Step 1
Documented verbal warning
- Trigger
- First occurrence of a correctable issue — late start, missed scan, uniform, minor service failure.
- Record
- Supervisor notes only. Not in the personnel file.
Free Policy Template
How Many Write-Ups Before Termination?
Three, in most FedEx Ground ISP handbooks — verbal, written, final — with termination on the fourth occurrence. But FedEx does not set that rule. You do. Here is the full ladder, the look-back window that decides when it resets, and a policy you can adopt today.
Updated · By FleetWage HR Operations
The short answer
There is no FedEx write-up policy for contractor drivers. Drivers on FedEx Ground routes are employees of the independent service provider that holds the CSA, and each ISP writes its own discipline policy. The common structure is three documented steps before termination — verbal warning, written warning, final warning — with a 12-month look-back window and a separate list of offenses that skip every step.
That distinction matters more than it sounds. Drivers frequently search for “the FedEx termination policy” expecting a corporate rulebook to appeal to, and contractors sometimes assume one exists to inherit. Neither is true. FedEx Ground sets service standards and can require that a driver be removed from its network, but the employment relationship — hiring, discipline, pay, termination — sits entirely with the contractor. If you run a CSA, the policy below is yours to set, and having none is a choice with consequences.
The four-step escalation ladder
Each step has a trigger, a record, and a document. Skipping the paperwork on any of them collapses the whole ladder at an unemployment hearing.
Step 2
Written warning (write-up)
- Trigger
- Same or related issue repeats inside the look-back window, or a first occurrence serious enough to skip Step 1.
- Record
- Signed by employee and supervisor. Filed in the personnel record.
Step 3
Final warning or PIP
- Trigger
- Third occurrence, or a second occurrence of a serious issue. Often paired with a suspension of one to three days.
- Record
- Signed, filed, and explicitly states that the next occurrence ends employment.
Step 4
Termination
- Trigger
- Any further occurrence after a final warning that is still inside the look-back window.
- Record
- Full documentation packet, final paycheck per state deadline, equipment and scanner recovery.
Offenses that skip the ladder
Progressive discipline exists to correct behavior that can be corrected. These cannot, and running a driver through three warnings for any of them creates liability rather than protecting you from it. List them explicitly in the handbook so the decision is never improvised.
- Positive DOT drug or alcohol test, or refusal to test
- Falsifying delivery scans, DVIRs, hours-of-service logs, or timecards
- Theft of packages, fuel, or company property
- Violence, credible threats, or weapons on company property
- Driving on a suspended, revoked, or disqualified license
- Leaving the scene of an accident or failing to report one
- Gross insubordination or refusing a lawful direct instruction
- Any conduct that costs the ISP its FedEx contract eligibility
Progressive discipline policy template
Copy this into your handbook and replace the bracketed values. Have an employment attorney in your state review it before you distribute it — a policy that promises more process than you intend to follow is worse than no policy at all.
Progressive Discipline Policy — [Company name]
1. Purpose
[Company name] uses progressive discipline to correct performance and conduct issues while giving employees a fair, documented opportunity to improve. Nothing in this policy alters the at-will employment relationship, and [Company name] reserves the right to begin discipline at any step — including termination — based on the severity of the conduct.
2. Steps
Discipline normally proceeds in four steps: (1) documented verbal warning, (2) written warning, (3) final written warning, which may include an unpaid suspension of one to three days or a Performance Improvement Plan, and (4) termination of employment.
3. Look-back period
Active discipline remains on record for [12] months from the date issued. A step expires at the end of that period if no further occurrence of the same or a related issue takes place. Once every step has expired, the next occurrence restarts at Step 1.
4. Related conduct
Steps escalate across related categories, not only identical incidents. A written warning for a missed start time followed by a missed delivery window escalates to Step 3, because both fall under attendance and service reliability.
5. Immediate termination
Certain conduct results in termination without progressive steps, including safety violations, falsification of records, theft, violence, positive DOT testing, and any conduct that jeopardizes the company's FedEx Ground contract. See the schedule of immediate-termination offenses attached to this policy.
6. Documentation
Every step is documented on the day it occurs, describes specific and observable behavior with dates, states the standard that was not met, sets a measurable expectation, and is signed by the supervisor. Written steps are signed by the employee; a refusal to sign is noted on the form and witnessed, and does not invalidate the discipline.
7. Consistency
This policy is applied identically to every employee in the same role. Any deviation must be approved in writing by [owner or HR contact] and the reason recorded.
8. Acknowledgement
I have received and read the progressive discipline policy of [Company name]. I understand that my employment is at will and that [Company name] may end it at any time, with or without cause or notice. Employee signature: ______________________ Date: ____________
The clause most ISPs get wrong
Section 3, the look-back period. Without it, a write-up issued three years ago is either permanently live or quietly ignored, and which one it turns out to be tends to depend on how the supervisor feels about the driver. That is exactly the pattern a discrimination claim is built from. Pick a window, write it down, and let it expire on schedule for everyone.
Write-up and termination questions
- How many write-ups before termination at a FedEx ISP?
- Three is the most common structure: a documented verbal warning, a written warning, then a final written warning, with termination on the next occurrence. That makes termination the fourth step. FedEx Ground does not set this policy — each independent service provider is a separate employer and writes its own. Severe conduct such as a positive DOT test, falsified scans, theft, or violence skips the ladder entirely and results in immediate termination.
- Does FedEx have a company-wide write-up policy for contractor drivers?
- No. Drivers on FedEx Ground routes are employed by the independent service provider that holds the CSA, not by FedEx. FedEx sets service standards and can require that a driver be removed from its network, but discipline, documentation, and termination are the contractor's responsibility. If you searched for the FedEx write-up policy and you drive for an ISP, the policy that governs you is in your employer's handbook.
- How long does a write-up stay on file?
- Most ISPs use a 12-month look-back window: a write-up stays active for a year, and if no related issue occurs in that time it expires and the ladder resets. Some use 6 months for attendance and 12 for performance. Whichever you choose, put the number in writing and apply it to everyone — an inconsistent look-back window is one of the easiest things for a plaintiff's attorney to attack. Note that expiring from the discipline ladder is not the same as deleting the record; keep personnel files for at least three years to satisfy FLSA recordkeeping.
- Can I fire a driver without any write-ups?
- In every state except Montana, employment is at will, so yes — you can terminate without progressive discipline as long as the reason is not unlawful. The practical problem is proof. Without documentation you will likely lose the unemployment claim, and if the driver alleges discrimination or retaliation you have no record showing the real reason. Progressive discipline is not a legal requirement; it is your evidence.
- Should suspensions be paid or unpaid?
- For non-exempt drivers, an unpaid disciplinary suspension is permitted — you only owe wages for hours actually worked. Investigatory suspensions are a different matter: many employers pay them to avoid any suggestion the outcome was predetermined, and to keep the driver available. Exempt employees are far more restricted; unpaid disciplinary suspensions of exempt staff generally must be full days and tied to a written policy on serious workplace conduct, or the exemption can be lost.
- What if the driver refuses to sign the write-up?
- Note it on the form — "Employee declined to sign, [date], witnessed by [name]" — and have a second supervisor initial it. A signature only confirms receipt, never agreement, so a refusal changes nothing about the validity of the discipline. Give the driver a copy regardless and offer space to add a written rebuttal, which strengthens rather than weakens the record.
- Does a write-up affect a driver's FedEx scorecard or RYDE score?
- No. Internal discipline is an employment record held by the contractor. Scorecard and RYDE metrics come from FedEx systems and measure delivery performance, safety events, and scan compliance. The two are related in practice — a driver generating safety events will usually be generating write-ups too — but a write-up is not reported to FedEx and does not appear in any FedEx system.
- Do I need a written policy at all?
- No law requires one, but running without it means you are inventing the rule each time and can never prove you applied it consistently. Consistency is the whole defense in a discrimination claim: if two drivers commit the same violation and only one is fired, the written policy and the documentation are what separate a defensible decision from an expensive one.
General information for FedEx Ground ISP contractors, not legal advice. Employment law varies by state and Montana is not an at-will state. Have counsel review any policy before you adopt it.
Discipline is documentation. So is payroll.
The same records that defend a termination defend a wage claim. FleetWage keeps hours, rates, bonuses, and overtime calculations on file per driver and per CSA — so when someone asks how you arrived at a number, you can show them.
Related HR resources
Resource
Employee Write-Up Form
The form itself — severity levels, sample language by violation, and signature blocks.
Read more →
Resource
Termination Letter Template
Separation letter language, final paycheck timing, and what never to put in writing.
Read more →
Resource
Termination & Offboarding Checklist
Final paycheck rules, equipment return, COBRA notice, and scanner deactivation.
Read more →
Resource
Verbal Warning Template
Step 1 of the ladder — what to say, what to record, and where to file it.
Read more →
Resource
Performance Improvement Plan
Step 3 in writing, with measurable targets and a defined review date.
Read more →
Guide
Driver Retention Guide
Why drivers leave, and how discipline that feels fair keeps the good ones.
Read more →