CFI Company

Just want to clarify a couple points made in this post, from a Con-way Truckload team driver:

#1 - CFI in name will go away on January 1st. Only in Mexico will the name(s) CFI/Contract Freighters continue. New trucks ordered for delivery after January 1, 2008 will be white with the four-shades of blue stripes found on most Con-way Truckload Volvo's now. Our Volvo did have the red and blue stripes, but was recently re-striped to comply with the new look.

#2 - Con-way truckload will always have a place for solos. There are so many loads that teams haul between the terminals, and the solos "finish" them. We frequently pull from the three Mexican border terminals to West Memphis, Joplin or Kansas City terminals, where solos take over. Likewise, we've pulled full loads from those terminals to Calexico, Otay Mesa and Laredo for export.

#3 - If you're parked too much, you need to get on the horn with your fleet manager. They work with the trip planners and will keep you as busy as you want to be. We could use more miles, but what we're getting now keeps us busy enough.

#4 - Con-way Truckload cares about the drivers - new or old. I've never been so welcomed by CFI drivers who have been with the company quite a while. I love the West Memphis terminal. It's a great social atmosphere when you're parked for the night.

#5 - The new tractors will include the T-2000 and T-600's, with about 300 new Cascadias on order to start arriving the 1st of '08.

I'd encourage anyone - team or solo - to give Con-way/CFI a try. They're a very good company.

 

Calmar, why don't you tell the rest of the story? Like the new pay policy, and people with pets? Turning the truck speed down? Cut in benifits? I don't work there but just heard about this at coffee this morning from one of their drivers. You sound like a recruiter to me.

Why anybody would go into trucking today is beyond me. Glad I was able to retire. For those of you getting into this, there is NO difference between compines except the color of the truck. Do what they ask and nothing more, you should have no problem. Just remember you are a driver, nothing more. You can be replaced just like a flat tire. Goodluck, best advice I can give those of you who do go drive is SLOW DOWN it ain't a car.

 

Well at least they will look the same.

WooHooo Just the job I was looking for. Running the last 150 miles of a 1700 mile run, instead of the entire run.

9600+ miles per month for a solo is total BS !! And your fleet manager will tell you to quit being so #### greedy, they have 2400 other drivers that need miles too. But, I will pass your sugestion along to the drivers I've seen camped out for more than 48 hours in Denver CO, Ellensburg WA, Youngstown OH, Cartersville GA and a ton of other places.

Then explain why so many CFI teams bailed and went to Conway before the merger/sale out was announced? Explain why they told me, if I needed more than 9600 miles a month, I needed to be looking for another job.
Conway may care -- CFI management doesn't give a rats ###.

I tend to trust Standardas & Poors rating of this purchase, along with my past experience. Wait another year, lets see how it turns out. The stock jumped at the announcement, and has since reached an all time low. I'm not sure of the current value, up or down.

Although, with the recent bid into China's market. Those Mexican drivers will be hauling a lot of freight....good luck

 

from what i have read on other forums it sounds like they are turning the trucks down now to 65. and looks like they have cut the drivers pay and also took the pet policy out.... from what it looks like cfi/conway are going to be losing drivers on both sides...

 

Turning down trucks to 65 mph - Do any of you honestly believe your company won't be doing the same? It's fuel economy - which is close to over-taking driver expense as the largest expense a trucking company has to face. Companies are driving farther for less freight. CFI told us last week, if every company truck idles for one hour, at current diesel prices, the cost to CFI is over $9,700 per hour! Trucking companies are starting to lose money - fourth quarter reports show two of the top 13 companies in the red (which, Danc, means they're losing money). CFI - which will soon no longer exist, it will be Con-way truckload - has driven (as a company) almost the same number of miles as they did last year.

Department heads in all the majors are being told to quit focusing on pennies per mile expenses - the new focus is on one-tenth of a cent per mile costs. Companies are keeping tractors and trailers longer.

Cut in pay - My wife and I have a min-pin dog with us, and we're not getting our pay cut. In fact, we're going from 43 cents a mile to the truck, up to 47 cents per mile.

Last 150 miles - Danc, I can see why you have so much time on this web-site. You aren't getting that many miles right now, are you? I've read your posts on other threads - you can't find a positive thing to say about ANYONE! Fact is, with the positioning of the terminals, most of the solo drivers get over 4,000 miles.

We're in an interesting time, colleagues. A time this industry has never experienced before. If you travel I-40 between the Mississippi and the Pacific ocean, take a look at the trains you see on the tracks that parallel the interstate. See all those inter-modal trains? See all those containers? Did you ever count them? I did, as I enjoy railroading as a hobby. There are typically 75 - 100 railroad cars in those container trains, with most of them double-stacked. That equals 150-200 cross-country truck driving jobs per train. One two hour period, I counted 12 of those trains heading in either direction - at worse, that 2,400 cross-country trucking jobs lost to the rail road. Piggy-back trains haul trailers for (heck, I don't have to tell you guys, you can read logos). Do you think those company drivers are getting great miles in?

Drivers sitting 48 hours - Prove it, Danc. You can blast away making claims with nameless drivers, but sitting for 48 is bovine fecal matter. One of two things is happening, Danc - either that driver's pee'd on someone's leg and told them it's raining, so their trip planner's got an ax to grind with them, or, well, you can figure it out.

I'm not a recruiter for Con-way/CFI. We've had our head-butting with some of the folk there, as you will find in any company. No one company is perfect. But for teams, 7k+ miles per week with pay ranging from 44 to 47 cents per mile for a team with 3 years (my wife) to 8 years (mine) experience will meet any pay rate anyone can post on this friendly web-site.

My wife and I have been given time off for some critical medical tests for both our health's sake. But in the next day or two, we're going to be cleared back on the road, and won't be back until after Christmas. So go ahead, Danc, beat up on me all you want while I'm gone - but at least I'm earning a very decent wage driving, while you're piloting a mouse and keyboard, poking your cheap-shots at every post you can on here.

 

Since you my friend have taken the time to call me out. Let me set the record straight for you. My truck is, and always has been set to run 65 mph at my current place of employment. The same job I have had since leaving CFI earlier this year... I don't job hop. And since I worked at CFI for more than 2 years, I have many friends that still work there.

That took a week of reading and listening to the news for you to figure out???? BTW, the company I work for is currently replacing trucks (with NEW ones no doubt) because they practiced good management from the start, and kept their trucks longer than most to begin with. We're also buying new trailers.

That's a good thing But I wasn't the one who referenced a pay cut.

This is where I call a spade a spade, my friend. I run LTL at W&S. I only want 1500 to 2300 miles per week. Provided I have multiple drops, 6+ per run. I make the same as the claimed 4000+ miles you say CFI drivers get. And I'm home 2-3 nights per week. A solo CFI driver will never make the same as I do, unless they are at top pay and getting 3000 miles or more per week.

Now about that spade my friend 4000+ miles at CFI per week is a TOTAL lie. Since I am a previous employee of CFI, I know this first hand. At 4000 miles a solo CFI driver is shut down until they fax their logs to safety for review of hours of availability.

We have a rail spur at our terminal. Works out good for us. Especially on the heavier loads that use large amounts of fuel. Saves the company money, and allows our drivers to run loads that need to be delivered, instead of stacking loaded trailers up in the yard and holding them.

I can't prove jack. But why would I post names and/or truck numbers of drivers on this forum? I understand why you might want to know these. But I won't go into the whole CFI Police spill in here. We've haven't the space.

Friend, you may get 7k+ per week since the buyout. You may have gotten it before the buyout. But very few do. Since you have been there so long, I'm sure you recall a simple fact. CFI dropped the "bonus" program because drivers were having trouble getting it. The bonus program I am referring to, the additional pay that was given to teams, for running more than 16K and 20k per month, respectively.

Thankfully, I have a job that pays me enough to spend time at my keyboard, and refute the BS that is spouted by driver/recruiters like you. I advise you to check into how a REAL freight relocating company is run. And you'll find yourself making money and spending an equal amount of time at home.

As for your medical test and your time off. Ask someone about "Turnaround" and her medical test while employed by CFI, and the ongoing lawsuit regarding the treatment she received from CFI and the Doctors.

And when you come back with a response regarding her treatment. Please use her proper given name...so I know for sure you know her.

I also invite you to take some time and respond while I am gone. As I won't be able to respond in a timely fashion as well this week

 

the last truckload division cow-way operated shut its doors, and when the drivers brought the trucks into the designated con-way terminals they were told to find thier own way home.This is not cfi anymore its con-way.

 

calmar_1955 vbmenu_register("postmenu_284164", true);
Bobtail Member



Why do team drivers seem to think they are treated equally with solo drivers at company's that use teams? Because they are not, period.

They get treated like royalty compared to the solo driver and seem to think because management will lick their boots to keep them spending all that time in a truck and not leave them, that it is not at the expense of the solo driver.

If management is concerned about idle times, then why are many company's still dragging their feet on installing APU units so the driver won't need to idle?

The company's are losing money because of poor management, not because of the drivers. They wait till they are forced to do anything instead of planning ahead and set all these rules up with out any alternatives to the driver so they don't have to pay for their poor foresight.

4000 a week for solo drivers at CFI?

 

That's only 57mph for 70hours a week. Must just POWERSLIDE right under all those pre-loaded trailers and well, darn, what's a walkaround?

4000 PAID miles. Which could mean you roll as much as 4400 miles a week, if not more, which is 62mph ave for 70 hours.

Man, this is why you don't sniff your diesel tanks for fun people.

 

Read some of the post! You will even find Werner teams who think that they are with a great company. Did they do away with the pet policy or just for teams. On today's trucking news (sirrius 147) it stated that Conway would be turning its truck down to 62. It did not say if this was the OTR trucks or the days cabs you see running.
Will $5.00 a gallon be here for the summer?