LTL Thread ...for Inquiring Minds

I'm re-posting this as 6 string rhythm has posted his thread on his LTL and we both start on Monday, July 28th, in different parts of the country, with different companies. I thought I'd put some of this out there, since LTL jobs are available, although a bit more rare.

Here's the word I got on new driver training at Con-Way, Henderson, CO, as of 7/10/14: I have to preface this by saying, while I was fully prepared to give a pre-trip inspection , take a drug test (tough to study for), drive one of their trucks, do push-ups, several laps around the compound, recite the Boy Scout Oath, perform surgery on a dying patient without administering anaesthesia, whatever they might have required, I had no testing, what-so-ever. I just showed up exactly on time and took an interview like most regular (but boring) jobs.

Two ways to become a driver for this terminal:

1) They're offering their qualified loaders who have some seniority/clean records to join driver program and training them from within, to get their CDLs. This is a great thing. It gives the loaders some motivation and loyalty. Plus this training is taking place right at the Henderson, CO terminal. That's a 12-week program. Nice terminal , by the way.

2) I asked if I'd be shipped off to Joplin (on a palette) to get training for 5 weeks, which I was mentally prepared to do, but nope. They're accepting new graduates from my CDL school and bringing them on to the Henderson facility and giving them a 5-week, new-driver program, straight from their own facility. This is not a shoe-in from my school. The director, as anyone who knows my story knows, is only referring school graduates who finish at the top of their class with a very high GPA ...and the pay is structured out of this arrangement also. My private school was full-time, so add 4 weeks of CDL school to that, plus 3 weeks from today to get me processed before my first day. (Plus 4 weeks for me to get the interview which included the recruiter's 10-day vacation I had to wait through.) I'm not complaining - just giving you some planning numbers.

For me: 11 weeks from day-one at school to day-one at Con-Way. (barring any unforeseen delays in the next 3 weeks)

mountain girl <=== very happy girl

The program itself sounds great. You don't just drive with the trainer, you go on real runs and learn the ropes at each run. LTL, home every day training. Woo-HOO! Come ON! Does the deal get any better than this?! For instance, if you must meet with another truck up in Casper, WY (not too far away - still a day-trip) to swap trailers, there's a place to meet, there's some paperwork to be done and your instructor will show you all the in-and-outs are of handing it off correctly. Pretty cool. He said, the last thing they (Con-Way) want to do is leave the new guy hangin' to learn everything all on his own, mistakes included. They'd rather you know how to carry out these details from the start.

The trainers, from what I was told, are "volunteering" to do this, on the payroll but are not getting paid anything extra for it. They just wanna' do it. Also, if you feel you need another week of training beyond the initial 5, no problem. They'll let you train another week.

Here's the cool part: The drivers who do finish at the top of their class at my school, and do get referred to Con-Way, are jumping right into the 5-week program with seniority over the in-house trained, former loaders who've been with Con-Way longer.

I got to walk through the whole facility. I think I'm ...like ...the first CDL grad to interview for this program. The training room is well-lit, with big windows and natural light and the training system is (guyjax's favorite, here ...drum roll, please) The Smith System.

As of today, 7/22/14, I got my offer letter via email on a Friday and went to the terminal to sign it, last Monday, the 14th. I then had to go straight to my physical and my drug test. I then went to a physical therapist's office for my physical strength test where they measured my resting heart rate, my blood pressure and then had me do various lifting exercises, starting with one minute of aerobic-type warm-up. There's no way to "fake" this test, get through it, and just tell 'em, "Yeah, I'm fine. I can do this, no problem," because they take your heart rate after each and every strength and lifting exercise, so they know how your body is holding up to the task. It was pass/fail and the physical therapist was not permitted to tell me whether or not I passed. I had to wait till the next day to hear from my contact at Con-way. I passed.

All orientation paper-work that you normally fill out on a first day was done online. They sent me a link to their website where I filled out detailed information about my history: work, residencies, driving record, etc. I didn't have to have my hazmat completed but I had to have proof that I had at least started the process by getting fingerprinted and starting the background check. I will have my hazmat and double-triples exams completed at the DMV by the end of the week. I already have tanker, so when I walk in on Monday, I'll be ready, having taken all these endorsements while simply waiting for my hazmat TSA results to come through. The lady at the finger-print company said that would take 1-4 weeks to come back.

I'm learning as I go.

Feel free to add any comments, suggestions, questions, advice, whatever, as I continue this thread.

-mountain girl

I'm pretty sure there's a variety of things I'll be doing. There are routes where I'll just be driving a trailer to another driver meeting me at the edge of the state, we'd switch trailers and each of us turn back home. I know there will be local deliveries too. I know I'll be doing extraboard for the better part of the first year, which will give me the opportunity to take loads for more senior drivers who've called in sick, etc., and I've been given the impression that there will be plenty of work to be had as I get the feeling this terminal is a bit under-manned in the driver department. They're doing a lot of hiring (and I'm at the forefront of that) so I was told there was a good possibility I'd be "pushed" forward in seniority a little more quickly than the norm, just by the number of new drivers getting hired behind me. I hope that turns out to be true so I can move to hard-starts sooner. I'm keeping my mind open for any possibility though, because I just need the work, yanno?

I've heard, the most time I'll spend anywhere over-night will be one night at a time, due to weather or unexpected hold-ups of some kind, and generally, the work is M-F, with weekends off.

I'm just going to do my best to take any and every load my DM hands me, so I can build a reputation of being the one they can count on, when they need the job done and done well. I was also told by the manager who hired me that if I stayed a full year, I'd be "hooked" on the company because they take such good care of their people. So far, the compensation seems pretty darned good and I get the feeling, after the first year, it gets even better.

-mountain girl

What a great idea! I'm glad you started your own thread to document your own experiences. This will be so cool to have our threads running side by side for people to get a glimpse into the LTL world from different people, hired by different companies, in different parts of the country. Very cool! Perhaps we should post links in our respective threads for each other, so readers can quickly jump from one to another? I'll add a link to your thread from mine immediately.

You've actually encouraged me to write down in detail my hiring process. I see some similarities to yours, especially in length of time. It feels great to be able to know that our posts could help somebody else out that might be in a situation similar to ours. I too have a family and am excited to be able to be home more frequently, with the end result being a day run, home daily, and off on the weekends. Plus I'll be earning much more as a rookie linehaul driver than a rookie OTR driver - and that's a blessing.

Thanks again for taking the time to share your experiences mountain girl, look forward to sharing them together.

To those of you interested, here's the

Link to 6 string rhythm's thread on HIS new LTL job

so you can learn more about LTL from another driver, as we go through our respective companies' training programs, etc. (6 string's company is a secret. Mine is Con-way.

It's sorta' like sing-a-long! LOL.

-mountain girl

MG, you mentioned that there are times you'll be meeting another driver for a trailer swap. That's actually the other part of my job, besides running from terminal to terminal. I'll meet drivers at predetermined way points for a trailer swaps - they call them "meet and greets."

Girl good luck too you. You ROCK! Cause id have been @**d out at the physical part of that lol Yep I admit it. Im lazy. We do run alot of LTL freight but not sure its anything like what your gonna do. If ya need anything give me a holler.

Great writing. I drive for a regional LTL carrier and our "meet and greet" we call a relay. Just two drivers coming from different terminals meeting somewhere in the middle to swap trailers. This keeps the freight moving and allows me to drive 550 - 600 miles and still get home everyday. Great post. Look forward to the rest.

MG, you mentioned that there are times you'll be meeting another driver for a trailer swap. That's actually the other part of my job, besides running from terminal to terminal. I'll meet drivers at predetermined way points for a trailer swaps - they call them "meet and greets."

-6 string rhythm

Sounds like fun, doesn't it? I can't wait.

-mountain girl

Girl good luck too you. You ROCK! Cause id have been @**d out at the physical part of that lol Yep I admit it. Im lazy. We do run alot of LTL freight but not sure its anything like what your gonna do. If ya need anything give me a holler.

-RedGator

"holler" ==== this word, alone, affirms that you and I grew up only an hour apart, in Pennsylvania! Ha! Love youse for dat! You rock, too. ...and you KNOW I'll be "hollerin'" for advice soon.

You Rock, Homie.

-mountain girl

Great writing. I drive for a regional LTL carrier and our "meet and greet" we call a relay. Just two drivers coming from different terminals meeting somewhere in the middle to swap trailers. This keeps the freight moving and allows me to drive 550 - 600 miles and still get home everyday. Great post. Look forward to the rest.

-Robert

Righton! Thanks! Stay tuned. Same Bat-channel!

-mountain girl