TForce | Chelmsford MASS loaded question

LeeLee

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Hey everybody. I'm going to be 29 years old this year, and i have decided I want to start a career in hauling. I have just applied for a part-time position in Chelmsford at UPS Freight as a 'package-handler'. My plan is to do this work, while going to school to get my CDL, and HOPING that I will have a better chance of getting a full-time Road Driver position with them when class is complete. Am I just completely out of whack with this plan? Or is this actually plausible? Can anyone offer a me any help/guidance/tips... Thanks Guys.
 
If that is what you want to do then do it, we had a dock worker go to school and get his CDL and now he is a P & D driver, you cannot go to the road board until you have 1 year experience driving. Good luck.
 
I applied, it said UPS Freight everywhere on the page, I made sure of it.. Also, I have not been to Brick Kiln Rd.
So, I would have to get my CDL and work somewhere else to gain a years experience until the road board would consider hiring me eh? Makes it seem as though being a package handler within the comp. would be completely not useful? I guess I have concerns about paying for school, and then having trouble getting hired somewhere. I think maybe I read too many negative nelly's posts on this forum..
 
I applied, it said UPS Freight everywhere on the page, I made sure of it.. Also, I have not been to Brick Kiln Rd.
So, I would have to get my CDL and work somewhere else to gain a years experience until the road board would consider hiring me eh? Makes it seem as though being a package handler within the comp. would be completely not useful? I guess I have concerns about paying for school, and then having trouble getting hired somewhere. I think maybe I read too many negative nelly's posts on this forum..
You can work here part time and still get trained here to get your CDL. After you get your CDL you can work one year in the city operation and then go on the road when they have an opening. You do not have to go somewhere else to get experience. You just have to have a years worth of driving commercial vehicles under your belt to get a road job here. Once you get your CDL with haz-mat and all necessary endorsements, you can then get on full-time as a dock -CDL employee. That gets your seniority started and that will let you bid on jobs available. The training here is pretty much a self teaching experience but it doesn't cost anythig but your time and patience. Good luck.
 
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I applied, it said UPS Freight everywhere on the page, I made sure of it.. Also, I have not been to Brick Kiln Rd.
So, I would have to get my CDL and work somewhere else to gain a years experience until the road board would consider hiring me eh? Makes it seem as though being a package handler within the comp. would be completely not useful? I guess I have concerns about paying for school, and then having trouble getting hired somewhere. I think maybe I read too many negative nelly's posts on this forum..
OK Dude You had me confused with the part time package handling part,which led me to believe you were at the package barn and wanted to be a feeder trailer guy.Good luck whatever you do, trucking (and Teamster's Union ) have been berry berry good to me,retired good $$$$ coming in. But times have changed, more government oversight now (DOT physical stuff ), drug and alcohol testing, and as more and more people go to college and become management, everything is so one dimensional on paper (from the dreaded computer ) that there is no common sense when the real three dimensional world reality disrupts the master management plan ( case in note YRC and the management sabotaging the efforts and sacrifices of the workers to save that company ). Again good luck dude !
 
We have had several part time guy's in HRS get their license. All went full time. Some went to do p&d and others are on the dock full time. Stick to your plan and use UPS equipment to get your CDL. Saves you alot on going to some school.
 
Yeah, what interested me was that It said UPS Freight in Chelmsford did tuition reimbursement.. I thought, hey maybe that would work towards CDL school... If i go to NETTTS (any thoughts with that school????!), or a private trucking school, will I be able to go straight to hauling or will i still have to start with dock work no matter where I apply?
 
every job listing I see for CDL A 's says minimum of between 2 and 5 years experience! how the hell do you get started in this career?!
 
every job listing I see for CDL A 's says minimum of between 2 and 5 years experience! how the hell do you get started in this career?!

I know, it's frustrating isn't it? Kinda like a no win situation, how do you get experience, if no one will give you experience WITHOUT HAVING experience? Let me tell you the way I did it. I went to truck driving school, went over-the-road for a year and got some experience, then started at UPS Freight as a city driver.
I like the idea of driving school over just training with the company for numerous reasons: 1. you actually get "on road" experience instead of just driving around the yard and learning to back up. (Witch is still VERY important) 2. You learn laws, rules and regulations from an instructor instead of just from a State CDL book. 3. You learn from instructors with real world experience (Also see #1) 4. USUALLY the school will help with job placement to companies that will hire you right out of graduating from an accredited school. 5. Either THEY give you the final test, or some one from the state comes right to the school and tests you. I'm sure the instructors will give you little tricks on how to pass the test easier when the state examiner comes out to test you. Driving school is ALOT more expensive but I feel it's MUCH MUCH better and safer to do it that way...... (My opinion, doesn't mean I'm right)
I know ALOT of drivers that don't know rules and regulations or just don't realize they're not supposed to be on certain roads simply because they had lack of training.

NOW, as far as UPS Freight goes, I can't give you advice on how the system works for some one who has just applied for a job and wants to get in that way. I work in one of the Chicago area terminals where we have 2 locals in one terminal, one local for City drivers and one local for Dock/Road drivers. We have 3 seniority boards so if you applied at our terminal for a driver position, you will get hired as a driver, not a dock CDL and work your way up to a driver, I don't touch a forklift, I can't actually. COMPLETE different dog for Chicago Teamsters. (ALL companies, not just UPS Freight) Sorry I can't be ANY help in that area. All I can do and did, is give advice on getting into the transportation industry.

I guess, from the way I understand the way it goes for the rest of the country is, you can get in as a dock worker and work your way into a driving position, if that is the case, I would suggest going to truck driving school during the day and work outbound dock at night. This way, once you get your license, you have one leg up on the next guy with seniority AND a license with some kind of "on road" driving experience, besides, going to a school only takes a month or month and a half so it's not like your doing it for years on end.

I hope this reply helps, good luck to ya and be safe, remeber, your the profesional driver, not the four wheelers you share the road with.....
 
I'm sorry I didn't explain more, the driver is working P & D city work to get his one year experience to be qualified to run the road when or if a position opens up. That is how he is getting his experience, here at this company.

The tuition reimbursement that you are seeing is a misrepresentation of the truth, because we have a inter website called upsers that tell us that there is only reimbursement for non union employee's only.

I tried posting the link, but you need to be able to log in to upsers to view it.
 
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Yeah, what interested me was that It said UPS Freight in Chelmsford did tuition reimbursement.. I thought, hey maybe that would work towards CDL school... If i go to NETTTS (any thoughts with that school????!), or a private trucking school, will I be able to go straight to hauling or will i still have to start with dock work no matter where I apply?
The tuition reimbursement plan is for college courses you may take that can help you in advancing a career in management or sales, business courses, for example. It does not cover truck driving school. You don't need truck driving school. You can pretty much get all the training and practice here for free if you let management know that you want to drive. You will have to start on the dock since you don't have a CDL, however if management lets you, you can start doing jockey work when they need it and work toward taking the CDL tests as you become more practiced in working with the equipment. Go to your local DMV and get a CDL manual and start studying. People at your terminal will help you with whatever problems you encounter. Don't be afraid to ask questions or ask for help when you need it.
 
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You guys are all great. Thank you so much for this info and help. I haven't heard anything back from the application. I have also applied at A. Duie Pyle (they're hiring many dock workers) and they have responded asking me to fill out a more in-depth online application. From what I have read about on here, both UPS Freight and ADP are great companies to work for.. If that doesn't work, then perhaps by the fall, I will look more seriously at going to a private school. I couldn't agree more that having a leg up on other guys would be beneficial for me getting on the road. I have already got my CDL manual and have been studying, I want to get my permit asap, not sure whats on the permit test, so i'm just kind of studying the entire thing. Thanks again
 
Hey everybody. I'm going to be 29 years old this year, and i have decided I want to start a career in hauling. I have just applied for a part-time position in Chelmsford at UPS Freight as a 'package-handler'. My plan is to do this work, while going to school to get my CDL, and HOPING that I will have a better chance of getting a full-time Road Driver position with them when class is complete. Am I just completely out of whack with this plan? Or is this actually plausible? Can anyone offer a me any help/guidance/tips... Thanks Guys.

Sir. ups small package is in chelmsford. That building is a hub. The ups freight termina lfor that area is in north reading called stoneham 142.
 
every job listing I see for CDL A 's says minimum of between 2 and 5 years experience! how the hell do you get started in this career?!

First off, decide if you want a job or a career.

A job has real good starting pay with hardly any raises and most have crappy if any benefits and just about no room for advancement, people who want jobs dont think long term they just ask one question, what is the starting pay? There not thinking longterm payoff there thinking shortterm gain. The company has nothing invested in you they usually don't care if work quit or what, becuase they don't have anything invested in you and they know there workforce is only there to make a quick buck. These jobs usually have no or only minor rules and are not drug free workplaces. These people are a dime a dozen.

A career usually has crappy starting pay but lots or room for improvement and regular raises and good benefits and most importantly job security. you could easily make 3x more in a career like this over your lifetime than you could if you just want to find a job "haulin" even though you may make 2 or 3 times less here for the first 3 years. People who are willing to give up starting pay for longterm gain are the types of people UPS want if your thinking of staying somewhere longterm you tend to make different decisions.

Someone who only sees this as a job could care less how he loads a trailer or if he has bringbacks becuase he does not see his job as an investment in his future, he is just here for this weeks paycheck and if he gets fired he just moves on to the next job with the best starting pay he can find.

Someone who is here that sees this as a career tends to take more pride in his work loads trailers better etc. becuase he understands taking care of the customers is the only way to secure a longterm career becuase if customers leave and things slowdown that is when layoffs come.

What works for me may not work for you, but I had friends that thought about applying for the job I have but decided not to becuase they found a job that started out at about a $1 more I will make about $2.5-$3 million over a 30 year career.

Do you want a job or a career?
 
....i want a career. I thought that was obvious from my previous thread's/comments, I was only curious about $ since I am new to the industry.
 
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