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

 

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!!!

 

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.

 

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.

 

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

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.