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FedEx Freight | "Significant number" of straight trucks coming to FXFE

in a rush said:
IND has had 4 straight trucks for several years. Has had 0 impact on pay.
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A lot of LTL's have. These are a new class though. This will be a different type of truck operating under the guise of "final mile". These will more than likely be units under 26,001 lb GVWR similar to what others such as Southeastern freight lines are using, and creatIng a new class of non CDL drivers.
 
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Speculation, rumors and hearsay are not the way to hold a debate!

Every carrier I know of who operates straight trucks for LTL DO NOT pay the drivers less, regardless of the class of license. Parcel is NOT the same thing! FedEx Express has several of these trucks and it's my understanding that they are paid more than package car drivers. The same is true of UPS. However, comparing a non-CDL P&D operation to a CDL P&D operation is NOT an apples to apples comparison.

You want business sense? Here's some for you. FedEx Freight buys non-CDL straight trucks and hires someone with ZERO experience operating a vehicle larger than a Toyota Corolla. A month later he gets into a tight residential area or downtown core with his little box truck. Low bridges, low wires, low tree branches, low awnings and overhangs, parked cars and other delivery vans are now facing a driver who has never been trained to check their height. Damaged equipment, damaged freight, and a driver who probably quits because the job isn't worth the trouble because he has no incentive to stay. The theoretically larger and cheaper driver pool starts looking like a bad idea really fast if FedEx now has to invest time training every Tom, Dick and Harry who wants to work a pump truck all day.

And THESE are the guys they're going to send out when freight is light? Stop lying to yourselves. You're assuming people are desperate enough to sling freight for a courier's paycheck, and I say the young generation is lazy and uninterested in working that hard for a paycheck. In my experience, straight truck drivers are the first to be laid off when freight is light because they're easier to replace than increasingly hard to find CDL drivers.

A company like FedEx isn't stupid. Saving a few dollars an hour is not reason to waylay drivers they can't afford to lose. Final Mile Service can't replace a 48' or 53' van, you'd need two of them to replace one CDL class vehicle. And it's cheaper to operate one CDL 48' van on a longer route when times are tight than two box trucks.
 
Canadian Flyer said:
You want business sense? Here's some for you. FedEx Freight buys non-CDL straight trucks and hires someone with ZERO experience operating a vehicle larger than a Toyota Corolla. A month later he gets into a tight residential area or downtown core with his little box truck. Low bridges, low wires, low tree branches, low awnings and overhangs, parked cars and other delivery vans are now facing a driver who has never been trained to check their height. Damaged equipment, damaged freight, and a driver who probably quits because the job isn't worth the trouble because he has no incentive to stay. The theoretically larger and cheaper driver pool starts looking like a bad idea really fast if FedEx now has to invest time training every Tom, Dick and Harry who wants to work a pump truck all day.
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Lowes, Home depot just to name a few, hire companies like JB Hunt, XPO, Werner and USX that do exactly that, It's about what gives the shareholders the largest return and nothing else.
 
Canadian Flyer said:
Speculation, rumors and hearsay are not the way to hold a debate!

Every carrier I know of who operates straight trucks for LTL DO NOT pay the drivers less, regardless of the class of license. Parcel is NOT the same thing! FedEx Express has several of these trucks and it's my understanding that they are paid more than package car drivers. The same is true of UPS. However, comparing a non-CDL P&D operation to a CDL P&D operation is NOT an apples to apples comparison.

You want business sense? Here's some for you. FedEx Freight buys non-CDL straight trucks and hires someone with ZERO experience operating a vehicle larger than a Toyota Corolla. A month later he gets into a tight residential area or downtown core with his little box truck. Low bridges, low wires, low tree branches, low awnings and overhangs, parked cars and other delivery vans are now facing a driver who has never been trained to check their height. Damaged equipment, damaged freight, and a driver who probably quits because the job isn't worth the trouble because he has no incentive to stay. The theoretically larger and cheaper driver pool starts looking like a bad idea really fast if FedEx now has to invest time training every Tom, Dick and Harry who wants to work a pump truck all day.

And THESE are the guys they're going to send out when freight is light? Stop lying to yourselves. You're assuming people are desperate enough to sling freight for a courier's paycheck, and I say the young generation is lazy and uninterested in working that hard for a paycheck. In my experience, straight truck drivers are the first to be laid off when freight is light because they're easier to replace than increasingly hard to find CDL drivers.

A company like FedEx isn't stupid. Saving a few dollars an hour is not reason to waylay drivers they can't afford to lose. Final Mile Service can't replace a 48' or 53' van, you'd need two of them to replace one CDL class vehicle. And it's cheaper to operate one CDL 48' van on a longer route when times are tight than two box trucks.
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Pitt Ohio pays a lower rate for straight trucks. All the driver has to do is look on Google maps it will show them all they need to know. Lol Fed ex ground drivers drive straight trucks every day for a lot less money.
 
SwampRatt said:
Do these new ones you speak of look anything like this one?

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It looks like it but I need to check the plate to see. Of course that all could change when we get rid of the rentals when the new ones roll in.
 
Canadian Flyer said:
Speculation, rumors and hearsay are not the way to hold a debate!

Every carrier I know of who operates straight trucks for LTL DO NOT pay the drivers less, regardless of the class of license. Parcel is NOT the same thing! FedEx Express has several of these trucks and it's my understanding that they are paid more than package car drivers. The same is true of UPS. However, comparing a non-CDL P&D operation to a CDL P&D operation is NOT an apples to apples comparison.

You want business sense? Here's some for you. FedEx Freight buys non-CDL straight trucks and hires someone with ZERO experience operating a vehicle larger than a Toyota Corolla. A month later he gets into a tight residential area or downtown core with his little box truck. Low bridges, low wires, low tree branches, low awnings and overhangs, parked cars and other delivery vans are now facing a driver who has never been trained to check their height. Damaged equipment, damaged freight, and a driver who probably quits because the job isn't worth the trouble because he has no incentive to stay. The theoretically larger and cheaper driver pool starts looking like a bad idea really fast if FedEx now has to invest time training every Tom, Dick and Harry who wants to work a pump truck all day.

And THESE are the guys they're going to send out when freight is light? Stop lying to yourselves. You're assuming people are desperate enough to sling freight for a courier's paycheck, and I say the young generation is lazy and uninterested in working that hard for a paycheck. In my experience, straight truck drivers are the first to be laid off when freight is light because they're easier to replace than increasingly hard to find CDL drivers.

A company like FedEx isn't stupid. Saving a few dollars an hour is not reason to waylay drivers they can't afford to lose. Final Mile Service can't replace a 48' or 53' van, you'd need two of them to replace one CDL class vehicle. And it's cheaper to operate one CDL 48' van on a longer route when times are tight than two box trucks.
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Certainly valid points, all of which should be considered. I don't really think we're debating, More like speculating, IMHO.

Much will depend on how significant the numbers, how tight the driver market becomes, and the massive shift in consumer buying habits. All three are on a potential collision course, set to alter the industry as we know it.

Some of the safety concerns you mention may not apply when hiring drivers with experience. Might a 10 year (safe) box truck driver be a safer bet than a new CDL driver?

The non CDL box truck pictured is in service now for Southeastern Truck Lines, a pretty big and respectable outfit. The FXFE trucks shown (so far) appear to be CDL required trucks. Good news, for now..
 
Crazy Trucker said:
Pitt Ohio pays a lower rate for straight trucks. All the driver has to do is look on Google maps it will show them all they need to know. Lol Fed ex ground drivers drive straight trucks every day for a lot less money.
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What does Ground have to do with it? That's an entirely different animal.
 
I can remember when all the LTL's had a bunch of straight trucks that rolled out the gate every morning covering the whole city. Then some numbers guy figured it was cheaper to buy a tractor and pull their trailers around.
 
SwampRatt said:
Certainly valid points, all of which should be considered. I don't really think we're debating, More like speculating, IMHO.

Much will depend on how significant the numbers, how tight the driver market becomes, and the massive shift in consumer buying habits. All three are on a potential collision course, set to alter the industry as we know it.

Some of the safety concerns you mention may not apply when hiring drivers with experience. Might a 10 year (safe) box truck driver be a safer bet than a new CDL driver?

The non CDL box truck pictured is in service now for Southeastern Truck Lines, a pretty big and respectable outfit. The FXFE trucks shown (so far) appear to be CDL required trucks. Good news, for now..
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Southeastern is the 11th largest LTL carrier in the country, and they're creating a new class of driver at significantly lesser pay for these trucks.

We have young men from the dock jumping at the chance to do it. Many hope to use this as a stepping stone to our in house CDL training.
 
Cab Lizzard said:
I can remember when all the LTL's had a bunch of straight trucks that rolled out the gate every morning covering the whole city. Then some numbers guy figured it was cheaper to buy a tractor and pull their trailers around.
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Somewhere someone posted an old magazine cover with a picture of a straight truck and a tractor trailer, one was on an overpass driving over the other and it was taking about the tractor trailer replacing the "bobtail" truck. I think the were CF trucks maybe from the 70's. either way it was cool.
 
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