Is This Normal For A Truck Driving Job Offer?

I was a receiving supervisor for one of YRC Freight's Customers. Out of all the drivers I interacted with, they all had nothing but positive things to say about YRC.

I've yet to meet a happy YRC driver in person. You get a lot of grumbling going on with the 15% pay cut ( or whatever you wanna call it ). A recurring theme in all the YRC drivers I've met on the road was that they felt 'trapped' because of their seniority, in other words, if they could start all over they would've gone with a different company, but they've got too much to lose by quitting now. A lot of truckers will complain, but I've met plenty of drivers from other companies like UPSF that were very happy.

6 string, Why do you feel the need to constantly bad mouth YRC in here ? It amazes me that you have been in the business less than 2 years and you have worked at one company, yet you are an expert on the entire LTL industry.

The theme around here is not to bash a company or spread bad information without first hand knowledge. Drivers you have met is not first hand knowledge. I have a friend who works at FedEx freight as a linehaul driver and he hates it. He in fact IS trapped by his seniority. He has been there almost 20 years, is near 50 and cant just quit and start over.

Because he hates it that must make FedEx Freight a terrible place to work right ? When I started looking for an LTL job in Indianapolis, he told me the same thing, if he had it to do over, FedEx would be the last place he would work. I have know him for 30 years and he is one of the few people I stay in contact with from high school. In other words, he isnt just some random driver I ran into in a truck stop.

My guess is he is just tired of bouncing around in a day cab and the trucking industry in general after 20 years. His opinion of his employer may be based on his cynical view of the industry and the changes he has seen over 20 years. Doesnt mean FedEx Freight is a terrible place to work.

I have worked for YRC for about 3 months and I run into the same OLD drivers you mention everyday. For the most part, they are the type of people who would complain about winning the lottery because of all the taxes they have to pay.

Roadway and Yellow were bitter rivals and their drivers just didnt like each other. After almost 15 years, that hasnt completely gone away. These guys still talk about being a Roadway driver or a Yellow driver and how one company did it better than the other. People hate change and they just wont let it go. Those attitudes are poison and until those people retire or leave its going to be hard to change that perception.

My experience so far has been very positive. I like the job, the pay and benefits. My biggest complaint would be listening to those negative attitudes in the terminal. Same complaint I had working for Knight OTR. Hang around ANY terminal or truck stop and they are always there, complaining to anyone who will listen. I choose not to listen.

He has been there almost 20 years, is near 50 and cant just quit and start over.

This is BS. Many of us at that age have had to reinvent ourselves in this crappy economy. I have no sympathy for anyone who says 'I can't quit my job' because they have too much invested.

The old days of cradle to grave employment are long gone. Unless you work for the government.

Tyler, I can't believe that YRC is the only LTL that you've found that's currently hiring. I know Old Dominion in Carlisle is currently not hiring, but ABF is right across the street from YRC, and I know they're hiring multiple positions - including road drivers (linehaul). Personally, I'd go with ABF over YRC, but that's me. If you're willing to commute up to Carlisle for YRC, did you try ABF? Have you tried USPF and Fed Ex Freight? I know Estes can be tough to get in touch with their management in York, but I can't believe YRC is all you've found so far. You've also got Conway Freight ( now XPO ), Ward Trucking in Camp Hill, NEMF in Camp Hill. Seriously. There are a ton of LTL options in our area.

I have tried all you have listed except fed ex. I'm heading to Carlisle tomorrow to look around and intend to call you tomorrow

Doug, I'm not bad mouthing any company. I wouldn't recommend YRC to another driver when there are other LTL companies. I'm sorry, but that 15% give back is ridiculous. I don't care how it's spun. Any company that asks its employees for a give back smacks of mismanagement. My view of YRC is not based on slanderous statements from disgruntled drivers.

Tyler, I can't believe that YRC is the only LTL that you've found that's currently hiring. I know Old Dominion in Carlisle is currently not hiring, but ABF is right across the street from YRC, and I know they're hiring multiple positions - including road drivers (linehaul). Personally, I'd go with ABF over YRC, but that's me. If you're willing to commute up to Carlisle for YRC, did you try ABF? Have you tried USPF and Fed Ex Freight? I know Estes can be tough to get in touch with their management in York, but I can't believe YRC is all you've found so far. You've also got Conway Freight ( now XPO ), Ward Trucking in Camp Hill, NEMF in Camp Hill. Seriously. There are a ton of LTL options in our area.

I have tried all you have listed except fed ex. I'm heading to Carlisle tomorrow to look around and intend to call you tomorrow

Fed Ex Freight is a great option for you. They're a little closer than Carlisle. The one thing with ABF is that you don't get vacation time until two years of service.

He has been there almost 20 years, is near 50 and cant just quit and start over.

This is BS. Many of us at that age have had to reinvent ourselves in this crappy economy. I have no sympathy for anyone who says 'I can't quit my job' because they have too much invested.

The old days of cradle to grave employment are long gone. Unless you work for the government.

No, it is not BS. If he were to quit and go to another trucking company, he would have to start over at the bottom of the pay scale, would lose all the vacation time he had built up, etc.. This is not something unique to trucking, of course. People in any line of work invest years of their time and labor to get to the top of the pay and benefits scale. And, at some point they DO have too much invested where they are for it to be practical to quit and start over somewhere else. Maybe this guy has a family that depends upon the income he presently earns.

Its not BS, of course he CAN quit if he wants to go somewhere else and start at the bottom. Why would he ? Why would he take a giant pay cut, go back to working nights and start over ?

He hasnt been laid off, his job hasnt been cut, he just doesnt like it. He doesnt need to re- invent himself in this "crappy economy". In fact, unless he is in a position financially to do something else, it would be really foolish. Quitting a good job, even if you hate it in this " crappy economy" would be pretty irresponsible if you have a family to support or if you think you might want to retire before you die.

Oh and BTW, cradle to the grave employment in the LTL industry IS the norm. In a seniority based employment system, time in the seat is the only way to move up. If you voluntarily leave 20 years of seniority to start at the bottom somewhere else, you must be really unhappy where you are.

6 string,

You are right the 15% giveback was a direct result of mismanagement. What you leave out is that management is gone. YRC is under new management.

What is your opinion based on then ? You keep saying you dont know anyone who works there that is happy and you wouldnt recommend them ? Please tell us what you base this on having never worked there ?

6 string,

You are right the 15% giveback was a direct result of mismanagement. What you leave out is that management is gone. YRC is under new management.

What is your opinion based on then ? You keep saying you dont know anyone who works there that is happy and you wouldnt recommend them ? Please tell us what you base this on having never worked there ?

The 15% give back is enough for me to not wanna work at YRC. Are you saying you don't still give a portion of your check back to your employer because of that 15% cut back deal?

I don't like cutbacks on union pensions either - I'd rather have a 401k. If I was just starting out again, being on call as a new driver isn't very attractive to me, and I'm not a fan of a hog board with seniority. And while equipment might vary depending on the region or terminal , I see mostly older equipment. I think there are better LTLs to work for than YRC - even other union shops like ABF or UPSF. And yes, I'm glad I don't work at a union shop.

None of this is hearsay, rumor, slander or just opinion. You don't have to work at a company to have knowledge of a company. These are reasons not based on stuff you hear about from grumpy drivers. And by the way, I also don't just speak with random YRC drivers that are strangers. One driver I've known for 20 plus years.

There are a couple reasons for you Doug. I've gone into this enough for the sake of answering your questions.