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ABF | I ran into the local Fed Ex termial manager the other day...

6PakAbs

6PakAbs

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by the way, he USED to be one of our supervisors years ago...he told me that he can't possibly hire enough drivers and that is the situation across the country with them. I told him that I would stick with the good ole boys from The Fart just a little longer so that I could see the farce of a contract that was offered. He then told me about the pay/benefits of Fed Ex and it is quite attractive. He even told me that they have a "fully funded" pension fund..so, we'll just see....he told me that there are a lot of ex-big green machine at all levels that now work for them...I need to work about 6 more years and if we lock the gates, I know where I can get a job. He told me that he would hire me immediately...so, no big bad scare tactic this time--"Judge Judy"
 
I have friends of mine who used to work for YRC,....and left to go to FedEx once the pay cut took effect. I can't blame them.......They are still staunch Union supporters,......But it looks like the Union, nowadays, can't negotiate itself out of a paper bag..

Both of them would've left FedEx in a heartbeat,...for ABF....(..closer to home,..back in the pension...)....

But ABF's last contract,.....especially with the vacation cut on top of the loss of pay,.....made them decide to stay put.

FedEx's pension,....modeled on our defined-benefit plan,......will be just as good as ours,.....20 years from now. FedEx just started their Single-Employer defined-benefit plan about 3 or 4 years ago. It isn't designed for guys who are retiring soon,.....it's designed for new-hire LONG-TERM ( LISTEN UP ABF MANAGEMENT!).....FedEx employees. How clueless a V.P. do you have to be to not realize that the available Driver labor pool,...is EVERYTHING! in trucking now?

Hello, Ernie?........Ernie?........Yoo-Hoo!......Wake Up, Brother!.....The Rank-and-File KNOW what they are worth, in this tight labor market.........
 
I wasn't overly impressed for they are #1 in LTL. As far as being accommodating to get me in there, and staying in touch with me was impressing for the schedule I run, compared to a good majority of other companies. Unfortunately though I had a hard time getting straight answers for my questions.
 
we'll I will just wait and see on the new contract...not afraid to walk if necessary...".Pay a good rate or lock the gate" goes for me..
How about it "Judge Judy"...I am sure that The Fart monitors this board. Please pass this along to the proper folks...we ain't backing down this time!
 
Rollin said:
I wasn't overly impressed for they are #1 in LTL. As far as being accommodating to get me in there, and staying in touch with me was impressing for the schedule I run, compared to a good majority of other companies. Unfortunately though I had a hard time getting straight answers for my questions.
Click to expand...

Yes,....They are #1 in LTL,...primarily because they are backing up their package system. kind of gives them access to customers ABF can't get to,....along with the "discount" pricing....

Like it or not, FedEx is leading the LTL field. As soon as UPS can...."eliminate"....the contractual walls between UPS and UPS Freight,....I think you'll see them jump to the front.

But one thing FedEx did learn over the last decade,...is that they can no longer treat their employees as an impediment to profits. In this most heavily regulated "de-regulated" industry,........with the liability lawyer sharks circling the water,.....and everyone else thinking that the Bigger the Logo, the Deeper the Pockets......FedEx figured out pretty quickly that hiring the best qualified guys,...and PAYING them,....and TREATING them with respect due to a workforce that can easily put your company into Liability Lawyer Hell,.....is the most PROFITABLE way to run a trucking company.

Rumor has it that Central Transportation's reputation toward drivers, and the abysmal pay,.....is the reason they bought PJAX. They needed the drivers,....not the freight that PJAX had......Former PJAX drivers tell me that Central still has a hard time hiring guys because experienced drivers don't want to get dragged into a carrier with a poor fitness rating.

I think the raise in pay for the non-Unions that came after the pay/vacation cut fiasco with the Unionized carriers was a direct response to try and vacuum up the available experienced drivers. ABF is still clueless as far as how bad their vacation cut crippled them. Demographics in about 5 years will show them, though. ABF and YRC will still have an artificially older population of drivers to contend with,............whereas the non-Unions will have a lock on the younger group of drivers.

For decades,...the Union carriers had the best of everything,....Pay, vacation, protection, seniority,......Consequently,...the best drivers gravitated to the Union carriers. That happens no more. The non-Unions,....who amazingly,... have quite a bit of money for pay and vacations, so they can pay better than the Union carriers,.....have decided to.."invest"...in the one thing that can make or break a LTL carrier.

The Union carriers are still operating under that 20th century philosophy that employees are to be "tolerated",....and to be paid as little as possible,....even if it means lying to them during contract talks about "buyouts" by competitors...........
 
canaryinthemine said:
Yes,....They are #1 in LTL,...primarily because they are backing up their package system. kind of gives them access to customers ABF can't get to,....along with the "discount" pricing....

Like it or not, FedEx is leading the LTL field. As soon as UPS can...."eliminate"....the contractual walls between UPS and UPS Freight,....I think you'll see them jump to the front.

But one thing FedEx did learn over the last decade,...is that they can no longer treat their employees as an impediment to profits. In this most heavily regulated "de-regulated" industry,........with the liability lawyer sharks circling the water,.....and everyone else thinking that the Bigger the Logo, the Deeper the Pockets......FedEx figured out pretty quickly that hiring the best qualified guys,...and PAYING them,....and TREATING them with respect due to a workforce that can easily put your company into Liability Lawyer Hell,.....is the most PROFITABLE way to run a trucking company.

Rumor has it that Central Transportation's reputation toward drivers, and the abysmal pay,.....is the reason they bought PJAX. They needed the drivers,....not the freight that PJAX had......Former PJAX drivers tell me that Central still has a hard time hiring guys because experienced drivers don't want to get dragged into a carrier with a poor fitness rating.

I think the raise in pay for the non-Unions that came after the pay/vacation cut fiasco with the Unionized carriers was a direct response to try and vacuum up the available experienced drivers. ABF is still clueless as far as how bad their vacation cut crippled them. Demographics in about 5 years will show them, though. ABF and YRC will still have an artificially older population of drivers to contend with,............whereas the non-Unions will have a lock on the younger group of drivers.

For decades,...the Union carriers had the best of everything,....Pay, vacation, protection, seniority,......Consequently,...the best drivers gravitated to the Union carriers. That happens no more. The non-Unions,....who amazingly,... have quite a bit of money for pay and vacations, so they can pay better than the Union carriers,.....have decided to.."invest"...in the one thing that can make or break a LTL carrier.

The Union carriers are still operating under that 20th century philosophy that employees are to be "tolerated",....and to be paid as little as possible,....even if it means lying to them during contract talks about "buyouts" by competitors...........
Click to expand...
Nons don’t have to pay off teamsters leadership so there is more money for drivers
 
canaryinthemine said:
Yes,....They are #1 in LTL,...primarily because they are backing up their package system. kind of gives them access to customers ABF can't get to,....along with the "discount" pricing....

Like it or not, FedEx is leading the LTL field. As soon as UPS can...."eliminate"....the contractual walls between UPS and UPS Freight,....I think you'll see them jump to the front.

But one thing FedEx did learn over the last decade,...is that they can no longer treat their employees as an impediment to profits. In this most heavily regulated "de-regulated" industry,........with the liability lawyer sharks circling the water,.....and everyone else thinking that the Bigger the Logo, the Deeper the Pockets......FedEx figured out pretty quickly that hiring the best qualified guys,...and PAYING them,....and TREATING them with respect due to a workforce that can easily put your company into Liability Lawyer Hell,.....is the most PROFITABLE way to run a trucking company.

Rumor has it that Central Transportation's reputation toward drivers, and the abysmal pay,.....is the reason they bought PJAX. They needed the drivers,....not the freight that PJAX had......Former PJAX drivers tell me that Central still has a hard time hiring guys because experienced drivers don't want to get dragged into a carrier with a poor fitness rating.

I think the raise in pay for the non-Unions that came after the pay/vacation cut fiasco with the Unionized carriers was a direct response to try and vacuum up the available experienced drivers. ABF is still clueless as far as how bad their vacation cut crippled them. Demographics in about 5 years will show them, though. ABF and YRC will still have an artificially older population of drivers to contend with,............whereas the non-Unions will have a lock on the younger group of drivers.

For decades,...the Union carriers had the best of everything,....Pay, vacation, protection, seniority,......Consequently,...the best drivers gravitated to the Union carriers. That happens no more. The non-Unions,....who amazingly,... have quite a bit of money for pay and vacations, so they can pay better than the Union carriers,.....have decided to.."invest"...in the one thing that can make or break a LTL carrier.

The Union carriers are still operating under that 20th century philosophy that employees are to be "tolerated",....and to be paid as little as possible,....even if it means lying to them during contract talks about "buyouts" by competitors...........
Click to expand...
Ya nailed it Canary. Cant be said any better. But, by the time ABF discovers my way or the highway attitude towards the drivers doesn't work, it will be to late. And ABF will be unable to recover & just become another CF or Transcon or PIE or NW or Preston or pick a carrier. von.
 
"Yes,....They are #1 in LTL,...primarily because they are backing up their package system. kind of gives them access to customers ABF can't get to,....along with the "discount" pricing...."

Given that FedEx Freight is the most expensive carrier in America, how does discount even come into play? And how are we "backing up" the package system? If you mean we're cross selling, that's just smart business, which for some reason doesn't exist in union carriers.

ST
 
silent trucker said:
City drivers in my barn say customers complain that FedEx freight is outrageously expensive compared to everyone else. They name yrc as the cheapest...
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If Fedex was the most expensive no one would use them. Most companies use freight rate programs that compare rates and lists the cheapest company for the specific destination. That’s why there are so many different companies picking up in one spot.
 
SAC75 said:
If Fedex was the most expensive no one would use them. Most companies use freight rate programs that compare rates and lists the cheapest company for the specific destination. That’s why there are so many different companies picking up in one spot.
Click to expand...
True, sac. Loyalties to one particular carrier is going the way of the dinosaur. It’s all about the $$$. I might have a pickup at a customer I haven’t seen for a year, then go another 9 months before I see them again. Meanwhile, the junky, crappy, over-sized, overweight, difficult-to-move/handle/load/deliver garbage freight keeps coming our way. Go Amazon!!!
 
silent trucker said:
"Yes,....They are #1 in LTL,...primarily because they are backing up their package system. kind of gives them access to customers ABF can't get to,....along with the "discount" pricing...."

Given that FedEx Freight is the most expensive carrier in America, how does discount even come into play? And how are we "backing up" the package system? If you mean we're cross selling, that's just smart business, which for some reason doesn't exist in union carriers.

ST
Click to expand...

What I meant about "backing up" their package system,.....is that FedEx pricing is putting small parcel discounts in with their pallet load rates. And,....since neither ABF or YRC has a small package/parcel service,......FedEx sales people are gaining access to customers that primarily ship packages/parcels,......(like Amazon)........that ABF or YRC, or OD, or any other LTL carrier wouldn't traditionally solicit.

It is a smart business model,.....but it requires an existing parcel delivery service to work, for an LTL carrier. That would be kind of the reverse engineering idea behind UPS buying Overnite.

I'd have to disagree with you that FedEx is the most "expensive" carrier in America. They certainly aren't the cheapest,.....but I think that their benefit package to their employees has a distinct advantage over the Union carriers in that FedEx employees have to partially cover their weekly/monthly health care costs out of their own paychecks............something I consider to be completely bogus. If those weekly/monthly "co-pays" were truly going for your "healthcare",..........then you would be cutting a check to your healthcare provider,.....not paying your employer a fee out of your own wages,......to "maintain" your healthcare plan........

Plus,.....as a corporation,......many of FedEx's package car drivers and line-haul drivers are,.....private contractors. No healthcare, worker's comp, or pension costs there.........

The Union carriers are still in a 20th Century mindset. Employees are an impediment to profits,...and are to be "tolerated" as a neccesary evil of doing business. Employees,......especially CDL-trained, qualified, experienced,........should be the most treasured part of an LTL companies' inventory,..........and , by far,....the companies' largest asset,.....not it's largest expense........

The LTL carrier that figures that out,....will be the first one with a 21st Century way of doing business successfully.
 
I might be wrong on this but somebody correct me if Im wrong. If with the combining of American Freightways and Viking was all Fedex did they would not be #1. Buying Watkins also put them over the top for $1 spot. Just think if Ups bought 1 more company when buying Overnight. That's all Ups has to do is buy yall or Yrc, Xpo and have the top spot or be neck and neck
 
Freight Maniac said:
I might be wrong on this but somebody correct me if Im wrong. If with the combining of American Freightways and Viking was all Fedex did they would not be #1. Buying Watkins also put them over the top for $1 spot. Just think if Ups bought 1 more company when buying Overnight. That's all Ups has to do is buy yall or Yrc, Xpo and have the top spot or be neck and neck
Click to expand...
so, what does the folks they bought have anything to do with it? Aye Bee Ffuh bought Carolina and what good did it do????
 
Im just saying with the 3 companies Fedex was able to hold on to all that freight and maintain. I started at Upsf in 2008. From what I was told they was busting at the seams after they bought Overnight with Motor Cargo. When I got there in 2008 they said they lost alot of freight and customers by then.
 
Ah Beef Fef isn't for sale during contract talks. The hard feelings and sense of betrayal that were created by Aw Be Fluff "releasing" a rumor of an offer to buy last contract talks will blow up on them if they try that stunt again.

Of course,.......short-sighted corporate stupidity can always rear It's pointy little head in spite of logic........

Then it would be up to the IBT negotiators to drop the Sergeant Schultz act, and halt the negotiations until the "new" buyout farce is put to bed,.......one way or another.......
 
canaryinthemine said:
Yes,....They are #1 in LTL,...primarily because they are backing up their package system. kind of gives them access to customers ABF can't get to,....along with the "discount" pricing....

Like it or not, FedEx is leading the LTL field. As soon as UPS can...."eliminate"....the contractual walls between UPS and UPS Freight,....I think you'll see them jump to the front.

But one thing FedEx did learn over the last decade,...is that they can no longer treat their employees as an impediment to profits. In this most heavily regulated "de-regulated" industry,........with the liability lawyer sharks circling the water,.....and everyone else thinking that the Bigger the Logo, the Deeper the Pockets......FedEx figured out pretty quickly that hiring the best qualified guys,...and PAYING them,....and TREATING them with respect due to a workforce that can easily put your company into Liability Lawyer Hell,.....is the most PROFITABLE way to run a trucking company.

Rumor has it that Central Transportation's reputation toward drivers, and the abysmal pay,.....is the reason they bought PJAX. They needed the drivers,....not the freight that PJAX had......Former PJAX drivers tell me that Central still has a hard time hiring guys because experienced drivers don't want to get dragged into a carrier with a poor fitness rating.

I think the raise in pay for the non-Unions that came after the pay/vacation cut fiasco with the Unionized carriers was a direct response to try and vacuum up the available experienced drivers. ABF is still clueless as far as how bad their vacation cut crippled them. Demographics in about 5 years will show them, though. ABF and YRC will still have an artificially older population of drivers to contend with,............whereas the non-Unions will have a lock on the younger group of drivers.

For decades,...the Union carriers had the best of everything,....Pay, vacation, protection, seniority,......Consequently,...the best drivers gravitated to the Union carriers. That happens no more. The non-Unions,....who amazingly,... have quite a bit of money for pay and vacations, so they can pay better than the Union carriers,.....have decided to.."invest"...in the one thing that can make or break a LTL carrier.

The Union carriers are still operating under that 20th century philosophy that employees are to be "tolerated",....and to be paid as little as possible,....even if it means lying to them during contract talks about "buyouts" by competitors...........
Click to expand...

I must say this is the best post I've seen on this board in quite awhile.
 
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