Well, I'm not here to "bash the ex- G.I.'s" here. Just a driver from back east who signed on with this company 8 years ago, and for the most part, am darn glad that I did. We had a company wide vote a few years back (I just don't remember when anymore) about rebidding every year, and the vote from what I remember wasn't close. One of the reasons why I signed on here was the fact that a bid CAN BE a lifetime bid. I for one am not interested in bumping or being bumped. One of the main reasons why I prefer it this way is just from a personal budgetary viewpoint. This way, I have a real good idea not just for this year, but for years in the future how much money I can expext to bring home every week. Of course, if my run should happen to get cancelled, the budget might get clobbered, and I'm back to square one. That's a chance I am willing to take, based on freight levels, and the economy in general. When the run I am now on was posted, I debated long and hard about whether or not I should take it, based on the fact that I might be on it for a long time. This is something that everybody should do. That is, look at as many different possibilities and scenarios as you can think of before signing on the bid. Yes, as mentioned, things change. Situations at home change, and sometimes runs are cancelled. That's a risk I decided was worth taking when I signed on here. You guys out west weren't given the same opportunity to look things over before signing on, because you signed on with a different company. Totally different circumstances than what I have dealt with. If you guys out west want to rebid every year, and the company approves it also, then by all means, go for it. If the entire company decides to go that route in the future, well then I'll just have to adapt. It's been done before, and I'm sure it will be done again in the future! In the meantime, just because I prefer the lifetime bid system, doesn't make me a bad person, or doesn't make you a bad person for preferring the opposite. Either way, for someone like me, I'll probably make out OK. The new guys might not like the rebid idea, but they would just have to adapt, the same as I would.
PS- Everybody be careful out there tonight! Bad weather all over the east tonight. Should be fun.