Different divisions
first time I have heard you in a whlie knock the company. you know full well the equipment is garbage but always looked at the bright side. The bright side is dimming quickly, isnt it???
Different divisions. In the case of Eastern equipment I keep whatever truck I am assigned to in the best possible mechanical shape. I will fix stuff myself or notify the Camp Hill shop about the problem. They will normally fix it on the spot for me or get to it on my next day off.
Any Eastern driver that does not do this is simply taking a chance at being stranded and losing money.
In the case of NEMF equipment I do find many problems on a regular basis. Normally low tires, or blown lights. Tires are my biggest pet peeve. When they fail due to low air pressure I have to spend "MY" time getting it fixed on the road. "MY" time is valuable to me so I try to identify issues before they become a problem.
kinda sad, they just hired the tm a couple months ago. makes you wonder why they would hire a guy knowing they were closing it down
That is true. I did not know the man personally but the workers were not happy with his "style" of management. Of course the following is hearsay so please do not attribute the following statement to me; "he came in with no understanding of the current routes and systematically messed things up. Criss crossing driver routes, sending 2 drivers to the same location for pick ups and deliveries and no understanding of transit times or appointment cutoffs." I was told that normally a senior driver would set up the route plans each morning to best utilize each drivers time but when the new TM came in he took that duty over personally (and made a mess of it).
Another driver mentioned he had to bring back freight 3 times because the customer stopped receiving at 12 noon but was expected to make multiple deliveries before this customer. Another example from the same driver; "He would send out freight that required a lift gate on a regular trailer even though the bills clearly stated "lift gate service required."
From the sounds of it the workers may have deliberately slowed down in the hopes of making this new TM look bad. Now they are all out of work.
I know I am just a driver but I have had management experience before this career. I know that a mangers best assets are his work force and you must utilize those resources through communication and praise to get the best from them. Make them a part of the team and show them not only respect but appreciation and you will find these workers will step up their game and become a valuable asset to the company. Treat them with contempt, challenge their way of doing things (without showing them a possible better alternative), or publicly chastise them and you will find those workers despise the manager and will make problems.
