What's new

Central Transport | What will it take?

runawaytrain

runawaytrain

Wear their scorn with pride.
Credits
10
What will it take to shake Vitrans employees out of apathy? Apathetic employees are not happy, nor are they disgruntled, they're just there. Some people are apathetic because its part of their personality. But most apathy is caused by something in the work environment. Policies and precedures that are inefficient or constantly changing is the main cause. Employees view it as if this company doesn't care enough to get their act together....Then why should I ??? A company is only as strong as its work force. And if employees don't care about what's going on it will be reflected in all areas, from customer service to customer retention. Apathy will prevent this company from being the best it can be. Chris Keylon has failed to make the necessary changes that must be made to address apathy among his employees. In my mind a good start that would help with apathy would be to turn a profit in the next quarter. His time is running out and so is ours. Like sand in the hour glass.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
They so underestimate that one word....Apathy......Look it up in Webster's Chris....This company will rise or fall on that one word.....He wants to integrate all this technology into this company....And that's long overdue....But that is not what will make this company successful or any company for that matter......It's the people.....It's us, the workforce. It's not him sitting in his ivory tower barking orders. Sure he has some bearing on our direction, but ultimately it's us that determine our future. He has to change our attitudes....And one of the only ways to do that is to make money and give us hope that all of our hard work will not be in vain. Is that too damn much to ask? For you to do your job, just like you ask us to do.
 
Webster's defines "apathetic" as..........Having or showing little feeling or emotion.....spiritless......having little or no interest or concern.....indifferent.
 
Scotty425 said:
Apathy is the end result of being **** on time and time again. It's a common thing at Vitran.
Click to expand...
And who's fault is that....Most certainly not the drivers in most cases. **** poor planning and incompetent managers.....Things that are out of our control. This company has created a working environment that breeds apathy. Companies like UPS freight.....FedX freight......Southeastern.....OD......instill pride in their employees...They are proud to wear their uniforms. Apathy is virtually non- existent at these companies....They care and are proud of who they work for.....Can we say the same? Not hardly.
 
[They care and are proud of who they work for.....Can we say the same? Not hardly.[/QUOTE]

First off, Train, they have to be given some reason to be proud. Most don't drive equiptment on public roadways that should be at the recycling center. Most of their trailers aren't 10 years past the life expectency(Quast, Milan). Most of their P&D drivers don't have to hope the customer will recognize the freight, because the driver sure can't. Most of the L/H drivers pull reasonably safe pups and dogs, not one manufactured in 1968. That's right. TOL to CLV...wedge brakes...1968 for christ's sake. Service centers that are secure and the dock doors function. Craters in the lots the size of small ponds. And on and on...don't let me get started on the pay for a new hire, no wonder they only stay 1 or 2 weeks after we get them trained. Give us something to be proud of, something to work with. Give us a reason to still believe in CK and all his people. Give us a light at the end of the tunnel, not the feeling that we've turned to the dark side.
 
sadsack679 said:
[They care and are proud of who they work for.....Can we say the same? Not hardly.

First off, Train, they have to be given some reason to be proud. Most don't drive equiptment on public roadways that should be at the recycling center. Most of their trailers aren't 10 years past the life expectency(Quast, Milan). Most of their P&D drivers don't have to hope the customer will recognize the freight, because the driver sure can't. Most of the L/H drivers pull reasonably safe pups and dogs, not one manufactured in 1968. That's right. TOL to CLV...wedge brakes...1968 for christ's sake. Service centers that are secure and the dock doors function. Craters in the lots the size of small ponds. And on and on...don't let me get started on the pay for a new hire, no wonder they only stay 1 or 2 weeks after we get them trained. Give us something to be proud of, something to work with. Give us a reason to still believe in CK and all his people. Give us a light at the end of the tunnel, not the feeling that we've turned to the dark side.
Click to expand...
My point....Exactly.....Until this company gives us "tangible evidence".....and those are CK's words.......Remember those words?? We have no hope for long term survival.....I hate to keep using the same word that describes our employees ..."APATHY"......But I can think of no better word. Unless we have pride in our company we will never turn this thing around. Until we are proud to walk into a public place with our uniforms on like UPS freight or OD we don't stand a chance. It appears too much damage has been done and we don't have the resources to buy the proper equipment to do the job correctly. And tell me guys.....Who's fault is that? We don't write the checks....And we don't **** in the wind...At least I don't. But yet here we sit on the dark side with a face full of ****.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
runawaytrain said:
What will it take to shake Vitrans employees out of apathy? Apathetic employees are not happy, nor are they disgruntled, they're just there. Some people are apathetic because its part of their personality. But most apathy is caused by something in the work environment. Policies and precedures that are inefficient or constantly changing is the main cause. Employees view it as if this company doesn't care enough to get their act together....Then why should I ??? A company is only as strong as its work force. And if employees don't care about what's going on it will be reflected in all areas, from customer service to customer retention. Apathy will prevent this company from being the best it can be. Chris Keylon has failed to make the necessary changes that must be made to address apathy among his employees. In my mind a good start that would help with apathy would be to turn a profit in the next quarter. His time is running out and so is ours. Like sand in the hour glass.
Click to expand...

There are far too many long time Vitran employees that have mentally divorced themselves from this company over the past few years. The company now needs to divorce themselves from these employees by firing them but that won't happen because it is too hard to find replacements.
 
Vitran can get rid of all the long term employees and start over, but Vitran will still have the same problems. One way to solve problems is to undo or change the problem. For instance, Vitran cut the speed down on trucks which might not seem like a morale crusher but it is one. Another morale crusher is watching a superviser allow another employee to damage freight when they could have stopped them before the damage occurs.
 
Popswasnatlman said:
There are far too many long time Vitran employees that have mentally divorced themselves from this company over the past few years. The company now needs to divorce themselves from these employees by firing them but that won't happen because it is too hard to find replacements.
Click to expand...

i'm one of these people, i'm here just for a paycheck. if some lateral opportunity happens i will depart in a heartbeat. we all know this thing is far too gone to recover, yet we make ourselves believe that there's still a chance to keep going. we just have to realise that well need to start at the bottom somewhere else and there's no job security anymore. hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
 
Popswasnatlman said:
There are far too many long time Vitran employees that have mentally divorced themselves from this company over the past few years. The company now needs to divorce themselves from these employees by firing them but that won't happen because it is too hard to find replacements.
Click to expand...
For some reason you made me think of my ex-wife. She couldn't find a replacement either.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
oh boy's i have been saying this for a long time. weather your here for two years or 11 years. they took the wind out of our sales years ago. they made you understand that you are a number and that only. i go and do my job with what i am given.they set you up to fail every day and they expect you to preform a miracle everyday. and if you are sucessful they go out of there way to throw something that will prevent it.and then ask you to do more for less and with less. they put you in a spot that you have to choose taking a chance or getting you work done. from trucks to trailers, routes to dispatching,from mang. to supervisors from the terminal to the pot holes they have insulted my intell. way to often with incompadance and neglect of everything that happens here. you can call it what ever you want. they are only intrested in talking out of both sides of there mouths they treat you as children. think you are stupid, and as one supervisor put it your only a driver. we have been in this boat and have bailed water with buckets with holes for years ,the solutions for the problems were to simple at times and now it has become to complex by there own doing. but yet they will not take ownership for there lack of common sence. they are still looking to blame something or anything for there failed policy's. they created this mess yet refuse to do what is required to fix it. pride left the building the day that they forgot who makes the whole thing happen not board members but are coustomers and the people who give it everyday for this place and are asked to do so much with so little .
 
runawaytrain said:
What will it take to shake Vitrans employees out of apathy? Apathetic employees are not happy, nor are they disgruntled, they're just there. Some people are apathetic because its part of their personality. But most apathy is caused by something in the work environment. Policies and precedures that are inefficient or constantly changing is the main cause. Employees view it as if this company doesn't care enough to get their act together....Then why should I ??? A company is only as strong as its work force. And if employees don't care about what's going on it will be reflected in all areas, from customer service to customer retention. Apathy will prevent this company from being the best it can be. Chris Keylon has failed to make the necessary changes that must be made to address apathy among his employees. In my mind a good start that would help with apathy would be to turn a profit in the next quarter. His time is running out and so is ours. Like sand in the hour glass.
Click to expand...

MONEY.

Money in the form of cents per mile, drop and hook, hourly rate, health insurance as good as Old Dominion or Fed Ex, generous 401K match, safety bonus.

That is it. I need to know I have something to lose. I need to know I am not a sucker for staying at Vitran and working hard.
 
"That is it. I need to know I have something to lose. I need to know I am not a sucker for staying at Vitran and working hard".....luci

I hear the same thing from Wal Mart employees.

Fix what we have wrong right now, OS&D, routing, make sales people sell a service, not a price (half a trailer of good freight is better than a full pup setup of 65% discount junk waiting for a claim)
As of right now, no new employees on the horizon, so my biggest problem is how to make those that are clock strokers get it in gear. Friday I did my 14 stops and 9 pics in the same square miles that another driver had,
so here we go again, Dispatch had me go over and start on his pickups too, when I went through the industrial park there he was,,,, he just delivered at the building next door from pickup, but did not pickup that single skid, he waits until empty to start pics that way he gets his overtime (i get it by doing other's jobs who don't) so anyway, here he was reading a newspaper at 1pm,,,,,,

tablets may let them know who is doing what, but with no bite after the bark, it will never change.
 
I have a term for buckets with holes in them...........visualize........... crocheted water buckets LOL! A friend of mine used this term years ago refering to "unbelievable."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top