XPO | E-TRACK

[quote author=snivelitch link=topic=80030.msg832200#msg832200 date=1274617314]
...so now the first order of business is to switch out all etrack mts with regular ones and we aren't allowed to plug any load doors with them the entire night.
[/quote]This was bound to happen.
 
The Reality of it.

[quote author=snivelitch link=topic=80030.msg832200#msg832200 date=1274617314]
Our paycut dollars are being wasted at my sc. One morning a couple of weeks ago at our fac a driver had to go to another trailer. It was late and the only mt left at the door was an e track. So for the sake of getting the freight moving they floor loaded it and sent him on his way. The fos was written up for not utilizing all of the space on an etrack, so now the first order of business is to switch out all etrack mts with regular ones and we aren't allowed to plug any load doors with them the entire night. So now we have a nice shiny row of 15 or so etracks that sit and rot or go all over the ne or midwest empty.
[/quote]

If your fos is caught doing this he/she can most likely kiss their ass goodbye.

The e-tracks (SafeTrack System) as well as the handheld computers are not going to go away. The company has invested way too much money in this just to abandon the program. John L. wants even more e-tracks as stated in a recent video.

This is be percieved as the Holy Grail to reduce claims and increase load factor. They WILL be used to their fullest. It will not be an option. We are currently in a learning process...with both the handhelds and e-tracks. But there will come a point where that process will have been expected to end and the system fully utilized as designed.

As I said this is they percieve this as an 'answer' to certain issues.

(OK...take a deep breath...get your fav beverage...and prepare for the shock).

I agree.

This company for years has been pushing the load factor song and dance routine every freaking day without giving us the proper tools to accomplish what they demand. Those peeps in the L/H dept. don't see the freight...all they see is numbers...cube and weight. And they push...wanting more and more weight/shipments on a trailer...OK...that is reasonable to a point.

Where the concept failed miserably is all freight is not square and weights vary wildly. These 'little' variations can wreak havoc loading outbound wagons and at the FAC. We are told we are limited to just so many trailers to move a particular amount of freight. If the cubes aren't adjusted correctly by the FOSs it becomes a larger problem.

40x48 skids weighing 500# and 24x36 skids @ 2500# don't play well together. They there is the ever popular 6+ ft. pallets that cannot be stacked on and are hell trying to allocate a place in the trailer to load it. And there is everthing in between to drive you nuts on "Any Given LTL Day".

Finally we a tool to use in an attempt to accomplish increasing load factor and reducing claims. And its about freaking time.

Remember the "ICE" program? If done correctly it demanded the overuse of plywood...more freaking wood in the trailer than freight (or so it appeared)...handling all that damn plywood was and continues to be a major PITA and IMHO dangerous at times. Plus it took a lot of time...sometimes just trying to find what you needed. And the stuff is always in the way...lying around in places where it shouldn't be...especially at the FACs.

The reason the ICE program didn't work as intended is simple...it was a procedure...not a working tool. And like all procedures it could be followed or not depending on the individual.

According to Capt. John will have approx. 1/3 of the pups in the system set up for e-track by the end of June...(numbers and dates may be fuzzy but there close). And he wants more. I say every pup in the system should have the e-track installed. Load factor be damned...we will never accomplish what they want...it will always be "more"...but at least we will have the tools to try and used correctly load factor will increase. I have already seen this happen on a trailer by trailer basis...in tandem with better loading practices protecting the customer's freight from unnecessary damage due to aberrant cubes and weights

Instead of parking the e-tracks against the fence in a vain attempt to avoid using them...embrace them...use them to their fullest.

Remember...claims come off the top of the profit pile...and with the slaughter of the ICP program replaced by the VPP program...that payout is based on the first dollar of profit (if we ever get to that point)...its your money that is at stake...

Here is a word of caution every Con-Way reader on this forum should heed.

The e-tracks and handhelds are here to stay. These programs will be implemented with or without you...there will be no options. I have worked for this Bozo operation for many years. And IMHO these two improvements to the overall operation is the smartest thing I have ever see them do.

(OK relax...wipe the sweat from your foreheads...we will now revert to the Rat you all have come to love and respect.)

I do have some issues with the e-track system. (surprise!)...

One...12 straps is overkill...they just get in the way...wadded up like a spaghetti mess on the floor of the trailer...moved time and again just to get them out of the way. Four would be enough.

Two...thanks to our esteemed mod W99 we have a name for the tool used to lower and raise the bars..."the e-track bringer downer"...as it shall be known hereafter and forever more...they are junk...I have already seen the rivets break. Although they look pretty..they are not well built...a redesign is necessary... the current batch will not hold up to the scrutiny of heavy use.

Three...(and this is a biggie)...use the e-track system as necessary. Just because it there and available doesn't mean it has to be used. I have witnessed this...and it assine. While closing trailers on the outbound side I noticed an e-track with six skids e-tracked (as an overflow trailer)...The FOS was on the dock. I called him over and said WTF!...this sould have been floor loaded...just get it done and get the freight the hell off the property.

His response..."I am not going to get e-mails for load error reports because the e-track system was not utilized"...

Typical Con-Way...overkill and lack of understanding the freight moving process.

This sounds like what happened to your sector sup...

Stupid is as stupid does...for the love of it...this company needs to respect the judgement and expertise of the DSRs...FOSs...and whoever else is involved in the process. We are there...we know what needs to be done...the company trained us...afford us the knowledge that you know we can be counted on to do the right thing at the right time...

We are not children to be monitored as such...we are adults...professionals... independent thinkers (that is why you hired us)...and we know what to do...

As far as your FOS getting a letter or load error report for the lack of e-track usage when a load can be floored out...and your nose gets bloodied a bit...can't handle it...or cannot/will not justify your decision to your TM or whomever else they answer to in response to that or any particular decision?...

Take off the white shirt and go home...you are not supervisory material...you are a pencil pusher who talks on the radio. There is much more to the job than that...if you are not prepared to take the bad with the good...you have chosen the wrong career.

Any DSR who cannot take constructive criticism or direction...the same applies...take off the tablecloth and go home...under these new programs you ain't going make it.

Don't get me wrong...I still think the managment of this company is stone cold nuts...we have some people setting in the corporate office suites that no business being there. And hopefully, one day, someone in the proper position will remove said lunatics...and get this company back to doing what we did best...

Kicking ass and taking names...and the cessation of employee benfits/wages cuts as a quick fix for bad corporate decisions.

Fred S. and FedEx Freight is preparing to run the flagpole up our collective asses in a big way...we are either going to meet the challenge...or die....there are no options.

The days of the big discounts are quickly coming to a close...and shippers are going to scramble for the best price...but they are rapidly returning to the service first mentality...

If we are not willing to do the things necessary to provide our customers with the service they demand...I am sure Fred and Co. will...

We are the two biggest elephants in a very tiny room...we are essentially mirror companies...with different ideologies and operational goals...but yet 'sisterlike' enterprises.

Keep in mind FedEx has a very large bank account and has financial options that Con-Way only wishes they had available.

Fred took a few million bucks...leased/bought some planes...and a few decades later turned it into a multi-national global corporation..no easy feat!...

FedEx is our competition...and it is up to everyone of us employed here to do what we can to survive.

As far as YRC goes...they are having their own issues...and until they regain their foothold...they aren't an immediate threat.

The turf wars are only just now heating up...you thought things were 'iffy' before...you haven't seen anything yet!...

Rat
 
Re: The Reality of it.

[quote author=Rat link=topic=80030.msg832310#msg832310 date=1274639650]
[quote author=snivelitch link=topic=80030.msg832200#msg832200 date=1274617314]
Our paycut dollars are being wasted at my sc. One morning a couple of weeks ago at our fac a driver had to go to another trailer. It was late and the only mt left at the door was an e track. So for the sake of getting the freight moving they floor loaded it and sent him on his way. The fos was written up for not utilizing all of the space on an etrack, so now the first order of business is to switch out all etrack mts with regular ones and we aren't allowed to plug any load doors with them the entire night. So now we have a nice shiny row of 15 or so etracks that sit and rot or go all over the ne or midwest empty.
[/quote]

If your fos is caught doing this he/she can most likely kiss their ass goodbye.

The e-tracks (SafeTrack System) as well as the handheld computers are not going to go away. The company has invested way too much money in this just to abandon the program. John L. wants even more e-tracks as stated in a recent video.

This is be percieved as the Holy Grail to reduce claims and increase load factor. They WILL be used to their fullest. It will not be an option. We are currently in a learning process...with both the handhelds and e-tracks. But there will come a point where that process will have been expected to end and the system fully utilized as designed.

As I said this is they percieve this as an 'answer' to certain issues.

(OK...take a deep breath...get your fav beverage...and prepare for the shock).

I agree.

This company for years has been pushing the load factor song and dance routine every freaking day without giving us the proper tools to accomplish what they demand. Those peeps in the L/H dept. don't see the freight...all they see is numbers...cube and weight. And they push...wanting more and more weight/shipments on a trailer...OK...that is reasonable to a point.

Where the concept failed miserably is all freight is not square and weights vary wildly. These 'little' variations can wreak havoc loading outbound wagons and at the FAC. We are told we are limited to just so many trailers to move a particular amount of freight. If the cubes aren't adjusted correctly by the FOSs it becomes a larger problem.

40x48 skids weighing 500# and 24x36 skids @ 2500# don't play well together. They there is the ever popular 6+ ft. pallets that cannot be stacked on and are hell trying to allocate a place in the trailer to load it. And there is everthing in between to drive you nuts on "Any Given LTL Day".

Finally we a tool to use in an attempt to accomplish increasing load factor and reducing claims. And its about freaking time.

Remember the "ICE" program? If done correctly it demanded the overuse of plywood...more freaking wood in the trailer than freight (or so it appeared)...handling all that damn plywood was and continues to be a major PITA and IMHO dangerous at times. Plus it took a lot of time...sometimes just trying to find what you needed. And the stuff is always in the way...lying around in places where it shouldn't be...especially at the FACs.

The reason the ICE program didn't work as intended is simple...it was a procedure...not a working tool. And like all procedures it could be followed or not depending on the individual.

According to Capt. John will have approx. 1/3 of the pups in the system set up for e-track by the end of June...(numbers and dates may be fuzzy but there close). And he wants more. I say every pup in the system should have the e-track installed. Load factor be damned...we will never accomplish what they want...it will always be "more"...but at least we will have the tools to try and used correctly load factor will increase. I have already seen this happen on a trailer by trailer basis...in tandem with better loading practices protecting the customer's freight from unnecessary damage due to aberrant cubes and weights

Instead of parking the e-tracks against the fence in a vain attempt to avoid using them...embrace them...use them to their fullest.

Remember...claims come off the top of the profit pile...and with the slaughter of the ICP program replaced by the VPP program...that payout is based on the first dollar of profit (if we ever get to that point)...its your money that is at stake...

Here is a word of caution every Con-Way reader on this forum should heed.

The e-tracks and handhelds are here to stay. These programs will be implemented with or without you...there will be no options. I have worked for this Bozo operation for many years. And IMHO these two improvements to the overall operation is the smartest thing I have ever see them do.

(OK relax...wipe the sweat from your foreheads...we will now revert to the Rat you all have come to love and respect.)

I do have some issues with the e-track system. (surprise!)...

One...12 straps is overkill...they just get in the way...wadded up like a spaghetti mess on the floor of the trailer...moved time and again just to get them out of the way. Four would be enough.

Two...thanks to our esteemed mod W99 we have a name for the tool used to lower and raise the bars..."the e-track bringer downer"...as it shall be known hereafter and forever more...they are junk...I have already seen the rivets break. Although they look pretty..they are not well built...a redesign is necessary... the current batch will not hold up to the scrutiny of heavy use.

Three...(and this is a biggie)...use the e-track system as necessary. Just because it there and available doesn't mean it has to be used. I have witnessed this...and it assine. While closing trailers on the outbound side I noticed an e-track with six skids e-tracked (as an overflow trailer)...The FOS was on the dock. I called him over and said WTF!...this sould have been floor loaded...just get it done and get the freight the hell off the property.

His response..."I am not going to get e-mails for load error reports because the e-track system was not utilized"...

Typical Con-Way...overkill and lack of understanding the freight moving process.

This sounds like what happened to your sector sup...

Stupid is as stupid does...for the love of it...this company needs to respect the judgement and expertise of the DSRs...FOSs...and whoever else is involved in the process. We are there...we know what needs to be done...the company trained us...afford us the knowledge that you know we can be counted on to do the right thing at the right time...

We are not children to be monitored as such...we are adults...professionals... independent thinkers (that is why you hired us)...and we know what to do...

As far as your FOS getting a letter or load error report for the lack of e-track usage when a load can be floored out...and your nose gets bloodied a bit...can't handle it...or cannot/will not justify your decision to your TM or whomever else they answer to in response to that or any particular decision?...

Take off the white shirt and go home...you are not supervisory material...you are a pencil pusher who talks on the radio. There is much more to the job than that...if you are not prepared to take the bad with the good...you have chosen the wrong career.

Any DSR who cannot take constructive criticism or direction...the same applies...take off the tablecloth and go home...under these new programs you ain't going make it.

Don't get me wrong...I still think the managment of this company is stone cold nuts...we have some people setting in the corporate office suites that no business being there. And hopefully, one day, someone in the proper position will remove said lunatics...and get this company back to doing what we did best...

Kicking ass and taking names...and the cessation of employee benfits/wages cuts as a quick fix for bad corporate decisions.

Fred S. and FedEx Freight is preparing to run the flagpole up our collective asses in a big way...we are either going to meet the challenge...or die....there are no options.

The days of the big discounts are quickly coming to a close...and shippers are going to scramble for the best price...but they are rapidly returning to the service first mentality...

If we are not willing to do the things necessary to provide our customers with the service they demand...I am sure Fred and Co. will...

We are the two biggest elephants in a very tiny room...we are essentially mirror companies...with different ideologies and operational goals...but yet 'sisterlike' enterprises.

Keep in mind FedEx has a very large bank account and has financial options that Con-Way only wishes they had available.

Fred took a few million bucks...leased/bought some planes...and a few decades later turned it into a multi-national global corporation..no easy feat!...

FedEx is our competition...and it is up to everyone of us employed here to do what we can to survive.

As far as YRC goes...they are having their own issues...and until they regain their foothold...they aren't an immediate threat.

The turf wars are only just now heating up...you thought things were 'iffy' before...you haven't seen anything yet!...

Rat
[/quote]

Please forgive some of the bad english...Sunday afternoon posting while cooking on the grill...

Rat
 
Are you sure that there are only 12 straps? After weeks of research , a scientific investigation has found PROOF that when the doors are closed on an E-track trailer the straps have been reproducing! Close the door with 2 straps , open it a few hours later and you can have as many as a TWO DOZEN. An empty E-track trailer was left in our yard for 3 days and was totally full - the door was wedged shut and the pup had to be cut open- too many straps. KEEP FEMALE STRAPS AWAY FROM MALE STRAPS!
 
[quote author=wonderring99 link=topic=80030.msg830454#msg830454 date=1274058401]
I use them when they are available .. yea it is time consuming but it is worth it ... I have some freight I have to load nightly that I am not comfortable stacking on ... and i get tired of wrestling racks away from everyone else .. we asked for this and they gave it to us ... I am thinking they gave us to many straps though ...
[/quote]
I think straps in a trailer floating around the system is a bad idea. Every SC should have their own supply of straps. They, unlike racks, can be shipped around the system to whoever needs them in a very short time and in a small box or crate. Seems pretty simple. I have already seen straps lying around that didn't get put into the trailer that they came from.
 
[quote author=doppler link=topic=80030.msg832113#msg832113 date=1274578181]
[quote author=roadmaster link=topic=80030.msg832059#msg832059 date=1274557087]
[quote author=jakebrake12 link=topic=80030.msg830837#msg830837 date=1274168956]

v3kh08.jpg

[/quote]Much easier to check brake linings and look for broken springs this way.
[/quote]HELIUM USED TO AIR TIRES.
[/quote]

If I am not mistaken this was done at XTM by a XEN driver loading a forklift side ways in the nose. CHECK YOUR 5TH WHEEL...
 
[quote author=gunner1119 link=topic=80030.msg828852#msg828852 date=1273587598]
The E-Track is OK if you are working WITH someone. If you are unloading or loading a E-Track by yourself it takes a lot more time. I am already seeing E-Tracks with NO straps and have seen several of the bars you slide the racks up and down broken. Have seen freight damaged because the shrink wrap and boxes get torn on the walls of the trailer. I think they are more trouble than what they are worth. In some situations they are good but the type of freight we have and the way we operate I just don't think they are for us. BUT I am just a Driver that has done this for Con-Way for over 20 years. Who cares about my opinion and what I think???!!!!!!
[/quote]


I agree
 
WE just had a driver roll a e-track trailer. Drivers not paying attention on how they load. His trailer had 11,000 up on the racks and 5000 on the floor. The first curve leaving the fac landed him on his side. D.O.T sighted company for in proper loading so lucky for him he didn't get the tickethttp://www.truckingboards.com/bb/Smileys/default/shift.gif
 
[quote author=conwayxco link=topic=80030.msg835021#msg835021 date=1275626648]
WE just had a driver roll a e-track trailer. Drivers not paying attention on how they load. His trailer had 11,000 up on the racks and 5000 on the floor. The first curve leaving the fac landed him on his side. D.O.T sighted company for in proper loading so lucky for him he didn't get the tickethttp://www.truckingboards.com/bb/Smileys/default/shift.gif
[/quote]

Its not the loaders fault...they are just doing what they are told.

"Use the e-track system whether is makes sense or not...just use them!"

However I am sure the loading peeps will be lettered for their attempts...

The e-track system is a good fix...but it must be used with common sense.

As we all know...that isn't going to happens anytime soon!

Rat
 
We have forklifts with scales. We have bills with weights written on them. We have a few people with common sense walking around. 11,000 lbs. up and 5,000 lbs. down doesn't just happen - it had to take a half hour or more ( at this point E-track trailers just can't be loaded that fast - and we are talking about 11,000 lbs.) Somebody who knew better saw this happening and didn't step up and say "hold on a minute".
 
Some of the people over the Sectors just don't get it. One night I told the guy over our sector that everything wouldn't fit. He kept saying it WOULD fit with a e-track. He wanted me to load heavy freight from nose to rear up on the racks so I could slide some long ugly crap underneath. It was the type of long stuff that you could barely move with long forks not to mention trying to put that stuff up on the racks. I kept telling him that it wouldn't be safe and that he would have to sign the manifest that he loaded it. He ended up making me leave 15,000 pounds of my own freight on the dock so I could run a Via .To beat it all it was good paying freight he made me leave on the dock and made me take the long ugly crap that didn't pay squat .The Terminal I did the Via thru ended up going home on a empty!!!! WHERE IN THE WORLD DO THEY FIND THESE PEOPLE!!!!! :rant: :chairshot: I just wonder how much money we waste every night because of stupid crap like this? Also how many customers we loose because they don't get their freight on time. BUT WAIT A MINUTE!!!! I am attempting to use common sense . I am sorry!!! I forgot common sense is now forbidden!!!
 
[quote author=mikkej2k link=topic=80030.msg835029#msg835029 date=1275647895]
We have forklifts with scales. We have bills with weights written on them. We have a few people with common sense walking around. 11,000 lbs. up and 5,000 lbs. down doesn't just happen - it had to take a half hour or more ( at this point E-track trailers just can't be loaded that fast - and we are talking about 11,000 lbs.) Somebody who knew better saw this happening and didn't step up and say "hold on a minute".
[/quote]


I'll bet you dimes to dollars that is exactly what happend. Someone was working hard at building a disaster and no one stopped him. A simple question like "What are you doing with that load?" would have done the trick. FOS often are too wrapped up with the big picture to catch the small stuff that can lead to disaster.FOS are susposed to sign off on a trailer every quarter of the load. This usually does not happen at my barn. Thankfully we have some drivers that take responsibility to question what is going on around them. Thankfully we have FOS at my barn that listen to drivers when it comes to loading and unloading trailers so we have not had any unfortunate accidents. If a driver says "it ain't going to fit" or "it ain't safe to ride" then it doesn't happen.
 
[quote author=conwayxco link=topic=80030.msg835021#msg835021 date=1275626648]
WE just had a driver roll a e-track trailer. Drivers not paying attention on how they load. His trailer had 11,000 up on the racks and 5000 on the floor. The first curve leaving the fac landed him on his side. D.O.T sighted company for in proper loading so lucky for him he didn't get the tickethttp://www.truckingboards.com/bb/Smileys/default/shift.gif
[/quote]

So, you're saying this trailer only had 16,000 throughout 28'?
and, the D.O.T. already sited the company for poor loading?
and, the first curve leaving the F.A.C. is where this happened?
and, it did not involve load shift?

ticket or no ticket, there's more to this, I don't hear the fat lady singing yet
 
[quote author=Merdock link=topic=80030.msg835358#msg835358 date=1275761702]
[quote author=conwayxco link=topic=80030.msg835021#msg835021 date=1275626648]
WE just had a driver roll a e-track trailer. Drivers not paying attention on how they load. His trailer had 11,000 up on the racks and 5000 on the floor. The first curve leaving the fac landed him on his side. D.O.T sighted company for in proper loading so lucky for him he didn't get the tickethttp://www.truckingboards.com/bb/Smileys/default/shift.gif
[/quote]

So, you're saying this trailer only had 16,000 throughout 28'?
and, the D.O.T. already sited the company for poor loading?
and, the first curve leaving the F.A.C. is where this happened?
and, it did not involve load shift?

ticket or no ticket, there's more to this, I don't hear the fat lady singing yet
[/quote]

I agree...

There seems to be more to this than meets the eye.

Rat...

More facts are needed
 
[quote author=Merdock link=topic=80030.msg835358#msg835358 date=1275761702]
[quote author=conwayxco link=topic=80030.msg835021#msg835021 date=1275626648]
WE just had a driver roll a e-track trailer. Drivers not paying attention on how they load. His trailer had 11,000 up on the racks and 5000 on the floor. The first curve leaving the fac landed him on his side. D.O.T sighted company for in proper loading so lucky for him he didn't get the tickethttp://www.truckingboards.com/bb/Smileys/default/shift.gif
[/quote]

So, you're saying this trailer only had 16,000 throughout 28'?
and, the D.O.T. already sited the company for poor loading?
and, the first curve leaving the F.A.C. is where this happened?
and, it did not involve load shift?

ticket or no ticket, there's more to this, I don't hear the fat lady singing yet
[/quote]
I also agree that there is more to the story. I guess we will just have to wait until it comes out.
 
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