AdamDev

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When you are looking for a FedEx business to purchase you see the ads, absentee owner! Turn key!  5 hours of work per week!

If you work 5 hours a week running a business the chances are you probably are not on top of what’s going on.  Being a former owner myself I have been in the trenches and wanted to paint a realistic picture of what a typical day is like for a FedEx contractor, and how you can set up your company to run efficiently.

Every day I would arrive around 6am-7am and go and check the mail.  The mail consist of customer complaints, mis-delivered packages, and other important notes.  Most FedEx stations have a report in the check in room at how many stops and packages each route has and I make sure the routes are balanced out. You also have access to the vision in bound report on mygroundbiz the night before to make any changes.  If we need to make any adjustments I would note what route, and go out to the belt (dock) to make the adjustments.

After gathering the numbers and any mail I would make my way to the belt, help my drivers load the packages if necessary, balance the routes out and help assist pulling the packages off one truck and on to the other truck.  I would always have a daily safety message for my drivers and address any issues from the previous day.  Drivers go into check in, grab their scanners and pick up list for the day.  They return to the belt to finish loading any packages.

Dispatch typically occurs at 8am at our station, drivers would leave once they where loaded and cleared by the belt manager.  It is very important to make sure the drivers loads are balanced out in the morning prior to dispatch.  This helps save fuel, wear on the vehicle, and time.  During the day I’m organizing and documenting any items from the previous day.  I’m also doing payroll reports, monthly maintenance logs, scheduling maintenance, and dealing with any emergencies such as break downs.  When that happens I would go get a rental truck and take it out to the driver and help them finish up their day.

By late afternoon I would call and check on each driver, check to see how many stops they had, asked them if they were good to complete their pick ups on time.  This is where most contractors start to have issues.  You must communicate with your drivers each day and be ready to manage!  If one driver needed help the first driver to get done would go and assist that driver.  But wait!  You said that you would balance the load in the morning! That’s right!  But you encounter traffic, maybe a dock was not available and held your driver up for 30 minutes, the train thought it would be a good day to block the road, a billy goat got in your truck.  (True story.)  Drivers always texted me once they were done for the day and they were leaving the hub.

Once the drivers were back in I would take the trucks across the street to our mobile mechanic to have maintenance done on the trucks.  This could have been a oil change, brakes, tune up, etc.  This was about once a month.  I would come in at 6pm and I would head home by 9pm.

So in conclusion is the routes absentee?  Some can be.  With FedEx wanting larger contractors you can put a manager in place to oversee your operation and have a turn key op.  I would still want to come in and see my drivers and trucks.  Drivers respect their boss when they see them getting their hands dirty. I would recommend to anyone wanting to buy a FedEx business to come in on a regular basis even if it’s just for an hour or two.  20 hours per week is the average a contractor works.  You will have some weeks you may work 50 hours per week.  Overall the business is very rewarding for those that want to grow along side a fortune 50 company.

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