Ground / Express

[TUT]

Yes but just a bit in this case. As a shipper we dream of one day the two merging. That is one thing Fedex keeps telling us why they are better, we aren't really buying it in full. It's adequate, not ideal.

The issue is when it gets down to the wire the ground volume which is much larger than air industry wide, shifts to express. I'm not sure there is an carrier answer to this, maintaining equipment for just a week or two seems to be very costly. I think the answer is to have a waiver stating MBG is off during this period and they'll do the best they can. Oh wait...

 

[Doc Sorting Dude]

This story will rear its ugly head as we near peak 2014

 

[TUT]

This story will rear its ugly head as we near peak 2014

Hopefully a few weeks before Christmas. I still think the most reasonable fix for this is the public not waiting until the end on mission critical packages. Bring this up like this early next year, that should get the message out and set expectations. I'm all for that on my end to.

 

[MAKAVELI]

Hopefully a few weeks before Christmas. I still think the most reasonable fix for this is the public not waiting until the end on mission critical packages. Bring this up like this early next year, that should get the message out and set expectations. I'm all for that on my end to.

The average customer doesn't have a clue as to how the industry works and when FedEx was promoting a ship by day of the 12/23 why would they think otherwise? This whole fiasco falls squarely on the upper management of both companies. They are so focused on competing for business that they totally ignored how to get it done.

 

[MrFedEx]

Yes but just a bit in this case. As a shipper we dream of one day the two merging. That is one thing Fedex keeps telling us why they are better, we aren't really buying it in full. It's adequate, not ideal.

The issue is when it gets down to the wire the ground volume which is much larger than air industry wide, shifts to express. I'm not sure there is an carrier answer to this, maintaining equipment for just a week or two seems to be very costly. I think the answer is to have a waiver stating MBG is off during this period and they'll do the best they can. Oh wait...

As R1a used to repeatedly say...they will never merge. To combine operations would require Fred S to eliminate the RLA exemption he gets so he can keep Express non-union.

 

[DontThrowPackages]

I was thinking as I drove home at 9:45 AM on the 24th, Express could probably use a hand .. too bad it's not set up so we could do so .. and no, I'm not being sarcastic ..

If things were set up that way, we'd be wearing Brown uniforms.

 

[TUT]

The average customer doesn't have a clue as to how the industry works and when FedEx was promoting a ship by day of the 12/23 why would they think otherwise? This whole fiasco falls squarely on the upper management of both companies. They are so focused on competing for business that they totally ignored how to get it done.

Well then I guess the public doesn't know what happened the past week. The point is if they report prior to Christmas what to do, those same people will get the message and act.

 

[MAKAVELI]

Well then I guess the public doesn't know what happened the past week. The point is if they report prior to Christmas what to do, those same people will get the message and act.

Exactly, FedEx should not be promoting a ship by day of 12/23 , which they did.

 

[HomeDelivery]

I was thinking as I drove home at 9:45 AM on the 24th, Express could probably use a hand .. too bad it's not set up so we could do so .. and no, I'm not being sarcastic ..

wow, i didn't go home that early on Xmas eve, but i wouldn't mind getting extra freight to deliver that night & on Thurs/Fri...

On Sat, i got slammed a bit again but finished at a decent time 1930 just due to the holiday traffic

weren't they trying to combine the barcodes so by next peak, Express may divert their non-essential overflow to ground/HD ?

 

[MrFedEx]

Exactly, FedEx should not be promoting a ship by day of 12/23 , which they did.

Yes, they did, but I think TUT and some others need a basic education here. Reason 1:Express and Ground will not merge because that would require Ground drivers to become real employees who get higher wages and benefits. This would largely negate the low-wage/no benefits Ground basic scam, and force Ground to raise rates. Reason 2: A merged Express/Ground would become essentially UPS, and there goes the RLA exemption because Smith could no longer claim that most of us are "airline employees", which we aren't anyway. Given current employee sentiments, Mr. Smith would have a unionized company in short order. Reason 3: The Ground and Express infrastructures are not designed for a merging of operations. Smith wants them separate, for the reasons outlined above.

 

[TUT]

Yes, they did, but I think TUT and some others need a basic education here. Reason 1:Express and Ground will not merge because that would require Ground drivers to become real employees who get higher wages and benefits. This would largely negate the low-wage/no benefits Ground basic scam, and force Ground to raise rates. Reason 2: A merged Express/Ground would become essentially UPS, and there goes the RLA exemption because Smith could no longer claim that most of us are "airline employees", which we aren't anyway. Given current employee sentiments, Mr. Smith would have a unionized company in short order. Reason 3: The Ground and Express infrastructures are not designed for a merging of operations. Smith wants them separate, for the reasons outlined above.

Everyone in shipping pretty much knows it, typically #2 is used. That said, it doesn't mean we still wouldn't prefer being one entity. Yeah we aren't holding our breaths. Think of it as a "nice to have" from our perspective. Obviously every single Fedex customer has excepted it, otherwise they wouldn't be a customer.