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XPO | XPO's World Class Status Pipe Dream

ScotchNeat

ScotchNeat

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This company's approach to world class reminds me of McDonald's, where the actual food you're served barely resembles the perfect pictures on the menu. Take for instance the SafeStack trailers, the very heart of ZDM and world class service to our customers. How do you build tables, capable of properly securing freight when tracks are broken and beams are missing, sometimes up to half the beams are gone in a single trailer, rendering it nearly impossible to even construct a single table made of four beams "edge, center, center edge." Strap all the freight to the walls, but don't stand on forklift blades or injure yourself in the process of hanging straps high before loading, that is if you can find a decent strap nearby. Also, don't forget to at least show all the freight properly strapped at the rear of the trailer so the FOS can get a good picture, ha! Oh, but hey, lets use ratchet straps because that's what OD does and they don't have the damage problems we have, that will solve the problem, right? Wrong. What OD also has, are trailers that are properly equipped and maintained and they pay their dock workers a decent wage to attract the best people. I've listed only a couple of examples of this company's quixotic pursuit to world class and I'm sure many of you can name more. The bottom line is, the company wants world class, but doesn't want to pay for it or do the disciplinary heavy lifting involved to make it a reality, so world class for XPO will remain only a pipe dream.
 
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ScotchNeat said:
This company's approach to world class reminds me of McDonald's, where the actual food you're served barely resembles the perfect pictures on the menu. Take for instance the SafeStack trailers, the very heart of ZDM and world class service to our customers. How do you build tables, capable of properly securing freight when tracks are broken and beams are missing, sometimes up to half the beams are gone in a single trailer, rendering it nearly impossible to even construct a single table made of four beams "edge, center, center edge." Strap all the freight to the walls, but don't stand on forklift blades or injure yourself in the process of hanging straps high before loading, that is if you can find a decent strap nearby. Also, don't forget to at least show all the freight properly strapped at the rear of the trailer so the FOS can get a good picture, ha! Oh, but hey, lets use ratchet straps no because that's what OD does and they don't have the damage problems we have, that will solve the problem, right? Wrong. What OD also has is trailers that are properly equipped and maintained and they pay their dock workers a decent wage to attract the best people. I've listed only a couple of examples of this company's quixotic pursuit to world class and I'm sure many of you can name more. The bottom line is, the company wants world class, but doesn't want to pay for it or do the disciplinary heavy lifting involved to make it a reality instead of a pipe dream.
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I agree they need to reassess their approach to being world class . Saying you want to be world class and actually being world class are far apart. I do believe we need to rethink the approach to getting there.
I recall in my earlier days with CCX that we were the most highly compensated non union LTL company. That enabled us to attract the best and maintain a workforce who cared more deeply about their job. It should simple to see what the difference is between now and then. We had a job then that people didn’t want to lose. It’s seems now that the compensation package has been diluted enough not to have the same effect.
I understand that keeping labor cost down is key to profitability but when it has a direct effect is a negative outcome to your end product it may be time for adjustment. Management wants world class results on the the cheap.
 
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your spot on scotchneat. also the trailer says your freight first and it should be followed by if the numbers allow it.they give the supervisior a thousand excuses how not to move the freight and also miss pick ups.I witness it everyday and that covers them from being good at there job.I find it strange that the top management is so proud of there company the the don't care about the appearance of their equipment from rusty rimes to as for our terminal no wash day in over a year and a half.
 
Just asking, but do you guys have any deck trailers that you manually lock the deck bar into each wall slots where you want them? Or is everything those E tracks?
 
Ex 5-0 said:
That's awful. A lot of our "captive beam" trailers have had all the beams removed. I'm glad we've stopped buying them.
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So...you're loading old school? Light on top of heavy with plywood in between? Still using the straps that connect to the E track to tie freight in?
 
ScotchNeat said:
So...you're loading old school? Light on top of heavy with plywood in between? Still using the straps that connect to the E track to tie freight in?
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A lot of the time, yes. We use beams, but we do not use the ones that are built into the tracks.

I see a lot of freight being stacked over being decked. Some of that is due to lack of decking beams, some of it is that most forklift operators do not want to get off their forklift.
 
Ex 5-0 said:
A lot of the time, yes. We use beams, but we do not use the ones that are built into the tracks.

I see a lot of freight being stacked over being decked. Some of that is due to lack of decking beams, some of it is that most forklift operators do not want to get off their forklift.
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Too lazy to get off the lift, and use deck bars and plywood correctly was always an issue at YRC. They had no E Tracs, but if you put bars where needed, used dunnage or plywood, and air bags between, again used properly, it worked well.
 
Question for any O/D driver reading this. What is your company's position on damaged freight are they consistent in their discipline policy once they trace down who did the initial damage?
 
ScotchNeat said:
Question for any O/D driver reading this. What is your company's position on damaged freight are they consistent in their discipline policy once they trace down who did the initial damage?
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At my terminal they walked a full time dock guy on AM shift out a couple weeks ago for “poor performance“. He was not getting off the lift to push the captive load bars back up and scraped a couple pallets up Over the couple of weeks they started watching and then when they realized what he was actually doing they canned him.
 
Piano Man said:
I should probably also note he had some progressive disciplinary action against him too. The TM didn’t just get ticked and walk him out. There was a bunch of verbal instruction, written instructions, a couple day suspension and all were leading up to that termination.
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That's the kind of guy who hurts things for everyone. Good for everyone else that he's gone.
 
Piano Man said:
At my terminal they walked a full time dock guy on AM shift out a couple weeks ago for “poor performance“. He was not getting off the lift to push the captive load bars back up and scraped a couple pallets up Over the couple of weeks they started watching and then when they realized what he was actually doing they canned him.
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Piano Man said:
He scraped pallets with the tips of the folks using forklift to push load bars up
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I see guys on our dock using forklifts to push up beams, sometimes even with freight on the forks. I've watched bosses see this happen and watch as they do nothing. One example of many as to why XPO will never be world class.
 
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