UPS vs. FEDEX, No Contest

glenn bradley

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I have had a few large machines delivered by FEDEX. Never a problem; delivery coordination, schedules and pre-phone calls all done as expected. I am waiting on the second attempt by UPS to perform the same basic function; deliver a box. On Friday I lost most of a workday waiting for a delivery that never came. I called early in the day to confirm the delivery time and the instructions; all was reported as a-ok. An hour after the latest point in time that the delivery should have been made I called again. I was told that the box hadn't made the truck . . . oops.

Arrangements were made for a second attempt today but, since they already cost me most of a day's work, could the driver call me prior to leaving the drop just before mine so I can meet him for delivery?. You guessed it, "sure, no problem. Should he use this number?" ANyway, I get a call to tell me the driver is sitting in the driveway. I say "no problem, I'll be there in 15 minutes." I get there in 8 minutes and . . . wait for it . . . no truck. I call the number and am told the driver got impatient and left. I keep my cool but do mention that 8 minutes ago, they had agreed to 15 minutes. Ah, the driver had actually already left before he even called in, they will send him right back - web of lies - :rolleyes:.

Anyway, I have now cost my employer another hour of my time and still no truck.

FEDEX is sooooo much better at this than UPS.
 
Wonder if it is the driver? My FedEx guy will dump something off of his truck on my driveway regardless of weather. My UPS guy, he runs his route so he comes up the drive behind my bus and can hand me my packages. (dang, getting more packages than I should!!)
 
I have the opposite problem. The FedEx drivers (several different ones) just dump stuff off, sorta next to the house, in the driveway, regardless of weather, and regardless of whether anyone is home. A couple winters ago, I actually hit a FedEx package with the plow - it was delivered while it was snowing, and got covered up. We'd been home all day on delivery day, but nobody ever rang the doorbell.

The UPS driver will deliver it to hand. He even stops by the shop to see what I'm making. If nobody's home, he'll leave packages on the porch, but always behind the planters so the package can't be seen from the street.
 
I have had issues with UPS in the past. Both UPS and FedEx seem to give good service these days. They will leave packages on my covered porch. Even my USPS guy is very good about that.
 
The title obviously was intended to stimulate discussion. I have never had issues with UPS before but, I have never used UPS-Freight. I'm sure like many localized problems, management is to blame. If it is bad people, management should fix that; there's a ton of folks looking to work ;-). IF it is bad process, management should fix that too. In this case I think it is bad procedure. Poor process handling, communications and general moral seem to be a top-down problem so I don't think the troops are to blame on this one.

The driver was as nice as could be and hauled the delivery into the shop without question, inspected the box, noticed a small tear and asked if I wanted to open it up for a look; no complaints there. The breakdown in this particular incidence came from the dispatcher telling me one thing, failing to document or pass on what was promised. This resulted in the driver never getting the word to call ahead and created a second sub-optimal delivery attempt for everyone. FedEx-Freight calls days ahead, gives you a 2 hour window, calls the morning of and 30 minutes before delivery if requested. I am sure both have good days and bad. I have just never seen FedEx-Freights bad side yet ;).
 
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Just for general edumacation purposes...

UPS-freight is what used to be Overnight, several years ago UPS bought Overnight, and the 'freight' side of UPS was born.

Fed-ex's freight arm is what used to be a couple of different players...

copied from fedex's 'about' page:
FedEx Freight
FedEx Freight is the leading U.S. provider of next- and second-day regional, less-than-truckload (LTL) freight services. FedEx Freight is known for exceptional service, reliability and on-time performance.​
In 1966, Viking Freight opened its doors in 1966 as a courier service within selected areas of California and rapidly grew to be the state's leading intrastate trucking carrier. By 1986, Viking's service area covered 10 western states, including Alaska and Hawaii.
In 1988, Viking became a subsidiary of Caliber System Inc. During the next ten years, Viking solidified its position as the market leader in the West and periodically expanded its reach beyond its western regional territory. In January 1998, Federal Express Corp. acquired Caliber System and created FedEx Corporation, a global provider of transportation, e-commerce and supply chain management services.
Meanwhile, American Freightways (AF) was founded in 1982 by Sheridan Garrison. Despite regulatory and economic obstacles, AF quickly became the fastest-growing, independently-owned regional LTL carrier in the nation. In 1989, AF became a publicly-held corporation and by 2001 had developed a wide network of customer centers – providing 100 percent direct coverage to 40 contiguous U.S. states.
American Freightways was acquired by FedEx Corporation in 2001. By combining Viking and AF, FedEx Corp. created FedEx Freight to offer one-stop shopping for LTL customers who require top-quality, highly reliable regional freight service. In June 2002, FedEx re-branded AF and Viking as FedEx Freight to accelerate growth of regional LTL freight business through a common branding system. Through a comprehensive network of service centers and with timely, accurate information systems, FedEx Freight is committed to delivering reliable, responsive LTL service throughout the U.S. and beyond.
In 2006, FedEx Corp. acquired Watkins Motor Lines, a leading provider of long-haul LTL services. Watkins was rebranded FedEx National LTL and now operates as a separate network within the FedEx Freight segment.
Today, FedEx Freight is the less-than-truckload shipping industry leader in the U.S.
 
I retired from FedEx, 5 years driving, 15 years dispatching, 6 years as a dispatch manager. All I can say is if you have a problem with a FedEx delivery or driver make sure you call them and let them know. We took customer complaints very seriously due to all the competition out there. Most people wont call so the problems never get corrected. From the drivers side, as you know, everything today is productivity. These guys are rated by stops per hour, dont make your stops per hour goals and you could be looking for a new job.
 
I've never had a problem with fed ex. Not too many problems with UPS but because of the problems I've had in the past I always ship/request fed ex.

I've called ups no less than 5 times in the past year to complain about their driver speeding on my road. Once he went around the school bus while I was waiting for my grand daughter:gonnagetit:

I'm not sure about fed ex but I've heard that ups really puts a lot of pressure on their drivers to get their runs done real fast.
 
I think this goes to show that it IS the employees that make or break a company. All the company policies dont mean a thing if they are not followed by the employee. Sometimes employees make up for lack of company policies as well.
 
when i ordered the pepper mills, ups showed up way late, well past the 7 pm deadline for deliveries to residences. it seems that they were also delivering the first wave of apple's new iphone, and were just swamped, as the phone deliveries had priority. when he did show up, he apologized profusely. he said that he had another 3 hrs worth of deliveries for the day, he was on overtime.
 
Both my Grizzly table saw and jointer were delivered by FedEx Freight. Each time the driver (different drivers each time) called ahead to say he was nearby and when here, cheerfully wheeled my new toy into the garage and offered to take the pallet. My buddy's big Grizzly planer was delivered in similar fashion after the driver had to back down a long narrow private road. I'm impressed by the FedEx good service.
 
As a shipping manager for a number of companies, I worked with UPS and FEDEX for almost 40 years... they each have their strengths and their weaknesses... most come from the drivers.... but in defense of the drivers, they also have time schedules that they get penalized for violating... our FEDEX driver when I was with one company was very personable and would stand and talk a minute or two, because his next stop was appointment stop and if he was early we could visit... otherwise, he dropped and picked and ran.... UPS has the same....

Here at my location now, the UPS driver almost never gets by my house before 6:30 pm... he'll almost skid to a stop at the bottom of my driveway, zip up the driveway backwards, throwing gravel and digging my driveway up... but he always has a treat for the dog when he jumps out, will take a second to scratch her ears and always leaves the package on the front porch right by the door.... Fedex doesn't come by often, but she's usually in and out in about 2 minutes... also leaves packages on the front porch next to the front door.... various times of the day.
 
I really think it depends on the individual driver, regardless of the company.

Most of my largest tools were delivered by FedEx. I have never had a problem with them. The driver helped muscle my MM-16 up a 80' driveway to my shop. When my 8" jointer delivered, the driver offered to help me get to the shop but it had been raining for a couple days and was currently raining. I elected to get it onto my carport until the weather cleared.

The UPS driver just drops stuff off but usually under my carport roof. That is where my Oneida DC ended up.
 
I think this goes to show that it IS the employees that make or break a company. All the company policies dont mean a thing if they are not followed by the employee. Sometimes employees make up for lack of company policies as well.

Tom i am 1000% behind your comment. Keep trying to get this message through to small business owners. But they dont get it. :)

Up here i have had equal service from both companies.
 
I really think it depends on the individual driver, regardless of the company.

Most of my largest tools were delivered by FedEx. I have never had a problem with them. The driver helped muscle my MM-16 up a 80' driveway to my shop. When my 8" jointer delivered, the driver offered to help me get to the shop but it had been raining for a couple days and was currently raining. I elected to get it onto my carport until the weather cleared.

The UPS driver just drops stuff off but usually under my carport roof. That is where my Oneida DC ended up.

I had one large item that would only be road dropped. The driver did allow, didn't help, me to slide from his truck lift gate onto the back of my pick up. Another one only left on the road. I had to unpack and there and take in back of house to shop. Another I had delivered to a local factory loading dock (I know the factory owner, he was cooperative) and had to hire a local trucker to take to my house. UPS once spilled a semen tank and cost me a huge loss. And, they refused to make good.
 
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