I'm retired so I don't have a pony in this race.
However I know how companies shut their doors with no care for the workers who made them great.
When you get a headache you want to get rid of it anyway possible.
Also if a company sees little profit in their future,it is bye bye.
I was a P&D driver for 45 years,with 15 different Union LTL's which have all closed their doors.
Some really big,such as Consolidated Freightways who were at one time big as Roadway the largest of them all.
CF published an 800 number to call on Labor Day letting every employee why their gates were locked.
The company I was with the longest was Hall's Motor Transit,in my 18th year number 2 on the city board.
I got a call from my TM one Sunday afternoon,when I'd just gotten home from church.
It was March of 1986,however I'll never forget what he said.
He says I've got some bad news for you,don't come to work tomorrow Hall's shut their doors midnight Saturday.
I said your kidding,he said I wish I was,talk about being in shock.
That Monday morning I started going to all of the remaining union LTL's,along with the rest of my co-workers.
However their were so many Teamster drivers in my area out of work,I could only get a day or 2 working Dock,or P&D,or both.
Believe me it was not fun trying to work enough to get my benefits & add hours to get a pension.
Long story short,I took a withdrawal to freeze the pension I had gotten with the 22 years working as a union P&D driver.
Then I hired on with Overnite,my pay went from $13.00 an hour working part time union,down to $9.50 starting at Overnite.
After working at Overnite for nearly 20 years UPS took them over,I work a few more years & retired in 2008.
Well that is my history in LTL Freight,seeing some really big LTL's go belly up & me having to start over wherever I could.
I also really have to give kuddo's to God to have been blessed with the many breaks I got over these many years.
To have been able to make a living & receive a pretty good pension even though it was cut.
All righty then back to the reason I started this topic.
If any of you think UPS needs their freight division guess again,I remember when they had supply chain.
I used to drop trailers at their distribution warehouse,then one day there where no more loads.
I'm saying if UPS Freight becomes to much of a headache for them,rest assure they will make other arrangements.
Think about it UPS owns all of the equipment,UPS Freight is just tape that can be taken off with a hair dryer.
To deliver their heavy freight,probably contracting to owner operators & other LTL's who would love to get the business.