Typical Ford Motor Company Behavior

whitewolf53

Expert Expediter
Just dropped off at Ford Dearborn at 0600 this morning.
While waiting for the 0600 shift to start,this other
driver in a real nice D unit came up along side me
with an 0600 delivery time.We both went inside.
they told me to back it into dock 8,And then went
and told her that they would not take her load until
15:30 today.No explanation,no excuses no NOTHING.
And they wonder why some of us drivers HATE going
to these auto plants.

Whitewolf 53

HERE LIZARD LIZARD LIZARD
:p :p :p :p :p :p
:9 :9 :9 :9 :9 :9 :9 :9 :9
 

RichM

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
She might be able to get detention charges if she had a confirmed appointment time.
 

x06col

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
Retired Expediter
US Army
Yep, sounds like some easy pratt time money to me.
 

whitewolf53

Expert Expediter
Yeah that is what i told her too,but she said she would rather
have a 800 mile run than wait.I told her she would make more money
sitting then it would take her to do an 800 mile run.
Which she didn't have anyways.
But that isn't the point.Her delivery time was for 0600.
And they are just screwing her around.

Mike
Whitewolf 53

HERE LIZARD LIZARD LIZARD

:p :p :p :p :p :p
:9 :9 :9 :9 :9 :9 :9 :9 :9
 

x06col

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
Retired Expediter
US Army
Yes but, thats pretty profitable screwing at $40 or so an hour.
 

raceman

Veteran Expediter
I am dedicated to a Ford plant and have been for a year now. I have seen things that would just make your jaw drop but I have also learned that this is not every employee. The plant I am dedicated to has one person in receiving that does this to evry truck that comes in. His mood determines what is going to happen on that dock.

I have been so mad that I have left without their freight a few times. I found via talking to other workers and folks in the logistics office that thie is a way to handle this if in fact it is not a neccessary lay over. In the plant(Plants) that I deal with I have been told to simply go to the logistics office and explain the situation. They then look into it and it gets taken care of in most cases.

I will tell you that it is a fact that you have to bite your tongue and put up with a lot but it is not neccessary to be treated like trash or have them tie you up to the point of it hurting your income.

I know I am in a little better situation because I have developed a relationship with these folks but I also developed an attitude. That attitude is "It is your freight and if you want to screw with it, so be it". I have told them on a few occassions that since it does not seem to be important to them I am leaving and will be back when it works for me. Then I pull out and go eat or whatever. Typically they stop me before I get away but a couple of times it hurt them and therefore the person screwing with me was delt with.

Again, I am in a different situation to some extent but I will say if you stand up to them, well your company has to support you in doing so, they usally cave in. If your compnay does not care how you are treated, I assume it just will not work for you.

I do hear you and I hope you only have these problems now and then. I will say if your company expects you to put up with that, well I am sorry to hear that too.


Raceman
OTR O/O
 

Packmule

Expert Expediter
Not so profitible once you have given up the first 2 hours and then only receive 58% of the charge. Give me the run opportunity any day!

Dan
 

geo

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
Retired Expediter
US Navy
i go to same places every day just about and couple of them say we can't off load you now and remind them i have appointment and they said don't care so tell em where you want me to park, they say why i'm going to read paper have lunch and enjoy d time , cause i'm in a van and get it after a 1st half hour, and it goes every 15 mins and i'll milk it for all i can get, than they say you will have to break it down say ok, and get d time and handling , and now that i'm on the clock i'm am super slow and in no hurry, sometimes they say you have to move , have to call dispatch why want money for the 2nd stop
now they say off load him he cost to much money to sit
tell them what they want to hear , tell them it cost them for you to sit and see how fast they off load you
 
G

guest

Guest
When I go to auto plants, I always pretend I am going to be on one of those tv shows where people get "punked" or practical jokes are played on them. I always try to remember how silly the people look when they get really mad about getting "punked." I always assume I am going to encounter stupid and rude people and I am always polite and patient no matter how dumb a situation is at an auto plant. I have been screamed at for parking 8 feet forward of "the line", which was an imaginary line. I have been yelled at for walking up to the wrong window when the right window was six inches away. I have never seen such a cluster of unkind people as the shipping and receiving people at the auto plants.

With all that said, I have been allowed to unload many hours early by being patient and not reacting to this negativity. It's hard to do, but I always assume the person yelling at me just got yelled at by his or her boss and it doesn't really have anything to do with me personally.
 

jaminjim

Veteran Expediter
I agree with everything you just said BUUUUUUT boss just ain't allowed to yell at those poor over worked rec people.
 

highway star

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
I always feel like the getting punked part of it is them laughing at me as I stand there being polite and patient so as not to irritate the union idiot.
 

tom tinker

Expert Expediter
Tom Tinker Retired I can see why drivers used tell us on the dock if it wasn't for the sign out front they wouldn't know they were in a GM plant. We had milk runs w/certain companys, they had a window time to be there and we had a window on how much time we had to have them back on road. If we had a truck come in for a pick up and we were'nt ready. We paid for there delay, give them coffee, take them to cafeitera if they didn't want go out and come back.
Chevy even had thier dock people & union come to see how we ran our dock, we didn't have everything seperate, the guy putting a load together may be the same one to load it. The name is Delphi now was, rochester prods, AC Rochester and Diesel Equip. in yaers past.
Not all Union places are a like. Our tricks got the run around at other GM plants.
Sincerely Tom Tinker
 
G

guest

Guest
My answer to every insult at an auto plant is "I'm sorry, this is my first time here. Next time I'll know."

I just say this like a robot over and over and it seems to settle some of the more confrontational idiots down.

The other night a lady gave me a speech about walking on her dock (which another person had specifically told me to do). The speech started out: "now you better listen to me and listen good, because I'm not going to tell you this again, if you ever walk on my dock again....."

To which I replied: "I'm sorry, this is my first time here. Next time I'll know." I told her how pretty the cars looked on the assembly line and she unloaded me 7 hours before my scheduled delivery time.
 

woobergoober

Expert Expediter
Just curious.....How do you guys even get into the plants hours and hours early? The way our company works, is you call them 1/2 hour before you think you are going to arrive, and then another call, once you get outside the gate.

After you get outside the gate and call, they will confirm your appointment time, and give you the okay to go through the gate, on to the plant property.

Thought this was an NLM thing, but maybe not. I can tell you though, that I have yet to be held up for longer than an hour total.

WG
 

highway star

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
What you're talking about is an NLM thing. I think that different companies have different arrangments as too window time rules. At Thompson we went through a few sets of rules until we got to where we could just call in our arrival and go in. There are a few plants that are strict with window times even on expedites, Fort Wayne for instance, but most will take you when you get there.
 

geo

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
Retired Expediter
US Navy
del to ford plant today in norfolk in and out in 20 mins fastest ever
they said get him out here as hes call in for d time and just drags his feet, came ready with paper and ask what time was lunch as i had mind and was ready to go on break with and was in no rush to get unload take your time as i was looking for some bonus time as in money
works for me every time
 
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