Tell me about LTL

[Super 8]

I need to learn more about this.

What sort of hours and days? Shifts?
What is the work like? How is it different from OTR?
Pros and cons of LTL?
What are the good companies?
How do I find out which companies are in my area? They don't seem to be as on display as the OTR companies.
Any other info would be helpful.

I like the company I drive for, but I really would like to have something closer to the hours of a regular job where I come home every day. I have a wife and two small children and I want to spend as much time as I can with them. Weekends are nice but it's just not enough for me.

Sorry if my questions are vague, but I don't know much about LTL.

Thanks

[Ian Williams]

Starting off you are on call and can work any shift. After 6 months-3 years you will get a start time. Some companies have a separate extra board for line (mostly nights) and P&D. The extreme example of this is UPS where you work 6-10 years before getting into a truck or package car. Your income will be variable when you’re on the extra board.

You spend the whole day fighting traffic and dealing with shippers and receivers. The good news is that you will have a 2 axle day cab with a smaller trailer, the bad is that you have go places that were not designed for trucks. My favorite was delivering to the Mercedes Dealership. It was like being back in training, but with $60K cones!

You will pull doubles (aka Wiggle Wagons)in line haul. They don’t off track like a 53’ but you can’t back them up. They jackknife easier than a van.

With the possible exception of some local outfits there are no truly bad companies. There is no LTL version of CRE or Werner.

I work for Con-Way Western and I’m quite happy. ABF, FedEx Freight Old Dominion, Yellow/Roadway/USF, Saia, UPS Freight (FNA Overnight & Motor Cargo) R+L and Southeastern Freight lines are all good companies.

You don’t have to spend a lot of $ on recruiters and want ads like the 200%/yr turnover McMegaCarriers do when you offer 40-50cpm and home every night.
Call or visit you local terminal and ask to speak with the manager or personnel dept.

[Taglio]

Every LTL carrier works different, some get on your case about stops per hour than others, some want you to work on the dock first, some dont make you touch a thing on the dock. Some make you go line-haul first b4 going local, some the other way 'round. If you want to be home daily, you want a local LTL job. Theres lots of cos. out there, look at the smaller ones too.

[roadrage]

www.truckingboards.com this is the website for all ltl companies


Hope this helps and goodluck

[Super 8]

How many hours per week on average?

How many hours per week on average?

Hey Super 8, I'm a LTL city driver (P&D="pickup and delivery") and I usually work anywhere from 40-55 hours per week. I'm home everynight and every weekend and I'm paid by the hour for everything I do. So if the truck breaks down or a customer holds me up I don't really care cause the meter's running. You can tell who's OTR and who's local at the dock because the OTR guys are the ones glaring at the forklift drivers with daggers in their eyes. But if someone's dumb enough to wait around for free then they generally deserve what they get if you ask me. Alot of the LTL's pay overtime after the 8th/40th hour, which makes for some really nice paychecks without having to work round the clock like in OTR.

P&D isn't for everyone, tho. You'll easily hit more docks in a day than an OTR driver does in a week. Depending on your route, you can bang out anywhere from 15-30 stops per day. Usually you'll deliver or pickup a pallet or two although we do have some volume loads as well. 8:30 AM to about 12:00-2:00 PM is generally your timeframe for deliveries, and then 12:00-6:00 PM is when you do your pickups (this varies everyday depending on how fast you go, freight volumes, and when certain customers close).

Because you're paid by the hour, your boss will want you to get as much stuff off/on the truck as you can. So you're usually hustling to get done. However, once you know the roads and your customers, it's a fairly easy job. It's also much more challenging then holding a steering wheel for 11-hours straight. What I like the most is constantly solving problems, meeting people, flirting with the girls, and BSing with other drivers on my route. Sure there's some A-holes, but the majority of people are really cool. There's also a comaradeire amongst LTL P&D drivers that probably doesn't exist anywhere else in trucking.

[Ian Williams]

Frosty makes a good point about the LTL camaraderie. UPS/FedEx/DHL package car drivers and also members of the "club"

There are effectively three different jobs in LTL. City P&D, Dock and Line Driving. Different carriers use different combinations to get the work done.

You can be good a one and suck at the others. I've discovered that I'm most effective behind the wheel of a forklift.

[Snowman7]

I'm a linehaul driver. Modified OTR but I come home every morning. I fill in on bid runs for guys who are off. These are nice runs because you know what you're going to get for the night and when you'll get back. If no one is off then I run the extra board. Extra board is similar to OTR because you dont know what you're gonna get. Yesterday I didnt get back till noon right at my 14th hour. I start between 8-11 pm and work 7-14 hrs depending on freight levels and runs. 1500 to 2500 miles a week @ .45 mile plus drops and hooks. Pulling doubles terminal to terminal so its easier than city work but working nites wears you down. 6 am and your doing the ole head bob but you cant stop cause they need to get the freight for city deliveries plus they need the tractor and besides you're only a couple hours from sleeping in your own bed. Pros and cons to both, I may try the city someday just for the daytime hours.