If you live somewhere where yellow has a small end of line terminal or just a relay you might get lucky. It will be harder to get into one of these places, because people dont leave. You will have no trouble getting hired at a large break bulk terminal, but you will live and die by the phone waiting. I was laid off 3 times my first year, but only once my second, however I still was not working with any consistency. By the way-they dont care if you have a mortgage to pay. It is a huge company and you truly are just a number.

 

From a pay and benefits standpoint Conway is a very good job in the east, especially if your talking about the city. Top pay at CF is 22.50, FXF is 20.65, both pay OT at 8/40, CF has free family medical, FXF is expensive, CF has a paid pension plan (although they just eliminated it for new hires), FXF doesn't (there are rumors of one soon). For road drivers I would give an edge to FXF although both top out at .54 but CF starts at .399 and takes 5 yrs and FXF starts at .45 and takes three years. Attitude and moral is way better at FXF so I would agree with you but you cant always choose who you work for and a guy could do alot worse than Conway. I interviewed at FXF months ago and never got called. On a side note I just got back from an interview with UPS Freight and was offered a road job, pending my background check so here we go again! First Yellow, then Conway now UPSF. I hope this one sticks, I'm pretty excited. Home daily and full time work at .44/mi.

 

Okay thanks guys, I guess I just need to shop around a bit.

I heard back from my friend that works for FedEx and he said right now they are having problems in this area so a lot of the freight is being diverted to another major hub, but once it is resolved he will let me know.

I guess first I'll put my app in at FedEx, then UPS and go from there.

I actually really like where I'm at, it pisses me off they've gone to a 4 day work week for all the drivers. Right now I'm working 5 days a week but that will change once we hire some replacements.

they've switched to this so that when people are on vacation or sick the routes are easier to fill. I can't imagine they need ALL the drivers to be on a 4 day work week though, I wish we could bid on a 5 day work week.

I don't know if I have enough seniority but it would be nice to know some day I might be 5 days a week every week.

It is really tough losing $200 a week.

 

Is ups freight the old overnight division. Just curious where you are in Ohio. That sounds pretty good if they are giving you a schedule and full time. How did you apply, was it in the paper or did you just go there.

 

A guy I work with now came from Fed Ex. He said he was always on call and when he worked the city they would not allow any overtime. I dont know if that is how it is everywhere with them, but just letting you know.

 

Yes it was Overnite. I tried to go in but you have to apply on the internet. I was surprised to get a call.

 

When I applied they told me the same things. As a city job its no better than Conway. The road jobs are good but around here you start in the city and bid for the road. I guess some places out west hire off the street for road but I dont know. Who do you work for? Sorry if you already posted it.

 

I used to work for Yellow, but now I haul fuel locally. Pretty good gig. I have a set 5 day work week. the only bad part is I have to work nights and weekends. At upsf will you just be doing turns. Do they give you a schedule or are you on call. Is it daytime mon-fri.

 

This is pretty much true for all the union LTL companies, as senoirty is everything. Expect to live by the phone for at least a couple of years (if not longer) before you can "bid" on preferntial runs/starting times. Still, even a casual can make $40,000/year and rate top-flite Teamster benefits with no out of pocket expenses.

Seniority is everything at most LTL companies. It determines when you can take vacations, when you can take personal leave time, whether you can nab that line-haul run that was just posted, start times, layoffs...etc, etc, etc.

At Yellow, it takes awhile to get guys under you on the totem pole because the turnover rate is only about 3-6% among drivers with seniority (compare that number to the 130% OTR churn rates!). Thus, the only way you move up at alot of these companies is if someone dies or retires.

Right now, many of the union (and non-union) LTL companies are top-heavy with baby-boomer generation drivers who will be retiring in years to come. So this is a great time to get in as you will probably move up quicker than in years past. That's why I tell alot of guys in their 20's - 30's to avoid OTR and get their foot in the door at a good LTL company.

 

Unfortunately at the yellow terminal in Cleveland, they did not offer start times or bids-no matter how long you had been there. They have an East board, West board, and extra board. If you were on the East or West board you could preference where you wanted to go, but were not guaranteed to get it, nor were you guaranteed when you would go. This was true for someone who has been there 30 yrs-doesnt matter. Obviously the more seniority you had the more likely it was that you would be called for the time you signed up for, but not guaranteed. You still had to wait on the phone even with all the seniority in the world. Not all terminals work that way, but Cleveland does. And also you had to have 3 starts in a week to keep your health insurance. If you were available and they didnt call you, you had insurance. If you took unpaid time off and didnt get 3 starts you better not get sick or in an accident.