Driver Apprentice....Is FedEx In Need Of CDL Drivers?

Per UPS; 1 of my brothers been there close to 40 years and he got my best buds bro in 2 years after...

1st off now UPS's thing is you may spend up to 8 years loading/unloading trailers.

Then you can progress to package delivery to homes or commercial account routes.

Then progress to driving big trucks . Right now in some UPS Hubs they are hiring licensed drivers with dbls/triples, off the street.

Was told (by my bud there) you're paid $24.xx hour, then in 2 years (in So. Calif) you're bumped up in pay rate to the same rate my peoples earn $39 and change an hour !!

I would've jumped all over it myself, but its not in my plan to retire in 2021

We just were at an XPO hub in Gardena Cal. They had sign out front hiring drivers starting out almost at $25 hour

See hiring signs at most large carriers now days, definitely is shortage all over the U.S.

Each FedEx center has a set number of drivers they need to have to be considered fully staffed. That number varies by center, but it's pretty much set in stone. At my center its 86 road drivers and 80 city drivers. The apprentice program isn't anything new. My trainer went through the program 5 years ago and so did my mentor. They were in the same class.

FedEx does mostly promote from within. Drivers at that center get first crack at jobs and then it goes nationwide. If the positions don't get filled, then it goes public. A lot of full-time dock workers have no interest in driving. They make a high hourly wage and get time and a half after 8 hours. In my building, they top out at 26 an hour and they don't have any of the responsibilities we have. They don't get drug tested and nobody cares about their driving record.

Not being able to find drivers isn't all that surprising. Experienced drivers prefer to go somewhere that doesn't require dock work and all of the LTL companies are hiring right now. The leg up I give to FedEx is that during the height of COVID, they didn't layoff a single full-time employee. Road drivers that had their runs cancelled had the option to either stay home or work the dock for 8 hours. When FedEx ground got backed up, a lot of freight guys went to ground and pulled their trailers. I made a lot of money at ground this year. I'm hitting 65-70K this year and I got my first progression raise in August. I have 2 more raises before I'm at top rate.

FedEx freight did do voluntary furloughs in April. A lot of guys decided to retire and others moved on. The ones that decided to come back, came back right to their seniority spots.

If you have any other questions, please post them.

That makes a lot of sense about the dockworkers not wanting to drive. I never thought about it like that. So in your opinion would you say it would be better for a guy in my position to start off on a dock position or to go for the apprenticeship off the street? I’m in Florida so opportunities at the Fedex locations around me are sparse compared to other areas or the country.

Per UPS; 1 of my brothers been there close to 40 years and he got my best buds bro in 2 years after...

1st off now UPS's thing is you may spend up to 8 years loading/unloading trailers.

Then you can progress to package delivery to homes or commercial account routes.

Then progress to driving big trucks . Right now in some UPS Hubs they are hiring licensed drivers with dbls/triples, off the street.

Was told (by my bud there) you're paid $24.xx hour, then in 2 years (in So. Calif) you're bumped up in pay rate to the same rate my peoples earn $39 and change an hour !!

I would've jumped all over it myself, but its not in my plan to retire in 2021

We just were at an XPO hub in Gardena Cal. They had sign out front hiring drivers starting out almost at $25 hour

See hiring signs at most large carriers now days, definitely is shortage all over the U.S.

I have been looking into ups freight also. There is only one position in the entire state for a full time dockworker w/CDL at the moment but unfortunately I don’t have my Hazmat yet, but will be getting that soon. I’m going to keep my eyes out for openings. I don’t think there are any big hubs down here but I’m not sure..maybe Jacksonville.

If you want to be a driver, go straight for the program. Don't wait, because it's based on seniority. Me and the guy under me in seniority are separated by about an hour. If you decide to apply, put that you have your permit on the application and make sure you have it before you get called. Off the street dock is almost impossible to get. Part time dock workers always take those. It's easier to get a driver position than it is a full-time dock position.

UPS freight starts at about 18 an hour with your CDL and tops out at about 30 after 4 years.

If you want to be a driver, go straight for the program. Don't wait, because it's based on seniority. Me and the guy under me in seniority are separated by about an hour. If you decide to apply, put that you have your permit on the application and make sure you have it before you get called. Off the street dock is almost impossible to get. Part time dock workers always take those. It's easier to get a driver position than it is a full-time dock position.

UPS freight starts at about 18 an hour with your CDL and tops out at about 30 after 4 years.

Ok thank you for the info. I don’t have a permit I have an unrestricted CDL A with 2 endorsements so far. I have another question. I noticed that the apprentice positions are only at certain locations. What happens after you finish the apprenticeship, do you stay at that location as a driver or are you able to drive for other locations?

You are an employee of the building you're an apprentice of. For example, if you get hired as an apprentice in Atlanta you're a driver for Atlanta.

If there are a bunch of people in front of you in Atlanta, they give you an option to train at a location that doesn't have or need students but needs instructors. Let's say you get hired in Atlanta as an apprentice, but there's currently a queue of 10 people in front of you. And Phoenix has an instructor, but it's fully staffed so they have no apprentices. If you're willing to travel, and it's completely up to you, FedEx will fly you to Phoenix and put you up in a hotel for the duration of your training and they will reimburse you for your meals, up to 40 dollars per meal. You get the room to yourself so you can take your wife or girlfriend on your dime. If you're willing to travel you leapfrog all the other apprentices in the queue in seniority.

Once you're a driver, FedEx can ask you to go to another center that's shorthanded, but it's up to you. They will pay you for the mileage to that center and back. It would be a local center 50-100 miles away. The time spent driving there doesn't count against your hours of service, since you're in a personal vehicle and you get your hourly rate for doing P&d for that center.

You are an employee of the building you're an apprentice of. For example, if you get hired as an apprentice in Atlanta you're a driver for Atlanta.

If there are a bunch of people in front of you in Atlanta, they give you an option to train at a location that doesn't have or need students but needs instructors. Let's say you get hired in Atlanta as an apprentice, but there's currently a queue of 10 people in front of you. And Phoenix has an instructor, but it's fully staffed so they have no apprentices. If you're willing to travel, and it's completely up to you, FedEx will fly you to Phoenix and put you up in a hotel for the duration of your training and they will reimburse you for your meals, up to 40 dollars per meal. You get the room to yourself so you can take your wife or girlfriend on your dime. If you're willing to travel you leapfrog all the other apprentices in the queue in seniority.

Once you're a driver, FedEx can ask you to go to another center that's shorthanded, but it's up to you. They will pay you for the mileage to that center and back. It would be a local center 50-100 miles away. The time spent driving there doesn't count against your hours of service, since you're in a personal vehicle and you get your hourly rate for doing P&d for that center.

Ok that is good to know. Thank you for sharing.

Are you doing linehaul or city?

I do linehaul. You generally make more with linehaul and I prefer open roads to having to keep stopping for lights and traffic.

I agree with Mr. Banks, don't wait seniority is everything it can make the difference in a good run or a difficult one. Like I said my terminal is hiring 10 drivers so who ever starts first willall ready have 9 people below him, out of a max of 40 drivers so thats pretty decent run to start.

Are you doing linehaul or city?

I do linehaul. You generally make more with linehaul and I prefer open roads to having to keep stopping for lights and traffic.

I agree with Mr. Banks, don't wait seniority is everything it can make the difference in a good run or a difficult one. Like I said my terminal is hiring 10 drivers so who ever starts first willall ready have 9 people below him, out of a max of 40 drivers so thats pretty decent run to start.

What terminal do you work at..if you don’t mind me asking? One of the challenges for me is being down here in FL and not having many options

Crest Hill IL, if your looking to move I would suggest another state.