Ffe/lisa/american eagle

Are there regular shipping lanes that they use....and if so...what would it be? A lot of East Coast? I'm like a lot of guys....prefer the southeast and west of the Mississippi.

 

Good deal. Keep us posted. What is peoplenet ?

 

PeopleNet is the electronic log and Nav system we have. Not a bad system takes all the guessing out of a trip.

 

April 10 2011





Hello Group:


From what I have seen FFE permits people to have small Dogs in their Trucks. I don't know about how large the Dog can be, but a few people kept their Dogs in the Trucks at the Lancaster TX Home Terminal, while they were there having their Trucks serviced or going to the People net class.

 

T-Man how is the job search going ?

 

I came to FFE orientation on March 14th.

On the 18th, I pulled out to do 2 weeks with a trainer.

We did 18,700+ miles in 20 days, running "team", up til 4am Saturday (yesterday)

FFE will keep you rolling unless you are a crybaby who won't stay out, or always late, or just generally sorry at the job. And there's plenty of wannabes who fit that description sitting empty and/or waiting to deliver that 400 mile run that had 4 days on it.
Why ???
They can't be counted on to deliver and be on time for next PRE-PLAN without "problems" and delays.
And THAT is why most of the complainers "got no miles".

If you are reliable and do the job, you WILL get run til you cry calfrope.


We did "a few more days" cause freight is good and he ASKED me if I wanted to help him out making some turns.

He was a good trainer, I picked up some good stuff to use in my future, and the whole experience was good.

I test out and get my truck monday.
They paying me and putting me up in hotel this weekend.


Now,
Even if you look at the miles above from a "solo" angle, it is still 3000 miles a week.
THAT is your money in trucking, and MONEY is the reason for being out here.
And the money is good here at FFE..... I have seen it with my own eyes.

I also met the sour arsed "ex-drivers" who said I would hate this place.
So ...... when do I see all the stuff you "allege" will make me quit ???

FFE is one of the BETTER "big companies" to work for.
And I have experienced a LOT of companies from the inside.

Thank God I wasn't stupid enough to accept the offers from central, england, covenant, or swift.
I have seen them in action, and don't wish to be in their numbers.


I'm picky, hard to please, and have a low tolerance for B.S.
I like it here so far.
If I saw ANYTHING worth being nervous about, I would not be here.




FYI -
FFE will no longer be taking "experienced but needs refresher" drivers.
You can go through school, or come in ready to roll. But if you need "some trainer time" they are now out of that business.

Also,
They reduced the lease payment on ALL trucks to $420 a week.

 

April 10 2011





Hello Group:


I am hanging out in Oreland PA, working on my van and helping out my Mother, she's 88. It's Good to have a rest for a little while.

I did apply to a few companys. CFI would like to have 3 to 6 Months of experience after my 8 Weeks at FFE, some like Prime sent me E-Mails to talk to their recruiters and CRST sent me a text to voice message that I may reply to. I'm not exactly sure what to do. I like the refrigerated business and I guess that I am Good at It, but It's always been nice in the past to drive Team.

 

I have oriet. next monday. Dont really know what to expect. Any insite? Hows there driving test? I just dont wanna fail bc Im quiting a job for ffe. So I really hope it all works out. They have me on for a regional postion. 5 out 2 home. Not the same days off each week but, as long as its two days off in a row. I kinda nice because I live close to there bridgeview terminal.

 

April 12 2011





Hello Chefy79 and the Group:


The Orientation is kind of long and boring, and You really have to be there in the room while It is going on, for 11 hour days. You can't even get out to go to the restaurant at the Grande, except for takeouts on the first day or two. They would like for You to eat their casseroles at Your table in the conference room.
On the final day of the Orientation, You will be Offered Pizza before You have to leave for the Yard, and go to Your Trainer's truck to camp out in the Yard.

You can possibly ask to stay in the Grande at the FFE discount rate instead, if Your Trainer does not have a load assigned to the Tractor.

After It is over You will have to go over to the terminal driver's lounge and wait around all day to wait for a trainer to become available. You may need to receive a Bus Voucher for Greyhound in order to go to another nearby city to connect with a Trainer or You may have to wait for a week until they have someone available. You may have to stay in the Grande until the first shuttle Van arrives in order to take You over to FFE. I liked to stay in the Grande because I had my Laptop and I was able to check in to the FFE Driver's Academy Website and pick up my PROTREAD and MPG distance learning Videos.

The check in time for the FFE Driving Academy is at 8 AM in the Morning at the Driver's lounge. This will take some getting used to, but if You need to have more time at the Grande after 5 PM, when the Driving Academy closes, The local Taxis are relatively inexpensive, about $5 to $10.

They have representatives from most of their FFE home terminal divisions at the Orientation, Safety, Recruiting, Road Service and Dispatch. Every department at FFE will give a lecture to everyone. One of the mechanics from Road service will take the group outside and explain how the refrigerator works on the Trailer. They also will issue You a "lift truck" certification card.
There are a lot of written tests to fill out, and they will lecture You on Logging.

You get Your Drug screening tests on the first or second day there and if You can pass them then they will take You in the Hotel Shuttle Van over to the Concentra Clinic in Lancaster TX for Your medical certificate exam. FFE will only accept a 1 Year medical certificate and nothing less. Blood Pressure is a problem for some people, so It helps to have Your previous 3 recent checkups from Your home doctor available for the concentra doctor to review. You will also get a Drug Screening test at the concentra clinic, as well as a urine test for abnormalitys. I stated that I had diabetes but I was not given a sugar level check up.

They will try to screen out as many people as they possibly can in the first day or two by having You interviewed by the Office staff in order to go over Your DMV records and Your background check.

They will make You fill out a new written application for employment in order to compare it with their records and the record of Your Online application just to see if You have been completely honest with them. An Official from FFE will have a printout with Your DMVR on the table in front of You as she interviews You about Your previous motor vehicle record points and accidents.

It would be very helpfull for You to have a letter from the insurance company in order to show them that You were found not at fault inany recent accidents.

The Driving Test seems to be adjusted to how much experience that You already have driving Trucks. They will only give You so much of a Test on the side Streets and in the industrial park if You have had no experience at all driving a Tractor Trailer. You only need to shift well, do mirror checks well, make Good Left and Right turns and back up the right way, (turning on the 4 way flashers and honking any of the horns twice) they will make You back it up as far as 3 whole Truck and Trailer lengths and then they will ask You to park it forwards along a curb, this requires You to do a "forward Serpentine" and there is a part of the Drivers exam where You have to change lanes, not too quickly, but as a whole Truck, the Trailer evenly following the Tractor.

The people with previous experience are directed onto the Highway, up and down a few exits and into the FFE Yard where You are expected to do a 45 deg. alley dock into a parking spot, with a few to unlimited pull ups, but they have to be "effective" pull ups.

I would say that the Orientation is sort of stressfull in as much as You really have to remember a lot of things and stay very close to the conference room, read all of their booklets, and You will get a pack full of them. You will get a few long days of their presentations and You will always keep in mind that they really expect for You to give them a whole 6 weeks of training and some more, like the possibility of staying out for at least a Month at a time before You will get some home time.

There are some people at the meeting that will tell You that the work Itself is hard, long and tiring but that It is mainly Good for Your family, and that You should just try to do It in order to give them a better life.

I would say that the FFE Orientation could be better if they would give You more time to stay in the Hotel and to use their Pool, Exercise room and to do some lounging in their Atrium.

It's always better if You pay the $24 so that can get Your own room.

After I finished out with the FFE, I treated myself to a DART City Bus ride to Dallas and visited the museums around Dealy Plaza and ate at the Chipotle by the Amtrak station and then I rode the Amtrak back to Philadelphia PA. It was about $300 but It seemed to be worth It.

The Grande has a Good Wireless network and You can watch a lot of Video on Demand from their local cable system. They will give You a Coffee maker in each room and a laundry of two washers and two dryers, for the whole place which You should use late, because they will get really crowded. They will sell You soap at the desk. I brought my own food and tea in so that it was more of a pleasant experience. I think that It's also a Good idea to bring Your own soap because the Soap that they will give You is minuscule.

There are a lot of Fast Food restaurants, Dollar Stores, Cafeterias and a Walmart nearby the Hotel but You will need to get a Taxi in order to reach them. Lancaster Texas is one of the more desirable locations in the Country in order to have an Orientation and they host CFI, DART and KNIGHT there at the same Hotel on different days of the week.

 

Joe,

PM inbound.

KH