Successful Expediting, secret 47

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ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
The primary point of this exercise is to get folks to stop listening to rumors and stop spreading rumors.

The sad fact is there are people who enjoy trading in rumors. If you are not one of them, or do not wish to be, the easiest way to kill a rumor and to keep a rumor monger from wasting your and other people's time is to ask the speaker for his or her source of information.

A few months ago, a rumor was stated here in the Open Forum that bad things were comming to FedEx Custom Critical in February and that anyone taking time off in December would regret it. When I politely asked the poster how he knew this to be true, the post disappeared and the rumor was never mentioned again. February came and went and nothing terrible happened.

Asking for the information source works every time. Of course there are always the confidential sources or inside sources rumor mongers are not at liberty to name. Claims of having such sources peg the needle on most people's BS guages.

Now, on to a more positive example. To many people's credit, a bunch of FedEx Custom Critical people knew of the new dispatch system before it was recently announced. No one mentioned it here in the Open Forum. They were professional. They waited until the facts were publicly available and began to discuss it then.
 

alborada

Seasoned Expediter
No, I am desagree with this advice for success in any bussnes!
Rumors and gossip come out and most of the time they're very true. Exempele: In 2005 was a rumors that the barel of oil will be $100 and what hapend- yes ith is true.I don't like to ignor the other drivers becuse we all help each other by some way and some body don't belive in rumores and gossip let't using the perceptions as tool . This is very strainge thred for. I are you try to cover somthing with this. Because a lot of people ask if the Panthera is sold to the UPS and you now tray to ceover somthing ? But sorry for me this is not right .
 

LDB

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Nobody is covering up anything. I'm trying to keep people from wasting so much of their time in ways that are worthless. Rumors and gossip are not most of the time very true. They are not even most of the time a little bit true. Most if the time they are completely wrong. Once in a while they are right. A few of them accidentally have to be. When you throw a pot full of spaghetti at the wall a few strings are going to stick to the wall, not because that's what they're for but because the odds demand it. It's just like Vegas. The odds are in favor of the house. You may win some, but overall you are going to lose. If the house didn't win the majority they wouldn't play the game. A few people are accidentally going to make up something that turns out to be true. The problem is you'll waste 100 hours with bs to get 1 hour of worthwhile.
 

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
LBD said: "The problem is you'll waste 100 hours with bs to get 1 hour of worthwhile."


Kinda like reading these forums...eh? *L*
 

alborada

Seasoned Expediter
You have this opinion but not me , we can go al say long and not become in the same ....by accidetntlly nevera happen but by the true version yes. Rumors with R it is (right) and gossip with G (good) but not like you said garbege...........
Rumors and gossip usally thay are based on emotion but with the facts, no empt.....Some gossio can be fun , but some can be a cheap way to elivate one slf by puting anothre down. Don't br cheap. Be true. This ia the stuctur of rumors and gossip if you or me like or not this is ..........
 

dabluzman1

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
"I'm trying to keep people from wasting so much of their time in ways that are worthless."

I dont believe this is your responsibility.
What is trite and trivial to you may be near and dear to me. My call not yours.

While I know what it is you are saying and for you, it is the way you like it, I enjoy
hearing a good fish story every now and then.

Different strokes for different folks.
 

morningstar55ny

Veteran Expediter
Driver
these r all very interesting postings.....
ya know i hope some of us get to meet in our travels....
and i always welcome tips on doing better as a solo driver out here.....
 

davekc

Senior Moderator
Staff member
Fleet Owner
I see as well some interesting prospectives.

As far as Phil's comment about dispatch changes, that was known by many months ago. But the others that were aware outside of the Fed I quess are only semi-professional?
It wasn't like it was a "secret"
Probably why the post you referenced disappeared until the specific information was public.
The whole purpose was mentioned many months ago to speed up dispatch and shut off bartering on loads.
They had a incident of a team bragging some time ago about how much they could soak the carrier, and this is the end result along with improved dispatch speed.
 
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LDB

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Fish stories are great. I never said not to hang around swapping fishing, camping, skiing, vacation, hunting, college, or whatever stories. I only mentioned very specific things dealing with trucking/expediting that are usually always useless at best and damaging at worst as well as options that usually always prove very beneficial for the same subjects.
 

RichM

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
As Dave pointed out it was a certain TEAM that openly bragged on EO that when they were the only truck in the area they would hold FEDEX up for more revenue. Well the folks at FEDEX read EO also and within a few days all were informed that the offered revenue was the final answer and no negoations would be permitted. These comments by that TEAM hurt other individuals and have resuled in the new dispatch policy and others.
 

greg334

Veteran Expediter
"I'm trying to keep people from wasting so much of their time in ways that are worthless."

I dont believe this is your responsibility.
What is trite and trivial to you may be near and dear to me. My call not yours.

This quote actually says a lot.

Some of you act like there is some journalistic code of ethics that need to be followed on what is posted. You better have credible sources or else – that is the picture I get. Hey this is a forum, not a newspaper.

Another picture I get is that some of you are so well connected to the company you are contracted at that they will tell you the truth all the time (one exception to this). Think again, you are contractors.

It amazes me about this entire thread.

First we are talking about a legitimate issue, group thinking and the BS that goes along with it and then it goes to rumors. In the case of one ‘rumor’ that was mentioned, no one bothered to PM and ask privately who the person was that gave that info, so when an open question goes unanswered amazingly it gets labeled a rumor like the person who labeled it was so well connected that they can make that call.

Sorry guys, you can’t stop the rumors, it is really human nature and competitive in nature. Many people of all walks of life talk big or embellish things to make them feel better or to impress. Others won’t say who said it because for the most part it is part of their networking scheme and even more importantly people sometimes does not want to have their names mentioned.

I really like what dabluzman1 said, the comment hits the issue right square on the head.

If you want to be the BS police, well then have at it. It is a big waste of time and actually damages things.

If you want to stop rumors, good luck on that, even the best of forums (this is one of them) it never happened right.

But if you want to warn people about group think and group speak (this is what I call it) then great that it legitimate warning and should be talked about.

The very first day I was expediting, I learned a very important lesson – never believe a thing others say to you directly. I met a fellow contractor the very first evening I worked and he said to me I was going to fail in three months or less. Ok so I was going to fail but why did he say it?

Now I am very quiet in groups and we sat with about four others from the company and had our coffee and cheese sticks. I sat and listen whiles others just rambled on and on, see I don’t talk much in a group but I listen. Some think it is rude but I can learn a lot from shutting up and sitting there. At the end of the little gathering, I learned exactly why he I was going to fail, can you figure it out?

Now a while ago I used to tell people go to a truck stop and talk to individuals (or teams) one on one, why?

Because you get more information from that conversation than if you did with three or four (the exception of that rule is if they are close friends or family you are sitting with). I stopped using that suggestion because no one listened to the caveat; many people will inflate their earnings because they can be embarrassed over what little they actually make.

Well I got to get some sleep, drove all night long and now I am very tired.
 

dhalltoyo

Veteran Expediter
Hopefully, we all gain a little discernment as we grow older.

Probably why I shy away from those who gossip can be realized in this passage:

Proverbs 17:4 A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.

Listening to untruths serves no purpose and, yes, if someone begins to trash a carrier, blaspheme God or tell a filthy joke, I do excuse myself.

I have found that most of those who engage in such behaviors are the ones with too much idle time on their hands.

Why so much idle time for those folks?

Proverbs 19:5 A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.
 

Doggie Daddy

Veteran Expediter
As Dave pointed out it was a certain TEAM that openly bragged on EO that when they were the only truck in the area they would hold FEDEX up for more revenue. Well the folks at FEDEX read EO also and within a few days all were informed that the offered revenue was the final answer and no negoations would be permitted. These comments by that TEAM hurt other individuals and have resuled in the new dispatch policy and others.



I remember that thread,and I believe the overall opinion on here was that one person's post on an expediters forum would not be a cause for a company to change policy.Having said that,did the company change their policy? YES.But after the initial shock wore off,it was evident to everyone that it was a policy that the company wasn't going to adhere to.

I know the company reads these forums regularly,but I think that they would be more concerned about about things that another team is posting on EO.Things like security procedures and policies on sensitive government shipments(that would put many at risk,not just the clueless poster) logbook falsification,and unsafe driving practices.All this from a poster that should very well know better,but apparently does not.

Everyone on here at EO should realize that when they hit the send button and post something,you just never know who it is that is out there reading this stuff and using the information to the detriment of others.DD.
 

nightcreacher

Veteran Expediter
So what is the 47th answer to success,alot has been said about nothing.I read the forum,just to see if someday I may learn something new.and Im not saying I know it all.Ive tried to help some people that act as if they know it all,Ive had people thank me for the help.but you know what,this thread IMO has gone to long.
 
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