Peak 2019 started this Sunday!

[542thruNthru]

I never paid for a job. Every year my company grows. I suppose I’ve reached the dead end as corporate president. Every year I hire more support staff and handle fewer responsibilities myself.
I think it takes a healthy arrogance to be a business owner, it’s not for everyone.

Corporate president that's a good one. I know a receptionist with the title Director of first impressions.

Seems to me by reading these FedEx threads that Fedex tells you how you're going to run your company and what you'll be paid and you agree or they find someone else.

Hmm sounds like you're just a center manager that FedEx convinced to take all the risk.

Here's a video of your last contract negotiations

 

[It will be fine]

Corporate president that's a good one. I know a receptionist with the title Director of first impressions.

Seems to me by reading these FedEx threads that Fedex tells you how you're going to run your company and what you'll be paid and you agree or they find someone else.

Hmm sounds like you're just a center manager that FedEx convinced to take all the risk.

Here's a video of your last contract negotiations
View attachment 272110

You’re believing the posts of the people that failed to run their businesses properly and had to sell out. Most of them have been gone for years and have no idea what they are talking about. My last negotiation added 6 figures to my top line. How’d that last teamster negotiation go? Lol, you guys did great with all your power.

 

[It will be fine]

I take it by that last sentence your assuming I don’t own my own construction company.

so please, tell me what it’s like to own fedex.

Why would anyone assume you own a construction company? You’re on a FedEx message board. Are you lost?

 

[sandwich]

Why would anyone assume you own a construction company? You’re on a FedEx message board. Are you lost?

You assumed out of our interaction that you were the business owner.

yes I’m a ups driver. But I also own a real company. Not one that lives and dies by 1 contract.

we all know this business, you may have received a small increase in compensation but I’m sure they are getting back out of you somewhere else. I hardly doubt fedex came in and gave you a raise because your doing a great job. Not a chance. They have zero reason to.

You contractors keep thinking your not replaceable yet keep talking about how you do less and less. Good luck with that.

 

[It will be fine]

You assumed out of our interaction that you were the business owner.

yes I’m a ups driver. But I also own a real company. Not one that lives and dies by 1 contract.

we all know this business, you may have received a small increase in compensation but I’m sure they are getting back out of you somewhere else. I hardly doubt fedex came in and gave you a raise because your doing a great job. Not a chance. They have zero reason to.

You contractors keep thinking your not replaceable yet keep talking about how you do less and less. Good luck with that.

You seem confused. I know full well I’m replaceable. It’s called risk. My revenue increased because I negotiated for it. There is value to FedEx in my continued service to my area. A new contractor would not perform as well. I said being a business owner requires arrogance, you are clearly agreeing with that point.

 

[bacha29]

You seem confused. I know full well I’m replaceable. It’s called risk. My revenue increased because I negotiated for it. There is value to FedEx in my continued service to my area. A new contractor would not perform as well. I said being a business owner requires arrogance, you are clearly agreeing with that point.

You're only making things harder for yourself by refusing to accept the fact that there are people on this site who are well versed on the FXG so called "independent contractor" game .

You're not a contractor . You're an administrator with an equity participation.

When the fate of your so called "company" is entirely in the hands of someone else it is totally lacking in the autonomy and self determination that is unique to a free standing company. And since your so called "company" is completely devoid of such characteristics you are therefore as I said simply an administrator with an equity participation.

And furthermore you're not doing anything XG can't do themselves except for the two a purposes for which you exist. To supply labor at wages image conscious X wouldn't want the public to know they were paying themselves and to keep the Teamsters out and the only means that enables you to continue to do that are favorable legislation and court rulings which could be overturned, repealed or amended at any time .

 

[It will be fine]

You're only making things harder for yourself by refusing to accept the fact that there are people on this site who are well versed on the FXG so called "independent contractor" game .

You're not a contractor . You're an administrator with an equity participation.

When the fate of your so called "company" is entirely in the hands of someone else it is totally lacking in the autonomy and self determination that is unique to a free standing company. And since your so called "company" is completely devoid of such characteristics you are therefore as I said simply an administrator with an equity participation.

And furthermore you're not doing anything XG can't do themselves except for the two a purposes for which you exist. To supply labor at wages image conscious X wouldn't want the public to know they were paying themselves and to keep the Teamsters out and the only means that enables you to continue to do that are favorable legislation and court rulings which could be overturned, repealed or amended at any time .

Every post you make on the subject demonstrates how poorly versed you are in the agreement. You are speaking on the way things were a decade ago, not what they are today. You speak from the perspective of someone that never tried to operate a business, you just drove a truck. I really don’t even understand why you still care so much, just because it wasn’t for you doesn’t mean other people can’t be successful.

 

[Mutineer]

You're only making things harder for yourself by refusing to accept the fact that there are people on this site who are well versed on the FXG so called "independent contractor" game .

You're not a contractor . You're an administrator with an equity participation.

When the fate of your so called "company" is entirely in the hands of someone else it is totally lacking in the autonomy and self determination that is unique to a free standing company. And since your so called "company" is completely devoid of such characteristics you are therefore as I said simply an administrator with an equity participation.

And furthermore you're not doing anything XG can't do themselves except for the two a purposes for which you exist. To supply labor at wages image conscious X wouldn't want the public to know they were paying themselves and to keep the Teamsters out and the only means that enables you to continue to do that are favorable legislation and court rulings which could be overturned, repealed or amended at any time .

Yes. Someday everything will go wrong for iwbf. A scenario of bizarre, unfortunate, and unlikely events will all align and ruin everything good he has arranged for himself. And without a second thought, Fred S will cheerfully torture him with his pitchfork while prancing his hooves upon his carcass and dance and laugh with an ecstasy exceeding an orgasm.

His wife will leave him for her cross-eyed hippie vegan yoga instructor. His dog will maul him. And he'll quickly descend into the same trailer-park hustling for scraps with all the drivers he's hired and fired over the years.

And all his former drivers, still wearing the foul smelling tatters of their sweat soiled FedEx uniforms, will point and laugh and heap wrath upon his head. And torment him mercilessly during their meth-binges.

Instead, in the meantime, iwbf seems to be managing his risks, handling the problems, and doing OK.

 

[bacha29]

Every post you make on the subject demonstrates how poorly versed you are in the agreement. You are speaking on the way things were a decade ago, not what they are today. You speak from the perspective of someone that never tried to operate a business, you just drove a truck. I really don’t even understand why you still care so much, just because it wasn’t for you doesn’t mean other people can’t be successful.

Operate a business? is that what you're calling what you'e doing? LMAO! Granted your scale of operation may be a little larger than a decade ago but it's only in response to the company's demand for even greater value from you and even at that you'll never hold more than 30% of a given terminals routes And as you've plainly admit it's value that is only in play for as long as X needs or wants it. When not if but when there will come a day when the value you provide X with, a value that they not you determine is no longer needed or required , who's going to want your so called "company" and what's it going to be worth and what are they going to do with it? Oh sure there have been a few cosmetic changes to the contract over the years,none of which they didn't give up without a fight and none of what they did have give up grants you any meaningful additional power .

Your level of encumbrance and servitude will never lessen......and that so called contract you have to sign every year? The core terms, the terms that decides whose on top pushing down will always be dictated and placed in front of you with the same "take it or leave" bad attitude that it to has be presented to suppliers such as yourself ever since the very beginning.

 

[59 Dano]

Every post you make on the subject demonstrates how poorly versed you are in the agreement. You are speaking on the way things were a decade ago, not what they are today. You speak from the perspective of someone that never tried to operate a business, you just drove a truck. I really don’t even understand why you still care so much, just because it wasn’t for you doesn’t mean other people can’t be successful.

That's what you get for doing well in a business that others couldn't handle.

 

[XEQaF]

Former contractors should not be labeled as "failed" or "couldn't operate a business". The issue I gather is they resisted a FedEx doctrine and had the balls to stand up and say "I will forfeit my future working with this company instead of continuing to abide by the rules they hand out". I say it takes big balls to walk away and talk about it.

It's one thing to say "my business failed" and another to say "the business failed me" (the business in this case is FedEx and will always be FedEx not your own). No matter how much has changed in the contract negotiations, it's the same faces with the same agenda, one's that I for one don't have any confidence in.

I'm glad there are contractors on here talking about the good and former contractors talking about the bad.

 

[It will be fine]

Former contractors should not be labeled as "failed" or "couldn't operate a business". The issue I gather is they resisted a FedEx doctrine and had the balls to stand up and say "I will forfeit my future working with this company instead of continuing to abide by the rules they hand out". I say it takes big balls to walk away and talk about it.

It's one thing to say "my business failed" and another to say "the business failed me" (the business in this case is FedEx and will always be FedEx not your own). No matter how much has changed in the contract negotiations, it's the same faces with the same agenda, one's that I for one don't have any confidence in.

I'm glad there are contractors on here talking about the good and former contractors talking about the bad.

If a guy owned one truck, had the opportunity to expand, comes up with every excuse not to expand and criticizes those that chose to build a business, it’s fair to call their business a failure.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

If a guy owned one truck, had the opportunity to expand, comes up with every excuse not to expand and criticizes those that chose to build a business, it’s fair to call their business a failure.

....even if that one truck is turning a profit...?

 

[It will be fine]

....even if that one truck is turning a profit...?

The writing was on the wall for decades that one truck wouldn’t cut it. If you weren’t prepared for that change your business failed.

 

[XEQaF]

If a guy owned one truck, had the opportunity to expand, comes up with every excuse not to expand and criticizes those that chose to build a business, it’s fair to call their business a failure.

Nope. It's not fair to call anyone a failure if you aren't in his position. He sees things differently than you and his situation is totally different than you. You can't use a universal outlook on every situation and say they are all equal.
It would be the same as calling you a sell out to a company who is the shot caller over you

 

[XEQaF]

....even if that one truck is turning a profit...?

In some small town regions a one truck operation was all that was needed. Worked for decades and would probably have worked for decades more. I think the whole idea was FedEx wants contractors to be heavily invested, and have fewer contracting companies to deal with

 

[59 Dano]

Nope. It's not fair to call anyone a failure if you aren't in his position. He sees things differently than you and his situation is totally different than you.
You can't use a universal outlook on every situation and say they are all equal.
It would be the same as calling you a sell out to a company who is the shot caller over you

Bacha was as much of a sellout as IWBF is; he just had very little to sell and by his own admission he's a broken down old man as a result. He's taking shots at others as though he has the high ground when the truth is that there are successful people who worked a lot smarter than he did.

I've said it a few times now. He's the guy who digs ditches with a shovel for minimum wage taking shots at the guy who makes twice what he does digging ditches with a Ditch Witch.

 

[It will be fine]

Nope. It's not fair to call anyone a failure if you aren't in his position. He sees things differently than you and his situation is totally different than you. You can't use a universal outlook on every situation and say they are all equal.
It would be the same as calling you a sell out to a company who is the shot caller over you

He made choices. They may have been the correct ones for him, but his business still failed. The market changed and his business didn’t adapt and went under. That’s the definition of a failed business.

 

[bacha29]

He made choices. They may have been the correct ones for him, but his business still failed. The market changed and his business didn’t adapt and went under. That’s the definition of a failed business.

You basing your comments are conditions found in the Boston Metro area where you operate. But, it's not that way everywhere.
The terminal I was at is in a depressed rural area but then again X is a nationwide carrier. Somebody has to try to cover it

Because of it's limited size no contractor has more than 5 routes. Due to such a small scale it means that you have to drive one yourself while your other routes are 50 miles or more away from you making it hard to support them.

Now, due the poor roads you expend far more miles on unpaved surfaces than on paved ones tearing the living crap out of the trucks along with the high mileages repairs are constant and costly and trucks don't last long. But then again somebody whether it be me or someone else somebody has to go out in those god forsaken places .....Or they would be no Fedex Ground network and no network means no IWBF.

Now combine these factors with the sparse population whereby about the best you'll do is 8-9 SPH the result is that you'll make if you're lucky about 60 bucks a week of a route. And that's based on your good fortune to find people willing to bust arse out there for about what you pay. Half the wages and zero benefits of a UPS driver. Finding them isn't easy and they don't stay long and somebody coming in to replace them is anything but certain.

Not an attractive proposition given the fact that x controls you and every aspect of your everyday operation.

It explains why none of us who were there at the beginning wanted anything to do with multi route contracting . It just simply was not a good place to put more money at risk and I was the position where I didn't have to do it.

Does turning down a business proposal because it was a highly unfavorable one make it a failed business?

if you want to see a what a "failed business" looks like. Go find the "managers" who thought they knew more about the business that we Day1's did who became insolvent and excontractors in a short period of time. They lost their butts. Some lost their home, some lost their marriages and one ended up in jail.

 

[XEQaF]

He made choices. They may have been the correct ones for him, but his business still failed. The market changed and his business didn’t adapt and went under. That’s the definition of a failed business.

Im not sure he went under, but rather decided to end the partnership. Did the market change? Maybe in your region but not all regions operate the same. Maybe his market didn't change and it was managements mandate to focus on developing regions like yours that have benefited you. The changes they proposed possibly overlooked the challenges he faced which he speaks of that are real issues.

The problem here is that upper management (like government) will create "positive" change for the population or market that serves them best and force that onto acting managers across the nation to enact these decisions onto all stations and contractors no matter if it fits the bill or not. So the ones who it was created for (you for instance) are viewed as the winners, those that resist (batcha, me etc) are viewed as failures.
When you are a keen business person, who is in tune with the surroundings you know when it's good and you know when it's not and when it's time for deuces