a fully equipped Whit Glove D unit with 2 people in the cab.We have a significant investment and cannot operte and lose revenue.The answer was "Then you should go out of service". I said ," Then my so called availability goes down and I might miss a run going torwards my home". The answer amazed me, " She said ,"why are you going home?".. So I replied " I gues we have nothing to really say to each other"...
It looks like they are really going down hill.. I can remember when a contractor was treated in a decent business manner.Looks like those days are gone..Good luck

IcePrincess25 · Mar 26, 2001

Well its nice to know I'm not alone, especially when it comes to poor excuses and poor responses.

I was in IL, less than 75, and a load came up, good one, single driver, delivering on a Monday. I was the first truck in line, and there was another truck after me that had been there awhile. Well it just so happens we are all sitting together, when low and behold, not me, or the next guy, but the third guy in line got this nice cherry of a load. Called as usual to find out why, and was told he could make it to pick up, and me the other person couldn't. How could this be? He was sitting right next to me. Oh, the computer said I was too far away, because it must not have updated me before the load came up. (yet I was there 2 hours before the load came up).

What can I do? Nothing!! What do they say?? Oh sorry, thats the computer system, it runs everything. That dosen't make me feel better, that doesn't pay my bills, but if you think about it, what the hell do they care. I am a number, I can be replaced. As long as the customer is taken care of, nothing else matters.......

The sad part is I choose to stay, and they know the reasons why.
But you know the part sadder than that is, I shouldn't feel that way, and the reasons I stay are totally opposite of what I would like them to be.

As far as being taken out of service? I always thought unless there was a issue of safety, because our truck was not up to par this was wrong. And yes, I feel if you are being taken out of service because of refusals, you are being FORCED to take that second load, no matter what. What does that sound like to you?
I feel as a Independant contractor, you should not be forced to take something you are not going to make money on, nor go somewhere and sit for days on in. Especially with times as slow as this. Ok I vented too

rollor · Mar 26, 2001

who are you leased to? why stay?

hoosier rocket · Mar 28, 2001

I understand you down to the last line. "Only if I can profit from it"? I guess they must have found a shred of conscience since I was there. We've all got horror stories about <75 runs. Those who don't all have brown hair (and not from a dye bottle:}. I never made that list b/c of the same reasons as you.....there is still line out there somewhere that we all have to hold. Special favors and IOU's yesterday have become the standard fare today because the people selling our services got away with it enough times to make it 'the norm'. Continue to hold the line, and hold your head high. You'll get one more breath before the water takes you under.

WendyCal · Mar 30, 2001

Your horror story is our horror story, and the reason that we are no longer with Fed Ex CC. Not to be coy, but: 'Been there, done that, got the T Shirt.'

And the saddest part of it is that they have no idea what they're doing to the ENTIRE Expedite business -- forcing people to start their own little companies, that can well afford to undercut the rates of the big companies! When a guy can charge $1.25/mile, and put it ALL in his own pocket, he isn't going to sit still for the kind of treatment that you've been getting.

When we left FedExCC, we went with a smaller company (40 units total, and only "B"s and "D"s) that guaranteed us $1.25/mile for loaded miles, and ran our little wheels off! How could they do this? Lower overhead equates to lower rates, and lower rates equals customers!

i've often wondered what would happen if we were to form a cooperative/federation of truly independant contractors, who paid the dispatchers and the "company," instead of the other way around. i'll bet we'd be fairer, nicer, more understanding, and more generous than they've been to us...

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Godspeed to all of you out there on the highways and byways!