A Place for FFE Drivers to Keep in Touch

In November I had a load that went from Friona to SoCal. There were two stops. The first one was Costco, near Fontana, and the second was a small Cargill warehouse in Norwalk. There was an appointment written on the bills, and that appointment matched what the Qualcomm said. I arrived an hour early, only to find out that they had no appointment scheduled. I waited 5 hours and was told to leave and they would make a new appt. I went back to the Fontana yard and unhooked my trailer so I could bobtail to get something to eat. As soon as I did that I got a call from dispatch asking me to deliver the second half of the load. I asked them repeatedly to verify that I would be unloaded once I got to Norwalk. They assured me there would be no issues. I grabbed a quick bite to eat and then drove to Norwalk. Once I arrived, I was told the lumpers had gone for the day. I had to beg and beg the few people who were still there to unload me, which was really difficult considering they had to unload the Costo part first, and then put it back once they got their stuff. Once they agreed to unload it, I got another call from dispatch asking me to go back to Costco and get unloaded. They wanted me to do that before Norwalk to their stuff off. I laughed. I then told them I was already being unloaded and they needed to get me another appt for Costco. I went back to Costco the next day and there were no issues. I then told them I was going to take a few days off. It was either that or go back to MS and turn in my truck. I went to Vegas for a few days and won some money. It was more than enough to cover my fuel and a hotel, so it worked out.

I look back now and just laugh. At the time I was beyond irritated, because everything I did was a clusterfcuk because of them.

Right now, I have a load going from Owingsville, KY to Marshall, MO. Before I took the load I asked if it was drop and hook or live. They said live at both ends. I have no problems with that. I just need to know so I can plan. I arrived early because they asked me to take a trailer that was already there to get washed out. It had a really strong detergent smell, and the driver who dropped it would not get it washed out. The fact that there are trailers there is a pretty good sign that it's a drop and hook location. Once I took the clean trailer back, they told me to take a trailer that was loaded earlier in the day. If I had known that, I would have picked it up first thing this morning. The other end is probably a drop too, so I'm just going to start calling the shippers and receivers myself.

Stuff like this matters because if a load is a drop and hook at both ends I can pick it up ASAP and drop it ASAP, and be available to get more loads.

Oh well, like I said, my DM is making a legitimate attempt to make things go smoother. It's not an issue with her anymore, it's the people in MS who just won't bother to give the correct information. I think that the issues my DM and I had are both because of the merger. She has been with FFE for like 13 years or something like that. It makes no sense to think that she does not know what she is doing. She is just as frustrated as I am, and we just took it out on each other.

I'm still not leaving. At least not yet.

 

I posted this in another thread, but I thought I would post this here too.

I was in Longmont the other night and I talked to another KLLM driver who drove for FFE for 21 years. He asked me how I was doing, and before I would answer, I asked him how he was doing. The first thing he said was, "There's no communication." Exactly.

The driver I talked to also said that he talks to the people at the shop in Lancaster and all they can talk about is how often they will change the numbers on the same truck. It's like a revolving door. One driver leases for a few weeks and gives up. They change the number and get it ready for the next guy. Patience is one of the keys to success in this business. I have only been driving for 18 months, but that is one of the things I have learned.

Things are getting better, but it's because I ask lots of questions, and when something does not seem right, I ask more questions. If that does not work, I call the shipper or receiver myself to make sure I have the right info.

All companies are going to have issues, so I might as well stay at a company where I already know what the issues are and how to avoid them. KLLM has lots and lots and LOTS of money. It's going to be a long time (if ever) before they ever have payroll or fuel purchase issues. That's what matters most. I always know I'm going to get paid for the work I do, and when I need fuel, my card will turn on the pump. I can work through everything else.

 

do to some disagreements and some incidents Jackson and I parted ways and im kind of glad. They actually preplan most loads but for whatever reason the stupid QUALCOMM wont let them send it to you. Everytime I did get a load assignment it was always late and they would want to know why. well good luck with them ive got something else run back and forth and be home every week so im happy with that no hard feelings about them but they need to figure things out there.