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ABF | Excessive Overtime

Trucker 206 said:
Discuss.
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That has been the way of the trucking industry for the entire 38 years I was in it. Feast or famine. Overtime or layoff. No real happy medium. If it was not for the excellent money for a blue collar job, no one would put up with it. Especially clocking in at every minute on the clock at some point and time. However,the money and benefits were a true blessing for me and my loved ones. Also for me now that I'm retired. I was penalized 54% of my retirement for having to retire at 57 due to 5 back surgeries. Now they may take 60% of this. I will owe them $12 a month at this rate. ( lol)
 
Volnuck said:
If it was not for the excellent money for a blue collar job, no one would put up with it
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True statement and one of the industry of the past, not of today. It might be excellent money compared to today's grocery store but not when compared to what it used to be. OT, some cry if they get it, some cry if they don't and some cry either way. If not for the OT we could not live the lives we do. In a perfect situation there will be an even number of guys who want it, those who take it as it comes (me) and those who don't want any...enough of each for all to be happy. A rare balance. Continued excessive OT can only be addressed if your B/A is willing to do his job and most are not. Otherwise all you can do is tell your dispatcher that you are under the weather from working too much and tell him you want to come in and go home. You could also get a letter from your doctor outlining your fatigue and requiring more time for R&R.
 
What is considered excessive overtime to me might be just enough for my fellow workers. I can say however that I am getting way to much and look forward to some relief, if ever it may arrive.
 
Volnuck said:
That has been the way of the trucking industry for the entire 38 years I was in it. Feast or famine. Overtime or layoff. No real happy medium. If it was not for the excellent money for a blue collar job, no one would put up with it. Especially clocking in at every minute on the clock at some point and time. However,the money and benefits were a true blessing for me and my loved ones. Also for me now that I'm retired. I was penalized 54% of my retirement for having to retire at 57 due to 5 back surgeries. Now they may take 60% of this. I will owe them $12 a month at this rate. ( lol)
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I would like to make the point that, given your situation, the money and benefits were not as good as you thought at the time.
Unless you never lifted a heavy box down from the tailgate, or lifted it up to the top of a tall skid on the outbound, or carried it into the customers house or pushed a skid of drums over a bumpy floor. And you didn't spend long hours driving a broken down seated, rough riding hard steering truck only to get out and yank on a stiff fifth wheel and crank hard on the handle of a stiff landing gear and push a heavy gear through potholes and mud. All while listening, at least lately, about how you really need to do more and faster so someone in management can have that compensation package that's equal to someone else in the industry.
It seems good. But in reality I don't think we get what we deserve. Its a hard dangerous job.
And you more than earned every stinking penny.
 
Boilerpeddle said:
I would like to make the point that, given your situation, the money and benefits were not as good as you thought at the time.
Unless you never lifted a heavy box down from the tailgate, or lifted it up to the top of a tall skid on the outbound, or carried it into the customers house or pushed a skid of drums over a bumpy floor. And you didn't spend long hours driving a broken down seated, rough riding hard steering truck only to get out and yank on a stiff fifth wheel and crank hard on the handle of a stiff landing gear and push a heavy gear through potholes and mud. All while listening, at least lately, about how you really need to do more and faster so someone in management can have that compensation package that's equal to someone else in the industry.
It seems good. But in reality I don't think we get what we deserve. Its a hard dangerous job.
And you more than earned every stinking penny.
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I was well aware of what the job consisted of when I applied for the job. As I said, the hard work resulted in me having 5 spine surgeries, 6 metal rods and 2 plates in my back. However, nobody made me stay there. I stayed because I liked it and it paid much more than any other job of it's kind for the 38 years I did it. Yes, it is much less lucrative today, and I would not be nearly as tempted to get into the trucking industry now as I was in 1975. I am a true believer that I am responsible for my decisions in life. If I don't like a job, it's pay, or supervisors, I personally would go elsewhere.
 
Volnuck said:
I was well aware of what the job consisted of when I applied for the job. As I said, the hard work resulted in me having 5 spine surgeries, 6 metal rods and 2 plates in my back. However, nobody made me stay there. I stayed because I liked it and it paid much more than any other job of it's kind for the 38 years I did it. Yes, it is much less lucrative today, and I would not be nearly as tempted to get into the trucking industry now as I was in 1975. I am a true believer that I am responsible for my decisions in life. If I don't like a job, it's pay, or supervisors, I personally would go elsewhere.
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I feel for ya with all those surgeries. This is exactly the thing I'm trying my hardest to avoid. I'm 55, and I 'feel it' each and every morning when I get out of bed...the aches, pains, stiffness, etc. I've got maybe seven (or so) years to retirement, and would like to be able to at least walk by the time I get there, but this type of work will 'kill' you eventually. I'm liking that 'note from the doctor' idea more and more everyday!!
 
In this industry, your last five years are an endurance contest,......especially the last two or so, when you can almost see the "prize".......And,....If you don't want overtime, just tell them you're going home.....Makes for hard feelings, but what can they do about it?.......Give you time off? They're having such a hard time hiring guys,....especially since we're now the second-lowest paid LTL carrier out there,....YRC being the lowest,.....that they will pretty much pander to any condition you want to set on them.......And they know it........
 
canaryinthemine said:
In this industry, your last five years are an endurance contest,......especially the last two or so, when you can almost see the "prize".......And,....If you don't want overtime, just tell them you're going home.....Makes for hard feelings, but what can they do about it?.......Give you time off? They're having such a hard time hiring guys,....especially since we're now the second-lowest paid LTL carrier out there,....YRC being the lowest,.....that they will pretty much pander to any condition you want to set on them.......And they know it........
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I wish it were that easy, canary. I've got so much 'animosity' brewing right now it's hard to control it sometimes. For the last seven or eight months, our bottom guy...and I do mean the VERY bottom guy, has been getting the earlier start times than me (I have a 9am bid), and therefore doesn't think he needs to stay and help with the outbound operation. The TM is on board with this...claiming wants the least amount of people on OT. personally, I think this is CRAP! Myself, and everybody above me all worked the outbound when we were on the bottom, that's just the way it was. Just not sure what my options are in this?
 
Trucker 206 said:
I wish it were that easy, canary. I've got so much 'animosity' brewing right now it's hard to control it sometimes. For the last seven or eight months, our bottom guy...and I do mean the VERY bottom guy, has been getting the earlier start times than me (I have a 9am bid), and therefore doesn't think he needs to stay and help with the outbound operation. The TM is on board with this...claiming wants the least amount of people on OT. personally, I think this is CRAP! Myself, and everybody above me all worked the outbound when we were on the bottom, that's just the way it was. Just not sure what my options are in this?
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Once you hit overtime, if he is still there, it is your rite to go home unless he is filling in for a earlier guys bid.
 
No
ABFer said:
In our supplement there is language that makes them post a start time under certain conditions. And those conditions are when an on call worker starts earlier too many times that have to post the bid.
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No such luck here..as far as I know. We're in Joint Council 37, and I don't think we even HAVE a supplement. ABFer...if you can find ANY language on that, please let me know where it is so I can view it. Thanks!
 
Trucker 206 said:
No

No such luck here..as far as I know. We're in Joint Council 37, and I don't think we even HAVE a supplement. ABFer...if you can find ANY language on that, please let me know where it is so I can view it. Thanks!
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I can't even find a supplement that covers your part of the country.
 
SAC75 said:
Once you hit overtime, if he is still there, it is your rite to go home unless he is filling in for a earlier guys bid.
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He does fill in for guys on vacation, but most times they just start him earlier than me to get freight rolling sooner. We have a couple of volume accounts that we can hit early. That's the only reason he starts earlier than me. Most days I'm on OT before I even get back to the terminal. Does that still allow him to leave earlier than me? SAC75...what part of the country are you in?
 
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