UPS vs Fedex Express

[K.POP]

Well I am in a dolima and cant make a decsiocion. So I figured where else better to ask then you guys again.

I asked you guys about OTR's in UPS and know you have to go up the ladder to become one. well, I am thinking about applying for a Fedex Express opening as a Corrioer(spl?). pay is $15-$17 from what my brother says. I have been with UPS for almost a year as a package handler. There will be a bidlist up before the December holidays for package drivers. The thing is I am hurting for $$$ since I need to pay bills. I would be getting more hours in as UPS gives me and I am always willing to double shift.

Any suggestions, so far I have been hearing good things about fedex express.

thanks

[BDM]

Hold out for UPS.

[greg3564]

UPS. More overtime, union benefits and pension. Hang in there. UPS is tough in the beginning, but will far outweigh FedEx in the long run.

[Brown67]

Hold on if you can. Had a new driver quit and go to Fedex Express, because he thought he would work fewer hours and make more money. No chance at that. He worked longer days for less money. Fedex Express makes you clock out during the day between the time you finish your deliveries and the time you start picking up. So you could be out 10 hours a day, but only get paid for 8. Stay with UPS if you can. See how many Fedex Express driver made over 70k last year. Most UPS drivers clear 70k to 75k a year with OT. Then benefits. Pension, medical, dental, etc.

[K.POP]

I want to hold to UPS cause i love the atmosphere in the hub its my type...but I am hurting for cash. I guess I could get another part-time job or somthing and work UPS at nite.

Its that my brother said he is gonna get about $17 hr and work 3pm-9pm plus w/e OT he can rack up. The PH's make about $3 more then I am make right now starting. Also he said they get discounts on flights as well as other stuff. The way he made it sound is he is doing easy work. All he did was unload the metro trucks and thats it. I told him thats nothing compared to what I do(sorter). I dunno, I just wanna do whats best for me. To me its feels as if i'm gonna be waiting 3 years before I can even become a driver. I was told PC drives make $15 start which is what fedex does and I can go striaght to driver right now at fedex.

Does UPS raise your pay after a year or 2? I am so ready to move a step up in my career, I am getting bored doing nothing during my off hours. I hurt my arm awhuile back so i can only do one shift sorting or I would double shift.

Basiclly i dont want to leave UPS because i know in the long hual i will be set.

I dunno, i hate being in this situation...I'm so tempted to goto Fedex but dont want to throw a possibly good oppertunity out the window. If you guys where making onkly $150 a week, 4hrs a day...what would you guys do? I really don't care if I have to work long hours, i've ran 16hr days a few times.

the fedex interview is thursday so i have until then to convince myself not to go...Iknow that sounds kinda childish but, to me I see a career in fedex as well.


thanks again any advice would be much apreeciated.

[ben45750]

Yeah, UPS.

[Skywalker]

I vote with the others: UPS!!!

Get a second job if you have to, and hang on to UPS. If you can get past this hurdle and get a promotion or step up...it will be worth it. In the long run, after you get fulltime and are a Teamster....you will have it made. My brother drove for UPS..made darn good money. I ran into one of his friends a year or so ago....this fellow was "retiring" at the age of 55 with a monthly pension of about $3500.00. Not to mention his health benefits, and all the money he had in his "thrift account".

Before you do anything, especially leave UPS, see if you can email "feederfred" who just retired from UPS and get his opinion.....

I understand its hard with a limited income, but "good things come to those that wait"....and frankly if my brother hadn't been working for UPS.... I would have been. They wouldn't hire me because he worked there....

[emperor palpatine]

Why was I under the impression that Fedex was a better co. to work for? I'm confused.

[Brown67]

Get a second part-time or full-time job. Just wait it out and you'll be rewarded. It's hard to wait when you're new at UPS, but very much worth it.
My brother is an airline pilot and has been laid off 2 or 3 times plus pay cuts. Switched to another airline last year after he was laid off from Northwest. Guess who makes more money. Me. Cleared 72k last year as a package driver. It will take my brother another 7 years to make what I am making.

[Brown67]

Why was I under the impression that Fedex was a better co. to work for? I'm confused.

UPS pays better, has better benefits, better pension, and is unionize. Fedex is a good company not saying its bad or anything. UPS just has more going for it.

[dtryanxpress]

so what all do you have to do to become a UPS package driver?

[KATMANN]

As a guy working for FEDEX... I say try for UPS... You WILL be better in the long run... It may take you a while to get full time... Plus, you top out quicker. The last time I checked UPS tops out in 2-3...maybe 4 years... over here at FEDEX..... its closer to 10 nowadays....

Plus, FEDEX has taken away many benefits over the years... Recently they adjusted their retirement system... Thats a different story for a different thread...

Good luck!!!

[Brown67]

Takes 2.5 years to hit full scale in pay. To become a package car driver most everyone starts part-time and waits for a driving job to open up. Everything is based on seniority. The wait to drive varies a lot.
Some areas can be a couple or months to 10 years depending on where you are. Just ask a driver and he can give you an idea of how long it takes in your area. Here in Colorado its taking 3-5 years to go driving.

[emperor palpatine]

I don't wish to hijack this thread...

Brown, is dockworking a better starting place for someone who wants to drive the freight trucks? or is package handling good enough?

[Snowman7]

I don't wish to hijack this thread...

Brown, is dockworking a better starting place for someone who wants to drive the freight trucks? or is package handling good enough?

UPS Parcel and UPS Freight are two seperate divisions and they dont cross hire. You work for one or the other. Freight hires drivers off the street if you have the right endorsements and experience. UPS Freight used to be Overnite until UPS bought us a couple years ago. We're paid well but not as well as UPS Parcel. If you want to drive tractor trailer for UPS Parcel you start as a part time package handler, then move to a package car, then to a tractor trailor driver (called feeder drivers). As Brown67 mentioned its all by seniority and it takes a very long time to get to feeders, in most cases probably more than 10 years.

[Ian Williams]

Takes 2.5 years to hit full scale in pay. To become a package car driver most everyone starts part-time and waits for a driving job to open up. Everything is based on seniority. The wait to drive varies a lot.
Some areas can be a couple or months to 10 years depending on where you are. Just ask a driver and he can give you an idea of how long it takes in your area. Here in Colorado its taking 3-5 years to go driving.

Right now in Reno its 6-8 years to get into a package car or truck.

[lexmark]

up here at my center, we deliver on island of montreal, it seems like there's a bid sheet up for full-time drivers every few months.

The bids for specific runs dont' come up that often though. And to get into feeders, you have to be a full-time driver. I"ve been with UPS almost 2 years and in that time, there was only one posting for feeders and the last guy to get picked had 10 yrs seniority.


K-pop, you could try becoming a combo driver if they still do that there. The only problem with that is you never know if you are going to drive on any given day. When I was doing it last summer, I was getting 45-50hrs a week with the driving and pre-load, but now I'm lucky to get 35.

Anyway, UPS is a pretty good place to work but if you want to move up in the company, you have to get out of the union.

[dtryanxpress]

Some areas can be a couple or months to 10 years depending on where you are. Just ask a driver and he can give you an idea of how long it takes in your area. .

What? Just walk to a random driver and ask "how long does it take to become a UPS driver?"

[Brown67]

Some areas can be a couple or months to 10 years depending on where you are. Just ask a driver and he can give you an idea of how long it takes in your area. .

What? Just walk to a random driver and ask "how long does it take to become a UPS driver?"

Yes, most drivers have a good idea how long its taking for new drivers to come up from the part-time ranks. If they aren't sure our seniority lists are posted in the centers and he can check it to see how long the lowest seniority driver took to become full-time.

[Brown67]

I don't wish to hijack this thread...

Brown, is dockworking a better starting place for someone who wants to drive the freight trucks? or is package handling good enough?

UPS Parcel and UPS Freight are two seperate divisions and they dont cross hire. You work for one or the other. Freight hires drivers off the street if you have the right endorsements and experience. UPS Freight used to be Overnite until UPS bought us a couple years ago. We're paid well but not as well as UPS Parcel. If you want to drive tractor trailer for UPS Parcel you start as a part time package handler, then move to a package car, then to a tractor trailor driver (called feeder drivers). As Brown67 mentioned its all by seniority and it takes a very long time to get to feeders, in most cases probably more than 10 years.

Snowman7 is right on the mark. I just won a feeder bid (tractor trailer) and I've been driving 14 years. Two companies are completely different. No cross over.