ODFL | How are things handled at your terminal ...

lhdrvr

TB Lurker
Credits
0
When a schedule becomes open for one reason or another ...it's a new one, person quit, person went team, etc.. is it offered up to the extra board by seniority? That's how I expect it to work, but new management is getting all free and assigning as he sees fit and I don't think it should fly. Maybe I'm wrong. How about if 2 people want to switch schedule, until the end of year bid? One of those people being in the top 20 the other person being #70 or lower. That's never been allowed before because it goes against what a bid environment is. Has that been allowed elsewhere?
 
This was actually addressed in my interview so I'll chime in with what I was told and not what I know from experience, hopefully the answer will be the same but I've seen that policy and reality can vary sometimes.

When a new run is added between bid cycles it's offered to the extra board by seniority. If no one on extra board wants it it's forced on the bottom guy. Similarly if a driver with a schedule wants to give up their schedule for whatever reason their only option is ending up on the extra board and the newly vacant schedule is handled the same way, so trading schedules isn't an option.
It is possible that he meant that in these situations the schedules are immediately forced on the extra driver with the lowest seniority but I assumed he meant if no other extras wanted it and I didn't ask for clarification. Seemed like a pretty rare situation to worry about, the guy just wanted to make sure I was comfortable with the possibility of being forced on a crap schedule.
This was in Indy.

I hope that helps. I won't know for certain until I actually start and see what really happens of course.
 
I went through that twice. I was city, a line driver was quitting. His position was posted, I got it. My seniority from switching from city to line puts me on the bottom of line seniority. I had a unique situation, a certain safety man had his original safety position closed, he came back to line and bumped me off of my bid and regained his seniority. I went to my TM, cuz when you voluntarily leave the board and come back, you don't regain your prior seniority, but was told that someone in corporate had made a exception. I was number 1 on the wild board. A certain driver dumped a box, being number 1 on the wild board I was offered the run. If I didn't take it, it would be offered next senior man.
 
We've also been through what happens when a couple of weeks after rebidding a new run is added on. Some people wanted a rebid, but I believe that it has to affect a certain percentage of the total bids before a rebid of the entire board goes into effect. Not sure of the percentage.
 
As far as switching. No not allowed. The open run or new run has to be offered up to the extra by seniority. I have heard of driver's getting together and talking to corporate, the head of line haul over certain situations. I agree with Billy, you have the chain to go up with the open door policy.
 
I went through that twice. I was city, a line driver was quitting. His position was posted, I got it. My seniority from switching from city to line puts me on the bottom of line seniority. I had a unique situation, a certain safety man had his original safety position closed, he came back to line and bumped me off of my bid and regained his seniority. I went to my TM, cuz when you voluntarily leave the board and come back, you don't regain your prior seniority, but was told that someone in corporate had made a exception. I was number 1 on the wild board. A certain driver dumped a box, being number 1 on the wild board I was offered the run. If I didn't take it, it would be offered next senior man.

That's how it's been. If corporate takes away someone's position or forces them over to another side of the company they put them in where their seniority matches up.
 
We dont do anything city wise, our tm doesn't bid start times or routes for city and once a year for linehaul. Sucks for city guys who want to change things up once a year cause he doesn't give us the option.
 
We dont do anything city wise, our tm doesn't bid start times or routes for city and once a year for linehaul. Sucks for city guys who want to change things up once a year cause he doesn't give us the option.
That's how it is here. But with us in need of line driver's some city guy's are coming over to line.
 
Call HR in NC. Don't even mess with their games and have them learn real quick how it should be done. Just have all drivers rebid so the guy who's been waiting patiently next in line for his first run can get one.
It should be done with a bump bid, but some mgr's are to lazy.
 
I understand your point to want a change, but most terminals don't change routes because they want the drivers to build a rapport with the customer. They also become familiar with the ins and outs of a run. Some other companies constantly change routes, which I think is counterproductive.

Con-way constantly changed up routes, I think in an effort to keep drivers from being comfortable and “wasting time” talking to familiar customers... and in the end I think they cut their nose off to spite their face. I’ve always thought it better to build rapport with regular customers and to know the ins and outs of a route i.e. who closes for lunch, who will let you deliver during lunch, who has a second shift if you really need to push them off til late, who will move freight around in the trailer if you’re in a pinch. All of these thugs are invaluable knowledge as a peddle driver.
 
Con-way constantly changed up routes, I think in an effort to keep drivers from being comfortable and “wasting time” talking to familiar customers... and in the end I think they cut their nose off to spite their face. I’ve always thought it better to build rapport with regular customers and to know the ins and outs of a route i.e. who closes for lunch, who will let you deliver during lunch, who has a second shift if you really need to push them off til late, who will move freight around in the trailer if you’re in a pinch. All of these thugs are invaluable knowledge as a peddle driver.
Couldn't agree more.
 
well guys the follow up to this is that back when i wrote this i called ....... I was totally blown off and actually told "don't stress yourself out over matter that don't concern you." Essentially he only wanted to hear from a driver on the extra board that had not been offered an open schedule and passed over. Calling what I had to say "hearsay" even though all was verifiable. ..... did clarify we have a corporate wide process of filling open and new schedules by the extra board top to bottom by seniority if no one takes lowest has to do...we all knew this. Even though I explained to him this was not being done and the manger was telling me to my face ...not hearsay ...that he won't do it that way because it would take too much time, ...... would not do anything unless someone who had been directly effected called and had a "good" case. I mean seriously, if that's how corporate is ran, where they have no control over their management in the terminals, I'm done trying to help anyone. Punch in, puch out, do my job, only do what's legal, reject the bs over weight and screwed up hazmat, go home.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
So let me get this straight, this wasn't even your issue? Mind your own business and just do your job! Our management has no time for hear-say gossip stories.

Soon linehaul will all be autonomous anyways and you'll only wish you could be on call 24/7.
 
So let me get this straight, this wasn't even your issue? Mind your own business and just do your job! Our management has no time for hear-say gossip stories.

Soon linehaul will all be autonomous anyways and you'll only wish you could be on call 24/7.

Oh Billy, I wouldn't expect anything more then that kind of reply from you. Gossip is your lawn service. People switching schedules concerns everyone between point A and B.
 
Oh Billy, I wouldn't expect anything more then that kind of reply from you. Gossip is your lawn service. People switching schedules concerns everyone between point A and B.
You leave Billy alone. Deal with it. Do I like everything here, no. But I do my job. I get a nice compensation for my time, I have pretty good benefits. Like I said before, I got caught in a situation, didn’t agree with the outcome, just kept on doing my job. As line haul, my job is to move freight. Not worry about drama.
 
well guys the follow up to this is that back when i wrote this i called ....... I was totally blown off and actually told "don't stress yourself out over matter that don't concern you." Essentially he only wanted to hear from a driver on the extra board that had not been offered an open schedule and passed over. Calling what I had to say "hearsay" even though all was verifiable. ..... did clarify we have a corporate wide process of filling open and new schedules by the extra board top to bottom by seniority if no one takes lowest has to do...we all knew this. Even though I explained to him this was not being done and the manger was telling me to my face ...not hearsay ...that he won't do it that way because it would take too much time, ...... would not do anything unless someone who had been directly effected called and had a "good" case. I mean seriously, if that's how corporate is ran, where they have no control over their management in the terminals, I'm done trying to help anyone. Punch in, puch out, do my job, only do what's legal, reject the bs over weight and screwed up hazmat, go home.

I edited this post.Do not use a person's name when posting.....job title is as far as you can go.
 
Oh Billy, I wouldn't expect anything more then that kind of reply from you. Gossip is your lawn service. People switching schedules concerns everyone between point A and B.

Like FBN says, move the freight cash the check and go home. We got some top tier board drivers at our place who'd get a lot more done if they quit worrying what everyone else been up to.
 
Top