A small nugget of what is sure to be many changes in the coming weeks
- Thread starter northeast swing driver
- Start date
Yes. It has been a source of many of my laughs here on BC over the years. Theirs and some of the UPS folks as well.
I remember a political cartoon from the civil rights days. Showed a nicely dressed black man telling two club wielding white rednecks in overalls and hillbilly hats "I assure you I don't want to be your equal"!
Could you please not cry on your sandwich? I prefer it not soggy when I'm eating your lunch. Thank you in advance...not too far in advance that is.
I always thought that was to get people to pay more to ship something by express just for the convenience of using a drop box.
Sort of like the USPS 13oz rule (except I think we all know who's behind that work of art), if you want the convenience of putting that 14oz padded envelope into a mailbox or hand it to a driver, you're going to have to go priority mail w/electronic label and pay twice as much as first class or parcel post.
If a ground package ends up in a drop box, it's probably going to get to the right place only a day later. It's not like it's guaranteed.
But that really wouldn't matter because Fedex ground (formerly Fedex 2 day if everything goes as planned) is going to be a hell of a lot cheaper than UPS 3-day select , so the shipper is going to be comparing a 2 day product that is cheaper to a 3 day product that costs more. Which would you choose?
The problem with this idea is that the customer then gets mad that their package is lost and vows never to use Fedex again and tells everyone they know that fedex loses packages, if enough of that happens then volume drops. When volume drops, uncle Fred resorts to measures that nobody working for Fedex is going to like.
CJinx
Well-Known Member
If his supervisor tells him to take care of ground boxes in the express drop box and he refuses to do so, it's only a matter of time before he gets terminated for insubordination. Screwing the customer is a good way to screw yourself out of a job.
Ricochet1a
Well-Known Member
I'm getting some conflicting accounts on potential buyouts.
Two sources believe that the buyouts will ONLY apply to salaried employees in the near future - no buyouts for wage employees.
Other sources believe that the buyouts are across the board.
At this point, I'm not sure what to believe.
If Express does really intend on NOT offering buyouts to hourly employees and pulls off what they have planned - they must really think they have the hourlies in their pocket.
I know they can pull off the elimination of Express Saver without offering any exit plan for hourlies, but when they finally shift delivery of 2nd day over to Ground in a few years, there would be a LOT of ticked off full-time employees left (who would be getting jerked around working split shifts and getting less than 40 hours in the process).
At this point I'm left thinking they want to reduce salaried workforce level NOW (buyouts and early retirements), and will wait until they are ready with shifting 2nd day volume over to Ground before they start to consider buyouts for Couriers.
I just can't imagine Express would engage in a game of Russian Roulette (jerking high progression wage employees around without having some incentive for them to leave - buyouts). and risk having those Couriers finally realize THEY are the ones getting screwed this time around and start signing representation cards. It would be the undoing of all FedEx has carefully planned over the years.
Such is the nature of rumors without seeing any actual source documents - conflicting accounts filter out. I'll try to see if I can get any better picture of what they are really planning - but I suspect that it will be in line with what I presumed above, buyouts only for salaried employees NOW, then waiting to make a decision on wage employees later on.
Two sources believe that the buyouts will ONLY apply to salaried employees in the near future - no buyouts for wage employees.
Other sources believe that the buyouts are across the board.
At this point, I'm not sure what to believe.
If Express does really intend on NOT offering buyouts to hourly employees and pulls off what they have planned - they must really think they have the hourlies in their pocket.
I know they can pull off the elimination of Express Saver without offering any exit plan for hourlies, but when they finally shift delivery of 2nd day over to Ground in a few years, there would be a LOT of ticked off full-time employees left (who would be getting jerked around working split shifts and getting less than 40 hours in the process).
At this point I'm left thinking they want to reduce salaried workforce level NOW (buyouts and early retirements), and will wait until they are ready with shifting 2nd day volume over to Ground before they start to consider buyouts for Couriers.
I just can't imagine Express would engage in a game of Russian Roulette (jerking high progression wage employees around without having some incentive for them to leave - buyouts). and risk having those Couriers finally realize THEY are the ones getting screwed this time around and start signing representation cards. It would be the undoing of all FedEx has carefully planned over the years.
Such is the nature of rumors without seeing any actual source documents - conflicting accounts filter out. I'll try to see if I can get any better picture of what they are really planning - but I suspect that it will be in line with what I presumed above, buyouts only for salaried employees NOW, then waiting to make a decision on wage employees later on.
Good point. I never have viewed myself as your equal.
True, you're a go-getter conservative businessman, I'm a liberal, corporate nanny state dependent...
True, you're a go-getter conservative businessman, I'm a liberal, corporate nanny state dependent...
Or I am an observant realist and you are finally pulling your head out of the sand. You really should thank R1a for that.
Nah, you'd guys would have me pursuing the American Dream, moving up that ladder, more, more, more!!! I'm jumping ship as soon as I can, and while y'all are saying things like "self-loathing", I'll be the one with the permanent smile.
Ricochet1a
Well-Known Member
Got a response on the running of the LAST Saturday routes by the stations using D-ROADS. I also got hard copies of documentation to go along with this.
It looks like D-ROADS performed up to expectations/hopes. The software generated stop ordering was very close to the stop ordering that most Couriers would've used themselves (the software did a pattern analysis of past runs of the route).
The manifest generates an ordering of the stops (has shipper reported address, recipient, # docs, # packages, close times and special instructions). The program plots out all stops on a map and numbers them - so even a complete idiot can get the volume off without aid.
They are even talking about having Couriers switch routes (run a route they aren't familiar with) just to see how reliable the software is in generating stop ordering.
From what I've seen and been told, D-ROADS will completely replace the need for Courier experience.
Since Express stops are a lot more spread out than Ground (and a lot more spread out than UPS stops) the program doesn't do any consideration for minimizing left hand turns, etc.
There does seem to be an issue with the program not breaking out non-priority shipments from the priority shipments (they are all being lumped together in generating a stop ordering). I've been told that they haven't implemented the ability to separate this out on Saturdays. They are still working on how to "logically" get P2 tagalongs correctly fit into the P1 ordering - then have the rest of the P2 placed into a separate stop ordering. Couriers are being instructed to keep on eye on their time if they have P2 within their stop ordering and to break pattern to make sure they get off all P1 before commit time.
Since Ground doesn't worry about this (hard commit times), this ability is an addition to the Express side of the software. In essence, there will be a stop ordering for P1, then the program needs to recognize the P2 as being separate and generate a stop ordering for that - with the added proviso that the Courier is going to be running their P2 in "reverse" from the P1 (the Courier won't drive back to their initial point and start getting off P2, but rather start from where they delivered their last P1 and start to work their way back to the station getting off P2).
The software also has an entry for "planned leave building time" (anticipate lots of problems there with managers putting in one time and the trucks leaving after that overly optimistic time), then the software calculates a stem time, total on-road time, return stem time and RTB time. If there were robots driving the trucks, they'd be delighted.
It looks like D-ROADS performed up to expectations/hopes. The software generated stop ordering was very close to the stop ordering that most Couriers would've used themselves (the software did a pattern analysis of past runs of the route).
The manifest generates an ordering of the stops (has shipper reported address, recipient, # docs, # packages, close times and special instructions). The program plots out all stops on a map and numbers them - so even a complete idiot can get the volume off without aid.
They are even talking about having Couriers switch routes (run a route they aren't familiar with) just to see how reliable the software is in generating stop ordering.
From what I've seen and been told, D-ROADS will completely replace the need for Courier experience.
Since Express stops are a lot more spread out than Ground (and a lot more spread out than UPS stops) the program doesn't do any consideration for minimizing left hand turns, etc.
There does seem to be an issue with the program not breaking out non-priority shipments from the priority shipments (they are all being lumped together in generating a stop ordering). I've been told that they haven't implemented the ability to separate this out on Saturdays. They are still working on how to "logically" get P2 tagalongs correctly fit into the P1 ordering - then have the rest of the P2 placed into a separate stop ordering. Couriers are being instructed to keep on eye on their time if they have P2 within their stop ordering and to break pattern to make sure they get off all P1 before commit time.
Since Ground doesn't worry about this (hard commit times), this ability is an addition to the Express side of the software. In essence, there will be a stop ordering for P1, then the program needs to recognize the P2 as being separate and generate a stop ordering for that - with the added proviso that the Courier is going to be running their P2 in "reverse" from the P1 (the Courier won't drive back to their initial point and start getting off P2, but rather start from where they delivered their last P1 and start to work their way back to the station getting off P2).
The software also has an entry for "planned leave building time" (anticipate lots of problems there with managers putting in one time and the trucks leaving after that overly optimistic time), then the software calculates a stem time, total on-road time, return stem time and RTB time. If there were robots driving the trucks, they'd be delighted.
LTFedExer
Well-Known Member
My stations been using it for a couple of months (though I haven't worked a Saturday in ages). DRA will work fine for the weekday routes, as long as OSS does their job correctly. This will be a mess when it kicks in. The meeting we had a while back with them accomplished nothing.
Sounds good in theory.
R1a - there's been speculation (since we're never told anything) that you won't be able to scan packages due the next day, even if you have to go there anyway.....true?
Goldilocks
Well-Known Member
There are lots of Kinks that need to be corrected with DRA. One being it does not calculate traffic, road construction or traffic lights. You must communicate with your OSS, giving him information about whats going on in your area. That way he can add time to your route that will justify stem time...Also remember to let him know about any gate codes or apartment codes so that he can enter those as well.
LTFedExer
Well-Known Member
Been there......done that......no change.
Goldilocks
Well-Known Member
Then DOCUMENT the date and time you spoke with your OSS. I would also speak with my Senior and let him know what is going on...JMO
LTFedExer
Well-Known Member
My manager was at the meeting and heard us tell him what we need. If management doesn't care, I won't either. I don't let it bother me anymore.
