Primer for Newer Employees

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
Let's say you're the bomb at your station. They send you out with 125 stops, and you exceed SPH and goal. When Tom, the 50 year-old courier on a 5X8 route gets hurt and is out for a month, you crush his route by working through your lunch and speeding like a race car driver. In fact, you're done early, and help rescue other routes nearly every night. You are good.

Your manager calls you into his office and tells you you are his "go to" guy. Man, things are good and they get even better when Tom will be out for 6 months and displaced. His route is now yours. Your manager gets you a brand-new van, and all the hours you want. Even though you've only been a courier for 3 years, he asks if you want to start taking on some management responsibilities and if you want to be a DG specialist. Of course, you say "yes"...more hours. At $16.27 per hour, you need all you can get.

Everything is great until one day when a customer calls-in stating that they had a package mis-delivered at 1227. Of course, this is while you were on "lunch" in the PPad, but no big deal, right? It turns out that this package is medication, and the real recipient desperately needs it, so they start calling the Call Center. Eventually, it hits the Executive Desk, and your manager gets involved. Immediately, he knows that you've been delivering off the clock because your PPad says you were "on break" at 1227. But he says nothing when you get in, because you are a great courier, and your SPH and great attitude make him look good and help the station run more smoothly. All is well.

A few weeks later, you're delivering through your lunch as usual, and you slightly rear-end a car at a stoplight. You were maybe going 3 mph, but the other driver is roliing around the front seat of their car in "agony". They tell you that the fire department and the police have been called. You notify dispatch by phone and they tell you to sit tight until your manager arrives.

The manager comes, paperwork is exchanged, and the victim is taken by ambulance to the hospital. All is well, but you're kind of shaken-up. Because you're super dedicated, you tell your manager you'll finish the day.

The next morning, you're asked to come into your manager's office. A strange person in a tie is there from Corporate Security and so is your local HR Rep and the senior manager. They ask for your explanation of the accident in a written statement, which you provide willingly. Once you're finished, the senior asks for your ID, your fuel card, and tells you you are suspended.

This can't be happening. I'm the best there is, and management loves me. Over the next week, nobody will return your calls, and on Friday, you're asked to come to the station just after the AM sort goes down. You are informed you've been terminated for falsification, but that you can GFT the decision if you choose to do so.

You've just lost your job, because you're never going to win if you were "off the clock" while delivering. I see this every day in my station, and management absolutely knows that a lot of people are doing it. They will immediately throw you under the bus to save their own ass and categorically deny any knowledge of the practice. They all know there is no way you could make the numbers you were making without cheating, but they don't care.

Think about it next time you start taking smartphone pictures of those AWB's so you can make your numbers.
 

jmeti000

Well-Known Member
Work on my lunch?? Hells to the NO!!! My lunch is my time, and since I have no life I would rather stay out late and let them pay me overtime.
 

whenIgetthere

Well-Known Member
Work on my lunch?? Hells to the NO!!! My lunch is my time, and since I have no life I would rather stay out late and let them pay me overtime.

On a recent Saturday, manager cuts two routes. One goes to all the other routes, I get the second one on top of my route. I tell my manager I'll see you tonight. I roll in at 1700 on Saturday, manager is gone and the brown nose who loads the cans asks why I'm so late, the CTV has already left for the ramp and he also tells me the other drivers including himself would have driven the 60 miles back to the station while on break. I told him he's an idiot for doing it. Being the :censored2: kisser he is, he'll never get it till it happens to him.
 

overflowed

Well-Known Member
Work on my lunch?? Hells to the NO!!! My lunch is my time, and since I have no life I would rather stay out late and let them pay me overtime.

when i get this screwed over I will clock out at 13hr 59 min, but never do i drive on break. Listen up newbies this is sage advice.
 

LTFedExer

Well-Known Member
MFE and I disagree on quite a few things. But, I have to say, I agree with him on this. In almost 13 years, I have seen my share of firings. I can count on 1 hand how many were NOT for falsifying. I saw 2 couriers fired in a span of a month from the same station. Even if the 1st courier didn't believe it would happen, wtf was going through the 2nd ones mind? Both were for falsification.


You have been warned.
 

RTURNSONLY

Well-Known Member
At our barn, it's extrictly prohibited to manually enter a airbill number. They really watch this like hawks. They told us we need management approval for this type of override. Once, I got a piece of paper asking me to explain why in the world I was able to VAN a package but then manually-entered for POD. I told them it simply wouldnt scan. No chance to get fired for falsificaton on this one, it didn't happened while on break. My break is un-paid and I only work for money.
 

LTFedExer

Well-Known Member
At our barn, it's extrictly prohibited to manually enter a airbill number. They really watch this like hawks. They told us we need management approval for this type of override. Once, I got a piece of paper asking me to explain why in the world I was able to VAN a package but then manually-entered for POD. I told them it simply wouldnt scan. No chance to get fired for falsificaton on this one, it didn't happened while on break. My break is un-paid and I only work for money.
It is if you're over-riding a DSR. ISR or ASR. Of all the reasons I have seen people get fired, overriding those is the #1 reason I have seen people get fired for.
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I love telling this one. And yes...it did happen.
Manager: Do you have a package for XXXXX?
Me: Yup, just loaded it in my truck
Manager: Make sure you get it delivered. Unlikely they'll be there, so just leave it at the house.
Me: It's a DSR, please give me a control release # before I leave.
Manager: No problem
End of sort
Me: I haven't gotten a control # for the package.
Manager: Don't worry, just type it in and over-ride it
(Me thinking duh, I know how to do it)
Get to the stop, nobody home, look around for a ranch-hand...no luck. To me, this is a no-brainer, tag the house and bring the package back.
Next day....Manager: Did you release the package like I asked?
Me: Nope....told you it was a DSR and I needed a control release #.
Manager: Well....the recipient called, he was a little upset, but wanted to send a message to the courier that he did the right thing and will make sure someone is there today.

This recipient was, at one time, VP and COO of FedEx and still sits on FedEx's Board of Directors (I already knew this). Now, there was no chance anyone could take the package. The house sits in the middle of 1100+ acres, but I don't risk my job for anyone. In most cases, managers have been managers long enough where they have become experts in covering their butts.......cover yours always.
 

hypo hanna

Well-Known Member
It is if you're over-riding a DSR. ISR or ASR. Of all the reasons I have seen people get fired, overriding those is the #1 reason I have seen people get fired for.
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I love telling this one. And yes...it did happen.
Manager: Do you have a package for XXXXX?
Me: Yup, just loaded it in my truck
Manager: Make sure you get it delivered. Unlikely they'll be there, so just leave it at the house.
Me: It's a DSR, please give me a control release # before I leave.
Manager: No problem
End of sort
Me: I haven't gotten a control # for the package.
Manager: Don't worry, just type it in and over-ride it
(Me thinking duh, I know how to do it)
Get to the stop, nobody home, look around for a ranch-hand...no luck. To me, this is a no-brainer, tag the house and bring the package back.
Next day....Manager: Did you release the package like I asked?
Me: Nope....told you it was a DSR and I needed a control release #.
Manager: Well....the recipient called, he was a little upset, but wanted to send a message to the courier that he did the right thing and will make sure someone is there today.

This recipient was, at one time, VP and COO of FedEx and still sits on FedEx's Board of Directors (I already knew this). Now, there was no chance anyone could take the package. The house sits in the middle of 1100+ acres, but I don't risk my job for anyone. In most cases, managers have been managers long enough where they have become experts in covering their butts.......cover yours always.

Smells dangerously close to entrapment.
 

Mr. 7

The monkey on the left.
Yup.
DSR is DSR. I don't care who you are. If you're so freakin' smart and know so much about FedEx then, don't have your shipper deem the shipment DSR if you really need it.

I just love this one shipper we have that sends stuff internationally (it's some sort of construction outfit) and they put on the address line something like "OK for driver release". That's funny b'c on my PP when I scan the barcode it says ISR. Can't override that.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
We have the opposite problem--we have shippers who send packages driver release but add the words "Signature Required" to the address label. If they don't pay for a signature they don't get a signature.
 

SmithBarney

Well-Known Member
The ones I like are the packages that are DSR but the recipients name is American Eagle or some other store name.

I wonder how many millions FedEx rakes in by charging commercial deliveries ISR and DSR surcharges, even though a signature is required at 99%(excluding those with release numbers) commercial stops. I smell class action lawsuit...
 

CJinx

Well-Known Member
Have you seen Kinkos staff pitch DSR to customers shipping stuff from the store? I almost want to jump in and say hey, don't do that; it can't be removed later on down the line and making delivery to consignees that work during the day a real pain in the ass.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
The ones I can't figure out are when the shipper insists upon sending packages out adult signature required to a business address. When I try to explain that we are required to get a signature at a commercial location they say that they feel more secure using ASR. Whatever---thank you for your donation.

I made the mistake of trying to give advice to a customer while at a MBE. After the customer left the owner politely but firmly asked me not to do that again. The customer ended up spending $20-30 more than they had to. This is why I refer customers to the UPS Store or Staples.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
shipping nda from 40 miles away :confused2: yes, we can handle that for you

How about within the same zip or to a non-committed zip?

I picked up one from a drop box Thursday that was going from a govt agency to a lawyers office less than a mile away; in fact, whomever dropped it off at the box had to drive by the delivery address to get to the box.
 

LTFedExer

Well-Known Member
We have the opposite problem--we have shippers who send packages driver release but add the words "Signature Required" to the address label. If they don't pay for a signature they don't get a signature.
I've seen this before also. The way I was taught, and still follow, is regardless of what it says on the package.....you go by the scan. FedEx can always look in the system and see how it was processed, but can't see the actual box.
I wonder how many millions FedEx rakes in by charging commercial deliveries ISR and DSR surcharges, even though a signature is required at 99%(excluding those with release numbers) commercial stops. I smell class action lawsuit...
If the shipper chooses to ship it DSR/ASR/ISR even though we can't leave it anyway, that's free money for FedEx. Nothing illegal or immoral.
 
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