leave it running..........!!!!!!

So there i am at an account that i am about to deliver to and the fed ex guy pulls up..i pull the emergency brake,put it in gear and turn it off so it is secure....(and close the bulkhead door) He (fedex) just jumps out of his truck (while it is still on) but shuts the side doors. I asked him what the hell he was doing leaving the truck on and he said it was locked...to me, if the truck is running and truck is locked he's screwed right? WRONG! he pulls out of his pocket the frikkin remote control to open the locked doors to his truck. it's like the one we have for our personal cars. he said he just got it brand new. power steering and low stepping...not sure about air conditioning...but who cares. UPS has to roll with the times and update all the trucks..I'm sure we would keep more customers happy if we weren't in such pain getting in and out of the trucks.....that is all!

I thought those FDX drivers were independent contractors and if there was a feature like that on his truck, wouldn't it be an upgrade he paid for himself?

I'm sure someone will let me know if I'm wrong....please.

One around here has an air ride seat, like they have in tractors. On the driver's side on one of the steps he has mounted an airtank which he fills up at a service station. The problem with his idea is he cannot exit out the driver's side.
The few drivers around here don't have remote start/security.
Talk about pimpin' your ride

(Message edited by rushfan on October 09, 2005)

fedex ground, the ones that are independent contractors, own their own vehicles. Fedex the air division, who has employees, has the remote switches.

Will watch with bated breath to see if this will change in 2006 or 7

d

<font color="000000">Most of the Fed Ex drivers around here have all the new safety features with their vans. I've been wondering why Fed Ex is able to pull this off and big bad brown is not? The Fed Ex driver I usally talk with jokingly said "Maybe UPS can't afford to spend the money due to the high union wages they are paying their drivers". He then commented that UPS has the cash to spend but just doesn't care about it's drivers enough to add the said features to the package cars. I couldn't really argue with that. On the other hand I couldn't imagine having to open and close the doors 100+ times per day.</font>

fuel prices along with the need of fedex corp. to charge the ground and home guys for everything they need have burried many of them. people see ads in ther paper for fedex ground and home drivers, its not because of major growth....but from turnover.All Ive heard in the news lately about fedex is of all the lawsuits showing up in all parts of the country from fedex home and ground guys. If any of you know anything about the home guys, and that they call customers before delivery, deliver on saturdays, blah, blah, its all a gimick...a little spin on the norm, which most people and companies dont give a crap about.

arrow up...nobody respects those guys. I have a customer who jokes with me that he makes the fedex ground guy wait as long as possible to see him stress out....how cruel is that. I know they are just trying to make a living but fred smith is going to have the tide turn on him....just wait.

Those trucks are cool,I was in a brand new one the other day.They have the padded floors in the cab and they are well built,but I wonder if leaving the truck running will use more fuel,maybe they know something we dont.

There is a fdx ground driver on my route that has a garage door opener installed to open his rear door

I dont know what kind of trucks you guys are seeing out there but the ones I encounter are hunks of junk.

The grass is always greener on the other side...
Just remember FEDex ground pay for their trucks, gas, maintaining it, and more...

I've seen the electronic locks.. they have a wrist band that when placed near the lock unlocks the door. They leave the trucks running cause starting a vehicle 170+ times a day wears on the parts they have to pay for, and starting a vehicle uses more gas/fuel than letting it Idle for 1 minute.

UPS safety is first, and thats why we do things the way we do. I guess

We have converted FedEx Drivers on our staff.

Fedex Ground drivers own the trucks, pay all operating costs and get no company benefits. No vacation, no sick days, no insurance, no overtime, nothing! The only benefit you get is money.

"They are paid on a complicated piece-rate formula based on how many pickups and deliveries they make, with bonuses for good service. Drivers can make $40,000 to $70,000 a year. A FedEx contract generally covers one route, but it is possible for one person to own up to four contracts, which can raise the earning potential to more than $100,000 per year. Because of this existing contracts have become a commodity in and of themselves...sometimes bought and sold like businesses for as much as $30,000 plus.

Contract drivers go through an initial two-week training program and then are on their own. The company does not supervise their daily routines, but does conduct customer satisfaction surveys. The business is strictly results oriented...if the customers are happy that is all that counts."

- FedEx Ground - Pros and Cons

Fed Ex Ground Pros:

Drivers can expand their business by hiring their own employees
Income can go over $100,000 with multiple contracts or routes
A sense of independence, working for yourself and managing yourself
Working "harder and smarter" can make you more money
Contractors manage their own business
Drivers are not monitored and are self directed

FedEx Ground Cons:

No benefits, no overtime pay, no sick time, no insurance
Drivers pay for vehicle, gas, supplies, insurance, and everything else
No company retirement, seemingly less stable environment
No Teamsters contract or collective bargaining
Drivers have only one client: FedEx

--------------------------------------------------

- UPS - Pros and Cons

UPS Pros:

Drivers are employees with security and benefits
Tightly managed and controlled schedule and environment
Company guides improvement and efficiency overall
Teamsters contract and collective bargaining
Average tenure for drivers is more than 16 years
Nearly all drivers are hired from within the company

UPS Cons:

Unless moving up the "corporate ladder" drivers salaries cap out around $70,000
Tightly managed and controlled schedule and environment
Teamsters can lead to a strike and cause work disruption
It can take 4 to 12 years to get a job as a driver after joining the company



http://www.braunconsulting.com/bcg/n...nter20041.html

My brother spotted a FedEx truck in his neighborhood at around 11:00PM. If UPS drivers can burnout, what is going to happen to these guys?

Opie

One thing you missed, should the truck break down, the driver is responsible for replacing the truck with a rental, and has to keep the rental in service at his cost until such time as the truck is back in service.

Also, should the driver want to use his truck, he must carry insurance on the truck. FEDEx pays for the insurance as long as there is a package on the car. But if it is empty, the insurance comes out of your pocket.

That is why you see so many FDX ground trucks tha look like crap. They use them up and up.

d

"My brother spotted a FedEx truck in his neighborhood at around 11:00PM"

He was probably off the clock and bringing the wife and kids home from a night out on the town.

I have heard that dr bags are bought by the employee, along with renting or buying of the uniforms.....very few drivers there are the ones that own 5 routes and are pulling down 250k a year....those days are over, even though fedex tells you it is totally possible....bull.

We have to differentiate between the two totally different levels of service that fedex offers.Fedex ground(purple and green) is run like dhl,the driver gets paid about $3 a pkg and gets no benefits and pays for all repairs.Fedex air (purple and red)are hourly employees, they get the nice trucks.

The night FedEx driver had left his vehicle running, and was running back to it from down a street. Sounds like a delivery to me.

pd109

If they were getting that much, they would be in tall cotton. Do the math. If they handled 300 packages a day, that $900.00. Thats $4500.00 a week and $234,000.00 a year. No way. I was told by a ground driver they get $1.00 a stop and $0.03 cents per package. That sounds way to low. That would be, for 100 stops and 400 packages only $112.00 a day, or for 130 stops and 400 packages $142.00 a day. Yearly that would be 29,120 (for 100) 36,920 (for 130 stopes)

Another of our drivers once told me the ground guys make about $90,000.00 per year from Fedex. That is before expensis. That sound much more in line. One of the ground guys is selling his route and truck for $35,000.00. The 234 and 36 are to far out.

Also, a rumor I hear all the time is ground has to buy their routes. Not true according to a driver outside Phila, PA. Fedex and the driver sign a contract every year. Fedex has the option of not signing it if they choose. This driver ownes two routes and his son runs his other. The mgmt told him his son needed to straighten up if he wanted his contracts renewed. He also confirmed they do buy their trucks(or at least lease them from fedex). They also are told whay handtrucks and shelves (for statebodies) they must have and must buy from Fedex, when fedex says so. They also pay a daily or weekly fee to Fedex for support of their hand helds. (I think he said $40.00 but don't remember exactly).

Their job, or small business as Fedex calls it, must pay for their truck, fuel, support, incidentals Fedex requires, Benefits, Vacations, etc,etc,etc...

they dont get that many pkgs every day

Go read the http://www.fedexaminer.com boards for the read deal on things at FDX ground and home.

Poor guys