Rant on shipping

[Ford850]

Well here it is a day later and 8:45 PM (Tuesday) and tracking says it is out for delivery.

Not sure if I will get it tonight or not but I have to give credit to the shipper if they do get it here tonight

I've had packages "Out for delivery" but they were on the wrong truck. They showed up the following day after being repacked on correct truck route. I've also had one "Out for delivery" but was a day late due to too many trucks packed and not enough drivers or delivery time, so the truck sat there loaded for a day. It seems like we've seen every possible delay in the past year.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

What’s with the post office being a month late delivering mail. I still have to work with COVID going on. They are getting to be about useless.

 

[tradosaurus]

Ordered a generator from Home Depot.
Tracking said "shipping from Hope, Arkansas".
So generator will ship through Texarkana, Tx (where I bought it) on its way to Dallas and then back the other to be delivered to Home Depot.
:laughing::laughing::laughing:
:laughing::laughing:
:laughing:

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I ordered a computer from Costco, it shipped from the warehouse 20 minutes down the road, but they shipped it all over the state before I got it.

 

[Diggin It]

Ordered about 15 items from the Blue box store. For some reason, three items were not in stock and could not be shipped to store, only shipped to home. I go to the store to pick up the in stock items. Next day I get an email, 'your items have been delayed' and the ship date shows about a week out. Finally get the shipping notice, or should I say notices. Three of them. Each item is shipping separately, from three different cities via two different carriers. Item coming via brown carrier gets transferred to red, white and blue and gets to my mail box yesterday.

This morning I get two 'out for delivery' notices from purple and orange. I figure they'll be on the same truck. Nope. Two different trucks show up, about an hour apart.

Somebody failed basic logistics efficiency.

 

[/pine]

For the last 15 years or so I have done business with Eden Bros. seed company and have been very pleased with their seeds and service...I went to place a small order earlier this week and found they wanted $15.00 to mail me 4 small packages of seeds...I am no longer doing business with them...!

 

[Jstpssng]

For the last 15 years or so I have done business with Eden Bros. seed company and have been very pleased with their seeds and service...I went to place a small order earlier this week and found they wanted $15.00 to mail me 4 small packages of seeds...I am no longer doing business with them...!

Seed companies are inundated this year. Off the two companies I normally buy from, one is only taking orders from commercial growers; the other accepts them from noontime every day until they feel they don't want any more. I had my order all filled out, all that I had to do was fill out shipping and payment info; after missing the deadline a few times, last Sunday I pulled over onto the side of the road and completed my order; their site was so inundated that I kept getting booted off every time that I turned a page. I started when they opened at 12:00; ten minutes later they had all that they wanted and stopped taking orders. It wasn't until later that I realized it had gone through, when I received a confirmation letter.

They have free shipping for orders over $30... I exceeded that by quite a bit.

 

[Howling]

FedEx Ground is a contractor operation. Lotof drivers are really owner/operator of truck contracting to FedEx to complete deliverys and make pickups. Some contractors run multiple trucks and hire what dey can find.

Used to be Roadway Package Express till FedEx bought company.

You got good contractor you in de clover, you got bum you up de creek. Chew on shipper best you can do and he deal wid FedEx.
Could maybe buy yer own route if you need exercise.

BuildAGroundBiz: Find Contracting Opportunities

The original RPS drivers were independent and knew how to run a business. After purchase FedEx ramped up scale, recruited drivers in to contractors with operational side training but not business side training. Many failed out because they didn't understand or could not handle the insurance, taxes and other business issues.

There was class action lawsuit of drivers wanting to be classified as employees vs contractors. Fall out from that is there are no more single route FedEx Ground owner/operators. Now the delivery contractors have to run a minimum number of routes (5?). There is more flexibility of type of equipment they run. But no longer a terminal spare truck in case of break down. Few years ago they combined FedEx Ground and Home terminals and started allowing a contractor to have both types of routes.

There is no GPS or tracking in the FedEx Ground trucks because they are not FedEx owned equipment.

Issues with a driver or delivery has to go through a phone chain. Customer support, Contractor coordinator, contractor, driver. Have been there.

FedEx delivery guarantee is optional. You can give it up for better rates.

I have been shipping with RPS, now FedEx Ground and FedEx Express for 20+ years.

Yesterday had a FedEx Ground delivery tucked on mailbox flag and USPS drive up driveway with packages.

 

[user.69169]

Remember de RPS orange & white trucks when it got rolling.

Always sorta thought Roadway had some good thinking going on. Same timeframe Railroad Express was doin all dey could to suicide der business.

Fred Smith saw handwriting on de wall and bought RPX to complement air business. Big Brown was mad as he11 over dat cause dey couldn't try choking Fred like dey did early on when size of his planes was limited. Roadway and RPX had nationwide rights.

Often wondered if Fred saw de slaughter of LTL carriers coming as regulation wet away. Purely evil bustards made a fortune killing good carriers.

 

[Pixguy]

Amazon/Bezos is a crook imo.

Amazon kept $62 million in tips intended for drivers, FTC says - CBS News