Anyone in here currently working for FFE?

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by lee1754, May 22, 2015.

  1. lee1754

    lee1754 Bobtail Member

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    Apr 12, 2015
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    hey guys im heading to ffe training school august 1st and was wondering if anyone in here is currently employed by them and was just looking for some feedback on if there are a good company to work for?
     
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  3. Allow Me.

    Allow Me. Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    Probably no better or worse than most co's. I worked there 3 different times in the 90's. They recently patterned with KLLM. Could be a good thing.
     
  4. Marksteven

    Marksteven Road Train Member

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    Wish i could help you. I drove for them from1977-1981 out of lancaster TX. when every driver was known by their first name at the terminal. I bet that sure changed lol
     
  5. pt919

    pt919 Bobtail Member

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    I worked for them last year. Not a bad start up company to work for to try to get your experience and move on. Allthough some of the drivers I knew there, been with them 6+ years. Their training program is very good and they high on safety. They also just don't pass anyone during their road test.
    FFE is their LTL reefer division, and if you live near one of their terminal, you could be working locally and get paid by the hour (18+/hr), or drive terminal to terminal and get paid by the mileage (.35/mile). Chances are, you get to go home every few days or at least once a week. However, KLLM is their OTR division, and you get to go home maybe once a month.
     
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  6. Starboyjim

    Starboyjim Road Train Member

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    $.32/mile? 1% increase/year for regional? Work a full year for a 1% bump? No thanks. You can do better. Even Swift offers more.
     
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  7. REEFERman450

    REEFERman450 Light Load Member

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    It's just not worth it anymore....why come to a company that you will hate working for because they have started to focus on other areas and not focus on driver retention.
     
  8. Crabgrass18

    Crabgrass18 Bobtail Member

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    I am running Regional out of Burlington, NJ. $0.36/mile, $30/stop and $19.85/hr. detention time after two hours. Midlife crisis career change. Have been here for under a year, but seems decent. Will see what kind of positions open up after I get some time and miles under my belt.
     
  9. x1Heavy

    x1Heavy Road Train Member

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    I run for FFE several years until the summer prior to 9-11, I was a single at first progressing to trainer and team with the wife after she was accepted as a full second seat with me there. Lancaster Tx was our base. But we were National and Canada in ST division essentially as a fire rescue team chasing after single drivers who were late on their accounts.

    KLLM purchased FFE outright some time ago so whatever I have to say probably or probably not going to apply here.

    You will have orientation for a few days. Pay attention to it. It's not a bad company to run with when I was there with good people making sure for example the road trip master will come into the driver area, collect the drivers and throw em all into the rig and take you out to see what you have or don't have. A word of warning, do it right and don't showboat. There is no reason to.

    Bring a thousand dollars or more with you and keep it in your pocket. That is your 6 weeks out or whatever without borrowing money from FFE. Going into debt is unacceptable.

    You will get a driver manager who will keep an eye on you. Im not kidding when there is a folder with your name on it that will accumulate the smallest of transgressions until you are essentially eliminated when you have cost them enough money.

    This is important. The speed they advertise will not be the speed you plan and drive at. They show 65 mph on the speedometer but GPS on laptop revealed a secret setting for non president fleet at 63 mph for insurance purposes. The President's Fleet is allowed at the time 70 which is useful.

    If you run National and Canada, you will be passed about the various ST dispatches, Denver, Chicago, Lancaster, Memphis, Jersey (Avenel), LA, san fran etc. Sometimes you will be in touch with a broker on a high dollar load directly. Not in the beginning.

    Take enough papers out of the supply of forms out of Lancaster to be gone for several months. You might be. Any time off can be accumulated and taken but anyone who has run during non chain season knows that time off is a payroll killer.

    Every morning prior to sunrise a computer inside FFE starts rounding up all drivers who fail the 45 mph speed average overnight and is running late to reciever for special attention. At that point you get the Call me on the qualcomm. That is not the best way to start possibly your last day. It's just the way it is. Nothing personal.

    Orientation will be massive for you. But it's most of a week and it's over you will get a tractor and then upstairs to get your first trip bundle. Be quiet and take it say thank you and get going.

    Now.

    Fix that truck anywhere you hit a TA shop if it develops problems because if you don't and they find out about it after you are towed, you can possible be in hot water. That truck will be inspected when you pull in to Lancaster. You will not escape it. Be good and things will be fine.

    I seem to be hard with this post. But it's common sense really. Because if you are going to be a bad driver you wont get the job or be there very long enough to get to know the people. For example, one of the perks is the company van. They hand it to you to go to stock up on your fluids, food and personal needs at the walmart to the south or wherever they let you go. But others need that van too so don't dawdle.

    Make sure you get a set of tractor drives at a minimum after first ice before the hard of winter when you start to slip on it. Because you will be going west and find yourself into in need of quality tires and so on.

    Nogales is definatly a place you will be going in the Phoenix area. Loads go to Denver or Chicago.

    If in Chicago, there is a dennys about 4 blocks from HQ there, do not bother to park there and eat. It is a predominatly black dennys and your white ### will not be served. Even if you sit there two hours. They have a problem with that for YEARS. so.. eat up before chicago.

    DONT sleep at the FFE Ternimals. Dispatchers actually get off thier ### and come knocking on your sleeper after the computer shows you been sitting 8 to 10 hours.

    Oh... one more thing, Ive avoided LTL for the time being. If you are ever dispatched to load at Americold in Arlington Texas between Fort Worth and Dallas. Your entire day has just been lost to waiting. They are absolutely then the worst shipper ever. Ive seen 12-20 hours POOF waiting to get a dock there. It's bull.

    That is why I avoided LTL.

    Good luck.
     
  10. old scummy

    old scummy Light Load Member

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    I was at the FFE LTL house in Lancaster just yesterday and it was truly stunning how much things have changed around there. KLLM cleaned up and remodeled the terminal adding a nice new school that looks like a college campus. The LTL house was fast and friendly. Wow.

    I think one of the optimal income positions in trucking these days would be an FFE line haul lease driver/trainer, if KLLM still permits that arraignment.
     
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  11. x1Heavy

    x1Heavy Road Train Member

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    White County, Arkansas
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    I thought the LTL house was fast in my day. Relatively speaking. Tossing 5 stops of this and that in a hour or less and gone for the eastbound and down.

    We did multi stops several times with FFE when there was simply no one else availible to grab that load.

    There is or was a large number of lease O/O with FFE back then too. From what Ive seen it was profitable and busy for everyone. No sitting around. We left because the interchange reciepts turned in with the load bills that were delivered and signed lagged several weeks behind payroll. So it became essential to have a few thousand in savings and track everything (Trip number in particular) so you can go to a DM and get a comcheck paid out once a month on 5 or 7 loads not paid. That is our story. No reflection on the company as a whole.

    Other companies provided pay with taxes deducted the moment the fifth wheel goes onto the load over the satellite already direct deposited to your bank with option to divert cash to your card. Much better way to do business.
     
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