Is that the end of FEDEX CC?

[ROADRUNNER]

Will there be a big change in FEDEX CC?
Most of the old members remember me for just coming in here to vent, but this time I am coming in here to warn you and I am serious.
My friend terminated his E-Unit with FEDEX CC because he could not exist
on the flat rate system.
Now I have a very reliable connection to FEDEX Headquarters, this connection is telling me, they are discussing flat rates for the rest of the fleets.
Now, another story guy's. Some of you remember as you were told about the new Express Network at the Truck Show in Louisville (breakfast gathering), they will gain a lot of loads with this new system (BTW: having about 600 Sales Rep).

Now I have some questions for you:

1.) Lately, do you experience sitting around Truck-Stops longer waiting for a load offer?

2.) Only short-runs being offered?

3.) Are you missing the Long-Haul team runs?

I can tell you why, Express Network are already taking 75% of the long runs.
I hope all the FEDEX people who read this will respond, telling how they are doing lately.
More gossip in my next post.

Peep..peep your ROADRUNNER

[Uncle Truck]

I don't run for FedEx, but in a couple of very recent chat room discussions most of the things that you brought up Roadrunner are mirror images of what others are saying also, so the rumors probably have truth behind them. Many who I've talked too at FDCC have been in a slump, while others at other companies have been running at least on par for this time of the year.

With all the ground divisions FedEx has now and the company core value being focused on customer needs and doing what is best for the customer as far as giving them value and good service, part of that goal might very well be trying to work around the expensive Custom Critical division as much as possible now. Flat rate is more or less becoming a standard for contractor pay with expediting, so as far as that it is just keeping with the times. That's my theory and speculation (all it is for sure!) and I hope things pan out for the best.

-UT-

[Deville]

I have to say this was by far the worst week i have had since early January, I ran only once this week and that was an air expedite load. All the other loads were going far and payed around $300
I was offered Runs I do all the time for nearly half of what I usually get offered, white glove Hazmat runs that I would normally get $350.00 $400.00 for being offered at $158.00, no fuel surcharge, no $50.00 for going into NYC.

When I was at FEDx freight the other day, was talking to a few people over there that I am friendly with, people that I know for quite a while, they Told me that FEDX ground is getting everything.
Might be time to jump ship.

[woobergoober]

If you guys dump Fed Ex, go with a small company. I have worked for them all just about, and the best move I have made in my life, was signing on with my company. No Qual Comm; dispatchers are awesome; and amazingly enough, they actually care about their drivers, among many other things. Just my two cents.

WG

[windcatcher]

Maybe its my ignorance that causes me to ask this question... But, when you run for FedEx, as an O/O, just how far do your rights go?

Does their contract prevent 'moon-lighting' on the side in order to make a living and keep running. I mean it seems that if they are not able or unwilling to support their obligations in keeping one running, and at a fair price, when you're available...then there is a breech of implied obligation and expectancy which would necessitate the freedom to get loads that pay well...regardless of who likes to "advertise" on the sides of your trucks.

[SPARKY]

Roadrunner-I'm sorry to hear things are not going so well for you. I have to tell you though, I think some of it is time and place.

As far as HD Rider and I, things seem to have picked up. We had a very good week last week and were working on a GREAT week when we lost our license plate and our owners were busy and had no time to get us a new one overnighted to us so we could keep running. So instead, we ended up having to come home to wait for it.

I have spoken to some people that are sitting and waiting for loads and some couples that are running from one load to the other. We have been in areas that, in the past, have been hotbeds of freight and waited for a load for a day or two and been in marginal areas and have gotten a load before delivering the one on the truck. We too have seen the lean times in this business and even though it seems that lately we have sat more than a year ago at this time, this is NOT as bad as we have seen it. We all know that we need to plan for the lean times. Most of us have gotten too comfortable with the planning of those lean times and having them be the first few months of the year. We need to remember that they can come at different times. The drivers may have things come up in their life or the truck may need some maintenance that we hadn't planned on having done at that time. If you haven't put money aside for unforseen circumstances then your business plan may need to be looked at and revised. As they say......POOR PLANNING ON YOUR PART DOES NOT JUSTIFY AN EMERGENCY ON MY PART!!!

I don't think that the new program some contractors are talking about is anything to worry about. If you had been to Green since the new building opened then you should know that this IS NOT a new program. FedEx freight has been operating out of that building since the first day they moved in there. It seems to be a convienent excuse for some contractors to use at this time. I don't know about you, but we have hauled MANY of FDX Freights loads and I can only expect that they too would back us up and haul the loads that either we can't cover or that CC is not needed for.

I hope that things pick up for you and that you will get back into the areas that your truck is needed. Stay safe and let us know how you are running in the next few months.

[Confederate]

WG What company do you run for? I'm in the market to put my truck on with someone that is gonna work it and not work it for free and I really dont want a queer/com excuse the typo qualcomm..

[wshort]

Will there be a big change in FEDEX CC?

Now, another story guy's. Some of you remember as you were told about the new Express Network at the Truck Show in Louisville (breakfast gathering), they will gain a lot of loads with this new system (BTW: having about 600 Sales Rep).

Now I have some questions for you:

1.) Lately, do you experience sitting around Truck-Stops longer waiting for a load offer?

2.) Only short-runs being offered?

3.) Are you missing the Long-Haul team runs?

I can tell you why, Express Network are already taking 75% of the long runs.
I hope all the FEDEX people who read this will respond, telling how they are doing lately.
More gossip in my next post.

Peep..peep your ROADRUNNER

Yes we have been noticing this for the past month and a half, was at
first attributing it to the sky high fuel prices that tend to chase away
customers leaving only the deep discount runs, but the lack of real long
runs lately leads me to believe that fedEx is pushing the cheaper FedEx
freight solution to customers leaving us Custom Critical drivers to twist
in the wind.
Also wonder what kind of "flat rate" they will come up with if they
decide to impose that on the rest of the fleet.

[SPARKY]

My fear is that people will read this and get the wrong idea!!! While some people may be in the wrong place at the wrong time, I don't want others to believe that there are no team runs left for FDCC.

With that in mind PLEASE don't get the wrong idea about what I am about to say. I DON'T like telling people about the money we make or want it to appear we are boasting about what we make. I simply want to point out that there IS money to be made and that there ARE team runs day in and day out.

Last week we made three runs. Went a little over 3800 miles and made over $6400. By Wednesday morning we will have gone a little over 2100 miles and made over $4300. THERE ARE GOOD PAYING TEAM RUNS OUT HERE I still say you must be in the right place at the right time and that you must take the good with the bad.

[sidecar]

THERE ARE GOOD PAYING TEAM RUNS OUT HERE[/b] I still say you must be in the right place at the right time and that you must take the good with the bad.

Well i just have to dissagree,we have been sitting in dallas for days and have had 1 offer.$1.00 a mile to end up in idaho. :wacko:

For the last almost 3 weeks we have not done well at all,it has been deliver and sit deliver and sit. And i'm talking about places like michigan and ohio and texas and los angeles.

I'm glad you are running good sparky but believe me when i say that this is not the norm for the majority of the fleet right now and it is putting alot of people in a squeeze.

[KenOVM]

Every time a company introduces a new producy line as with Conways Truckload and FDX's express freight theres always an adjustment period.
I think unfortunately theres going to be some that won't survive this combination of high fuel and service products. There'll be a weeding of the weak and insecure. That can be a good thing. I've met quite a few O/O's not prepared for this business and shouldn't be in it. Because they refuse to change! You hear guys.."I've driven a Ford, GM for 20 years I am not buyng a German or Asian vehicle! I say get over it...Toyota is more U.S then GM is!!!

WE too as business operators can not stand pat and NOT change with the times. We can't expect to run our business the way we did even 5 years ago and expect not to struggle. We too have to change as this business evolves.
We have to work smarter, keep up on technology changes and try to at least stay even with that learning curve.

[susie]

You are right Ken times are changing, but what to do to change with them that is the question. When we have no control over fuel prices or the quality of loads offered to us, it puts us in a bind. ;)

[Mare]

You are right Ken times are changing, but what to do to change with them that is the question. When we have no control over fuel prices or the quality of loads offered to us, it puts us in a bind. ;)

Thank Heavens.......I wish no one to have slow business but it's good to know we're not in this alone...................and to not be called...............

WHINERS AND CRIERS!!!!!!! :angry: :angry:

[KenOVM]

You are right Ken times are changing, but what to do to change with them that is the question. When we have no control over fuel prices or the quality of loads offered to us, it puts us in a bind. ;)


Patience and improving where we can, fuel management and mechanical prowess....cut, cut and cut again....Less restaurants Less Motel rooms more home cooking..we'll do what we can and a lotta luck.

I wish us all luck and success :cheers:

[wshort]

You are right Ken times are changing, but what to do to change with them that is the question. When we have no control over fuel prices or the quality of loads offered to us, it puts us in a bind. ;)


Patience and improving where we can, fuel management and mechanical prowess....cut, cut and cut again....Less restaurants Less Motel rooms more home cooking..we'll do what we can and a lotta luck.

I wish us all luck and success :cheers:

We run a pretty tight ship, alway's checking fuel prices online daily and
calculating fuel stops etc, using motel coupons, eating at walmart's,
cutting miles here and there, avoiding tolls where possible, slowing down
the truck for extra mileage.
We also play hunches and try and guess where to layover and what
runs to take, but until fuel prices come down and business improves
these little things we do make little difference when revenue drops $6k-9k
from one month to the next and fuel prices climb 40 cents a gallon.
I tend to agree with Sparky that you have to be at the right place at the right time in this business, all the historical data is just that, historical, with
expediting most of our business is called in shortly before the pickup, so
how do you know that area X is going to be hot at any given time, you
just go to the places you've been lucky at before and hope the business
is there, we all know where the freight lanes are, although this year it
seems like all the former hot spots are only luke warm and some of the
more unlikely spots have been winners.
With FedEx CC the layover choices they give you after you make your
delivery are basically spots that don't have a lot of FedEx trucks sitting
there at that particular moment doesn't mean there is any business going
on there.
In large metro areas, where you chose to sit also plays into whether or
not your truck gets the call, as pickup times are also an important criteria
when a truck is dispatched, some guy sitting out in the boondocks may have more dwell time but be too far out to be considered for a timely
pickup.
Of course by the same token a truck 300 miles away may be offered a
less attractive run that's been turned down by everyone else.
And of course fleet size also is a major factor in this business, a company that tries to keep the fleet size in line with the available business
is where you want to be.
Well anyway's until we start getting the longer hauls we used to get I'm
still speculating that FedEx Freight is siphoning off a noticable portion of
our Custom Critical long haul runs.

[susie]

My husband and i have been in this business for eight years going on nine and i have never seen it as slow as it is now. So take it for whatever its worth, but times are bad. :fear: :bye: :bye:

[10speed]

Now I have some questions for you:

1.) Lately, do you experience sitting around Truck-Stops longer waiting for a load offer?
Yes for days at a time usually 72 hrs or more

2.) Only short-runs being offered?
short only

3.) Are you missing the Long-Haul team runs?
team runs? was told they dont distinguish teams over single drivers

I can tell you why, Express Network are already taking 75% of the long runs.
I hope all the FEDEX people who read this will respond, telling how they are doing lately. :yikes:

[Munchkin]

I can honestly say (for our business) the answer to all your questions is No.

I'm very interested, as I'm sure others would be interested, in knowing
exactly how you determined that 75% of the Custom Critical long haul
runs are being handled by the Express Network now.

[Harry]

Well, I ran 2 weeks in June and we are since the 5th July back on the road.

Every run was a great run, almost no deadhead miles and I hope this continues.

We are running White Glove and most our loads are T/VAL Loads. Our last run was over 1 000 miles.

So far we are doing better then before. :cheers:

[sidecar]

I can only speak on our experiences,and since jan.1 we are averaging almost 800 miles per run.So it would seem that there are plenty of long runs being dispatched.

[DANMELISSA]

I think its FDCC's new company FEDEX Natoinal Freight LTL thats getting all the loads....and as far as time/place......thats a bunch of poopie...we sat in hotlanta fer 5 days without even 1 good offer. The highest paid offer for our "E" unit was $1.15cpm and the best laugh we had paid $0.69cpm. We had to DH 700miles for a load going to Claypool, AZ and sat in phx fer 2days, and then we DH'd to Vegas and sat fer 4 more. Then we got offered a load going from Tehachapi, CA to IA that paid a whopping $1.20 all miles, got down there and sat in the door fer 7hr's only to have the load cancel on us cuz we didnt have any pads that dispatch didnt mention anything about, and the customer dropped WGFDCC as their carrier for it that day. The GE windenergy people said they paid for wg and expected a wg to show up, but we were surface fleet and that pissed them off, and we offerd to use our king sized comforters, which are way thicker than moving pads, but they wouln't have it!!! So we got a whopping $400 and deadheaded back to Vegas at sat for another week. We just got home from dh'ng 2000miles back to the house, b ut this time we dropped the trlr at xtra lease in Vegas and bobtailed home....and put in our resignation.............I think that surface fleet is getting weeded out and WG will handle all the expedite runs and freight and national with take over the surface runs, mo $$$$ fer FDCC...

[SPARKY]

Why anyone sits in an area for more than 24 to 48 hours just amazes me. If anyone sits in an area for more than 48 hrs and doesn't get the kinds of offers that they need to have, and continues to sit there, then it was a decision you made and one that you have to live with. If you are a newbie and don't know any better, that's one thing, if you have been with FDCC for more than a year then you should know better. As an independent contractor it is up to you to run your business as profitably as possible. While FDCC wants a ship in every port, they sure aren't going to ask you to leave there. It's up to you to make the decisions that make you the most money. Hot bed of freight or not, some places just don't have the freight for your truck today. Find the next best place for your truck to get the freight that you need to turn a profit and move to that place.

The places that had good freight a year ago, don't nessisarily have the freight you need today. This is expediting. While we have some companies that use us regularly for their freight no matter what, there are other companies that have better planners and have worked it out so as not to have that emergency freight quite as often. There will always be emergency freight out there. The big question is and will always be....ARE YOU IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME? If that type of freight doesn't fit the way you do business, it's time to find a company that fits you better.

Whether you are surface or WG doesn't matter. Some freight requires special handling and some doesn't. Hang on the best you can through the tough times and let the rest go where they will. When all is said and done, only the best will remain. The ones that have their plan in place and can outlast the rest.

[DANMELISSA]

So in other words, DH FOR FREE!!!! Drive around and waste high dollar fuel in yer "E" unit lugging an empty trlr...........NOT!!! If I have to do that all the time, I might as well drop the trlr at xtra lease yard and bobtail around the world on MY DIME!!!!
I have met fleet owners with WG who had to sell off their trucks to try and survive and are NOT!!! I know people who have lost their homes and their trucks. Maybe some of you have dispatchers or planners who sit under yer thumbs. I believe that there is alot of favoritism at FDCC and unless you keep kissing booty, ya aint gonna move yer truck, I'm not one of those people.....We have bill's to pay, and some people who have no bill's can afford to sit around or dh around, we cant, and if the loads are'nt there, there is no $$$ to be made. If I wanted to haul freight for a $1 or less a mile, I'd lease to SWIFT or one of the other cheap freight companies. In '04 the freight paid very good, and now it pays crap, and the only ones who dont think so usually live in their trucks....

[wshort]

actually FedEx will relocate you at .50 a mile if you've been rotting for
more than 24 hrs and they don't see you getting anything the next day,
only exceptions are on the weekends they don't seem to count those days.
Of course they may want you to DH 1250 miles and that kind of sucks too,
but i've seen formerly hot places like harlingen, texas go without any runs
for a week or more now so it's really puzzling now a days as to what you
need to do or where to go anymore.
I agree Deadheading around on your own dime is fruitless and expensive
and only times I'll do that is when I'm reasonably close to home and am
tired of rotting in truck stops, or when I'm somewhere sitting 7th or 8th
in line and someplace better isn't that far away.
hotlanta is the pits if you ask me, always a million trucks piled up there
and mostly crap offers if you manage to get a call from them.

[DavidWmayfield]

If you not Happy at FedEx Don't b*tch about it leave, or call in and set up a meeting. Been their almost 13 years and have seen many people come and go. Most people don't plan to fail they fail to Plan. It does take some time to learn the system at FedEx. Over all they are the best company out here. They have there problems but don't they All.

I know some are upset with FedEx CC right now and I'm one of them. I'm not going to leave because they changed things as of yet.

[67NOVA]

Ever thought of pulling doubles for Fedex ground? I'm no authority on this but have friends who drive team for Fedex pulling doubles, we met them at Landstar Express orientation when they signed up but they didn't care for Express and ended up going over to Landstar Ranger where they decided they were better off going back to Fedex and back to pulling doubles, they run their butts off and don't pay more than $1.25 per gal. for fuel, more than that I can't add.

Hope this helps some.

:bye:

[JimmyB]

I can only speak on our experiences,and since jan.1 we are averaging almost 800 miles per run.So it would seem that there are plenty of long runs being dispatched.

I'm on a 2,799 Mile run right now.... so yes, the long loads are still out there....

[wshort]

you seem to be one of the rare exceptions jimmy, most drivers I've
talked to have complained of the long runs drying up, guess you must always
be at the right place at the right time.

[DANMELISSA]

I'm on a 2,799 Mile run right now.... so yes, the long loads are still out there....





WOW!!! Lets just see how long ya rot after that load????

[wshort]

Hey I stand corrected fedex just offered me a run from midland, Mi
to las vegas, NV, too bad they only offered a buck a mile.
Of course a solo driver would die out there, even teams rot there for
ages.
They offered $2200 I countered with $3000 will see if they call back.
At the rate I've been going lately that would be close to half a month's
revenue and only take 4 days to get there, but would play hell getting
back to michigan before christmas......

[DavidWmayfield]

Well, we have a few trucks and I Don't support their FSC program but our trucks seem to be running the norm for this time of the year. We have been doing okay with FEdEx I just want 100% of the FSC back. we have a team that went to Washington st and got a load back out of Washington to Maine. And another truck is headed to Cal Right now. It's just about where you sit and layover.