The New FFE Driver Academey

I went to the academy. Here is what I learned quickly. First they put you in a halfway decent hotel for about a day then move you to the dorms. I lucked out and got a two person room (more like a closet). For my taste, there is too much classroom time the first week and the cut rate was too high. One of the guys I became friends with was let go after only logging around 30 to 45 minutes of shifting on the first day of the second week. He had never drove before and they judged him after 45 minutes. WOW. Luckily I had driven for about a year back in 2000 and once I got in the truck, it was like riding a bike for me. Albeit, when I drove before, I drove a COE. I had the highest scores in my class, which wasn't saying much. The only instructor that I butted heads with was Larry. Total douche. I did my six weeks training, BTW, my trainer was awesome. We got along great. I came back, got a 99 on my road test and was put on a bus to Olive Branch to "re-claim" a truck. While the truck itself ran, it was disgusting inside. The previous owner kept a cat and I was allergic. I complained over the safety issue with me constantly sneezing and was given a 12 Cascadia. Not a bad truck. Here is where my problem with FFE is: on one of our last days, Greg (who is over the training dept) wrote what we should expect in miles on the board: 2300-2800 a week. Not even close. FFE has been giving me loads for 800 miles with 3 days to get there. In my 4 weeks solo, I have had 6, yes 6 34's. They keep hiring these new drivers, 20 at a time and don't have the loads to give them. I am currently looking for another company. being a resident from KY, that contract i signed is invalid as a KY resident can't legally sign a contract for employment. So try as they may, they will get no money from me, just a letter from my state's AG.

 

i don't know how you run but the way i run loads and run my truck(and yes i have gotten those loads with days on them) i have only had 8 34's (not including home time or shop time) since being with the company. and my miles have beeen below 2300 miles about 5 times(again not including times my old pos truck went into shop for a couple of days.) and the contract wasn't for employment, it was for tuition.

 

thanks for your input bluegrass -- better check on that tuition thing because i think they know what they are doing and if there is a loophole like that they wouldnt take guys from kentucky -- good luck on whatever you do -- if prefer to look to the drivers like red and spat because they have better luck than you have -- but i am running team with my girl so they would naturally run us different than solos , we shouldnt have to worry about 34s -- we still want miles but a week or two of 3000 miles isnt going to shake me ---they high failure rate at the academy has me somewhat worried -- but i have run my own construction company for 20 yrs and my failure rate on green help is probly higher than theres and the turnover is up there too-- why well everybody isnt cut out to be a carpenter or an otr driver theres little things that they can tell about somebody after a very short time that there not going to make it and they cut them loose -- i was a softie and would give them a week just to see --but the result was the same and to tell the truth i new within a half an hour on the job -- its tough -- i am worried that me or my girl might be in that cut zone-- and i drove for 2 yrs-- all that we can do is our best and if that isnt good enough at least we will know we gave it our all -- we both could walk in tommrow morning and pass the written test but we are going in to the school wanting to learn what we dont know and its a lot -- we both are easy going and if one of us would butt heads with an instructor --well thats not going to happen -- i dont care of how i drove in the past its there company and we are going to do it there way -- and when were out on the road we are going to be available for dispatch 24/7 and will be where we are supposed to be when we are supposed to be there and when i talk to a dm my last words will be yes sir and thankyou --its an way old fashioned approach but it works out in the long run -- i dont really like the way they assign trucks and of course i would like a new cascadia but i think it would be better to start all graduates in a junker till they proved themselves an asset to the company --but please if big brother is reading this give us something that dont stink--- well we are commited to a year and if they keep us going see no reason to look for greener pastures elswhere --am worried that maybe i will get through all right but my girl dont --but i will still give them that year as a solo (she wont she has told me lol ) but she is at least commited as much as me and failure is not an option for us so we should be in that new cascadia by august -- or at worse trying to get that funny smell out of the one we get and know that if we do our best it will come --- i really want the company to make as much money as they can off us and it will trickle down eventually we have 10-15 years left to drive and i would prefer it to be with this company--- its not the 2 or 3 months they would get out of a typical 25 yr old but thats the best we can do

 

and i am skipping that 36 hr 1000 mile grey dog ---my parents decided to drive to dallas to see my aunt -- its looking better all the time

 

I'm not ragging on the company. Like my trainer told me, it's a good starter company. But if you want to make a career of this, then I don't think FFE is that company. I appreciate the good trainer's there, Lisa, Dottie, Dave, Mark, and Dan, but there is a huge disconnect between what the Academy tells you from what is actually there. It does concern me that FFE just posted a loss of 79 million this year, granted they are upgrading their fleet, but that is still a huge number. Red, I think I may have met you in Lancaster. Did we talk about talk about the Tide and UK?

 

Buckeye, in the short amount of time I have been with this company, I have learned that weekend and night dispatch, while being a-holes at times, they tend to give out the better loads. Not sure why, it might be that "I don't care" thing, but I deal with them more than my DM. I agree with you on the assignments, what upset me the most is there is no method to their madness. Myself and a couple other drivers did great on our road test, and we were sent to re-claim POS's, while drivers who failed their first time were issued new trucks. Not sure what Sam is using as criteria for truck assignments, but it is messed up. Good luck in the academy.

 

well i would like to see the tide win it all this fall ---- we cant go anywhere this year anyway -- urban meyer will have osu on top next year lol -- he recruits as well as anybody and seems like he can blend the spread offense with the 30yr outdated typical big 10 offense ---- we have a deffinate upgrade at coach -- and i know bluegrass that the company has been losing money last few yrs but there is not many in this buisness that havent -- but there debt to asset ratio is still good and they are close to having positive cash flow and still have enough line of credit to carry them if needed-- the big man has a realistic plan to restore the company back to profitability--hopefully it works out for all our sakes-- and it is a starter company for drivers but its the best deal of any that i have seen so far -- I am really hoping that this will be my ender company too and only time will tell -- we are older and most likely have a different agenda than you do as far as career goals are concerned so what may be great for us might not work for you--but just try to make the best of your time here and i suppose it takes some time to learn the ropes of the company too-well there is a shortage of otr drivers now even in this stinking economy -- when and if things pick up again that shortage will get far worse and folks like us will be in great shape and the money will be better for us and the companys

 

just when I was gettin over the jitters I read about the cut rates at academy, now I got the jitters all over again...maybe I should switch to De Caf

 

I know skinnerz ; I start feeling good about things then you see something about the cut rates lol--- seems like some classes graduate about everybody and some seem like there around 50% maybe it depends how bad they think there going to need drivers in 8 weeks ,but i think i worry too much anyways and about things that i dont need too . well ive been self employed for 23 yrs and am use to being in more control than this will be --- its out of our hands all we can do is give it our best shot and hopefully it will be good enough--- if not we can try england -- there recruiter called today and said that they have a better company than ffe lol--- said he didnt realise they were still in buisness --said if i dont like it they have a place for me lol ---in fact he said just blow them off and go to our school lol well i think we are going to be allright with ffe, it seems like its a good fit for us at this point of our lives --- theres a real big demand for couples to run team -- a lot more than i imagined-- now i just hope that ffe think we are a good fit for them -- and we will be finding out pretty quick lol--- well we are both commited to the year and the way we both are once we get settled in and know our way around the company --they would really have mess us over bad for us to switch companys --that comes with the middle age thing -- when i was younger i might jump ship for 2 cents a mile and a recruiters promises -- now i just deal with things differently and would have some loyalty to them for giving us a chance

 

Skinnerz are you going to be in the 6/4 class?