TForce | TForce Freight drivers to reduce miles, handle more freight

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After strong Q4, TFI CEO says focus remains on efficiency, profitability of US LTL operation

“Drivers, they like to drive. … Me, I like to pick up freight,” Bédard told financial analysts. “So we have a disconnect. So what we want to do is have our P&D guys drive less miles and pick up more freight.”

TForce’s operating ratio hit 89.4%, its lowest level since TFI acquired UPS’ struggling LTL operation, UPS Freight, in April. But as Bédard made clear to analysts, TFI has far more aggressive ambitions: an operating ratio of 80% or lower.

TForce Freight drivers to reduce miles, handle more freight

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Drop. Hook. GO.

Wheels turning, making money. If sitting around warehouse because they will GET TO YOU LATER... with a undefined end time later that day or tomorrow or later that week... you will finally be empty. Means you make nothing.

Physically moving freight means you are too tired to run the 3000 or whatever miles that week.

You have plenty of teenagers to fill that place to move freight. Have it loaded in 5 minutes and drivers GO.

IF a company turns over the situation and makes drivers now lump freight in the trailer more than they drive ... its going to break them when enough quit. You have empty trucks going no where, even if God loaded a mountains worth of that precious freight.

If you want drivers to get off their asses and physically wrestle freight, you are going to have to double or triple pay for their trouble and losses. Or not have any drivers at all.

We dont mind working the trailer now and again. But find nirvana and consistency in drop hook and go. Its profitable. Stuck schlepping cargo IS NOT profitable at any cost. My own spine and bones are gone by 45 in my lifetime because I schlepped too damn many trailers. So my valuable experience is totally wasted and is lost by the industry interested in not paying me a damn thing to unload or load that ::shit::.
 
One of the problems i'm having with this is i often have to run the route based on time/appointments, rather than the 1st closest stop, then the next closest stop and so on and so on.

Because we're starting so late and loading up the trucks with multiple appointments----and barely making it----as usual........
 
Every single LTL Term I have ever been inside is profanity coming from the dispatch side on phones. WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT"S LATE?! *&^%

I agree with Maxicoze. Late becomes later becomes a hysterical farce at that point. It will get there when it gets there.

You wont believe how often loads finally get to my knowledge in detail hours late. Then I have to try and keep other peoples promises to each other over the phone. Forget it.

I understand UP Railroad is deploying a small group of all robot trucks running loads in AZ now. And plan on adding more.

Good luck Uncle Pete. The Robot is going to be late sometime. Be quick. Unload it chop chop.
 
TForce Freight drivers to reduce miles, handle more freight

*You might have to sign up to read/view article.
the biggest problem is we are a dinosaur, operating as if it is still 1980. We route freight by city driver run and not by FIFO like most high profit non union carriers. We hold city runs until the late arriving freight gets worked and drivers don't get dispatched till after 10 am. From there, we know the problems created with these late dispatches.
 
Demand has out paced capacity in the trucking industry to date.
This isn't some brilliant turn around.
90% of the new realized profits have come from dumping the ups bullshit. The day to day operations are 100% the same, minus the worthless ups pomp and circumstance.
 
I remember a particular transloading dock off Eastern Ave in Baltimore on the east side. I was sent there with a huge 40 foot container import. Delivered it.

Sent back later that day with a another empty box to load? Ok dokie. Arrived.

I witnessed a giant pile of resturant stuff almost taller than a man covering the entire dock from that container I delivered.

They hand me a spread sheet, a pencil and says take your stuff and load that box you brought in.

10 ketchup packets. Two boxes of silverware. One chair, 50 plates. pick pick pick pick.

12 blessed hours. picking through that stupid pile.

To this day I dont know whatever became of that box. Its a mystery. The paycheck was not. 20 dollars trip pay, 18 dollars to load. 38 dollars for two days before deductions. Thats less than minimum.
 
One of the problems i'm having with this is i often have to run the route based on time/appointments, rather than the 1st closest stop, then the next closest stop and so on and so on.

Because we're starting so late and loading up the trucks with multiple appointments----and barely making it----as usual........
Thats Because the Mini Hubs have no clue what a cut time is. Fix that and us road drivers would be back on time
 
It makes perfect sense to have p&d drivers picking up in a certain area versus running all over tripping over on another.
Wow this is rocket science you must need a fancy college degree to figure this out anybody with any commonn sense could tell you that talks cheap how about fixing up the dumps they are the buildings are falling apart of course your ratio is gonn abe good no brainer they are still running it the ups way no maintenance on facilities, trucks are junk trailers are junk they are selling trailers junking trailers alot 53 have diaapeared that arent being replaced if we get hammered one night we run out of equipment if you dont start seeing terminal infastructure improvements by the spring or summer thst tells me and firm believer they are banking to buy someone nonunion out if they possibly can make the deal.Gotta tell you theres nothing like working on a dock where when its raining outside its raining in a building water running right across electrical hitting puddles and sliding all over the dock and then some ******* saying you are taking to long to strip a trailer a garaged doors and wired from hanging all over the place stuff being pointed out management turns a blind eye and not being fixed because this is how you make numbers look good forget about safety but just preach it remember we work for a canadians and they dont like any push back and create propaganda to cover it up .The longer they keep putting off everything the worst the cost get and sooner or later someone is going to get hurt and maybe even killed
 
Wow this is rocket science you must need a fancy college degree to figure this out anybody with any commonn sense could tell you that talks cheap how about fixing up the dumps they are the buildings are falling apart of course your ratio is gonn abe good no brainer they are still running it the ups way no maintenance on facilities, trucks are junk trailers are junk they are selling trailers junking trailers alot 53 have diaapeared that arent being replaced if we get hammered one night we run out of equipment if you dont start seeing terminal infastructure improvements by the spring or summer thst tells me and firm believer they are banking to buy someone nonunion out if they possibly can make the deal.Gotta tell you theres nothing like working on a dock where when its raining outside its raining in a building water running right across electrical hitting puddles and sliding all over the dock and then some ******* saying you are taking to long to strip a trailer a garaged doors and wired from hanging all over the place stuff being pointed out management turns a blind eye and not being fixed because this is how you make numbers look good forget about safety but just preach it remember we work for a canadians and they dont like any push back and create propaganda to cover it up .The longer they keep putting off everything the worst the cost get and sooner or later someone is going to get hurt and maybe even killed
Did you ever hear of an organization called OSHA? Step up and do something, don't just complain.
 
I remember a particular transloading dock off Eastern Ave in Baltimore on the east side. I was sent there with a huge 40 foot container import. Delivered it.

Sent back later that day with a another empty box to load? Ok dokie. Arrived.

I witnessed a giant pile of resturant stuff almost taller than a man covering the entire dock from that container I delivered.

They hand me a spread sheet, a pencil and says take your stuff and load that box you brought in.

10 ketchup packets. Two boxes of silverware. One chair, 50 plates. pick pick pick pick.

12 blessed hours. picking through that stupid pile.

To this day I dont know whatever became of that box. Its a mystery. The paycheck was not. 20 dollars trip pay, 18 dollars to load. 38 dollars for two days before deductions. Thats less than minimum.
When I first started you were required/expected to load and unload. Floor freight was the norm, 44,000# of who knows what loaded and unloaded mainly by the driver. Drive 8-10 hours, 2-3 hours, or more waiting for a dock, schlepp 22 tons to "customer specs", wait some more. Call dispatch, "we have a load for you, loads asap". Drive, load, "needs to be there by morning". Sleep when your dead. We have come a long way in some aspects, pallets were a bonus. If I ever hear someone say, "small wood", again it will be too soon.
We had a Hershey Choc. run to a midwest dist. center, the product was on slip-sheets, there was a slip-sheet machine parked near the restroom. They laughed at you and told you it was for "company use only". They paid a $1 a thousand to have the driver unload, the lumpers wanted $100 a load. At 20 cents a mile at 495 miles, you could owe money on that trip. Mysteriously someone cut the lines to the slip-sheet machine and yanked the wires out of the lift. Fun was had by all....
 
We used to break trainees in on smallwood loads.

48 pallets double stacked in there. Dock it. Tow Trainee into -15 and say, grab that pile of smallwood.

Take 3 layers off that. Then this then over there. And under there too. Restack as you go.

2 hours later half way through the trailer trainee starts slowing down. Tap foot, tap watch, say chop chop, they waiting on us.

A time came that I was to train wife. I had a quiet talk telling dispatch that SHE will NOT ever see a lumping load anywhere. That would be our last day with the company savvy?

For the most part none of the loads were touched or involved the words small wood.

That and white house virginia apple cider in gallon glass jugs. Some things in life is worth forgetting. I recalled a few loads with them, to small wood. It was not worth it. As far as the trip pay and so forth.

One last thought. A trailer full of LTL Heinz Ketchup Packets for distribution to regional fast food places in the little boxes. A whole 48 stuffed with them. One box, two box three ... four box five... *******... six and seven. 10,000 more to go.

One load that enrages me is this one. Richmond Defense Depot. In Virginia. US Navy Sailors say Driver, get some sleep you be finished tonight. Awesome ty! 11 hours later and cawffee finished go back to check to see if empty.

They were half way through slowly counting or auditing boxes of matches to see if it is 100 count per as specified in bill of lading. 4 sailors counting.

It was about another 8 hours. No more of that. They can burn it all.
 
Greivences. HA.

They just pull you into the office and ask why are you such a Princess little girl? Heres your bus ticket. You have no more problems here.

OSHA's manpower is only 1850 divided among 75 overworked offices. HA...
 
Greivences. HA.

They just pull you into the office and ask why are you such a Princess little girl? Heres your bus ticket. You have no more problems here.

OSHA's manpower is only 1850 divided among 75 overworked offices. HA...
It has been done before and has and will work.

If you are afriad of the company, that is your weakness.
 
When our numerous local management complaints were ignored, we went to OSHA. We got our terminals aging lights, crumbling concrete yard, pothole filled walkway, rusted stairs and missing dock bumper and bent dockplates repaired and/or replaced along with dock door numbers and walkway paths painted into ground.
 
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