Any ABF Drivers Here?
Topic 19507 | Page 1
I'll respond in a bit.
Saying any one company is "the best" can be rather subjective. Personally, I think there are better companies to work for when talking about ABF. I looked at ABF myself. Unless they changed, one big turn-off is no vacation earned until your 2 year anniversary. And this might depend on the terminal , but ABF is like YRC in that when you first start out in linehaul , you're on call. That means you could be called in to work at any time. You're married to your phone. You didn't say if you were interested in linehaul or P&D. Between ABF and YRC, I'd pick ABF. YRC has a mandatory percentage pay giveback that the union voted on, which I think is bunk. With the union shops, I'd be hard-pressed to pick between UPSF or ABF.
With LTL , companies tend to huddle up together in strategic areas for freight lanes. So, if you have an ABF terminal nearby, you probably have other LTLs. ABF is union. I don't know if that matters to you or not.
I'm a linehaul driver with Old Dominion. If I didn't work at OD, I'd be looking at Fed Ex Freight, Estes, and possibly XPO. SAIA is a solid company. Pitt-Ohio and Ward are other options in the northeast. You don't have your location on your profile.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
- FedEx Freight
- Con-way
- YRC Freight
- UPS
- Old Dominion
- Estes
- Yellow-Roadway
- ABF Freight
- R+L Carrier
P&D:
Pickup & Delivery
Local drivers that stay around their area, usually within 100 mile radius of a terminal, picking up and delivering loads.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) carriers for instance will have Linehaul drivers and P&D drivers. The P&D drivers will deliver loads locally from the terminal and pick up loads returning to the terminal. Linehaul drivers will then run truckloads from terminal to terminal.
Linehaul:
Linehaul drivers will normally run loads from terminal to terminal for LTL (Less than Truckload) companies.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) carriers will have Linehaul drivers and P&D drivers. The P&D drivers will deliver loads locally from the terminal and pick up loads returning them to the terminal. Linehaul drivers will then run truckloads from terminal to terminal.
ABF is still one of the better LTL companies. Their best benefit is probably their retirement program. They put away $7/hr+ towards your retirement for every hour worked.
You would be lucky to get hired on there with one year of experience. You'll be competing with drivers who have years of experience, several who have years of experience pulling doubles and triples. ABF typically starts new hires out as, "Combo Drivers" - some dock work, some P&D , some Linehaul. What you end up doing depends on what your terminal needs and you're best at. The most recent pay info I found for ABF was $24.30/hr. and 61 cpm. You'll start out around 70% of that and work your way up to it in three years with raises every six months.
If you find that your local ABF terminal is ignoring your applications you should get some experience driving Linehaul for a few years then move over. 6 string mentioned Yellow. They tend to receive fewer applications than the top-tier LTL companies and are more willing to work with a less experienced driver. Their pay starts at $20.83/hr and 51 cpm. Depending on your region they may be called New Penn (Northeast), Holland (Midwest) or Reddaway (West Coast).
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
- FedEx Freight
- Con-way
- YRC Freight
- UPS
- Old Dominion
- Estes
- Yellow-Roadway
- ABF Freight
- R+L Carrier
P&D:
Pickup & Delivery
Local drivers that stay around their area, usually within 100 mile radius of a terminal, picking up and delivering loads.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) carriers for instance will have Linehaul drivers and P&D drivers. The P&D drivers will deliver loads locally from the terminal and pick up loads returning to the terminal. Linehaul drivers will then run truckloads from terminal to terminal.
Linehaul:
Linehaul drivers will normally run loads from terminal to terminal for LTL (Less than Truckload) companies.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) carriers will have Linehaul drivers and P&D drivers. The P&D drivers will deliver loads locally from the terminal and pick up loads returning them to the terminal. Linehaul drivers will then run truckloads from terminal to terminal.Doubles:
Refers to pulling two trailers at the same time, otherwise known as "pups" or "pup trailers" because they're only about 28 feet long. However there are some states that allow doubles that are each 48 feet in length.
CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
If so how are they? My dad worked for them after consolidated frieghtways shut down for a while and says if you're looking for a good ltl company to work for ABF is the best...but that was 10years ago.how are they now? What is the pay like for a rookie driver?thinking about applying In about a year after i have some more experience.
The most important question to me would be what does ABF do with their drivers when the freight is slow during the winter? Union pay is great but when you are told to sit home because the freight isn't there and they have people with more seniority than you to drive what *is* available, sorry, but you still gotta eat.
And this isn't just ABF but other LTL also. Do they try to get all their drivers 40 a week whether driving, hostling, on the dock or whatever?
Contributing $7hr to your pension is great - unless you're not working.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
- FedEx Freight
- Con-way
- YRC Freight
- UPS
- Old Dominion
- Estes
- Yellow-Roadway
- ABF Freight
- R+L Carrier
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.New Reply:
New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features
Preview:
Why Join Trucking Truth?
- The High Road Training Program
- The High Road Article Series
- The Friendliest Trucker's Forum Ever!
- Email Updates When New Articles Are Posted
Apply For Paid CDL Training Through TruckingTruth
Did you know you can fill out one quick form here on TruckingTruth and apply to several companies at once for paid CDL training? Seriously! The application only takes one minute. You will speak with recruiters today. There is no obligation whatsoever. Learn more and apply here:
TT On Facebook
If so how are they? My dad worked for them after consolidated frieghtways shut down for a while and says if you're looking for a good ltl company to work for ABF is the best...but that was 10years ago.how are they now? What is the pay like for a rookie driver?thinking about applying In about a year after i have some more experience.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include: