Truck Driving Jobs

greg3564 · #11 08-24-2007, 05:10 AM

Stay away from Coke. I worked for them too. Throwing hundreds of cases every day in the cold, rain, snow and heat sucks. Then your body just takes a beating. Your back, neck and shoulders lock up. Your legs are jelly at the end of the day. And the worse for me was my hands and especially my fingers hurt so damn bad I could hardly move them.

Then you have to help build those horrendous displays. You know the ones you see in stores for the Super Bowl. It takes you and some other guy hours to build this on friday and hours again to tear it down on monday, and then you still have your regular deliveries to make those days.

The money can be good. But in the long run your body will pay the price. There are other driving jobs out there where the only unloading you need to do is with a pallet jack.

Double R · #12 08-24-2007, 02:08 PM

I come to the conclusion that ALL Coke and Pepsi warehouses are the same. CCE and Pepsi are always looking for drivers in the Pittsburgh area. I know a few drivers that worked for both and they all say the samething. Stay away. They are going down hill fast. CCE and Pepsi use to be the job to have around here. Great pay, benifits, ETC. Anymore they are the place to avoid. I have down Foodservice for four years and HHG for four. Your going to get a work out and yur body will take a hit. Check your local Keebler(Kelloggs snacks) warehouse and see if they are hiring. Since you said that you don't mind physical work. I started at the one in Pittsburgh about a month ago. It's union and you start in the warehouse as a relief driver BUT the work is easy. All hourly pay. That's it. No case count, stop pay, ETC. Or try SYGMA. I hear that they are decent to work for but stay away from CCE.

Sheepdancer · #13 08-24-2007, 02:14 PM

Keep in mind that if you are driving one of those sidebay trailers, a lot of companies arent going to count that as experience if you ever want to switch jobs.

Double R · #14 08-24-2007, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sheepdancer

Keep in mind that if you are driving one of those sidebay trailers, a lot of companies arent going to count that as experience if you ever want to switch jobs.

And 35' trailers. Some of CCE's warehouses are getting rid of sideload and going to some pups. I have that same problem. I have driven mostly 48' and 28' trailers. Most OTR compaines would not treat that as experience. I do have 6 months pulling a 53' but that is another story.

dk1ben · #15 08-24-2007, 11:09 PM

No good stuff about this company? LOL well that made the choice easy. Thanks again.

unkut2003 · #16 08-24-2007, 11:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dk1ben

No good stuff about this company? LOL well that made the choice easy. Thanks again.

Well there is one good thing...... they are established around the world and their "competition" is only in the U.S. So the job will always be there..... if your into slavery and peanuts that is.... :lol:

dk1ben · #17 08-25-2007, 01:04 AM

ok i do have one question with all that info you shared with me. how can you work a shift over 11 hours in a 14 hour period and still drive legally? or does this rule not apply to this type of work or this style of truck?

another thing i thought of while reading these posts is while i was there for the interview i am pretty sure every day shift driver was back at base between 2 and 4 pm. i know this because i arrived for my interview at 2 but the interview didnt start until 4. that was my fault, i was scheduled at 4. so i sat in the parking lot until then. watched what i figure to be the majority of the fleet since it filled the lot up pretty close to full. and while i was on the tour the night shift drivers were prepping there trucks and the loaders were loading. this was all right around 4:30. there couldnt of been to many trucks still out since night shift drivers were in and ready to go. or maybe the night shift has fewer drivers? but he did tell me that most drivers are back at base and heading home between 2 and 3.

any thoughts?

unkut2003 · #18 08-25-2007, 01:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dk1ben

ok i do have one question with all that info you shared with me. how can you work a shift over 11 hours in a 14 hour period and still drive legally? or does this rule not apply to this type of work or this style of truck?

another thing i thought of while reading these posts is while i was there for the interview i am pretty sure every day shift driver was back at base between 2 and 4 pm. i know this because i arrived for my interview at 2 but the interview didnt start until 4. that was my fault, i was scheduled at 4. so i sat in the parking lot until then. watched what i figure to be the majority of the fleet since it filled the lot up pretty close to full. and while i was on the tour the night shift drivers were prepping there trucks and the loaders were loading. this was all right around 4:30. there couldnt of been to many trucks still out since night shift drivers were in and ready to go. or maybe the night shift has fewer drivers? but he did tell me that most drivers are back at base and heading home between 2 and 3.

any thoughts?

Ok, Coca Cola IS supposed to follow all D.O.T. regulations, but they "sneek" around them. Your not allowed to drive more then 11 and off 3, but they consider your "off" time part of the delivery time.... since your not driving and off the roads/truck!!! So yes, you WILL see MANY 14 hour days of throwin cases and HATE it!!! Then you'll start to see that everything you read days, weeks, or months ago on this site was putting it lightly to say the least! Oh, and about the night drivers, yes, there are less. Most stores/carryouts/ect will only accept day deliveries... but Speedway, Barneys, B.P., Pizza places, ect.... will and prefer PM deliveries.... so thats where the whole PM routes originated. Here in Toledo, there was myself and another PM driver, and 1 utility driver, or driver merch, whatever you wanna call it. And we ALWAYS stomped Cincy's numbers, haha!! But thats because of the base+commission factor.... EVERY driver busts ass to keep his pay rate high enough to consider the work/hours even worth part of the effort.... :roll: But most AM drivers will arrive between 5-6 am and if its anywhere near a O.K. day, you'll be off in 8-10 hours, and make the same money as if you worked 5 hours, haha! thus the bustin ass and EXTREMELY HIGH injury rate of the beverage industry!!! Any more questions.... feel free to ask. The only "dumb" question is the one you don't ask..... 8)

greg3564 · #19 08-25-2007, 01:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dk1ben

ok i do have one question with all that info you shared with me. how can you work a shift over 11 hours in a 14 hour period and still drive legally? or does this rule not apply to this type of work or this style of truck?

another thing i thought of while reading these posts is while i was there for the interview i am pretty sure every day shift driver was back at base between 2 and 4 pm. i know this because i arrived for my interview at 2 but the interview didnt start until 4. that was my fault, i was scheduled at 4. so i sat in the parking lot until then. watched what i figure to be the majority of the fleet since it filled the lot up pretty close to full. and while i was on the tour the night shift drivers were prepping there trucks and the loaders were loading. this was all right around 4:30. there couldnt of been to many trucks still out since night shift drivers were in and ready to go. or maybe the night shift has fewer drivers? but he did tell me that most drivers are back at base and heading home between 2 and 3.

any thoughts?

When I worked there the drivers and merchandisers all started between 4am and 6am. They hit the bigger 24 hour customers first and then everyone else as the day goes. You can count on working 50+ hours per week. More during the holidays.

ajritter04 · #20 08-25-2007, 01:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dk1ben

ok i do have one question with all that info you shared with me. how can you work a shift over 11 hours in a 14 hour period and still drive legally? or does this rule not apply to this type of work or this style of truck?

another thing i thought of while reading these posts is while i was there for the interview i am pretty sure every day shift driver was back at base between 2 and 4 pm. i know this because i arrived for my interview at 2 but the interview didnt start until 4. that was my fault, i was scheduled at 4. so i sat in the parking lot until then. watched what i figure to be the majority of the fleet since it filled the lot up pretty close to full. and while i was on the tour the night shift drivers were prepping there trucks and the loaders were loading. this was all right around 4:30. there couldnt of been to many trucks still out since night shift drivers were in and ready to go. or maybe the night shift has fewer drivers? but he did tell me that most drivers are back at base and heading home between 2 and 3.

any thoughts?

The HOS regulations allow one 16 hour day for drivers who operate within 150 air miles of the location they are dispatched out of. Conveniently enough, I only had a run like that once a week...... :roll:

As for the guys arriving between 2 - 4...that's entirely possible. Find out what time they usually leave by. I remember at the Pepsi plant here, we had one route driver who would come in between 3:30am and 4am and he would usually roll back into the yard around 3pm...well before most of the other guys.

Obviously, it's up to you if you want to take the job or not. But in the end you'll end up working yourself to death, will be injured frequently, and will be burned out in a relatively short period of time and all while earning a relatively low wage compared to the work you are doing.