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ABF | Hirring a driver for ABF

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vongrimmenstein

I stand for our flag, & kneel for the fallen
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Now there is a lot to think of as to who you might want to work for in the LTL Industry. Her is 1 example of what ABF is facing in recruiting.
Od Dominion
Road pay and local p/d pay will vary a little region to region and time with company.
Road .57....Local 25.40

Vacation
1yr = 2wks
5yr = 3wks
15yrs =4wks
25yrs =5wks

How many years do you have to work now to get 3 weeks @ ABF?
 
Just for clarification, I'm in the Central region with OD as a Road Driver with a few months shy of 10yrs in and I'm in the 60.5 cpm range. With other incidentals ( drop/hook, fuel, etc) I can find little to complain about.
 
Aladdin Sane said:
Just for clarification, I'm in the Central region with OD as a Road Driver with a few months shy of 10yrs in and I'm in the 60.5 cpm range. With other incidentals ( drop/hook, fuel, etc) I can find little to complain about.
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That's great! And I hope it continues for you. But........speaking as a more than 40 year veteran of the trucking industry,...... Union, non-Union, O/O,.....van, flat , tank, and carhaul.........NOTHING stays good for very long in this occupation. There's always someone cheaper, younger, and hungrier, to cut your legs out from underneath you.

I wish you a good 30 years at OD,........but , as you top out at the high end of the vacation scale, and the pay scale, and you're over 50 in the heart attack zone, ........and both you,.....and the company start noticing the young buck new-hires are running rings around you,.......for less pay and vacation,.......that OD does the Honorable thing and let you separate employment on your own terms......

It will be an act of faith and trust,.......because there's nothing in writing.....
 
canaryinthemine said:
That's great! And I hope it continues for you. But........speaking as a more than 40 year veteran of the trucking industry,...... Union, non-Union, O/O,.....van, flat , tank, and carhaul.........NOTHING stays good for very long in this occupation. There's always someone cheaper, younger, and hungrier, to cut your legs out from underneath you.

I wish you a good 30 years at OD,........but , as you top out at the high end of the vacation scale, and the pay scale, and you're over 50 in the heart attack zone, ........and both you,.....and the company start noticing the young buck new-hires are running rings around you,.......for less pay and vacation,.......that OD does the Honorable thing and let you separate employment on your own terms......

It will be an act of faith and trust,.......because there's nothing in writing.....
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vongrimmenstein said:
Now there is a lot to think of as to who you might want to work for in the LTL Industry. Her is 1 example of what ABF is facing in recruiting.
Od Dominion
Road pay and local p/d pay will vary a little region to region and time with company.
Road .57....Local 25.40

Vacation
1yr = 2wks
5yr = 3wks
15yrs =4wks
25yrs =5wks

How many years do you have to work now to get 3 weeks @ ABF?
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And you're right, Brother Von. And, as I keep on explaining to our management types,.........who sputter: " But.....but....our benefits! Our pension! No co-pay for healthcare!....."............when I'm so indiscrete as to point out that we are the second-lowest paid LTL carrier,............that, yes, if you add up all the fringes and frills, and the fact that our........"healthcare"........copay doesn't mysteriously rise every time we get a pay raise,..........we are pretty much at the top of the scale.......all things considered.

But!.......ABF is no longer trying to attract experienced LTL guys who understand all that. Those guys are gone,.....retired,....or getting ready to. That pool of experienced guys has dried up.......

ABF is trying to attract the best of the newbies out there,.........who only understand one thing.........money.

A potential new-hire will ask: "What's your top rate?". If he doesn't like your answer, he rarely asks the second question about benefits or fringes.

ABF upper management has yet to figure that out.........
 
It's true. In an era of job security being almost nonexistent, the first thing a younger person wants to know is what they're going to be paid for their time. It's ingrained, especially after 2008 brought a lot of college-age kids to their knees. A lot of people from that group dread the notion of being put out again, and want to make as much money as possible in order to cover themselves.

The union offers job security, but they don't see that. If they don't see money, they find someone else who will give them money. It's a sad reality of today.
 
Canadian Flyer said:
It's true. In an era of job security being almost nonexistent, the first thing a younger person wants to know is what they're going to be paid for their time. It's ingrained, especially after 2008 brought a lot of college-age kids to their knees. A lot of people from that group dread the notion of being put out again, and want to make as much money as possible in order to cover themselves.

The union offers job security, but they don't see that. If they don't see money, they find someone else who will give them money. It's a sad reality of today.
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It is an "engineered" reality.......Wall Street created economic slavery,.......indentured servitude for decades through your school loans. Bankers can now roll in long-term dough,.......and employers now have a quiet and docile.........and desperate.......Labor pool from which to hire from.

And.......our society will pay for all the social ills that will arise from this.
 
canaryinthemine said:
It is an "engineered" reality.......Wall Street created economic slavery,.......indentured servitude for decades through your school loans. Bankers can now roll in long-term dough,.......and employers now have a quiet and docile.........and desperate.......Labor pool from which to hire from.

And.......our society will pay for all the social ills that will arise from this.
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Do you think it was a long term game plan, or do you think that it has just ended up here coincidentally after a prolonged assault on our wages and conditions?
 
ABFer said:
Do you think it was a long term game plan, or do you think that it has just ended up here coincidentally after a prolonged assault on our wages and conditions?
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Deliberate. Decades of buying the right candidates,....the right media,. ...the right newspapers,....... to set up just the right climate for the electorate to accept this as the "norm". Every thing is finally just right,......to pull the wool over everyone's eyes.....
 
If you look at every major business and political decision in the last few decades under the precept that cheap, docile and desperate Labor means increased profits,.......things tend to make a lot more sense.......
 
canaryinthemine said:
ABF is trying to attract the best of the newbies out there,.........who only understand one thing.........money.

A potential new-hire will ask: "What's your top rate?". If he doesn't like your answer, he rarely asks the second question about benefits or fringes.
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But!.......ABF is no longer trying to attract experienced LTL guys who understand all that. Those guys are gone,.....retired,....or getting ready to. That pool of experienced guys has dried up.....


Well said, Ive been driving for just under a year with a family to feed and a great work history and ethic. grew up around trucking and know the game fairly well, but the first thing I think of is how will my job effect my family and future. Its not a great life but its rewarding and you get out what you put into it. I have 2 small sons and a loving wife who works hard also.
I ask and contemplate every minute of every day to either stay put where I am or apply at ABF in a few weeks like i was told I can. I ve been also looking at OD. Very impressive and comparable if not better. I sure like the idea of a vacation tho or the chance to be able to take a day off with out getting nailed. I need a real nudge in the right direction here and no body but myself can do that. A Secure job will benefit anyone more than making top rate. Gotta look at the long run of things. Yes OD has something good going but they don't seem to be hiring in Carlisle. I think of ABF in Baltimore also(I Live on the state line) but i know how the Belt Buckle down there can get all too well. Input,advice. Not trying to Jack the thread on this but it s inbounds. THX guys.
 
bolski said:
But!.......ABF is no longer trying to attract experienced LTL guys who understand all that. Those guys are gone,.....retired,....or getting ready to. That pool of experienced guys has dried up.....


Well said, Ive been driving for just under a year with a family to feed and a great work history and ethic. grew up around trucking and know the game fairly well, but the first thing I think of is how will my job effect my family and future. Its not a great life but its rewarding and you get out what you put into it. I have 2 small sons and a loving wife who works hard also.
I ask and contemplate every minute of every day to either stay put where I am or apply at ABF in a few weeks like i was told I can. I ve been also looking at OD. Very impressive and comparable if not better. I sure like the idea of a vacation tho or the chance to be able to take a day off with out getting nailed. I need a real nudge in the right direction here and no body but myself can do that. A Secure job will benefit anyone more than making top rate. Gotta look at the long run of things. Yes OD has something good going but they don't seem to be hiring in Carlisle. I think of ABF in Baltimore also(I Live on the state line) but i know how the Belt Buckle down there can get all too well. Input,advice. Not trying to Jack the thread on this but it s inbounds. THX guys.
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Well thought out, Brother, and I wish you the best of luck in your desicion...

In 1975,.…..pre-deregulation era,......we had a different series of problems,.....,.. but then the children started coming thick and fast,....and their welfare and well-being tends to flavor every economic choice you make.....

We do what we gotta do....

Brother Von makes a good point,...and I think you'll agree........that the vacation issue.....family time,.....is probably the tipping point in many driver's choice of employment. If the vacation schedule was restored,.......even with the paycut,......ABF would be worth the wait for good quality entry level drivers.....

Without it,........other carriers look more attractive. Family time for young families is just as important as wages.....
 
One thing i must say is that I don't want to and won't miss my boys growing up. They are 2 and 5 months old now. In a few years they will be able to do more with me/us and by then vacation and security should be available and maybe better around home with some more pay. I suppose its a short term sacrifice for now for our future. Besides i d love to retire one day.........
 
bolski said:
One thing i must say is that I don't want to and won't miss my boys growing up. They are 2 and 5 months old now. In a few years they will be able to do more with me/us and by then vacation and security should be available and maybe better around home with some more pay. I suppose its a short term sacrifice for now for our future. Besides i d love to retire one day.........
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I don't regret choosing ABF. If I had it to do over I would do the same today. I think the vacation problem will be the first item ABF will give in to on the next contract. I don't think the rank & file will approve another contract without restoring vacation schedules to the previous contract.
 
DCM_Doc said:
I don't regret choosing ABF. If I had it to do over I would do the same today. I think the vacation problem will be the first item ABF will give in to on the next contract. I don't think the rank & file will approve another contract without restoring vacation schedules to the previous contract.
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10-4 on that!

I probably won't make it to next contract, but I certainly hope by that time we have new leadership that actually knows HOW to negotiate a contract........I mean, other than let the company lawyers dictate the terms and lazily rubber-stamping them......
 
bolski said:
One thing i must say is that I don't want to and won't miss my boys growing up. They are 2 and 5 months old now. In a few years they will be able to do more with me/us and by then vacation and security should be available and maybe better around home with some more pay. I suppose its a short term sacrifice for now for our future. Besides i d love to retire one day.........
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You'll get there, bolski! I'm not sure of your age, but you sound like a younger fellow. You also look to be doing EVERYTHING right by your wife and young sons. You don't say where you currently work, and that's understandable...given the 'phishing' of these boards by the elite. I will tell you...we work our tails off at ABF Freight. But, horror stories abound, you may not find a better place that offers what ABF does. People can 'poo-poo' the Teamsters all they want (no, we're not perfect), but there are many advantages to working under a Collective Bargaining Agreement. Best of luck to you! Let us know what you decide.
 
DCM_Doc said:
I don't regret choosing ABF. If I had it to do over I would do the same today. I think the vacation problem will be the first item ABF will give in to on the next contract. I don't think the rank & file will approve another contract without restoring vacation schedules to the previous contract.
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I don't regret my time at ABF either but for me it was just luck, nobody else was in need at the time. However, I would not do the same again if I had the chance for a re run. I would apply myself at school and design tools to work on trucks at Mack. As for the vacation? I believe that your hopes will be slashed there. Vacation will be adjusted, just not for those of us with the whiskers. You'll see (notice I did not say, "we'll see") one year/one week vacation, two years/two weeks vacation and that will be the extent of the vacation improvement. We lived and worked through a time when the Young family had strong influence on the company but that influence is gone, gone, gone. Greed is now the driving force and they have more greed than the work force does. Particularly this new generation who seems to be happy with a mere existence. Here's hoping for the best. :guiness:
 
DCM_Doc said:
I don't regret choosing ABF. If I had it to do over I would do the same today. I think the vacation problem will be the first item ABF will give in to on the next contract. I don't think the rank & file will approve another contract without restoring vacation schedules to the previous contract.
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Definitely agree, Doc. Vacation restoration to pre-2013 levels might just top my 'wish list' this go-round.
 
ABFer said:
I don't regret my time at ABF either but for me it was just luck, nobody else was in need at the time. However, I would not do the same again if I had the chance for a re run. I would apply myself at school and design tools to work on trucks at Mack. As for the vacation? I believe that your hopes will be slashed there. Vacation will be adjusted, just not for those of us with the whiskers. You'll see (notice I did not say, "we'll see") one year/one week vacation, two years/two weeks vacation and that will be the extent of the vacation improvement. We lived and worked through a time when the Young family had strong influence on the company but that influence is gone, gone, gone. Greed is now the driving force and they have more greed than the work force does. Particularly this new generation who seems to be happy with a mere existence. Here's hoping for the best. :guiness:
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Think about that, 13 year gap from you 2nd to your 3rd week. You got company's like OD who changed there vacation policies to poach new drivers when they found out what abf's was offering. Greed will eventually catch up with them....
 
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