runawaytrain
Wear their scorn with pride.
- Credits
- 10
I'm in the D-FW area ... Texas.
SAIA | starting out
- Thread starter blacklabel
- Start date
Workin2hard
TB Lurker
- Credits
- 0
Did y'all's area get a bunch of the bad flooding we been hearing about???? How long have you been a p&d driver for SAIA LTL???
runawaytrain
Wear their scorn with pride.
- Credits
- 10
Yes ... A lot of bad flooding and tornados have really upset this state. We really needed the rain but now the lakes are all full and the ground is saturated ... It's really getting bad. Been in this business 40+ years .... I'm 60 and will retire in a couple of years with a pretty nice IRA. Been at Saia a little over a year and plan on finishing out my career here. Been a dispatcher most of my career. I love this company. And I love being a driver.
Workin2hard
TB Lurker
- Credits
- 0
Workin2hard
TB Lurker
- Credits
- 0
Yeah Roth IRA & take advantage of company 401K a man outta be able to retire fairly well one day....... On y'all's peddle routes Do you guy's know what time y'all are coming in tomorrow when y'all leave today or do y'all call in every morning?????
runawaytrain
Wear their scorn with pride.
- Credits
- 10
Your not using the quote feature correctly. Just a little practice and you will figure it out.
runawaytrain
Wear their scorn with pride.
- Credits
- 10
We have a sheet that is posted every night before we leave. Most senior guys have the peddles and start at 8:30 .... The rest start at 10:30 and 11:30 just doing clean up and swaps.
Workin2hard
TB Lurker
- Credits
- 0
Yeah I'm new at this. Trucking is all I know. Don't know anything about a quote feature. So what about it. Do y'all know what time y'all are going in tomorrow or do y'all call in tomorrowtomorrow
Workin2hard
TB Lurker
- Credits
- 0
So if you have been with SAIA LTL for a year would you be a clean up guy????
runawaytrain
Wear their scorn with pride.
- Credits
- 10
We always know the night before. It's all based on seniority ..... It's posted in the dispatch office. The more seniority you have the earlier your start time. But we don't have to call in.
runawaytrain
Wear their scorn with pride.
- Credits
- 10
Yes. It take a couple of years to get an assigned area in most cases. We have two big terminals here in D-FW with each one having close to 100 City drivers.
Workin2hard
TB Lurker
- Credits
- 0
Where was you a dispatcher most of your career at????
runawaytrain
Wear their scorn with pride.
- Credits
- 10
Overnite before it became UPS ... 20 years ... Going to bed brother. Will talk at you tommorrow. Have a good night.
Linebaugh Man
TB Lurker
- Credits
- 0
I have a couple more questions for anyone who wants to answer. Does Saia run a single seniority board or are line drivers and P & D on seperate boards? Is there enough freight flow at a larger yard such as DLS for example to keep a guy with zero company fuzz busy enough to have linehaul runs for the bottom guy not to starve? Thanks!
Virginia Tech
TB Lurker
- Credits
- 0
P & D and Linehaul are separate boards...And if freight slows down they won't cut 1 driver at a terminal more than a another. For example... If you get cut on Monday, you aren't supposed to get cut again until all the other drivers on your board lose one day.
If you are a system (extra board) driver and are away from your home terminal they will always run you even if it means a bid driver stays home. In the 11 months I have worked hear I have been cut twice.
I run Linehaul and absolutely love working here.
Last edited:
Linebaugh Man
TB Lurker
- Credits
- 0
Nice! Thanks for the information.
Nice to read the support a new hire with questions is getting from others that work at Saia. I see there are signing bonuses paid for new line haul and team drivers. 5000 for team--3500 for line haul. Do local P&D drivers receive any sign on money? Are there any employee referral bonuses paid to current drivers that bring a new driver on?
Virginia Tech
TB Lurker
- Credits
- 0
The bonuses are different for each region. I guess it depends on how bad they need drivers for a particular terminal.
When I started on July 1st of last year they were giving a 5 grand sign on bonus, and top pay in 6 months for experienced drivers. That was at the Des Moines terminal. I think they are still offering it here.
Last I heard they wanted to add 3 more Linehaul and 1 P & D driver in DSM.
If you apply on line I'm pretty sure some one from HR will call you asap.
They do have a $1000 referral bonus. But I wouldn't want anyone to think that's why I'm praising this company, so I'll refrain from giving out my info.
I stayed at a OTR company for 16 years because I didn't think I could do any better than what I was making... I was wrong, and wish I would of taking the leap years earlier.
Virginia Tech
TB Lurker
- Credits
- 0
Train, I come back to the board to find that I have been lectured on my attitude and opinion by a P&D driver who has been with the company a whole year. What, and I left the rest of that out. I read that you have been in the business for a while and I also read the part where you are 60 and full of life's experiences but don't think that you are the only one with grey and approaching white hair and that has been around.
It would help, if we knew whether Linebaugh was going for Linehaul or P&D. If he ends up in P&D, he is all yours. I appreciate your enthusiasm but I've been linehaul for almost 2 decades and you've been P&D for a year. Leave the system part of Linehaul out of this discussion because I have never been in the system. Linehaul and P&D are 2 separate animals. There are many differences in how these departments run but one of the biggest is that P&D carries the fancy phone and Linehaul doesn't. There is a reason. P&D guys need to stay in touch wheras a Linehaul driver could fall off of the face of the earth and Central would not notice, unless the GPS starts screaming at them. Don't think that we feel left out. The first time that you sit on hold, get tortured by that God-awful bumper music/ helpful hints commentary, then, you will get the hint that they don't want to talk to us, except under certain conditions, and the feeling is mutual. Another is that P&D is the main contact point between our customers and the company. Enthusiasm, go get em competiveness, asking for extra business, yada yada yada, makes the P&D world go round but Linehaul is not like that. We access our information, complete our assignments, and God willing, we don't have to contact Central, ever. And then, get the hell out of the way so that P&D can start their day.
But, the system works because the Linehaul information is set, easy to access, and seldom changes. So, I repeat my original advice to Linebaugh. Take it or leave it, it's up to you.
Linebaugh, just remember that you are a number, an asset, a hole filler,nothing more, nothing less. Central does not want to hear from you, except under certain conditions, and your trainer can fill you in on those. You will be told when to start, what to pull, the system will tell you when you are expected to arrive at your destination. All this company wants is for you to show up, ready to work, and for you to operate safely. No super truckers, no hauling ass to impress the bosses, just do the job and then get the hell out of the way. Good Luck.
It would help, if we knew whether Linebaugh was going for Linehaul or P&D. If he ends up in P&D, he is all yours. I appreciate your enthusiasm but I've been linehaul for almost 2 decades and you've been P&D for a year. Leave the system part of Linehaul out of this discussion because I have never been in the system. Linehaul and P&D are 2 separate animals. There are many differences in how these departments run but one of the biggest is that P&D carries the fancy phone and Linehaul doesn't. There is a reason. P&D guys need to stay in touch wheras a Linehaul driver could fall off of the face of the earth and Central would not notice, unless the GPS starts screaming at them. Don't think that we feel left out. The first time that you sit on hold, get tortured by that God-awful bumper music/ helpful hints commentary, then, you will get the hint that they don't want to talk to us, except under certain conditions, and the feeling is mutual. Another is that P&D is the main contact point between our customers and the company. Enthusiasm, go get em competiveness, asking for extra business, yada yada yada, makes the P&D world go round but Linehaul is not like that. We access our information, complete our assignments, and God willing, we don't have to contact Central, ever. And then, get the hell out of the way so that P&D can start their day.
But, the system works because the Linehaul information is set, easy to access, and seldom changes. So, I repeat my original advice to Linebaugh. Take it or leave it, it's up to you.
Linebaugh, just remember that you are a number, an asset, a hole filler,nothing more, nothing less. Central does not want to hear from you, except under certain conditions, and your trainer can fill you in on those. You will be told when to start, what to pull, the system will tell you when you are expected to arrive at your destination. All this company wants is for you to show up, ready to work, and for you to operate safely. No super truckers, no hauling ass to impress the bosses, just do the job and then get the hell out of the way. Good Luck.