one of the best ever!!
IF DRA Fails?
- Thread starter MrFedEx
- Start date
one of the best ever!!
thedownhillEXPRESS
Well-Known Member
Giving yourself a little pat on the back eh?!
oh. I didn't realize anybody remembered that one was mine. But yes. As a matter of fact, I am.
Operational needs
Virescit Vulnere Virtus
It's actually worse than this. It is now stressed to new hire couriers to NOT tell customers to call 1-800-GO-FEDEX. They are instructed to tell customers to go to fedex.com for everything.
MrFedEx
Engorged Member
Here's why. In another brilliant cost-cutting move, they have outsourced almost all of the Call Centers offshore...with predictable chaos. Most of these contract non-employees (sound familiar?) know NOTHING about how the Express system operates or how to handle almost anything beyond answering the phone.
DOWNTRODDEN IN TEXAS
Well-Known Member
Man do I love YouTube, this is what I think is really happening with the call centers...
Indian call centers get outsourced to Australia - YouTube
Indian call centers get outsourced to Australia - YouTube
MrFedEx
Engorged Member
Very funny. The difference is that when you call India, they know what's going on and are very competent...you just can't understand through the thick accent. Our FedEx people (or contracted people) have no idea what is going on AND they also have a heavy accent many times. Win-Win...for UPS.
DontThrowPackages
Well-Known Member
Not to mention, the website has options now that would have been the work of the CSA. By directing customers to the website maybe they'll be able, and get use to, to remedy their problem themselves and lessening the need for the present day count of CSAs.
MrFedEx
Engorged Member
When you pay $200 or so to ship your vital package, you don't expect "self-service" when it comes to customer service. This would be like dining in a 3-Star restaurant with Anthony Bourdain doing your cooking, and serving yourself on paper plates with Dixie cups.
Not going to quote r1A to save some space 
, but DRA sends me to areas I have never been before and I can follow it very easily. And when I follow it to a "T" it is very close on what time I get done. I ask my manager every day when my swing driver pay kicks in. He laughs.
Yes, it wants me to do five u-turns on a 6 lane highway and would like me to drive right through the canals but I am sure those bugs will be worked out
. Two years ago they told me I couldn't write down my stops anymore and I couldn't look at my powerpad because it's not safe, but now they send me to unfamiliar territory and give me two lists and a map I can(not) look at while I am(not) driving. Very safety-minded.
I love calling my dispatcher every day to tell them I won't make my pickups because DRA has me 5 miles out of my area and I have to take my hour lunch.
But, I follow whatever they want me to do. There was a rumor that DRA was going to go away since it is costing a lot more in fuel, overtime and of course, service failures but X has too much invested in it. They will work around DRA--where there's a will there's a way. Unless the economy turns around and they can't find anyone to work for them, then its Zapmail 2.
, but DRA sends me to areas I have never been before and I can follow it very easily. And when I follow it to a "T" it is very close on what time I get done. I ask my manager every day when my swing driver pay kicks in. He laughs. Yes, it wants me to do five u-turns on a 6 lane highway and would like me to drive right through the canals but I am sure those bugs will be worked out
. Two years ago they told me I couldn't write down my stops anymore and I couldn't look at my powerpad because it's not safe, but now they send me to unfamiliar territory and give me two lists and a map I can(not) look at while I am(not) driving. Very safety-minded. I love calling my dispatcher every day to tell them I won't make my pickups because DRA has me 5 miles out of my area and I have to take my hour lunch.
But, I follow whatever they want me to do. There was a rumor that DRA was going to go away since it is costing a lot more in fuel, overtime and of course, service failures but X has too much invested in it. They will work around DRA--where there's a will there's a way. Unless the economy turns around and they can't find anyone to work for them, then its Zapmail 2.
MrFedEx
Engorged Member
Not going to quote r1A to save some space
Yes, it wants me to do five u-turns on a 6 lane highway and would like me to drive right through the canals but I am sure those bugs will be worked out
I love calling my dispatcher every day to tell them I won't make my pickups because DRA has me 5 miles out of my area and I have to take my hour lunch.
But, I follow whatever they want me to do. There was a rumor that DRA was going to go away since it is costing a lot more in fuel, overtime and of course, service failures but X has too much invested in it. They will work around DRA--where there's a will there's a way. Unless the economy turns around and they can't find anyone to work for them, then its Zapmail 2.
You are smart...working as directed. Do it their way, even if it's stupid. As of now, it's looking like ZapMail 2, but they could keep throwing money at it for years, and maybe get it right. In the meantime, every time you can't do your pickups, that means that someone else has to pickup the slack. And that means more money out of Fred's pocket.
Working as directed and following their policies and procedures to the letter not only safeguard your job, but they cost FedEx the savings they expect to wring out of us so Fred can continue to be Wall Street's Golden Child. Drive the speed limit, take your full break, including the 28/29's (in eligible states only) they "eliminated" from the time card in the hope you wouldn't take them or just forgot about it. Collectively, this will cost them big money. Also, give business away by not providing excellent customer service. MT3 isn't willing to pay you to provide it, so do the bare minimum. Don't solicit new business, and put the onus on management for any and all decisions. Be "stupid", and force THEM to cover the pickups you can't get to on-time or take the hit for service failures. Always, always, send Dispatch a message or call your manager and note what you did in a notebook or otherwise cover yourself. That way, when it blows-up (and it will), you have helpfully pointed the fickle finger of fate right back where it belongs...at management.
I keep hearing people talk about "when the economy turns around" how wages will go up. Well, the economy turned around several years ago. R1a says it's cyclical and I agree. But I don't think it just "happens". Corporations like Fedex and UPS and Walmart and Amazon make huge profits and have for years. Wages have not kept pace at all. What will it take to spur the cycle? Somewhere somebody has to do something, don't they?
whenIgetthere
Well-Known Member
Not going to quote r1A to save some space
Yes, it wants me to do five u-turns on a 6 lane highway and would like me to drive right through the canals but I am sure those bugs will be worked out
I love calling my dispatcher every day to tell them I won't make my pickups because DRA has me 5 miles out of my area and I have to take my hour lunch.
But, I follow whatever they want me to do. There was a rumor that DRA was going to go away since it is costing a lot more in fuel, overtime and of course, service failures but X has too much invested in it. They will work around DRA--where there's a will there's a way. Unless the economy turns around and they can't find anyone to work for them, then its Zapmail 2.
True, work as directed. I mentioned on another thread that this week at 1145, dispatch informed me to break route to deliver an apple package before the noon P1 commit, had to bypass a hospital on my route, which made those P1's late. Mind you, we don't have DRA yet, but if I had stopped at the hospital for their deliveries, I would've still made the noon commit on the apple by a couple of minutes. As is, I had to drive 7 or 8 minutes, deliver that apple, then 7 or 8 minutes back to the hospital. I am sure I will be asked about those lates, and my response will be "working as directed".
The economy only turned around for the corporations who shed workers, invested heavily in automation, shipped work overseas, or started other services that took advantage of legal gray areas to work people at lower wages and few if any benefits. Participating in that system to do well for yourself puts you up to your whitey tighties in bed with the corporation you've aligned yourself with. Either stop bitching about the system that gives you a "crapload of money" or get out of it. It's just hypocritical to act concerned about the plight of the working man when you are doing well off people working for you for little.
It's not all about me, van. I do have 3 kids and a wife to think about. And I'm not bitching about it. I'm saying that there is alot wrong. You might want to start aligning yourself with the likes of me and others you don't see eye to eye with. It's going to take a concerted effort if the direction is goi g to change. If not, I'd rather be in my shoes than yours.
You can't have it both ways man. Plenty of Ground drivers have families to support too. The only good thing I see about the Ground model for them is it pays more than many jobs. But in no way does it pay fairly for the effort required.
That's right. I can't have it both ways. I would prefer a more fair system. But that isn't going to happen as long as Washington and corporations decide it isn't. Express isn't going to organize and the Ground model won't be scrapped. Maybe it's time to think about other possible actions.
