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.
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...........