Where to go?

[MrFedEx]

Or that due to careful structuring of the company with use of independent contractors that the enforcement agency faces an uphill battle. But all vehicles carry Ground's DOT number. I just think somehow Ground retains some measure of plausible deniability. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing a bunch of contractors axed. It's good for business.

No, it would be good for you, because then you could buy their routes cheap.

 

[MAKAVELI]

The Dot is not a cash strapped operation. They can care less if they pull over one of BBSAM's trucks or an express truck. When it comes to a government agency this has no bearing. Investigation the same. Unsafe is Unsafe. They get paid regardless.

Pulling over is one thing, full scale investigation of a trucking company completely different.

Do you think they are going to tell a lowly contractor who they are investigating? That would be counter productive.

 

[overflowed]

Pulling over is one thing, full scale investigation of a trucking company completely different.

Let me ask you a direct question then. You seem to like to answer questions in the gray area. Do you consider yourself a trucking company?

 

[bbsam]

Yes.

 

[fedupped]

That company hasn't been around for a decade.

Actually its still here, in small fractions. And this is where the hits the fan. Because each one of us (Fedex employees) still has a drive that pushes to hit service. As mad as I get about the overall direction of the company,I still find myself on a day to day basis where I'm pushing the limits to make service. When we are gone (old timers everyone wants to get rid of) the newbys will not even think about this. Reattempting a bus closed if your done at 10:20 ..no way. Hitting a pod as you walk toward a building with 8 ols at 10:29 ...no way. Eventually there will be a snowball effect. With no career to protect, nobody will give a . Might as well take away the commitments.

 

[bbsam]

If you can't WAD, you are only aiding Fred and working against MFE. No extra effort.

 

[STFXG]

Contractor Relations will have no conversations with drivers. Period.

Probably not. At the least an email sent off to them would be a way of covering ones self. No one really listens to drivers. Some management won't even talk to them. He has a tough battle if he wants to pursue it.

 

[bbsam]

We have had drivers try. Completely shut out. They really can't get involved, degree of control and all.

 

[MrFedEx]

We have had drivers try. Completely shut out. They really can't get involved, degree of control and all.

That's right. No listening to the non-employees or someone might think they're the real deal.

 

[bbsam]

That's right. No listening to the non-employees or someone might think they're the real deal.

No different than if I drove to your station and complained that I didn't like my contract. What could you or your senior manager do about it? Absolutely nothing.

 

[MrFedEx]

No different than if I drove to your station and complained that I didn't like my contract. What could you or your senior manager do about it? Absolutely nothing.

You are a vendor, not an employee.

 

[bbsam]

You are a vendor, not an employee.

In this case, it makes little difference. Your senior manager would have nothing to say to me and Ground management has nothing to say to my drivers.

 

[MrFedEx]

In this case, it makes little difference. Your senior manager would have nothing to say to me and Ground management has nothing to say to my drivers.

We both know why Ground management cannot talk to drivers. That's your job, because you are their boss, at least hypothetically and for purposes of perpetuation of the Ground business sca...err model.

 

[Hate 150lb Packages]

What I gather from my hypothetical situation... is the only way to fix this is to leave. I enjoy my job, but I don't enjoy the conditions. It really is a little disheartening, because I like my customers, and I like working alone. The situation continues to erode, and with peak coming up it will only worsen significantly. I plan on finding a new job asap. I wish there was a magical way to force the contractors hand. I honestly think this would be a good place to work if just a few things could be adjusted. I guess for guys like my contractor, you CAN put a price on something as nebulous as workplace morale, and it is about 15-20k per year, according to very rough calculations. What a pity. If I report these conditions, it seems to me that either no one will care or I will put myself and every other driver in jeopardy of losing their job.

I've been very vocal about the legalities of what we're doing, so even if I report it after I quit it wont be a secret. The contractor is a big business man and a pillar in the community, and I can't risk losing a new job by stepping on toes. It saddens me to think what an awful company this is, and what a decent place it could be if managed correctly. And what makes me even more sad is that it's not Fred's fault this time. From a pure, cut-throat business perspective, I'm beginning to see the design of his plan from a workers perspective. Fred owns none of these problems and places them all on the shoulders of any one of the 4500 contractors who perpetuate and hold up this slave force. I understand the intricacy of it completely now. What a beautiful, evil system this is.

I said a silent prayer for anyone who works here and has the same outlook as I do. I'm a very intuitive, sensitive person, and I want to contribute whatever gifts I have to the betterment of the world. I harbor no illusion of this being a career for those like me, but while I finish up college I hoped I could bring a smile to people's faces for a year or two as I bring them their items. For those of you working in Express that actually formed this monolith from the beginning, I feel sorry for you the most. To see your prized flagship that you invested your life in to starting to decay into its present condition, now not much more than a corpse... I truly understand your anger now. You represent one of the ultimate ironies in life... investing in something and making it profitable, yet experiencing none of that profit... serving for so long that you can go no where else now and your reward is a ****ty retirement and a costco cake. I respect all you guys immensely.

What saddens me the most is to think of Fred. I harbor no anger. I see his mind for what it is. His intelligence is at a level mine will never be. He is genius, and his mind is a beautiful thing, but it is warped.. he gave in to lust for money, power, and whatever else motivates him. To think what he could have done as an honest businessman, or a doctor, or a social leader....

Stay safe guys. I'm on my way out if fortunate enough to find other employment.

 

[hypo hanna]

I still say you should report it to DOT. Pillars of a community don't put that community in harms way for personal gain. That's not a pillar, that's a parasite.
If you get fired for reporting these safety issues, you have recourse. There are some protections for whistle blowers or you could take it to the local newspaper. This is the kind of story they would be interested in covering.

 

[vantexan]

How will you feel if one of those unsafe vehicles kills someone, and you walked away when you had a chance to prevent it?

 

[MrFedEx]

What I gather from my hypothetical situation... is the only way to fix this is to leave. I enjoy my job, but I don't enjoy the conditions. It really is a little disheartening, because I like my customers, and I like working alone. The situation continues to erode, and with peak coming up it will only worsen significantly. I plan on finding a new job asap. I wish there was a magical way to force the contractors hand. I honestly think this would be a good place to work if just a few things could be adjusted. I guess for guys like my contractor, you CAN put a price on something as nebulous as workplace morale, and it is about 15-20k per year, according to very rough calculations. What a pity. If I report these conditions, it seems to me that either no one will care or I will put myself and every other driver in jeopardy of losing their job.

I've been very vocal about the legalities of what we're doing, so even if I report it after I quit it wont be a secret. The contractor is a big business man and a pillar in the community, and I can't risk losing a new job by stepping on toes. It saddens me to think what an awful company this is, and what a decent place it could be if managed correctly. And what makes me even more sad is that it's not Fred's fault this time. From a pure, cut-throat business perspective, I'm beginning to see the design of his plan from a workers perspective. Fred owns none of these problems and places them all on the shoulders of any one of the 4500 contractors who perpetuate and hold up this slave force. I understand the intricacy of it completely now. What a beautiful, evil system this is.

I said a silent prayer for anyone who works here and has the same outlook as I do. I'm a very intuitive, sensitive person, and I want to contribute whatever gifts I have to the betterment of the world. I harbor no illusion of this being a career for those like me, but while I finish up college I hoped I could bring a smile to people's faces for a year or two as I bring them their items. For those of you working in Express that actually formed this monolith from the beginning, I feel sorry for you the most. To see your prized flagship that you invested your life in to starting to decay into its present condition, now not much more than a corpse... I truly understand your anger now. You represent one of the ultimate ironies in life... investing in something and making it profitable, yet experiencing none of that profit... serving for so long that you can go no where else now and your reward is a ****ty retirement and a costco cake. I respect all you guys immensely.

What saddens me the most is to think of Fred. I harbor no anger. I see his mind for what it is. His intelligence is at a level mine will never be. He is genius, and his mind is a beautiful thing, but it is warped.. he gave in to lust for money, power, and whatever else motivates him. To think what he could have done as an honest businessman, or a doctor, or a social leader....

Stay safe guys. I'm on my way out if fortunate enough to find other employment.

Fred has become like Trump...a twisted little man who exists to garner more wealth and power and food for that giant ego.

 

[I Am Jacks Damaged Box]

What saddens me the most is to think of Fred. I harbor no anger. I see his mind for what it is. His intelligence is at a level mine will never be. He is genius...

It is the same type of genius that is only matched by carnies who operate shell games.

You have overestimated Fred's intelligence immensely.

 

[PiedmontSteward]

Hypothetically speaking, where would a lowly Ground driver go to anonymously reveal information? Lets say, hypothetically, there is a contractor who owns a fair number of PSAs. Every route has its share of corner cutting, but hypothetically, this one is extreme. Most of the routes are rural, with a 1 hour+ commute time to the terminal. He may ask all drivers to login after the sort, to avoid violating DOT times. Hours worked are 60-80 per week, with violations that would hit at least twice per week. One route services a very large industrial complex with a lot of safety (re: OSHA) guidelines and classes you have to take to enter the complex (thousands of acres). The staffing is minimal.

One driver servicing this route is new, and constantly falls behind so other drivers have to cover. The contractor has other drivers share one contractor security badge that you swipe at the gate, and it lets you in. This badge can only be obtained after an 8 hour training, which is all but impossible to attend due to short staffing. In addition to short staffing, the vehicles are in terrible condition. They all need daily oil, power steering fluid, etc. They are unfit to drive and unsafe. One driver had breaks go out and luckily was able to come a stop. It is not uncommon to unload the sort and then wait 2-3 hours for uhaul to open. The most concerning thing is falsifying DOT times. One driver continually works 15 hours+ each day factoring in commute times, hypothetically of course. Each driver takes turns bringing the pickups to the terminal for the outbound trailer (another hour up and an hour back).
One driver refused to do this because he felt exhausted after 13 hours already and did not want to violate DOT times. He was fired for "not being a team player". Under the contractor model, no one knows the way to grieve this, if you even can. Many legal issues are being skirted, if not outright broken. One route is 2.5 hours from the terminal, and the driver usually finishes up at 2000. The outbound trailer leaves at 2030, 2.5 hours away. This driver is often "encouraged" to scan packages and deliver them to the wrong place, or even take them home and deliver them the next day, due to not being able to get back in time, and also to not hurt service.

How would a driver on this route bring this to a FedEx employee's (manager of something) attention anonymously, without jeopardizing their job? Would pressure and scrutiny be placed on the contractor, or would the drivers all be terminated? Every driver is guilty of falsifying DOT times, due to distance, volume, short staffing, vehicle breakdowns, and training new drivers. Several of the drivers have posed as someone else to gain access to a secure, federally regulated facility. Most only falsify DOT times. If attention is brought to this, the fear is that the drivers will be punished and lose their jobs. The other, more ominous thing, is knowing peak is on the horizon and the working conditions will only worsen. What is to be done, and what implications are there for both drivers and contractor? Where and how does one bring attention to this? The best resolution would be pressure placed on the contractor, resulting in him being "strongly encouraged" to buy new vehicles, hire additional drivers, etc. to improve conditions. I know that "encouragement" exists in this company, but I fear these conditions are too severe and would result in a collapse of the routes, termination of all drivers, etc. Thoughts? This is all hypothetical of course.

The hypothetical driver you describe should do the following:

Document everything. This includes maintaining a daily log -- dated and detailed -- of each and every incident. This also includes photos (also dated and detailed) of the condition of the vehicles. All of this should be in electronic format (if possible) with multiple backups via Google Drive/thumb drive/etc for quick dissemination if needed. If any of the other drivers can be trusted, they should do the same thing. Once he has a substantial file built, several options exist:

1) Contact DOT.
2) Contact local/national media.
3) Contact the Teamsters. While they cannot do much directly -- if anything -- for a 1099 classified FedEx Ground driver, they still disseminate this information as best they can. IBT has been quietly challenging the 1099 classification on multiple fronts for years now but it's not exactly something the general public understands or even cares about. If it becomes a safety issue, that could change.

Options 1 & 2 will be far more effective if other drivers can be trusted to participate in the endeavor. A single driver bringing up gripes can be brushed aside as a disgruntled employee. Several drivers raising serious safety issues is a completely different matter. Should -- God forbid -- an incident occur out of this contractor's operation, the timely release of this information to the above parties would be magnified.

FedEx Corporate might get involved, but only to keep their liability minimized. Quite frankly, if the contractor even has a whim of who dropped a dime on him to either the media or DOT, that driver will be gone. There are no whistle blower protections for independent contractors other than sheer public pressure.

 

[fedupforsure]

Hypothetically speaking, where would a lowly Ground driver go to anonymously reveal information? Lets say, hypothetically, there is a contractor who owns a fair number of PSAs. Every route has its share of corner cutting, but hypothetically, this one is extreme. Most of the routes are rural, with a 1 hour+ commute time to the terminal. He may ask all drivers to login after the sort, to avoid violating DOT times. Hours worked are 60-80 per week, with violations that would hit at least twice per week. One route services a very large industrial complex with a lot of safety (re: OSHA) guidelines and classes you have to take to enter the complex (thousands of acres). The staffing is minimal.

One driver servicing this route is new, and constantly falls behind so other drivers have to cover. The contractor has other drivers share one contractor security badge that you swipe at the gate, and it lets you in. This badge can only be obtained after an 8 hour training, which is all but impossible to attend due to short staffing. In addition to short staffing, the vehicles are in terrible condition. They all need daily oil, power steering fluid, etc. They are unfit to drive and unsafe. One driver had breaks go out and luckily was able to come a stop. It is not uncommon to unload the sort and then wait 2-3 hours for uhaul to open. The most concerning thing is falsifying DOT times. One driver continually works 15 hours+ each day factoring in commute times, hypothetically of course. Each driver takes turns bringing the pickups to the terminal for the outbound trailer (another hour up and an hour back).
One driver refused to do this because he felt exhausted after 13 hours already and did not want to violate DOT times. He was fired for "not being a team player". Under the contractor model, no one knows the way to grieve this, if you even can. Many legal issues are being skirted, if not outright broken. One route is 2.5 hours from the terminal, and the driver usually finishes up at 2000. The outbound trailer leaves at 2030, 2.5 hours away. This driver is often "encouraged" to scan packages and deliver them to the wrong place, or even take them home and deliver them the next day, due to not being able to get back in time, and also to not hurt service.

How would a driver on this route bring this to a FedEx employee's (manager of something) attention anonymously, without jeopardizing their job? Would pressure and scrutiny be placed on the contractor, or would the drivers all be terminated? Every driver is guilty of falsifying DOT times, due to distance, volume, short staffing, vehicle breakdowns, and training new drivers. Several of the drivers have posed as someone else to gain access to a secure, federally regulated facility. Most only falsify DOT times. If attention is brought to this, the fear is that the drivers will be punished and lose their jobs. The other, more ominous thing, is knowing peak is on the horizon and the working conditions will only worsen. What is to be done, and what implications are there for both drivers and contractor? Where and how does one bring attention to this? The best resolution would be pressure placed on the contractor, resulting in him being "strongly encouraged" to buy new vehicles, hire additional drivers, etc. to improve conditions. I know that "encouragement" exists in this company, but I fear these conditions are too severe and would result in a collapse of the routes, termination of all drivers, etc. Thoughts? This is all hypothetical of course.