ABF | new hire process questions

what do you mean income may very limited? From what I was told, I would make around 60K my first year as long as I work. I need to work, I'm not calling in sick or turning anything down....my first year, ANYWHERE, you have to pay your dues. good things happen to those who wait, and landing a lscheduled run is just that. Pay your dues and get some seniority under your belt, then bid on a run.
well, as I have stated before I did a brief stint in LTL and know how extra board works. So no big worries! The best thing about LTL is no more fighting for a spot at the truckstop! I'll always have a place to park and take a break! And I know ABF uses CLC cards so if I know I'll be in a major city and know where I will laydown at(on weekend) I'll call CLC and they can book me a room. Weekend work? lol BRING IT ON! Better shows on sirius/xm at night AND on weekends! Plus, it's alot more laid back(to me) driving on the weekend. Nights? lol SAME THING! You cover way more ground than the daytime, plus alot less traffic. I'm sure if I get a call(extra board) it'll be between 2300-0400. LTL moves freight at night and during the day is usually scheduled runs. However, I can be called to cover one, I'm sure(from what I was told) someone further up the list will take it before I get the call, seeing how everybody wants to drive during the day as opposed to nighttime.
not all LTL moved 2300-0400, don't fool yourself there will be any consistency to call times. Income may be limited means just that. Look over in the Holland boards. One guy there is only getting 1-2 days a week. My first year I was "Promised" 45,000$ +, W-2 gross for that year was 32,500. LTL is a strange, fickle beast and union LTL even more so
 
Last edited:
not all LTL moved 2300-0400, don't fool yourself there will be any consistency to call times. Income may be limited means just that. Look over in the Holland boards. One guy there is only getting 1-2 days a week. My first year I was "Promised" 45,000$ +, W-2 gross for that year was 32,500. LTL is a strange, fickle beast and union LTL even more so

It don't matter if your union or non if the economy slows you sit, if it's December, January & February you usually sit. It comes down to putting your time in, the more seniority you have the more you run or work....
 
It don't matter if your union or non if the economy slows you sit, if it's December, January & February you usually sit. It comes down to putting your time in, the more seniority you have the more you run or work....
And even if you move during those periods, it may not be far, no one is trying to scare you yankatank, just being honest. A major contract is coming up in LTL in march and we have been in a peak period for Q1 Q2 &Q3 of 2018, Q4 did seem to soften a bit but all the Trump haters are trying to talk this economy into recession, China is teetering and creaking economically and anybody at the bottom 15-20% of a board , be it LTL, flatbed, tank, car hauler, private fleet, etc, etc. should take nothing for granted. The promises made to you about income, etc, are worth the paper they're not written on. Arcbest has many oars in the water. Myself and others are just being honest. A real go-getter, do anything attitude is not always smiled upon in all union barns. Some nonunion ones as well. Guys and gals that have been there a long time may not appreciate being shown up by the noob. Tread carefully, my friend, and good luck!
 
Yankatank, you seem to be expecting to much out of ABF. The extra board is not as you describe. LTL is not as you describe. I have worked for 3 LTL companies (ABF 17 years, Wilson 3 years, Old Dominion 6 years) and none have worked mainly 2300-0400. It is around the clock dispatching. I have never had a constant paycheck on the extra board. With LTL it is feast or famine!!! When you are low seniority it is famine (missing call blocks, only work 0-3 days a week, the shortest runs, forced on the shortest bid runs your first year or 2, etc). I hope you are one of the lucky ones but most employees are not one of the lucky ones.

Here is an example for you, we just bid on Dec 31 (2 Mondays ago) our new bids started Jan 6 (this past Sunday) I'm told the bottom 5 or 6 guys were forced to take the least favorable bids (086-051) Atlanta to Winston, the runs pay 335 miles, they are the last runs of the night (so they get canceled first and more often), we make 0.62 a mile. My question for you is....could you live on 335 miles X 0.62 a mile X 6 days a week ?
 
Last edited:
thank you! Tell me, so far, what consists of orientation? How long is it? I take it you get paid the hourly rate? Also, anyone know what kind of elog do you use? I'm used to peoplenet(which sucks and crashes all the time) and quallcomm.
They use peoplenet. And yes, you get paid the hourly rate during the orientation.
But they also use paper logs for your time card to get paid...I don’t know, it hadn’t really been explained all that well. We watched movies on a computer for 5 hours. We also had to take a forklift test. As a road driver this made me scratch my head a little but I guess they want everyone to be able to drive one. I’ve driven a forklift once and that was 6 years ago. I passed the test easily so if you don’t have experience- don’t worry about it.
I go back Monday for a driving test. Then Tuesday for a couple more hours of orientation... then hopefully Tuesday or Wednesday go on the road with a trainer for one lay down run.
 
Yankatank, you seem to be expecting to much out of ABF. The extra board is not as you describe. LTL is not as you describe. I have worked for 3 LTL companies (ABF 17 years, Wilson 3 years, Old Dominion 6 years) and none have worked mainly 2300-0400. It is around the clock dispatching. I have never had a constant paycheck on the extra board. With LTL it is feast or famine!!! When you are low seniority it is famine (missing call blocks, only work 0-3 days a week, the shortest runs, forced on the shortest bid runs your first year or 2, etc). I hope you are one of the lucky ones but most employees are not one of the lucky ones.

Here is an example for you, we just bid on Dec 31 (2 Mondays ago) our new bids started Jan 6 (this past Sunday) I'm told the bottom 5 or 6 guys were forced to take the least favorable bids (086-051) Atlanta to Winston, the runs pay 335 miles, they are the last runs of the night (so they get canceled first and more often), we make 0.62 a mile. My question for you is....could you live on 335 miles X 0.62 a mile X 6 days a week ?
My brief stint was at Estes. I was extra board and was usually out by weds. night, some weeks I sat at home for 1-2 days. I know about extraboard....one thing I don't know is the difference between union and nonunion. However....only 2000 miles a week at 62 cpm still is not all that bad. I could live off of that. Right now I'm in tanker and usually pull around 1200-2000 miles a week at 45cpm mt and 56cpm ld....although I get layover pay(which doesn't start until after 14 hours), they pay is 'setup' somewhat like LTL 'kind of'. It's hard to describe, but working a short time with Estes and with the company I'm with now, I'm making about the same I would on extraboard at Estes(which is close to 65K a year) I know because in the 4 months I was in LTL I still made around 24K, which is NOT bad at all. I've read more good, than bad about ABF so this is why I'm choosing them. OD, is becoming too strict on their policies, which is why I'm NOT going with them, they are hard to hire on in the Greensboro terminal(always full). But, I vape ALOT when driving and they won't allow that in the truck or anywhere on their property. I had a friend that works there and they change the rules at OD way more than most of the other LTL companies.
 
They use peoplenet. And yes, you get paid the hourly rate during the orientation.
But they also use paper logs for your time card to get paid...I don’t know, it hadn’t really been explained all that well. We watched movies on a computer for 5 hours. We also had to take a forklift test. As a road driver this made me scratch my head a little but I guess they want everyone to be able to drive one. I’ve driven a forklift once and that was 6 years ago. I passed the test easily so if you don’t have experience- don’t worry about it.
I go back Monday for a driving test. Then Tuesday for a couple more hours of orientation... then hopefully Tuesday or Wednesday go on the road with a trainer for one lay down run.
cool...keep me informed. Seems people are trying to scare me out, as if you can't read. haha as far as forklift training....I had a state certification about 9 years ago, so that's not a problem. I'm thinking if you want to switch to dock, instead of driving you are certified to do so.
 
cool...keep me informed. Seems people are trying to scare me out, as if you can't read. haha as far as forklift training....I had a state certification about 9 years ago, so that's not a problem. I'm thinking if you want to switch to dock, instead of driving you are certified to do so.
I don't know how you can say people are trying to scare you out. I explicitly said no one is trying to scare you, just being honest, "as if you can't read.haha"
 
I don't know how you can say people are trying to scare you out. I explicitly said no one is trying to scare you, just being honest, "as if you can't read.haha"

I know...No company is perfect.
I appreciate the input from people that work there. They know, we don’t. Haha
Starting out on the bottom of a Union LTL company won’t be perfect. Personally, as long as I can make enough to survive, I’ll stay.
I was told some things during my interview so I have to hope it’ll be just fine... time will tell.
 
Yankatank, you seem to be expecting to much out of ABF. The extra board is not as you describe. LTL is not as you describe. I have worked for 3 LTL companies (ABF 17 years, Wilson 3 years, Old Dominion 6 years) and none have worked mainly 2300-0400. It is around the clock dispatching. I have never had a constant paycheck on the extra board. With LTL it is feast or famine!!! When you are low seniority it is famine (missing call blocks, only work 0-3 days a week, the shortest runs, forced on the shortest bid runs your first year or 2, etc). I hope you are one of the lucky ones but most employees are not one of the lucky ones.

Here is an example for you, we just bid on Dec 31 (2 Mondays ago) our new bids started Jan 6 (this past Sunday) I'm told the bottom 5 or 6 guys were forced to take the least favorable bids (086-051) Atlanta to Winston, the runs pay 335 miles, they are the last runs of the night (so they get canceled first and more often), we make 0.62 a mile. My question for you is....could you live on 335 miles X 0.62 a mile X 6 days a week ?
He apparently gave up on ABF. According to a thread on the FedEx board he's going to work there.
Grass is greener before it's planted I guess
More power to him, I hope he does well
 
He apparently gave up on ABF. According to a thread on the FedEx board he's going to work there.
Grass is greener before it's planted I guess
More power to him, I hope he does well
HA...haven't given up on either....ABF will take a while to get back.....IF they don't call me, I have a backup. Kind of works that way when you have a good record and can choose where to go. And weren't you the one being all negative to me about going to ABF? Now what, being negative about fxf too? Goes to show your character.
 
HA...haven't given up on either....ABF will take a while to get back.....IF they don't call me, I have a backup. Kind of works that way when you have a good record and can choose where to go. And weren't you the one being all negative to me about going to ABF? Now what, being negative about fxf too? Goes to show your character.
You appear to have comprehension issues. I , and others, were being honest, not negative. I've not attacked you in any way so why bring my character into question? I've been around LTL a long time and your ideas of how it runs were not in line with how it actually works. By the way if you want to question character and intent , you stated you were with Estes if I recall correctly. Why did you not stay?
You were being promised stuff that you should be wary of.
I think ABF is a good company as is FedEx and many other LTLs. You are bragging on yourself about your record and current job. I'm glad for both for you, just don't jump from the frying pan and into the fire. The things I said about being bottom of the board at ABF would hold true for just about any LTL. In this economy, being in the bottom 10-20% of any board at any LTL either city or linehaul is risky.
Please don't assault someone's character when they have EXPLICITLY posted they are not trying to scare you, just be honest with you.
 
HA...haven't given up on either....ABF will take a while to get back.....IF they don't call me, I have a backup. Kind of works that way when you have a good record and can choose where to go. And weren't you the one being all negative to me about going to ABF? Now what, being negative about fxf too? Goes to show your character.
Please pay close attention to the last line in my last few posts replying to you. Also please point out where I've been rude or discourteous to you.
I said good luck and more power to you, I hope you do well,
What's that say about my character?
 
HA...haven't given up on either....ABF will take a while to get back.....IF they don't call me, I have a backup. Kind of works that way when you have a good record and can choose where to go. And weren't you the one being all negative to me about going to ABF? Now what, being negative about fxf too? Goes to show your character.

I wish you luck where ever you end up. The reason I like ABF (their 18 years city board) is the fact I pay nothing each for my medical coverage. I had 3 surgeries while employed there. Broken foot with titanium screw inserted. Work comp. Left knee replacement. My total out of pocket was about700 bucks. 5 vertebrae fused in the neck. About 950.00. That kind of coverage with the related cost is very hard to find in any business much less in trucking. I did pay 60 bucks a month in dues, but based on what family coverage costs today, dues were cheap. If you have a wife & kids & all 3 get sick & need surgeries in any given year, you are screwed. ABF family out of pocket was 2 grand a year for all family members. Something to think about. Good luck. Von.
 
You appear to have comprehension issues. I , and others, were being honest, not negative. I've not attacked you in any way so why bring my character into question? I've been around LTL a long time and your ideas of how it runs were not in line with how it actually works. By the way if you want to question character and intent , you stated you were with Estes if I recall correctly. Why did you not stay?
You were being promised stuff that you should be wary of.
I think ABF is a good company as is FedEx and many other LTLs. You are bragging on yourself about your record and current job. I'm glad for both for you, just don't jump from the frying pan and into the fire. The things I said about being bottom of the board at ABF would hold true for just about any LTL. In this economy, being in the bottom 10-20% of any board at any LTL either city or linehaul is risky.
Please don't assault someone's character when they have EXPLICITLY posted they are not trying to scare you, just be honest with you.
In this economy??
 
In this economy??
Yes. Check out iam4us post above. Guys on holland board asking about layoffs. Billylo on OD boards complaining about being soft. You've got Trump haters trying to talk the economy into the toilet. Being at the bottom is risky anywhere at anytime. The op has a job he likes and is expecting certain things if he moves from his current gig to ABF or FedEx. The economy is good and I think it will get better, but that doesn't mean every terminal at every LTL is going to be maxing everyone's hours.
Many carriers over staffed during the past 18 months and it sucks if you end up being an adjustment to staffing levels, unemployed that is, especially if you already have a gig you're happy with that you would lose by going to the bottom of a board somewhere. That'd be the definition of jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.
 
Last edited:
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor Bach,
Beethoven's 5th Symphony,
Johann Strauss II – The Blue Danube
Richard Wagner – The Valkyrie: Ride of the Valkyries.
G.F. Handel Organ Concertos Op.7

My grandmother for 15 years took me to the Indianapolis Symphony every season. She had season tickets for years. I hate opera, but enjoy some classical music. If I was raised on a farm in Texas, I probably would not know Handel from Bach. Different location, different culture, different music.. von.

If you like music for the organ, check this out.

 
You have to Handel your Bach carefully..........

...(...I deeply apologize for such an atrocious pun...)....

Apology accepted. But, you need to direct your apology to Bach not me. He is spinning in his grave because of your rude, crude & socially unacceptable comments. On the other hand, he got over it, I know I have. von.
 
Top