No LTL has ever shrunk to profitability. Many have tried, tho. Very, very, very tricky thing to do because density is the name of the game in LTL. Not like truckload where it is much easier to shrink capacity to demand.
Barring a sudden and unexpected up-tick in the economy, I believe that YRC's chance of survival at this point is 0%. Before anyone gets their panties in a wad, I am not hoping this happens. However, to those of you who think that YRC props up the wages in this biz...you are wrong. They are currently destroying LTL wages and bennies because if the yes vote passes, they will be working for LESS than non-union wages.
Unfortunately, you are right for the most part.
The old adage that IBT wages set the bar for the rest of the industry is passe'.
Regardless of what happens to YRC the wage base will remain the same if nothing more than the competition for good drivers.
Companies would have you believe thay can hire just any Joe off the street to so this job....not so or they would be doing it already. These managers seem to think that just because they have an education thay are somehow qualified to accurately evaluate what it takes to do what we do.
Drivers are so used to being unfairly berated by non informed managers they have become numb to what they actually do for a living. These folks see nothing more than numbers...and drivers have become nothing more than numbers. Stops per hour...bills per hour..etc...number crunching for the sake of it.
But I am one who is always willing to learn...
Please Mr. 25 Year Old supervisor tell how to do better pre-trip...tell me how to better negotiate pulling an empty set on solid ice...please inform what is the best way to operate in heavy fog....or a white out...or 6+ inches of snow...
And please Mr. 25 Year Old supervisor please inform on the best way to move freight around my trailer to do pick-ups whilst at the same time doing deliveries...I need to know how (in your opinion) to do it better.
And while were at it please tell me what is the best way to limp a flat tire into the terminal...off the rim or on...smokin' or not and for the love of God how fast can I go. You supervisors have all the answers so please let me know.
Simple fact is these people have no friggin' idea what we do and what it takes to accomplish same. And this is just talking about the dynamics of operating the truck...completely bypassing the substantial requirements of being a good LTL driver...and that is in of itself fodder for another thread.
As long as we have the mental image that we are just dirt under the finger nails of wannabees then that is all we will be.
Recognize your skills...and what you have accomplished to acquire those skills and your perspective will be different.
Rat
not genius! Hindsight is 20/20 and i'm pretty sure every CEO in every company has made some mistakes or bad decisions. But who knows, maybe you've never made a bad decision and your perfect. If that's the case then go ahead and burn our leaders from the stakes. If not, then cut them a little slack and realize they are not trying to destroy this company or your job. They are doing everything they THINK is right so that we all have jobs in 6 months. Some people actually believe that Zollars is trying to destroy YRC to prove a point to a certain group of workers (can't say it on this board). I doubt that is true, but i'm pretty sure our upper management isn't trying to hurt YOU
