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Central Transport | What is the problem, and how do we cure it?

Greatness will never happen. How can it when you put your top loaders part time to save money. Leave full timers because of there seniority that couldn't even put gas in the cars let alone load a truck. Then hire, lets see i believe Indy has like 9 New supervisors all from FedEx. Plus A new TM and ATM from FedEx. And now The new Part timers they hire for the dock get 3 days training, some never even heard of a forklift but hey they have 3 days training givem a forklift and a break and Make sure they get 5 bills a hour. Im sorry i do like working for Vitran but you can only deal with so much. As for drivers most of the ones i see are walking the dock and waiting for the truck to get loaded by the NEW PART TIMER, that has to be reloaded again and again. Then they get there crappy holy walled, boards torn of the sides and not properly loaded trailer and hit the road. My hat goes off to you drivers. It should be chasing grapes because greatness is to far away to chase.
 
Dock Man said:
I will say this to the drivers, at least you guys get to leave the terminal for your work day.

:shift:
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To put up with our messes, traffic, unappreciative customers, crappy equipment so you have to keep one eye behind ya for the DOT due to VT safety record (come get me, if it won't pass my inspection, it won't pass theirs, so it stays in the yard)....... but yes, at least we don't have a boss hanging on our back,,,,,,, and some of is have a/c and a stereo too!!
 
down here in nashville wew are stuck with milan management across the board. the t.m. the inbound sup, and the mini hub sup r from a ship that wrecked, and the dock is about 60% milan boys, the linehaul is around %30 milan, and the ones that peddle are arond %30 milan, we are in the old milan building, so they all fell like they are still at home, and the bad habbits that they did at milan, they are doing with the flying V logo on theor shirt, and if u question the inbound sup about anything, he will let you know in a heartbeat that he has been doing this for 28yrs with milan, lol, me and alot of people find that kind of funny, cuz if thats all you can make it up to is a inbound sup......... enuf said, now remember that vitran only went as far south as nashville, so we only had around 15 p/d, 12-15 LH, and no more then 10 dock workers, so when we bought milan we became the 3rd biggest in the company as bulk wise, so instead of finding people that the "vitran" management liked in a interview, they just went with what was left on the curb, after the massive take over. so when we bought pjax and then found out that it was the other way around, (as it feels like that for many) well it feels like that again with the terminal in nashville, it feels like a milan take over ......
 
they soon will be replaced with former fed ex employees, hang in there. the changes are in the corp places first, then they'll work their way down.
 
ive been saying for the longest, "ok one more quarter ok one more, one more," I cant do it no more, I have a good feeling that this guy and his possie will turn things around, but I am not taking that chance that he doesnt. But ya never know, I might not get this other job, so maybe I will still be " team member" :grouphug:
 
Will have to agree with Not_Wanted on that one.

Once heard rumor of a suggestion box being set up but only management could access it.

Had one at the terminal, think it lead into the furnace though for all the good it did.
 
I wrote into that email with some money saving ideas, nothing major, things that could be done in the wave of a hand. such as stop these linehaul layovers which ended up coming true a few months later,,,,,,,,, never got anything back, nothing, nada, not even a thank you email. A few months ago my TM said higher ups were throwing around idea of Safety Committee at each terminal, 4 drivers, 2 dock, and 1 Management for a place our size to look into ways to improve safety. I answered we give you ideas as of now, and they get duly ignored, so what difference will a committee make? If we vote a certain trailer needs to be retired, do you have to honor it? Last I head of that subject.

Also, looking at one driver might be appointed to come in a few hours early and give the trucks and trailers the once over for obvious failures due to drivers tagging trailers at dock in the am screwing up p&d schedules. One driver, the best on dot regulations, asked if he puts one down is their going to be a fight over correct or incorrect, TM didn't answer, case closed.

Sounds like "let's improve like a team, we will tell you how your going to do it"
 
I firmly believe this board is monitored and read by a few in the corporate arena. So even without talking to us 'team members' directly, they can find out known problems and possible solutions. But there seems to be no interest in what we have to say. How then do we voice our concerns so they are not simply brushed off and ignored?
 
It has to start on their end since apparently that suggestion letter was all a joke, now come up with something that works. We cannot have a suggestion box on our wall since I think my TM would be in it to only allow certain things to go through. No one terminal can make things work, it has to be a nationwide effort, but with so many trying to sabotage that forward movement, well, it is a big mountain to climb. At my place we cannot find drivers, so, their is no incentive for those here to obey rules (except the corporate ones they will find out about) local procedures last one or two days then get ignored, since they know TM will not do anything about it or his freight will not have enough trucks to get through
 
all they want to do is to patch this thing together while they implement all fed ex policies before the sale, then the big machine takes over.
 
All I hear is FE,,,,,,,,,FE,,, fine,I will take their better uniforms, clean trucks, hourly wage with benefits,,,,,, I for one hope they take us over!!!!!!
 
Every center has to have SOMEBODY (one of us) to emulate. Preferably a senior driver/dock associate with a pair large enough to put his foot down! I mean it doesnt matter if it is dispatch, dock other drivers or even at times your T.M.!! If you see it being done incorrectly, take action to make it right! We know of all of this nonsense, and it will only continue until we call them out on it! I am not encouraging you to act like an a#% about it. (at least not the first or second time you have to take corrective action) The 3rd, 4th and 5th definitely you will have to show it as they are obviously too dense to absorb it! A great and positive attitude in the midst of despair and desperation can and will inspire more positive attitudes! You wont know until you try.
 
We have one guy who is really good at DOT and Haz Mat regs, and if he refuses a truck or freight, load coordinator goes off on him, higher ups used to not care, they just wanted everything on the road, then when someone gets caught, driver takes all the blame. Now, with new safety people he threatens to call safety if that truck gets dispatched, or if that improper haz mat is sent on another truck with someone who is not so careful, that happened only once, then safety called him back and said if it happens again our terminal will be short one more supervisor. Last truck he shut down sat for 3 weeks before they agreed to fix it all because he said the State Patrol has been informed and are keeping an eye out for it. Sad it has to come down to that, but he made his point known!!!!
 
that equipment has been shoved down the line, this was winter and spring we had a lot of issues of junk coming in on linehaul, finally they got the hint, if you pull it in and a p&d puts it down and we are short a trailer, it is your but for bringing it here, things have calmed down since then big time
 
not wanted, I hope that would happen at my barn and many barns to come, that crap burns a hole in my a##. If management would hold drivers accountable for their actions, then alot of things would get better around here, and for those who say, " well I have written it up 5 or 6 times and nothing gets fixed so I quit writting it up", here is how you fix this issue, you might not make friends doing this, but we all are not here to make friends, we are all here to make money to support our families. so say you write up the same truck a couple of days in a row, and it is a "real problem, not meaning the a.c. radio, etc. and the shop says " yeah we just ordered the part and it willl get fixed, and then you turn around to walk away and that same truck that should be downed, you see another driver take it for the day, then find out your shops, " big wig" number and call him to notify that you have been writing up this truck for a while now and nothing is getting done, and if he dont get on it then go over his head, remember everyone in this company has a boss, dont be afraid of their threats, and their " punishments" they give you, a.ka. "str8 truck, or hand unload freight, it is your butt and as your boss would do, " you and only you can cover your own a##. the problem will get solved. trust me........
 
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