Rage, not sure exactly what you are expecting from an SCM...I am not invited to Ann Arbor weekly to discuss executive hirings and movement...I have said since the day I arrived here that I would answer any questions and concerns THAT I CAN, (in other words, that I have knowledge about) but you would have to use normal channels for the ones I can't...I don't believe I was side-stepping anything...I thought 99 was more thinking out loud than asking a question of me..What is it you would like to know more about..??

boxboss, dont let that kind of comment bother you. i dont find you informitive nor do i find any of your comments entertaining. i hope i didnt INconSULT you.

I was not expecting that kind of response .. I threw it out to see who agreed disagreed or knew something else ... It was not a question directed at you but it seems like this is thread is starting to implode ....

I also expect each other to treat each other with RESPECT here ... not attack the poster attack the subject!!!

I don't know why your are busting his balls; He's brought a lot of good information to this forum.

Just an FYI.
Nothing against anyone just some observations I have seen first hand.

You're not going to hear any answers in here that you wouldn't normally hear from your local TM when asked.
The stuff you hear at a driver level is what G.O dictates as standard operating procedure and is administered by the TM. (Unless your TM is not getting the information out in a timely manner.)

You're not going to hear the kind of stuff outside of the standard operating procedure. In other words, the stuff that goes on behind closed doors. (Unless leaked.)

Some examples:

• Why an applicant does not get hired.
• What happens during the ETRB.
• What happens when you become a marked man for bringing up issues on your TM.
• How a problem employee is weeded out.
• ....and many more.

Most drivers will never ever get to see or hear about this part. (Again....unless leaked)

Like drivers, there are many forms of a TM.
Newbie, old school, discriminator, hater, playboy, clueless, complacent, go getter, slacker, scardy cat, "Yes" sir man and.....the disgruntled TM.
In my time at Con-way I've pretty much met them all, the one I admire is the one who will go against the machine and fight for their driver during a crisis that involves termination. God help you is you have the "Yes Sir" type of TM during your moment of crisis.
Can G.O be swayed? Yes in more ways than you would think.

Excellent post, DW...Let me see if I can offer some insight:

1. an applicant doesn't get hired for a variety of reasons, mainly lack of experience, some form of criminal history, a less than stellar employment history, too many tickets or accidents in their history...You have to have some parameters or you would basically be putting all employees at risk if you just let everyone in.
2. Since you are asking about an ETRB, I will assume you have never put yourself in position to be in one...An ETRB is really very simple...An employee is appealing a termination (which by the way, never comes from a TM) and wants to present their case to a panel (generally RM level and up, no TMs)...The employee's history is reviewed by the panel, the employee presents their case for re-enstatement, the panel asks questions of the employee, and then the panel makes a decision based on the proceedings, generally within 5 days..sometimes they are re-enstated, sometimes not...
3. I try to make myself accessible to everyone all the time, and sometimes that is hard to do..I make it very clear to my colleagues in the service center that my door is always open to them.So I have had very few issues brought up on me in little over a decade that could not be resolved at the service center level. I have stated previously in these threads that out west it is very clear to the TMs that retribution or retaliation will not be tolerated, and I find very little value in it, so I don't "mark" anyone ever..
4. You may think this answer is side-stepping the question, but it is what I firmly believe, have believed it my entire 25+ year career, and I am generally proven right: Problem employees usually weed themselves out, and usually in short order. Fact of life.
5. I agree with your general descriptions of different types of TMs, and I believe more than anything we are really just talking about people in general, some that have different responsibilities than others, the only thing that really seperates us. We all have the same objectives, just varying degrees of responsibilities on the road to achieving them.
6. You do not have to go against the machine to get anything accomplished. What you have to have is a good reason to fight for what you believe is an injustice being done to a driver, then make as strong a case as you can. I have done this many times in my Con-way tenure, and I have won many times, not every time, but most. Virtually every manager I know, and I know quite a few, have done the very same thing multiple times. Every matter has to be handled on an individual basis.

This is as straightforward and honest as I can be...nothing here should be considered leaked info, because it really is just plain facts, and it is reality..

Hope this helps..