I Think It's Time To Move On
Topic 29277 | Page 8
Holy crap, how did you guys get hired for Fedex?! I heard it was very hard. Sounds like there are lots of opportunities once you get on. Do you guys work FOR Fedex or a contractor for them? I really would like to get on with a contractor FOR Fedex in Las Vegas so I can be near my elderly parents. I'm 55 and can't do hard physical labor the way I used to, so dock work is out.
Kurt, we all work for Fedex freight which is the company side. Fedex ground is all contractors. Its not necessarily difficult to get on as a driver if youve got a clean record and experience. Without experience though you would have to go through the apprenticeship program and work for the company for a year to pay the bill I believe. If you start as a road driver you'll be working nights for a while and working the dock using a forklift. If you go into the city there may be some dock work but probably not as much, depends on the center. We so have a terminal in Vegas but I dont know much about it. Best thing you can do is give their terminal manager a call and see what they have to say. Best of luck.
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.
I have an LTL question guys. Do pretty much all the companies make you start driving on nites and extra board till you get senority? I assume that is how it works? I am a morning person so I dont think I would fare well driving at nite but I think I would like the work
Rick
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
It depends. If you're working P/D, it would be days. Some LTL companies like FedEx and T Force, will hire you as a P/D driver and have you work the dock overnight with the occasional road run. This is mainly the case at hubs. An EOL center won't have P/D drivers work the dock.
If it's linehaul , you're more likely to be on extra board which, in my experience, means you come in once your 10 hour break is up.
Once you have enough seniority to bid something regular, it'll be overnight.
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
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.
It all depends on what the terminal needs, but for the most part yes, you will be on nights until you can gain enough seniority. It may take years before you can get a day run, not all terminals even have them.
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.
I am a morning person so I dont think I would fare well driving at nite but I think I would like the work
Rick
You won't know till you try. I was always an early riser since childhood and wasn't at all sure I could adapt to the nocturnal schedule of a linehaul driver. It turned out I've adapted pretty easily. I get to the terminal about 8 pm, usually finish 11 hours later, sometimes a little less or more. I come home, take care of my chores (my main reason for not wanting to go OTR is that I think it's important to pitch in toward all the day-to-day work it takes to keep a household running), and try to go to sleep between 11 and noon. Get up sometime between 5 and 6, walk the dogs again, and then my significant other and I sit down to dinner (being able to do this every day is very important to her and me both). My terminal is only 10 minutes from home, so that helps.
I only do 5 nights a week, although there's almost always weekend work available for those who want it. It feels like a three-day weekend every week since I'm off all day Monday until 8 pm. It just means powering through Saturday with no sleep if there are things we need or want to do that preclude a nap. I sleep REALLY well Saturday and Sunday nights, and grab a short nap Monday afternoon, then start again.
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.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
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.HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
I have an LTL question guys. Do pretty much all the companies make you start driving on nites and extra board till you get senority? I assume that is how it works? I am a morning person so I dont think I would fare well driving at nite but I think I would like the work
Rick
I start with XPO doing overnight linehaul to Minneapolis in 3 weeks, and the only driver there that actually wants to work/bid nights is the most senior driver there (25 years). I was, for all intents and purposes, hired on the spot when I told them I had doubles/triples, xmat and wanted nothing to do with daytime P&D. I would be bottom of the bid list, but only 1 person wants nights presently with me being the 2nd and there are 2 drivers presently being made to drive nights because they don't have the seniority to bid straight days.
As for your question about nights...what I found when I first started driving with TMC back in '19 is how much I preferred night driving. Then after 1-year w/ TMC I went local and started on nights...then learned how different driving local nights and driving local days was. So after 1 year of local nights, I moved to a daytime position and that's when I learned that I am definitely a nighttime guy. It doesn't matter how much sleep I get the night before...I would ALWAYS be tired when I woke up at 330am and would never wake up throughout the day. I went back to nights about 3 months ago and it's SO much easier for me. I get off at 5 am. Usually asleep by 7 am and back up at 12 noon, then head back in at 5 pm. I could never function as a driver during the day with just 5 hours of sleep, but never even yawn overnight after just 5 hours of sleep during the day.
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.
The only benefit is the money. This is the most money I've ever made, but I'm starting to think it isn't worth it.
What I've quickly learned in my VERY 2 short months of doing LTL Linehaul is that not all money is good money. I'm making between $2500-$2800 gross weekly and have 0 time off for anything else. So I won't starve, but I won't have time off to eat either.
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
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.
The only benefit is the money. This is the most money I've ever made, but I'm starting to think it isn't worth it.
What I've quickly learned in my VERY 2 short months of doing LTL Linehaul is that not all money is good money. I'm making between $2500-$2800 gross weekly and have 0 time off for anything else. So I won't starve, but I won't have time off to eat either.
If you don’t have time to eat, you will have a very well paid, but short, career. Lol
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
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.New Reply:
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Ours is about 160 miles meet. No dock work. Talking to our "elder" drivers, most of them do the 600mi runs in order to buy something; new truck, new boat, etc. They do it for six months and then choose something else for the new bid
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.