Your Company Doesn't Care

[SBBExpress]

geez how much is the OP's truck payment? .97 cents a mile seems very high considering O/O in LTL get about .90 cents a mile plus fuel surcharge and they drive fuel gulping tractors.

Eric you need to sharpen your pencil if your running a class 8 truck or you may well be under before you know it. There is much, much more expense to operating your business than truck payments and fuel. The .97 per mile I quote is for ALL business expensesfor the year against all miles operated and this includes no personal compensation what so ever.
Additionally, many LTL companies will pay your base plates, insurance, tolls and fuel taxes, this can add up to a substantial savings for the O/O who can the operate for substantially less per mile.
By the way, my truck is a converted class 8 tractor and I average about 9.5 mpg. I have enough power so loaded or empty makes very little difference to my mileage.

 

[TeamCaffee]

Your company does care as it costs a fortune to train new people. They might not care in the way you think but new trucks and new paperwork day in and day out is a large cost to a carrier.
If you check the fleet size of your company, then check how many people go through orientation a week you will be shocked. Now go back six months later and you will find the fleet has either not grown or has shrunk. The companies cannot keep up with the trucks leaving the fleet.
If your company did not add on trucks to replace the exiting trucks can you imagine the dead head we would be offered to get some of these loads? We are lucky though as we get paid dh miles and we get paid fsc on all dead head miles so many of these loads still pay pretty good money. Most of our customers though expect their load to be picked up within two hours of placing the initial call.

 

[iceroadtrucker]

Ok

This is funney. I have pulled Reefer TVAL for Fed and Lived like a King. I pulled a Dry Box and ran my Butt off and lived out the truck like a hermit. I did better than alot at Panther or the others I pulled a reefer non Tval and did Ok.
I Perfer the TVAL Reefer with all the Bells and Whistles so now FedEX I stood up for ya.
Now thats the Truth.

I hate the desert.

Mongoose VS the Rattle Snake.

Id rather have a Pet King Cobra HG

 

[nightcreacher]

Well I don't do a lot of posting, just a lot of listening over the past year or so as I am new to this and my company is smaller. I think a lot of this debate comes down to how large or small your company may be. IMO, a company where you may be 6th or 7th in line somewhere may be less concerned with losing a truck compared to a company that may only have myself and maybe another truck at the most waiting to run.

Not wanting to again sidetrack to the old debate of small vs. large, but I think it helps a lot when you know your team well and youre not just a truck on a board. If you develop a relationship with your company I think smaller companies have a lot more pride (and investment) in their drivers than a company who has orientation twice a week.

The major thing bad about a smaller company,they have less companies to work with,to get your loads.So have to rely on the load boards,and thats where this all started,cheap freight making you think your company doesnt care.

 

[SBBExpress]

Ok

This is funney. I have pulled Reefer TVAL for Fed and Lived like a King. I pulled a Dry Box and ran my Butt off and lived out the truck like a hermit. I did better than alot at Panther or the others I pulled a reefer non Tval and did Ok.
I Perfer the TVAL Reefer with all the Bells and Whistles so now FedEX I stood up for ya.
Now thats the Truth.

I hate the desert.

Mongoose VS the Rattle Snake.

Id rather have a Pet King Cobra HG

The whole TVAL issue is kind of a sore subject with us. we were TVAL qualified, they called us to recert early in order to "break up some of the large groupings" of trucks so we went in to recert about 9 months early, on a very hot day in the middle of the summer. We couldn't pull temp fast enough and were disqualified. We went home and invested over $1500. in additional insulation etc. in our box. When we called for recert we found out that in the interm they had disqualified our size reefer unit (among others in both Carrier and Thermoking brands). We can't afford the $15,000. to $20,000 to upgrade to a larger reefer unit so here we are. Tval wasn't what it was talked up to be, when they sold us on installing the equipment in the first place we were told the loads would pay around $3.00 a mile and that never happened. It did make us available for more loads though and therefore probably made it worth the initial investment of equipment and testing. For the record, I'm not bashing FDCC. I think they are one of the top expedite companies to work for, bit I also think your just a number with them unless you make it a point to be in front of them all the time. That's just not my way.

 

[davekc]

I think it is a market issue more so than a carrier one. $3.00 a mile use to be the norm quite some time ago. Only in rare instances do you see it now for your type of truck. That rate is a far cry from what I would consider an average on those trucks today. But that aside, you validate some of my earlier points I was trying to make.

 

[aristotle]

Whatever charges your carrier incurs for holding orientation is richly recovered in the QC shop. ( install/de-install fees for both QC and signage). Not to mention ongoing weekly charges. Weep not for the carrier.

 

[jaminjim]

So it looks like you guys have officially hijacked this thread and turned it into the good ole reefer vs. dry debate again.....sigh

Your previous posts.

Fuel filter help please
Views: 10
Posted By Runner411
Re: Fuel filter help please

If the truck is running, then it should bleed itself after purging the lines of air. In this cold weather if it it running and low on power you may have a gel issue, which is another mess altogether.
Forum: General Expediter Forum Today, 12:42 PM
Replies: 44
Your Company Doesn't Care
Views: 729
Posted By Runner411
Re: Your Company Doesn't Care

Well I don't do a lot of posting, just a lot of listening over the past year or so as I am new to this and my company is smaller. I think a lot of this debate comes down to how large or small your...
Forum: General Expediter Forum Today, 12:17 PM
n't Care

So it looks like you guys have officially hijacked this thread and turned it into the good ole reefer vs. dry debate again.....sigh


I suppose all you retards fell inline just like everyone else when good ole W said we must go to war to stop Saddam. What a load of horse$hit. And you also bought into his BS about doing it for the...


Thats the dumbest garbage I have ever read. You are idiots.

I really am glad you have so much to offer the Forum during your 11 months here.

 

[SBBExpress]

Interesting point, if $3.00 was the norm, what happened? My opinion, the professionalism in this industry has deteriorated to the point that we're no better than any other LTL company. Expedited used to be the elite special handling, ASAP delivery, professional shipping method. It seems latewly we see more and more expedite trucks that look like crap, drivers that look like crap and have the professionalism of a wolfpack. Case in point, our company requires you to wear uniforms while at the shipper or consignee. We were picking up a load at one of our biggest customers one day and observed a team for our company, a couple of younger men wearing nylon "basketball" shorts and jerseys. The sorts were pulled down so the crotch was about knee level and the leg openings almost dragging on the ground. The jersey's were about three sizes to large and hung also to about the knee. You get the picture I'm sure, we've all seen the type, they look like they should be selling drugs on any street corner in any major city. I'm not the sqweeling type but in this case the only thing that kept me from doing just that is the fact that I couldn't get the truck number from where I was, and I couldn't get to my digital camera before they pulled out. To me that is the epitome of un-professionalism, it gives the company a bad reputation and ultimately deteriorated the respect for the industry and eventually our customer base. The sad thing is, you see it more and more. I've also heard it said time and time again, " if they want us to wear uniforms they'll have to provide them". I see it as just another business expense, it's worth it to look professional.

 

[Runner411]

Your previous posts.


I really am glad you have so much to offer the Forum during your 11 months here.

If you need to vent your frustration at someone due to your dispatch sitting you somewhere for a week now, I suggest you keep it off the boards. That was quite unprofessional.

I'm not an avid poster because unlike some poeple here I learn and read before I open my mouth. And like I said earlier I have only been doing this for a year so I am STILL learning and dont have much to add.

But hey I could post slams like yourself and get my post count up and try to fit in like youself.

I'm glad EO has people like yourself around to keep heathens like myself in line. What would we do with out you jim????

 

[jaminjim]

I thought that was the uniform for the Fed!

 

[nightcreacher]

Fed Ex uniforms are cheaper than blue jeans and shirt at Wally World

 

[nightcreacher]

Whatever charges your carrier incurs for holding orientation is richly recovered in the QC shop. ( install/de-install fees for both QC and signage). Not to mention ongoing weekly charges. Weep not for the carrier.

Ive got to call contractor relations monday,they forgot to charge me for orientation,with interest, that might be alot of money over all these years

 

[aristotle]

My point is the exorbitant fees charged by many carriers for work done in the QC shops. It is a profit center for carriers with a high turnover rate And that would be most of them. FECC may be an exception.

 

[davekc]

Interesting point, if $3.00 was the norm, what happened? My opinion, the professionalism in this industry has deteriorated to the point that we're no better than any other LTL company. Expedited used to be the elite special handling, ASAP delivery, professional shipping method. It seems latewly we see more and more expedite trucks that look like crap, drivers that look like crap and have the professionalism of a wolfpack. Case in point, our company requires you to wear uniforms while at the shipper or consignee. We were picking up a load at one of our biggest customers one day and observed a team for our company, a couple of younger men wearing nylon "basketball" shorts and jerseys. The sorts were pulled down so the crotch was about knee level and the leg openings almost dragging on the ground.
================================================
Without a doubt that is certainly part of it. I do think one can look professional whether there is a uniform or not. A lot of it is presentation. In other words, one can be in a uniform and still be a fool, and visa-versa.
With that said, I think the market and some carriers have contributed to this type of environment. Just my opinion. Many have trucks running on the bare bones, and that is going to breed a certain type of result. Sad, but true.

 

[fastrod]

Uniforms should be just a matter of personal choice. If you want to wear them fine, if not that is fine to. What I have found over the years is that shippers call me for two important reasons, [1] they can trust me to get there freight to its destination safely and on time, [2] my rates are competitive with other carriers. I have never had any shipper tell me that my shorts and loud Hawaiian shirts looked bad.

 

[iceroadtrucker]

Fed Ex uniforms are cheaper than blue jeans and shirt at Wally World

Well that may be Steve but I know for a fact a set of
Cammeys is cheaper than that shirt and pants any day.

 

[CharlesD]

I've been thinking about having my logo put on a couple golf shirts, just to improve the whole image a bit. Then again, I'm not sure if stuff like that improves my image or my ego. Sometimes it just feels darn good to see my name on the side of the van and not some other carrier. But why should I want to present a better image than someone leased to a carrier? Even if you're leased, you're still your own boss to a certain degree and you should have enough pride in your own company, which is you, to present yourself in the most professional manner possible. Your carrier shouldn't have to provide your clothes for you to look neat and professional.

 

[iceroadtrucker]

I've been thinking about having my logo put on a couple golf shirts, just to improve the whole image a bit. Then again, I'm not sure if stuff like that improves my image or my ego. Sometimes it just feels darn good to see my name on the side of the van and not some other carrier. But why should I want to present a better image than someone leased to a carrier? Even if you're leased, you're still your own boss to a certain degree and you should have enough pride in your own company, which is you, to present yourself in the most professional manner possible. Your carrier shouldn't have to provide your clothes for you to look neat and professional.

MY MY Charles

I do agree about looking professional not like U just jumped off the garbage truck or one with the big pot bellie shirt untucked.
Get my Drift. Should I go on. There are those that need to check into the Fat farm for a make over. Might do them some good. Yes Charles it's the man that makes the clothes not the clothes that make the man.
Now want to look professional get in shape and for those over weight ones Best about be heading to the Fat Farm or join the Biggest Loosers so you can be a winner. Don't have time for it U say. Hey Buy yourself a Head set and and go jogging U can get your run offers and take them why your working out.

Now for real Its the man or women that make the clothes not vice versa.
If your realy proud of your Company get your self out of them trucks and go run Jog or Walk a few miles, Heads do turn. and by the way Age has nothing to do with it, thats just a cop out and as slow as its been for everyone whats the next excuse???????????
Thats right you dont have one.
nows the time. Just do it do it now. Yes You Can.
Failure is not an option.

One day you too will be able to do one handed push ups and hanging inclinde situps No Problem at all and go run 5 ta 7 miles
at a moments notice. Then again there are those on here that just dont get it and never will and are to lazy to do it so will make every excuse in the book why they cant then ridacule the ones that say they can and will.
Before any one else jumps whats being inshape have to do with
looking professional. Everything How about that Army or Marine Or Airforce or Navy Person in Uniform. Do you want a fat outa shape person representing your country Na I dont think so.
Now take a good look around Time to cut the Fat. HG
So get with the Program. Get some real guts and get your Bodies in shape. So you can look Professional for your Company
Pride and Professionalism. One Last thing Charlie Hunt I got a the Shears Im gona cut your Hair when I seeeeee You. HG LOL
Thought it was Funney when I had to have mine cut You just wait it may be a year but I wont forget it. Your is next when I get back ole Friend. ROTFLMAO .
Hey follks See ya latter.

 

[bigjoep89]

Interesting!
I think that most companies do care for the logical reason that if the Owner Operator does not succeed than there will be limited profits for them. I feel really certain that these companies are in business to make money. I do know the company Robin and I are leased to gives you the tools and opportunity to succeed. The rest is up to you.