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SAIA | Would be nice if company scratched our back every once in a while

Well, I guess this thread has turned into “im Linehaul so I’m #1”. Linehaul is the biggest expense to Saia. Period. More severe accidents, etc... I think you Linehaul guys should check your attitude at the door. Thinking you are “better” or more qualified is total crap. It’s just the type of outlook that perpetuates the BS at Saia. You guys are all professional drivers, regardless of title. Funny how, when Linehaul wants/takes vacation, they rob from City. But when city is on vacation, City just has to suck it up. So, City is good enough to cover vacation, but not to take an extra run on weekends? Big double standard if you ask me
 
I look at it we all 1 big team or suppose to be anyway. But to play devil's advocate if a city driver run a line haul run he gets line haul pay .66/mile. But lone haul dont get city pay hourly. Line haul is $25.84 hourly city gets $26 or 27 something. But like I say city need line drivers and line drivers need city.
 
Dracula said:
The days of me wanting to work weekends, in order to make up lost work time or to make an extra run, are long over. However, I found the best way was to call early, on a Sunday morning. By this time of the weekend, any extra runs had already been scheduled but the last minute stuff, that pops up for whatever reason, still needs to be moved. Like Suicidejockey posted, if the Sunday Central guys know that they can depend on you to bail them out, and if there are late breaking runs, the Sunday guys will schedule you and be grateful that you called. I never had a word said to me, either, about calling.

As far as using city guys to cover Linehaul, I don't like the idea. It's not so much the driving part but the general knowledge of how the nuts and bolts work, of a Linehaul run. They take your usual tractor instead of that piece of crap, that they drive in the city and that's never a good thing, they don't know the locations, what to do when they get there, no bulk fuel cards, even how to hook a set, and the worst part, they usually have your phone number. Hell, you might as well have gone with them.
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Exactly lol an I too am long over that weekend work but still willing to help out in an emergency
 
bigbuck said:
Well, I guess this thread has turned into “im Linehaul so I’m #1”. Linehaul is the biggest expense to Saia. Period. More severe accidents, etc... I think you Linehaul guys should check your attitude at the door. Thinking you are “better” or more qualified is total crap. It’s just the type of outlook that perpetuates the BS at Saia. You guys are all professional drivers, regardless of title. Funny how, when Linehaul wants/takes vacation, they rob from City. But when city is on vacation, City just has to suck it up. So, City is good enough to cover vacation, but not to take an extra run on weekends? Big double standard if you ask me
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We have city drivers at our yard that can’t even hook a set up without us helping them. Just saying
 
PhilWilliams said:
Yup. Sometimes you gotta take that CLT to FLO run on a race weekend and suffer those 150 red lights. (Hope that has gotten better.) Sometimes you gotta take that DEN to GRJ in the snow on a weekend. You step up to the plate for the bad runs and you’ll get the good runs too. You show them you want to work and they’ll work you if it’s there. I was never chastised for trying to hustle a load on a weekend or extending on a Friday night instead of coming back home so I could get an extra run. Want it, earn it.
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Florence is easy as pie compared to Fayetteville there are more lights that way than Carter has pills lol
 
suicidejockey said:
We have city drivers at our yard that can’t even hook a set up without us helping them. Just saying
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suicidejockey said:
Florence is easy as pie compared to Fayetteville there are more lights that way than Carter has pills lol
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suicidejockey said:
Nothing like getting texts and calls from a lost city driver while you are in church on Sunday morning lol
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Not to pick on you Jocky but these are the kind of comments that city drivers laugh at. It’s a bit of arrogance! Some city drivers fall into this category I’m sure but many are very capable of doing your job. I ran linehaul for many years at my previous job so I understand where you’re coming from. Let me say that in general linehaul drivers are a different breed. Many are loners with some strange personalities. Many are reclusive and very odd. Perhaps that’s what happens when your social skills are limited. All that windshield time takes it’s toll on some. I’m not trying to stereotype you guys but some of the strangest guys I ever met came from linehaul. City has some weird ones too, but linehaul drivers stand alone as being a bit reclusive and odd.
 
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bigbuck said:
Well, I guess this thread has turned into “im Linehaul so I’m #1”. Linehaul is the biggest expense to Saia. Period. More severe accidents, etc... I think you Linehaul guys should check your attitude at the door. Thinking you are “better” or more qualified is total crap. It’s just the type of outlook that perpetuates the BS at Saia. You guys are all professional drivers, regardless of title. Funny how, when Linehaul wants/takes vacation, they rob from City. But when city is on vacation, City just has to suck it up. So, City is good enough to cover vacation, but not to take an extra run on weekends? Big double standard if you ask me
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No one said Linehaul was better then city, except you. No one is showing an attitude but you. So, check yourself sweetie.

Now, here is why I think there should be linehaul priority for linehaul.
1. Linehaul takes the risk everyday of not coming home. Could be due to weather and you only get a half days pay and your in a hotel not coming home to your family. That doesn’t happen to city. Could be because you or your meet driver broke down and either your stuck out there or have to go through. Now your off schedule the rest of the week with another half day coming. Doesn’t happen to city.
2. Your meet driver calls off or gets cut and your going through or going somewhere else. See above.
3. You don’t get paid overtime. Period. Find a linehaul driver who only worked 40 or even 50 hours.
4. We don’t get paid to fuel, to get a short at terminal repair done, or to do our paperwork. It’s part of our milage pay. We don’t get paid longer if a drop and hook takes longer then the flat rate time either. Not on the clock.
5. We’re expected to be there 30 minutes before cut. We don’t get paid till 30 minutes after cut if load isn’t ready.
6. We have to take 30 off, just like city. If we get to meet before scheduled time and the meet driver gets there after scheduled depart time because they got delayed we eat the early arrival, the 30, and another 30. That’s usually 1.5 hours, or an hour of lost time.


There’s more like more not getting paid for DOT inspections, traffic, etc. Linehaul drivers know it going in and it’s part of the job. So yeah, when there’s extra Linehaul work and we want it we should get priority.

It’s not about being better, but why should we take a back seat when a nice daytime weekend run cones up? They sure aren’t going to have a city driver run a Sunday night run.

Get off the pity train. Go Linehaul and take the risks if you want to make the money. Six figures is pretty easy if you hustle. I was doing it in five days a week and still would work six more often then not. That’s how I put three kids through college and retired at 51. That and I wasn’t a whiny little...., well, you know.
 
PhilWilliams said:
No one said Linehaul was better then city, except you. No one is showing an attitude but you. So, check yourself sweetie.

Now, here is why I think there should be linehaul priority for linehaul.
1. Linehaul takes the risk everyday of not coming home. Could be due to weather and you only get a half days pay and your in a hotel not coming home to your family. That doesn’t happen to city. Could be because you or your meet driver broke down and either your stuck out there or have to go through. Now your off schedule the rest of the week with another half day coming. Doesn’t happen to city.
2. Your meet driver calls off or gets cut and your going through or going somewhere else. See above.
3. You don’t get paid overtime. Period. Find a linehaul driver who only worked 40 or even 50 hours.
4. We don’t get paid to fuel, to get a short at terminal repair done, or to do our paperwork. It’s part of our milage pay. We don’t get paid longer if a drop and hook takes longer then the flat rate time either. Not on the clock.
5. We’re expected to be there 30 minutes before cut. We don’t get paid till 30 minutes after cut if load isn’t ready.
6. We have to take 30 off, just like city. If we get to meet before scheduled time and the meet driver gets there after scheduled depart time because they got delayed we eat the early arrival, the 30, and another 30. That’s usually 1.5 hours, or an hour of lost time.


There’s more like more not getting paid for DOT inspections, traffic, etc. Linehaul drivers know it going in and it’s part of the job. So yeah, when there’s extra Linehaul work and we want it we should get priority.

It’s not about being better, but why should we take a back seat when a nice daytime weekend run cones up? They sure aren’t going to have a city driver run a Sunday night run.

Get off the pity train. Go Linehaul and take the risks if you want to make the money. Six figures is pretty easy if you hustle. I was doing it in five days a week and still would work six more often then not. That’s how I put three kids through college and retired at 51. That and I wasn’t a whiny little...., well, you know.
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Excellent post and that’s exactly why I went to the city after 10 years in linehaul. Well said! It was never about the money for me in the end. It was about being at home with my wife and kids at night. My wife worked days and I got sick of driving all night.
 
PhilWilliams said:
No one said Linehaul was better then city, except you. No one is showing an attitude but you. So, check yourself sweetie.

Now, here is why I think there should be linehaul priority for linehaul.
1. Linehaul takes the risk everyday of not coming home. Could be due to weather and you only get a half days pay and your in a hotel not coming home to your family. That doesn’t happen to city. Could be because you or your meet driver broke down and either your stuck out there or have to go through. Now your off schedule the rest of the week with another half day coming. Doesn’t happen to city.
2. Your meet driver calls off or gets cut and your going through or going somewhere else. See above.
3. You don’t get paid overtime. Period. Find a linehaul driver who only worked 40 or even 50 hours.
4. We don’t get paid to fuel, to get a short at terminal repair done, or to do our paperwork. It’s part of our milage pay. We don’t get paid longer if a drop and hook takes longer then the flat rate time either. Not on the clock.
5. We’re expected to be there 30 minutes before cut. We don’t get paid till 30 minutes after cut if load isn’t ready.
6. We have to take 30 off, just like city. If we get to meet before scheduled time and the meet driver gets there after scheduled depart time because they got delayed we eat the early arrival, the 30, and another 30. That’s usually 1.5 hours, or an hour of lost time.


There’s more like more not getting paid for DOT inspections, traffic, etc. Linehaul drivers know it going in and it’s part of the job. So yeah, when there’s extra Linehaul work and we want it we should get priority.

It’s not about being better, but why should we take a back seat when a nice daytime weekend run cones up? They sure aren’t going to have a city driver run a Sunday night run.

Get off the pity train. Go Linehaul and take the risks if you want to make the money. Six figures is pretty easy if you hustle. I was doing it in five days a week and still would work six more often then not. That’s how I put three kids through college and retired at 51. That and I wasn’t a whiny little...., well, you know.
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Well you are now. You were overpaid then and can’t get off your high horse now. You make 20k+ more a year than any city driver that works 10 times harder than you. Quit your crying.
 
RIPDavey28 said:
Well you are now. You were overpaid then and can’t get off your high horse now. You make 20k+ more a year than any city driver that works 10 times harder than you. Quit your crying.
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But he made sacrifices with his family. From a physical standpoint linehaul is easier. IMO. I know because I did it. He’s just telling the truth.
 
runawaytrain said:
Excellent post and that’s exactly why I went to the city after 10 years in linehaul. Well said! It was never about the money for me in the end. It was about being at home with my wife and kids at night. My wife worked days and I got sick of driving all night.
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I did 17 years nights then the last 5 1/2 days. Thought days would make a difference, it didn’t. I would have had to get out of the truck soon even if I couldn’t retire. The thought of doing it another 10 or 20 years, like several fellows who retired ahead of me did was unbearable. I’m glad I busted my butt when I was able to. Neither of the jobs is easy but I do get why most choose the city over linehaul. I do think city drivers have more of a ‘normal’ lifestyle, whatever ‘normal’ means anymore. But even at that, it’s nothing like a ‘normal’ job. Driving for a living is just plain hard on every part of your life.
 
RIPDavey28 said:
Well you are now. You were overpaid then and can’t get off your high horse now. You make 20k+ more a year than any city driver that works 10 times harder than you. Quit your crying.
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I ran city before I went linehaul. It’s not 10 times harder. I’d even run on Monday’s in the city when they asked when I was on a Tuesday through Saturday. It still wasn’t that hard. I also worked the dock before I left out on my Linehaul run 2-3 hours a night. Not that hard. As far as whining, never. Oh, it was more like 30 to 40 a year, I’ve never seen a city driver make more then 80. 60-70 is more like it. I earned it so I’ve got no shame. Not crying sunshine, not feeling your pain either though. Guess what, I’m working on my second retirement too, 14 years to a government pension working part time. Well, 40 hours a week, part time to me. I’m not lazy, not crying, and not one cut day from being a broke little, well, you know....

Thanks, you brought the ******* out in me. I kind of missed it.
 
PhilWilliams said:
I did 17 years nights then the last 5 1/2 days. Thought days would make a difference, it didn’t. I would have had to get out of the truck soon even if I couldn’t retire. The thought of doing it another 10 or 20 years, like several fellows who retired ahead of me did was unbearable. I’m glad I busted my butt when I was able to. Neither of the jobs is easy but I do get why most choose the city over linehaul. I do think city drivers have more of a ‘normal’ lifestyle, whatever ‘normal’ means anymore. But even at that, it’s nothing like a ‘normal’ job. Driving for a living is just plain hard on every part of your life.
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The only reason I worked until 63 was to add eggs to my basket. I never wanted to have to worry about running out of money before my life ended. I lost a lot of money in the crash. I could have probably went earlier but I think paranoia got to me. Going at 51 let’s me know you planned your retirement well. I put too many eggs in one basket and got burnt. I diversified my portfolio and learned from my mistakes. I learned my lesson well.
 
runawaytrain said:
The only reason I worked until 63 was to add eggs to my basket. I never wanted to have to worry about running out of money before my life ended. I lost a lot of money in the crash. I could have probably went earlier but I think paranoia got to me. Going at 51 let’s me know you planned your retirement well. I put too many eggs in one basket and got burnt. I diversified my portfolio and learned from my mistakes. I learned my lesson well.
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I married well. She’s way smarter then me. It’s all her, I was just the mule. Wish I could take the credit for making smart decisions. I did have a goal of retiring at 50 based on a conversation with my hiring manager in my interview. It was his goal, I made it mine. He’s a regional manager now in Texas. He’s got another couple years before he hits or misses his. Wife made it possible for me though. Of course, she’s figuring out how I can extend into a third retirement after this one so she can quilt more and longer. Guess I’m still the mule....

And, for the love of god, if someone doesn’t swing and hit the softball I just threw up, I’ll be sorely disappointed. Don’t let me down drivers.
 
PhilWilliams said:
I married well. She’s way smarter then me. It’s all her, I was just the mule. Wish I could take the credit for making smart decisions. I did have a goal of retiring at 50 based on a conversation with my hiring manager in my interview. It was his goal, I made it mine. He’s a regional manager now in Texas. He’s got another couple years before he hits or misses his. Wife made it possible for me though. Of course, she’s figuring out how I can extend into a third retirement after this one so she can quilt more and longer. Guess I’m still the mule....

And, for the love of god, if someone doesn’t swing and hit the softball I just threw up, I’ll be sorely disappointed. Don’t let me down drivers.
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Whitwell I suppose. Hopefully he will get out soon.
 
PhilWilliams said:
Not him, don’t know him. Sales manager. I always felt he had the drive and ability to make a good president. I really haven’t stayed in touch with him, we’re friends on Facebook but that’s about it.
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