FedEx Freight Diary (ala Russian Rabbit)

Texas_hwy_287 · Jul 18, 2019

Im curious whats the most terminals fxf has in one city. I.e big metropolitan cities. Per say here in houston fxf has 3 terminals.

Gearjammin' Penguin · Jul 19, 2019

Not sure about the entirety of FXF, and I'm too lazy to look it up state by state. Phoenix has two within 3 mi of each other...

McUzi · Jul 19, 2019

Gearjammin' Penguin said: ↑

Not sure about the entirety of FXF, and I'm too lazy to look it up state by state. Phoenix has two within 3 mi of each other...
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I'm not sure about the entire freight network either, but I know the Chicagoland area has 3 within a 50 or so mile radius of each other. Linehaul drivers are essentially driving a tractor trailer to their dock job unless they have a mountain of seniority.

The Newark area has 2 within 10 miles of each other, 3 if you expand that radius to Long Island.

McUzi · Jul 19, 2019

Another night sitting home. Supervisor called at 9:05 asking if I wanted a NY run he pulled from Central.

If our run is cancelled we are on call until 2100, and as soon as no call came through I began drinking. This week's cancellations have amounted to what the state considers a significant loss of employment, so I'll be filing for the days that I missed as opposed to burning paid time off (saving that for the winter time).

Air Cooled · Jul 19, 2019

The relay yard in the middle of nowhere sounds sweet. I picture some small town out west. I did something similar in California. Middle of nowhere... just me and one truck. Can’t beat that life.

MACK E-6 · Jul 19, 2019

jmz said: ↑

Last few times I checked it was around 100-150 miles, and he’ll have 3-5 different trailers listed on the DVIR, so he’s probably just doing swaps all day.
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I’m usually between 250-300.

MACK E-6 · Jul 19, 2019

Texas_hwy_287 said: ↑

Im curious whats the most terminals fxf has in one city. I.e big metropolitan cities. Per say here in houston fxf has 3 terminals.
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Atlanta and Chicagoland are the hottest areas for us. We have 3 around Chicago and 4 near Atlanta that I know of.

jmz · Jul 19, 2019

Gearjammin' Penguin said: ↑

FXF YARDS AND YOU!

(Just imagine one of those 1950s announcer guys on an old educational filmstrip.)

Ever wonder why there are so many differing opinions on the same company? It could be that they're at a yard that doesn't suit their preferred lifestyle and work habits, and are unaware that there are alternatives. So let me describe the different types of yards the company has...

HUB: These are the big yards where freight comes in from everywhere and goes out to everywhere. PHX, SBO, AQE and so on.

Pros: Usually on-site fuel and shop. Located in big cities if that lifestyle appeals to you. Due to sheer size, a fair amount of turnover happens, so you're likely to move up quicker(especially if most of the senior drivers started out doing P&D on dinosaurs).

Cons: Lots of management and the accompanying micromanagement. Big docks can be the most stressful and chaotic environment you'll encounter. Large pool of extraboard drivers mean overtime can be limited or nonexistent.

SATELLITE YARD: These are smaller, outlying yards where everything comes from or goes to the nearest hub. Basically a couple of line drivers and a few P&D guys. May or may not have on-site management. Mostly located in small towns.

Pros: Everyone knows each other, how they like to run, and cooperates because there isn't that buffer of anonymity. Things are more laid back without 17 managers climbing up your nose and out both ears. When things are busy, you'll get OT because there isn't a huge pool of drivers to pull from. You generally get the same route and get to know your customers very well, helping things run smoothly.

Cons: Anything that needs to be fixed requires an outside vendor or a trip to the hub. Turnover is low, so you might be the bottom man for quite a while. You do everything from hostling to dockwork on the P&D end. Line runs are usually fairly short. And if one guy wants to start drama, it can be hard to get away from it.

RELAY YARD: These are basically a meet point with an office. Located in the exact middle of nowhere, they serve to facilitate cross-country linehaul and nothing else.

Pros: If you hate doing anything but driving, this is your dream job. You get in a truck with an already built set. Drive to a meet point. Swap sets with the guy coming the other way. Head back to the yard, fuel along the way, hand it off to the next guy. No hostling, dockwork, or make & break. Runs are long. Money is great.

Cons: You won't get a lot of exercise. All repairs require outside vendors who may or may not suck. If the last guy leaves you a problem, it can be a while getting it dealt with. At least at the yard I was at, there was an amazing amount of completely unwarranted drama. Did I mention 'middle of nowhere?'

So now you know the different options available in your Purple Driving Career. Thanks for watching, and drive safe!

(Filmstrip breaks. No one notices because the whole class has fallen asleep.)
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There’s also the category my service center falls into, which is a large terminal that is not a hub because it’s such a short distance from one already. We’re about the same size as PHX, have our own fuel and maintenance, and around 130 drivers, but no hub operations overnight.

Texas_hwy_287 said: ↑

Im curious whats the most terminals fxf has in one city. I.e big metropolitan cities. Per say here in houston fxf has 3 terminals.
Click to expand...

Dallas has 4.

Air Cooled said: ↑

The relay yard in the middle of nowhere sounds sweet. I picture some small town out west. I did something similar in California. Middle of nowhere... just me and one truck. Can’t beat that life.
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There’s an opening pretty much like that off I-80 in Nebraska if you’re interested: Road Driver in Aurora, Nebraska, United States

jtaran06 · Jul 19, 2019

McUzi said: ↑

Another night sitting home. Supervisor called at 9:05 asking if I wanted a NY run he pulled from Central.

If our run is cancelled we are on call until 2100, and as soon as no call came through I began drinking. This week's cancellations have amounted to what the state considers a significant loss of employment, so I'll be filing for the days that I missed as opposed to burning paid time off (saving that for the winter time).
Click to expand...

Were sitting home at the big E as well here recently. Especially this week.

Mike2633 · Jul 19, 2019

We’re not sitting at GFS! In fact other divisions are so busy were shipping guys out there way.

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