dcmilkwagon
Armed, not a victim
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How about ConWay truckload switching to super-singles on tractors and trailers? I've seen more ConWay TL's in the ditches and medians, this year, than I have ever seen.
XPO | "GOOD" ideas, that backfired on management........
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Village Idiot
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My favorite was the “Pick Up Lines.”
imported_oldtimer50
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I think they had to give that up quickly because of the sexual overtones. I saved one of these plastic pick up lines things in case i ever get hit with a sexual harassment charge.......
now here is someone with foresight. i came unglued when they first came out with those, like WHAT are you people thinking of
nightcrwlerx
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Does anyone remember the alien we were supposed to put in the passenger seat(those who had them-passenger seats).
TiredDvrsWife
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Single shipment charge
imported_stonewall67
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Ya gotta hand it to management with their decision to fire Lord M. I was with con-way 10 years and that may have been the best decision made.
TiredDvrsWife
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Smaller tires that causes truck to run slower as the tread wears down
Cascadias
For the love of God people...wake up!
We have been enhanced to the point of unimaginable assinine stupidity.
All done in the name of survival. People terminated...centers closed...FACs shut down...careers tossed aside like old shoes...
Benefits lost...retirements postponed or lost...vacations bastardized in the name of financial stability...paycuts (and partial returns of same)...discontinuation of 401K matching funds...unattainable goals carroted to reach any chance of those funds returning...
This company is not the company I originally applied to and subsequently came to work for.
Useless employee surveys...that changed nothing in the long term...a Lean Six Sigma program that has vaporized into the CNW blackhole never to be heard from again...
Multiple re-engineering enhancements...at the expense of employees livelihoods.
And now the freaking Freightliners...and some actually believe the company purchased these additional add-ons as a 'convenience' to better the working conditions of the drivers....
Then to add insult to injury they paraded around some peeps who were brainwashed into thinking they were contributing to the final decision of the end result...
Sorry fellas...that wasn't the case.
You were used to 'validate' the company's never ending... on going manipulation of the employees mindset...you participation was little more than an exercise in grandstanding...
In case you may wondering why the company would be willing to go to this length...it is very simple.
Since the advent of John L. we have lost more than I would have thought possible...this company is very aware that morale is at an all time low...and to be frank...they don't really care given the economy..and the 'there is no place to go' mindset...they have used it to rip us off. Parading long term employees to give a nod on the wonderful trucks is just more of the same old candy man mentality...just throw them a bone...they are too stupid to know the difference.
Eventually that will change. And when it does the company will be in trouble..(especially this one!)
While those that will have the 'privilege' of driving the Cascadias...just remember...your enhancements paid for them....
Freightliner cut them a deal...a package deal...worth millions...to the benefit of both Freightliner and Con-Way...Freightliner needed to get their product in the marketplace and Con-Way needed trucks...
The cruise...the XMs...and all the other amenities are just collateral happenstance.
If you are under the impression this organization designed these trucks for your benefit...then I will see you in Florida...as I do have a bridge for sale...
Meanwhile there is some kid in Nascar who thinks he can run with the big boys...did so-so in the truck series...now thinks he is the next greatest thing...and so does Con-Way....just tune in your XM and listen to the race...and you are paying for the entire enchilada...
Freightliners are junk...always have been!
Rat
For the love of God people...wake up!
We have been enhanced to the point of unimaginable assinine stupidity.
All done in the name of survival. People terminated...centers closed...FACs shut down...careers tossed aside like old shoes...
Benefits lost...retirements postponed or lost...vacations bastardized in the name of financial stability...paycuts (and partial returns of same)...discontinuation of 401K matching funds...unattainable goals carroted to reach any chance of those funds returning...
This company is not the company I originally applied to and subsequently came to work for.
Useless employee surveys...that changed nothing in the long term...a Lean Six Sigma program that has vaporized into the CNW blackhole never to be heard from again...
Multiple re-engineering enhancements...at the expense of employees livelihoods.
And now the freaking Freightliners...and some actually believe the company purchased these additional add-ons as a 'convenience' to better the working conditions of the drivers....
Then to add insult to injury they paraded around some peeps who were brainwashed into thinking they were contributing to the final decision of the end result...
Sorry fellas...that wasn't the case.
You were used to 'validate' the company's never ending... on going manipulation of the employees mindset...you participation was little more than an exercise in grandstanding...
In case you may wondering why the company would be willing to go to this length...it is very simple.
Since the advent of John L. we have lost more than I would have thought possible...this company is very aware that morale is at an all time low...and to be frank...they don't really care given the economy..and the 'there is no place to go' mindset...they have used it to rip us off. Parading long term employees to give a nod on the wonderful trucks is just more of the same old candy man mentality...just throw them a bone...they are too stupid to know the difference.
Eventually that will change. And when it does the company will be in trouble..(especially this one!)
While those that will have the 'privilege' of driving the Cascadias...just remember...your enhancements paid for them....
Freightliner cut them a deal...a package deal...worth millions...to the benefit of both Freightliner and Con-Way...Freightliner needed to get their product in the marketplace and Con-Way needed trucks...
The cruise...the XMs...and all the other amenities are just collateral happenstance.
If you are under the impression this organization designed these trucks for your benefit...then I will see you in Florida...as I do have a bridge for sale...
Meanwhile there is some kid in Nascar who thinks he can run with the big boys...did so-so in the truck series...now thinks he is the next greatest thing...and so does Con-Way....just tune in your XM and listen to the race...and you are paying for the entire enchilada...
Freightliners are junk...always have been!
Rat
longtimeltl
Retired and Happy!
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Everyone should stand up and take note. We are amongst greatness. Ok enough about me, I think Brother Rat has an inside track on everything "CON" way. The thing I dont understand about the NEW trucks is why Big Brother thinks that its a prevlidge to drive a model truck that they were pretty much FORCED to buy. No thanks to discontinuing of the Sterling line. Although they may be nice now, everyone should realize that they will eventually cost us more than they are worth. Now the shops will have to stock not only Sterling but Freightliner parts to. I do understand the warranty thing but those do run out. as for the amentities like: cruise control( which we had at one time), tilt wheel, XM, Bells and whistles, these things are included in the base package for Freightliner. Yes i know that the Xm has to be paid for but as with GM and Ford the first year is free. So enjoy it while we have it. By the time the NEW trucks make it to the smaller SIC's they will be just as fun to drive as the Sterlings are now.
Just wanted to vent a bit Thanks for your time.
Dude...
I have no inside track on anything at this company...my rants are simply observations of a corporate mindset that seems (or appears at least) to think their employees are mindless morons...willing to accept any morsel of information they deem fit to feed us.
The Cascadias were purchased via Freightliner...this is where they got the best price per unit...and most likely there were some quotes from Kenworth and IH...
Although there may have been some mitigating circumstances in the final decision...most likely Freightliner was the lowest bidder.
And I am good with that economically speaking.
What other deals were made regarding warranty work...XM radio subscriptions and the like remain to be seen.
My reading leads to believe there are some problems with these new trucks...things that don't work as they should.
Why?...
These are brand new trucks...and everything should work as promised by the manufacturer. Whats wrong with this picture?
The folks at freightliner needed to get someone to purchase units in bulk in order to parlay a public presence...OK...so far so good...Con-Way needed to upgrade its fleet...again so far so good...gave them a good price per unit as these things need to be negotiated to the nth degree.
Aside from the quality issues that Freightliner will have to deal with there is nothing more to said by the company...or at least there shouldn't be.
But no....
They feel it is necessary to find five or six people whom they think represent the entire mindset of the driver populace...wine and dine them...entice them to rave about the new trucks and all the 'amenities' and 'options' the company went the 'extra mile' to provide...than insult everyone by making a video about it.
This is the same assinine mindset they went through a number of years ago in the now defunct 'MileMarker' rag...
You remember don't you?
Then Director of Maintenance Mike G. had an article in the mag saying that AC units used in trucks were the same as those used in autos...not heavy duty enough to be used in trucks...very costly to maintain...hence no AC in the trucks...then went on to say that a new AC unit had been designed that had the duty cycle required to be used effficiently in trucks and the company will put AC in all trucks purchased henceforth...
What he failed to say was the government mandated that trucks manufactured after a certain date and used under certain circumstances (I believe this took effect in '03) were required to have AC...and evidently we met the requirement for the AC...otherwise we would never have had it.
Why not just be honest about the whole thing?...why all the 'kissing babies' politico nonsense?...
The government said all trucks used for a particular purpose must have AC...OK...fine...just say so and move on...
The Cascadias came with certain niceties we never had before...OK...fine just say so and move on...got a good price?...wonderful!!!...The XM only good for a year?...Great!!!...at least we have the benefit for a year...
Just spare me the Barnum & Bailey ringmaster act...telling me what wonderful things they have done to better my working conditions.
None of it was sincere...
They have killed the dedication of thousands of employees...including mine...the last 16 months have been a literal hell and yet I hold on to provide for my family...they know this is the condition of many and have capitalized on it.
Please!!!...no more videos...no more "Keep the Dream Alive"...(you have sucessfully killed that one-time ideology)...no more 'rah!...rah!...rah!...I don't care!
Just let me do my job...get paid for same and keep your corporate psychology and the incessant need for control to yourselves... I am not interested and find the entire mindset insulting.
Rat
B
Bankrupt
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All well said.
It could be said we are looking a gift horse in the mouth or we see it for what it is. We were never getting power steering until it was federally mandated.
Our leaders are oportunists...as they should be, but why not be honest about it all and earn a semblance of respect from the work force.
longtimeltl
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Rat, my dear friend I think we got off on the wrong foot. I do agree with almost everything that you are saying. Almost being the key word, if I agreed with everything we both would show signs of what BIG BROTHER thinks they've turned us into. That being said, I too am fed up with the lies that they are being told to us and pawned off as truth to drivers that have just started. They are trying their best to run us senior drivers off or at least the one that can remember when it was actually fun to work here. The days when we sat in an oreintation class alongside others in our region and were told that if it wasnt for you, sitting in this room, Con Way would not be here and that you can't run a trucking company without DEDICATED drivers. If you also remember there was a time that when we did or suggested something to benifit us we were thanked and sometimes rewarded for it. Now if you try to suggest something that would help us as a whole or just the guys underneith you, you are pretty much put on the troublemakers list. I guess because management feels threatened or dont know how to handle these situations.Why? I'm not really sure but I think its because it's not written down and handed to them by their peers or they cant seem to find it in the proverbial and ever changing COMPANY POLICY thing that they say is somewhere never to be found in the same state, or place, it was when you first looked for it.
I too am hanging on for the faimly and the hope that eventually we will get close to the way it was when senior drivers where ask to and looked up to for advice and training. I know its nowhere close to that now, but it kind of tears me up when I see a new driver that hasn't even recieved his unifroms yet, have a newer driver riding with him for training. Or are the senior drivers being isolated from what was a privilege being asked to be a driver trainer. Perhaps because of the everchanging policies. Or the NON communication of new ones, only to find out that it has changed and if you do it that way agian you will be put out of service pending termination.
Like I was giong to say, before I let my head take over, Rat I'm your side. and if I came across as an ***** in my comments on the truck thing. My apoligies.......
All I can hope for is I won't lose my grip and be able to hang on through "THESE TOUGH TIMES" and see you guys on the other side .
no apologies are needed here. You should feel comfortable in the fact that everything expressed on here, no matter how narrow minded, is just opinion. Knowledge is a tool, but many come here to rant and end up just presenting themselves as a tool. You can't change the direction the river flows in, so at the end of the day do you go home to your family disgusted and tired from trying to swim against the current, or do you go home to enjoy family and a personal life with a positive attitude caused from floating that river with the flow? Nothing in our lives is what it used to be including our employer and this industry.
There is a simple difference between wisdom and arrogance of opinions. Wisdom is having confidence in your actions without the need to prove it. Arrogance of opinion is always looking for the opportunity to prove your opinion as wisdom.
Retirement?, take the time to learn everything about it. Establish a T Rowe on-line account and plan your 401k and your family's future.
Vacation?, research why many, many companies have changed their accounting practices to policy similar to ours.
Policy Manual?, yes there is one, available to everyone, but not in print. Why? because in this world of ever-changing law and litigation, even an outdated printed policy manual can get you a day in court as an employer. Once again, do your own research, and learn that even our employer answers to many, many "big brothers" in this world.
It's real simple, there are just two rules in corporate America today. And, given the current political and economical climates, I am glad for the experience our chief operators have shown compared to others in and out of our industry. The two rules are profitability and liability. Everything else falls in under these two categories. And, at the end of the day almost every decision of change by our employer that gets questioned and second-guessed on here by the experts, are made in regard to profitability or liability.
You too can be a C.L.S. survivor (Chicken Little Syndrome). It's caused by a vitamin deficiency and that vitamin is knowledge... daily dosing will cause immediate relief... no prescription needed
It never ceases to amaze me. Some folks misconstrue knowledge and wisdom as being from the same ideologies which they hold dear.
Knowledge is simply an accumulation of facts (or facts as they are presented)...nothing more.
Wisdom on the other hand is the ability to see through the presented (and sometimes skewed) facts and ascertain the mindsets which lie beneath...and accurately divide the two.
Wisdom allows us to rightfully divide the propaganda from the truth...
Some may not have that ability...and therefore are predestined to accept any and all edicts that may come their way. These good folks simply don't have the desire to see through the veil of deceipt and subterfuge that may be subject to at any given time.
If that is their choice then so be it...
The 'narrow minded' opinions mentioned in the above post are simply responses to a narrow minded enterprise that percieves its associates as morons...elementary children to be fed useless information and situationally altered rules as the teacher sees fit.
Some are OK with the never ending and undocumented rule changes...regardless of how it may affect their livelihood and career security...and will at sundry times come to the defense of the rule changers...as to permit themselves to believe they are secure in their chosen profession.
Good for them...they see things through 'blue' colored glasses and are able to live in a world not affected by outside influences and are willing to accept whatever the palace my offer at any given moment.
I, on the other hand, will not under any circumstance accept the idiotic and insulting manifestos from the palace. These people are little less than manipulating, deceiving, lying through their teeth, self indulgent [email protected] will at any moment, and for any reason destroy the lives of people to validate the never ending and nauseating knee jerk reactions they are famous for.
Vacation changes done by other companies in the same vein as this one???
Name them...
Yet others with no printed policy manuals...
Name them as well...
Retirement benefits...yeah...we used to have them through T. Rowe Price...but for the present they have been eliminated so we can fund Colin Braun and Nascar...and no telling what other sporting events we may underwrite...
Knowledge is not wisdom...
The post did have one thing correct...it is a vitamin deficiency...caused by a willingness to accept BS at face value and then spend time defending same.
Rat
B
Bankrupt
Guest
The void filling need to identify with an entity outside of one's spiritual sense can be a very powerful thing. And so is the resultant blind faith.
Evangalists, military leaders, and corporate leaders, ect, know this and they capitalize on it.
Evangalists, military leaders, and corporate leaders, ect, know this and they capitalize on it.
Ya know I could not have said it better. I was thinking the same thing just the other day in reading a post just packed full of propaganda regarding the vacation policy.
And wisdom... wisdom is the melting pot of knowledge, experience, patience, and understanding.
So do you sign up for insubordinate of the week or ask for the two week notice form at this point in your career?