I'd think FX might be like UPS? My middle bro got in almost 40 years ago. Dad's buddy was #9 at UPS back in 1968
think he did 45 + years.....Bro did 4 yrs unloading waiting for the right package route, commercial, did that 14 years
then went thru whatever UPS does internally, has been pulling doubles outta LA Hub prolly 15 years or so.
My buddies bro did the same, my bro got him in UPS when ,my bro was there his first 2 years. So he runs doubles back n forth to
Las Vegas outta Ontario airport hub 38 years now.......Both trained in-house
Have hauled lotta FX trailers, at my first trucking job...... Some hubs I liked better grabbing a load out of, than others
I'd stick with where you are IF it gets you where you wanna be driving, especially after 3 years in lol
Stevo, FX & UPS are alike in that they provide in house training. Your family & friends stuck with it and are very successful now. I'm thinking about sticking with it too. :)
Sorry for your losses, Terry, and welcome to the TT community! You've got a great attitude and are doing your research, so I'm sure you'll find the right path at the right time.
Hello Mountain Matt. Thank you for the warm welcome and positive reply! In time I'm sure I will too. :)
Hello, Terry; and Welcome!
(Easy on the Italics, hahahaha!!)
Two LADIES huge up in here (Trucking Truth) to look into/and at their droves of info:
1.) Miss Laura (IDMtnGal) ... similar story to YOURS, w/HER husband. It's all in her bio, and posts: IDMtnGal
Anne, hello! (Italics off. lol) Thank you for the welcome and all the info. I appreciate it. :)
That’s awesome! Even cooler that you’re still there. Was it everything you thought it would be?
I had no idea what it would be because I couldn't find any info on it. That's why I did a diary here. They've made some tweaks to the program. Right now, my building is giving students the option to train in a manual or an auto shifter. I'm sure as the manuals get phased out, it'll just be auto shifters.
The program is solid and I got all the support I needed from everyone involved. It's 1 on 1 training and they're paying 26/hr while you train. Better than dropping 5-7 k on a school where there's a handful of students trying to get in practice.
Banks, I'll be adding your diary to my list of must reads. :) You're right about their training, so I'll be checking it out. Thanks again for the info. :)
What is it you're looking to get out of trucking? Fed Ex Freight would be an excellent opportunity if that's what you're looking for. So would nearly every other company out there. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. What I perceive a weakness you may view as a strength of why you choose to work there.
Fed Ex is great if you're wanting to be home daily. Linehaul you'd be running overnight hours for quite some time (likely years). P&D (pickup and delivery) would be more "normal" hours during the day typically. Some people enjoy that but others hate the repetitive nature of doing the same thing every day which is one of the many reasons some drivers choose to stay OTR their entire career.
It's possible once you're doing the job you may realize that what you initially thought was the path you wanted isn't as enjoyable as you hoped. The brightside is there are so many different job/ paths that require a class A license that the opportunities are endless and I believe there's something out there for everyone.
Hello RobT! At the moment, it would be good to be home daily, do normal day time hours because I still have things to take care of here at home.
You have many good points to which deserve much thought and looking into. The one point I find the most hopeful though, is that a class A license does bring endless opportunities and there is something for everyone, even me. :)
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.
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.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
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.
Stevo, FX & UPS are alike in that they provide in house training. Your family & friends stuck with it and are very successful now. I'm thinking about sticking with it too. :)
Hello Mountain Matt. Thank you for the warm welcome and positive reply! In time I'm sure I will too. :)
Anne, hello! (Italics off. lol) Thank you for the welcome and all the info. I appreciate it. :)
Banks, I'll be adding your diary to my list of must reads. :) You're right about their training, so I'll be checking it out. Thanks again for the info. :)
Hello RobT! At the moment, it would be good to be home daily, do normal day time hours because I still have things to take care of here at home. You have many good points to which deserve much thought and looking into. The one point I find the most hopeful though, is that a class A license does bring endless opportunities and there is something for everyone, even me. :)
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.
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.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.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.