Correct. The average new hire can't read a map, drive worth a damn, much less professionally, and in general, doesn't really care much about the company or the job. I welcome this as the new reality of Express, where we are becoming Ground without the prison record.
Spot on, MFE. I did 7 months at Home Delivery. I felt like a foreigner in the terminal because I was the only one able to speak English.
I took the job under the impression that "FedEx is a great company, this should be a good job." My first day of training, I knew it was time to look elsewhere for something else. Only thing that kept me there was the gross pay. My trainer was grossing $1200 - $1400 a week (200+ stops a day). Not needing a benefits package; I decided that was an okay salary for the mean time.
None the less, a few months in--volume plummeted and I was running 90-100 stops a day (what was once $1000+ became $500) so I quit on the spot. Mind you, although volume plummeted, mileage stayed consistent. Less stops/money but the same amount of hours every week. Hopped on the roof as a roofer for a few months to get me through till I began the academy.
Needless to say, Ground will always undercut everyone else due to the willingness of unskilled idiots and new arrival foreigners willing to work for pennies on the dollar. Get out while you can, because FedEx Express will become Ground sooner than you think.
The contractors are half of the problem as well; willing to work for less. Take a UPS driver's salary, and call that one route. Now these contractors "own" their routes. They're still taking home less than a UPS driver would for driving that same route. Plus expenses. It takes 5 routes to NET a UPS drivers salary. At the end of the day they're still responsible for their own healthcare and retirement. FedEx will always win and the contractor will always lose. But they (contractors) don't see it that way. They're fooled by the dollar signs and don't look at the big picture. Whatever floats your boat, but me personally...I'd like a headache free pension at 65 rather than trying to sub out "my routes" to some GED having "manager".