Takes a half hour to properly pre trip equipment, add necessary fluids to tractor find a dolly then hook trailers and pre trip them do required handheld steps as well as logbook. . The nights it takes me 45 mins to get hooked up playing in a foot of snow is on me so it all works out in the wash! ! You are all for daylight runs oh you betcha, huh don't want anything to do with playing in the dark night after night! !
FedEx Freight | City Driver Stuff
- Thread starter SwampRatt
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Takes a half hour to properly pre trip equipment, add necessary fluids to tractor find a dolly then hook trailers and pre trip them do required handheld steps as well as logbook. . The nights it takes me 45 mins to get hooked up playing in a foot of snow is on me so it all works out in the wash! ! You are all for daylight runs oh you betcha, huh don't want anything to do with playing in the dark night after night! !
Redracer3136
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Excellent point, when there's snow on the ground the city operation shuts down and goes home due to the customers doing the same but the road guys are still going. There's been many of days where the city didn't operate and we still come in and ran...all in a day's work!!
Hats off to you sir. Daylight hours are what fits my family situation. My kids like to know who their dad is. Like I said, I'd hold a steering wheel all day for that kind of money. Then again, FedExs pay scale is the same for areas that have day runs. If my situation allowed I'd move to those areas, then again, why should I have to move? Shouldn't it be the same COMPANYwide?
Excellent point, there's been many a days where the city operated and the road stayed home. I live in an area where it snows during the day and we work, it freezes to ice at night and road stays home. We can go back and forth but the fact remains road drivers are the darling and are paid accordingly.
Redracer3136
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If it's a 360 mile turn, the road driver is required to work the dock due to the run being less than 425 miles which extends his day past eight hours.
I do agree with the vac pay for city drivers, should be an avg of their annual salary since some do get OT on occasions.
You forget, most road drivers are former city drivers and we did it back before technology made the city job easier. Hell, when we did it that shade tree you now sit under on your break was just a sapling in our day!!
Huh??? Some of you guys got drones working that pallet jack putting those 2500lb pallets on the tail???
Whatchoo talkin bout technology making things easier, Red??!!
Redracer3136
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I wouldn't say "darlings", I was told years ago that the industry paid the road drivers more due to the lifestyle of being on the road. Yes, "we" no longer run the system but our pay was established back when we did. What do you suggest, they now decrease our pay because we no longer run the system or inflate the city pay substantially higher than the industry avg?
Redracer3136
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Pallet jacks on the trailer?? We used drag bars in my day...or tied a rope around a tree and pulled forward dragging that pallet to the back!!
I remember the days of using pen and paper, having to call dispatch at every stop to get the next pickup, etc... We even used road maps in order to run an unfamiliar area, would've been nice to have today's GPS!! I'll bet most of the young guys today can't even read a road map.
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I didn't forget. I've been driving as long as most of the road drivers in this company and understand how times have changed for a city driver. I've driven road, I'm driving city. I understand how drivers wanna justify how hard they work for their exceptionally overpaid talents. I know a driver works the dock as well. Without nickel and diming each and every situation, you as well as I know that the driver pay between city and road is day and night. The job performed between city and road is day and night as well. Yet the hardest job gets less compensation. I guess that just the way LTL rolls and I've accepted that until I decide not to.If it's a 360 mile turn, the road driver is required to work the dock due to the run being less than 425 miles which extends his day past eight hours.
I do agree with the vac pay for city drivers, should be an avg of their annual salary since some do get OT on occasions.
You forget, most road drivers are former city drivers and we did it back before technology made the city job easier. Hell, when we did it that shade tree you now sit under on your break was just a sapling in our day!!
You're exactly right. I'd decrease road pay and increase city pay to make it more even. The higher city pay would attract more drivers and would offset the road drivers who decided to leave. It would be classified as a "Professional Driver" position. Not road or city. Everyone would be on the same pay scale and you're position would be based on start times. Want on overnight shift? That'll be a 360 mile round trip to blank and blank at $35 an hour. Want a 9am shift? No problem I've got a route in town for $35 an hour. Problem solved.
Redracer3136
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So you're advocating for a one board, one pay driver system?? You must be sleepy cuz now you're dreaming!!
NO, but what about a "premium" paid for night runs, over day runs. Many industries pay a premium for 2nd/3rd shift work. That would make for decisions being made when bidding on runs. Do you take the highest paying night run with? Or do you take the day run with a lesser mileage pay, but better hours? That would make for some interesting choices, based on seniority. What might that difference be? 10 cents/mile?
But now were getting into "road stuff". A bit off topic, I think...
Canadian Flyer
They Call Me CF, Eh
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City is paid less industry wide because it's the closest thing in this business to a normal job, and as such is more ideal hours-wise for a larger majority of people. Road is compensated better for the strange hours that fewer people want to work. It's that simple. And it's not uncommon in any kind of industry.
You want the convenience of being home to have dinner with the wife and kids? So does everyone else. Sorry. At least you're paid hourly. Some companies pay city by skid/cube.
And nothing I've done has sucked quite like putting together a set in a dirt yard, at midnight, with half a foot of snow on the ground, in bone chilling temperatures, with gloves that are soaked from the set I just split. Days like that, I wondered why I didn't pick a job that put me indoors somewhere.
You want the convenience of being home to have dinner with the wife and kids? So does everyone else. Sorry. At least you're paid hourly. Some companies pay city by skid/cube.
And nothing I've done has sucked quite like putting together a set in a dirt yard, at midnight, with half a foot of snow on the ground, in bone chilling temperatures, with gloves that are soaked from the set I just split. Days like that, I wondered why I didn't pick a job that put me indoors somewhere.
No way to discuss this with out it turning into a road vs. city. Guys that work the city for anytime want a one board system so they don't have to work nights and guys that gave up their seniority to go line say "get in line." The only part that is set in stone is that each and every city guy has or had the chance to go line. Why you didn't is of no concern to the guys that did.
There already is a premium being paid for running nights. It's the main reason we make more then city. The bonus comes when you get to stop being a vampire in about 15 years or so. Works the same in city on a smaller scale, morning and afternoon shifts. The senior guys get to pick first taking the good runs leaving sort and seg. to the newbies.NO, but what about a "premium" paid for night runs, over day runs. Many industries pay a premium for 2nd/3rd shift work. That would make for decisions being made when bidding on runs. Do you take the highest paying night run with? Or do you take the day run with a lesser mileage pay, but better hours? That would make for some interesting choices, based on seniority. What might that difference be? 10 cents/mile?
But now were getting into "road stuff". A bit off topic, I think...
Crazy Trucker
Busting Clowns daily!!!!
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Yeah our daytime road run takes 8 hours and they still make 20 k more than the highest city driver.
Actually Ump, the justification for the premium goes way back to when Road was not only a night gig, but also subject to laydowns and running the system. Days and nights away from home, living out of a bag.
Now, should that same kind of premium apply to a day run unlikely to be suject to any of those conditions? I don't know and it's not my call.
Worth noting most city drivers cannot bid specific runs, but usually only start times. Imagine a road guy bidding only start times...
I will concede that most city drivers COULD transfer to road, if it's all about the money. Alternately my goal/hope is to bring city practices/processes/benefits more in line with road, eventually having "Driver" policies/benefits.