I work for UPS Freight as an LTL diver, just think long and hard that this is indeed what you want. You have good and bad days. Money is ok but you can make more OTR per week with the right company. Your hours can flucuate. Yes, I am home daily but I stay more tired now than when I was OTR, I got more rest OTR. Hope this helps. Bottom line it what you want and will best suit you and your family.

 

When you're bottom man on the totem pole, LTL isn't all $hits and giggles. You get the junk equipment and liftgate trucks with lots of hand-freight. Hours are helter-skelter and you might even find yourself sitting home when freight slows.

But as you build your "strap" (seniority), the tables begin to turn in your favor. You can bid on more preferential runs, better equipment, better hours, etc. Seniority is king in LTL - as it should be.

I've got a 0830 city-bid start time and I work until about 1700 M-F. Lately, I've been working a bit longer because of vacations and call-offs during the summer. At $22.00/hr with OT after 8, I usually gross better than $1,000 per week. Company-provided uniforms with a yearly boot allowance. Home every night and off every weekend. I'll keep this gravy train a-rollin' as long as I can.

With OTR I was out 2-3 weeks, working round the clock making about the same or little better money. No pension and worthless health bennies with high co-pays. $60.00 holiday pay. 2am warehouse deliveries in the Bronx. Going without a shower some days. Trashing my own clothes. Sleeping in parking lots, pickleparks, and truckstops (if I could find a spot - otherwise a deserted get-off ramp). All the freebies and unpaid waiting around. Broken promises from dispatch. No overtime. The list goes on and on and on and on...

 

UPS Freight, not Parcel, there is a difference. Check for an opening near you. If there is one go ahead and apply, you may have a shot. We sometimes train dockworkers to drive so you're a step ahead. You would be a dockworker first and cover city p&d as needed. Should be full time at around $18/hr. Most drivers would rather either city or road so they may not have alot of apps for dock w/cdl and might consider you. then you could switch later with a little seniority and experience.

 

Welp, I went to my UPSF interview today and am sorta confused now that its all over. Maybe I expected better pay, but here is what I learned. They are hiring for road drivers here in KC, and I would be covering the extra board of course. I was told that 90% of what I would be doing would be covering vacations and sick leave for teams. So the team pay is .24 per mile. I was told the low end of the team trucks are about 5000 miles split would be at the low end $600 a wk. You top out at .29 a mile after 3 years. This seems low to me but maybe I'm wrong. If this is the case, I don't think that I will be going with UPSF.

I am wondering if I am missing some pay here? Like hourly for some work? I was told that there would not be any dock work with the team road work, unless I was covering other non-team routes.

So I am confused, can anyone let me know if I have this wrong?

Thanks

 

Dave you would get paid on all miles. The pay .24 cents is after the split. The starting rate for solo is 46 and team is 48 so .24 times all miles. 5000 x .24 = $1200 to you.

 

Plus he should get some hourly too when his freight isn't ready I think..Also what about hooks and drops, ancillary stuff like that..Not too hip on UPS Freight, but I'm pretty sure you guys don't sit for free....

 

Ok, this makes more (cents! (sense) hehe).. I was sorta confused on my assumption. I got it now. Well I guess I need to call up the HR guy and grab this job up!

Thanks!

 

It's $1200 a week. $62400 a year. Not bad at all. $75400 in three years.

 

It's a good gig. Don't delay - somebody else will jump on it.

It's the kind of job where you can retire in 20+ years with a sweet pension. Almost unheard of in trucking these days where so many drivers come and go like the wind.

 

Drops/hooks/fuel are paid at 21.25 hr but a sleeper team would be running long and wouldnt see much pay in that. Alot of times jockeys hook the sets for sleepers anyway. On the other hand I run shorter legs and I drop/hook 3-5 times a nite, which may add up to $50-60 a nite. Delay pay is $13/hr after the first hour. This is one area where I think a union contract could benefit us, the other being free healthcare. Other than that our compensation and pension is right there with the NFMA. I do think the teamsters and UPS will work something out eventually and when they do it will only be better than what we have, maybe closer to parcel, but not exactly the same. Either way its a good job and I'm very happy already. UPS has already grown our business and I'm making damn good money and turning stuff down. I try to keep my hours under 60 but could get closer to 70 if I ran all the miles they offer me! Anyone starting today could be sitting pretty in seniority after 3 years with the way we are growing.