XPO | Xpo Union Thread.

[henry j]

Truckload lowered their standards but LTL did not want to.

Why should any trucking company (LTL or truckload) lower their standards? I know it will never happen, but if a shipper does not want to pay the normal going rate to ship his good, then it should be left on his dock. Way too many trucking companies and so-called "independents" are willing to take anything as a "backhaul" just to pay fuel costs or even less in order to get back home. For one thing, there is no real "independent" anymore. If they're not leased to a big company, they still go through a broker who takes a big cut of the action and has "backhauls" going in every direction.. It's all cut throat now and the shippers and brokers are loving it. As a result, as you say, the standards are lowered for new hires, maintenance is cut to a minimum, less and less home time, some companies are actively running ads and hiring foreigners who can't even speak English. A friend of mine who drives for one of these companies, told me they had to hire a few dispatchers that could speak these foreign languages just to be able to communicate.
All these things make it more difficult and more dangerous for all the rest of us on the highway. They not only can't speak English, they can't read English road signs or maps. Are those lowered standards acceptable just so the company can pocket more money? I say NO. If a company can't, or won't figure out a way to pay decent wages with benefits to employees, and still turn a profit, then they SHOULD go out of business.
I don't feel good knowing that big shiny truck coming at me on a 2 lane highway is probably driven by someone just recently hired with little or no experience that the company saw fit to put behind the wheel for lower wages. In many cases these "rookies" are more than happy to work for way substandard mileage rates because the "boss man" furnished them with a pretty new, shiny, long nose tractor with chrome wheels and 2 chrome stacks. They are in "hog heaven", even though the take home pay sucks. They are more than happy to live in that truck, (and many DO). I'm not happy that my Grand daughter has to share the road now with these sub-standard "hot dogs".
In today's drug infested society, the standards should be RAISED not lowered. I went to a job fair last year, just to see what was out there. I talked to many job recruiters in several lines of work. They said it is a real problem getting qualified people in any job regardless of pay. The vast majority can't pass a drug screen. Most of the rest don't really want to work if they find out it entails dock work (too hot in summer, too cold in winter), or night work, or weekend work that may interfere with time at the sports bar. Dirty hands? Forget it. Some can't even put down the "smart phone" long enough to do a job interview. Those people are asked to leave, too. It's sad but true. No wonder so many companies either go broke or move offshore.

 

[henry j]

If you continue to do the same thing and expect a different result , it's insanity.

What I was saying in the post prior to this one is if you have no union it doesn't mean you have no voice.

I was hinting that there's little it seems that the company could do if like minded co-workers decided not to make it to work one day. ( Like the end of the month/end of the quarter ) I would guess this would get someone that matters to listen to issues and concerns AND maybe actually do something to address chronic problems.

Two problems with you assessment..First, In a non-union shop, yes you have a voice, but the boss has a bigger voice. If he says "You're fired", you have no further say in the matter. He may well do just that to use you as an example and keep the rest in line. You can bet none of the other "friends" you thought you had will say even a "peep".

Second, Ever try to get any group of truck drivers to stick together on anything, let alone all agree to skip work one day? Forget it.
In my 38 years in the trucking industry, I've found out that a lot of drivers (and dockmen) talk big, talk tough, but when it comes down to taking a stand against a boss, together, as one, it won't happen. We DID vote down 2 attempts at a company giveback where I worked, but that was on paper and done anonymously. If it was done one on one - stand up and voice vote in front of the boss - forget it. The spine all of a sudden turns to jello.
Good luck with it, but write down the address of the unemployment office before you do it.

 

[joes bar and grill]

Why should any trucking company (LTL or truckload) lower their standards? I know it will never happen, but if a shipper does not want to pay the normal going rate to ship his good, then it should be left on his dock. Way too many trucking companies and so-called "independents" are willing to take anything as a "backhaul" just to pay fuel costs or even less in order to get back home. For one thing, there is no real "independent" anymore. If they're not leased to a big company, they still go through a broker who takes a big cut of the action and has "backhauls" going in every direction.. It's all cut throat now and the shippers and brokers are loving it. As a result, as you say, the standards are lowered for new hires, maintenance is cut to a minimum, less and less home time, some companies are actively running ads and hiring foreigners who can't even speak English. A friend of mine who drives for one of these companies, told me they had to hire a few dispatchers that could speak these foreign languages just to be able to communicate.
All these things make it more difficult and more dangerous for all the rest of us on the highway. They not only can't speak English, they can't read English road signs or maps. Are those lowered standards acceptable just so the company can pocket more money? I say NO. If a company can't, or won't figure out a way to pay decent wages with benefits to employees, and still turn a profit, then they SHOULD go out of business.
I don't feel good knowing that big shiny truck coming at me on a 2 lane highway is probably driven by someone just recently hired with little or no experience that the company saw fit to put behind the wheel for lower wages. In many cases these "rookies" are more than happy to work for way substandard mileage rates because the "boss man" furnished them with a pretty new, shiny, long nose tractor with chrome wheels and 2 chrome stacks. They are in "hog heaven", even though the take home pay sucks. They are more than happy to live in that truck, (and many DO). I'm not happy that my Grand daughter has to share the road now with these sub-standard "hot dogs".
In today's drug infested society, the standards should be RAISED not lowered. I went to a job fair last year, just to see what was out there. I talked to many job recruiters in several lines of work. They said it is a real problem getting qualified people in any job regardless of pay. The vast majority can't pass a drug screen. Most of the rest don't really want to work if they find out it entails dock work (too hot in summer, too cold in winter), or night work, or weekend work that may interfere with time at the sports bar. Dirty hands? Forget it. Some can't even put down the "smart phone" long enough to do a job interview. Those people are asked to leave, too. It's sad but true. No wonder so many companies either go broke or move offshore.

Sad but true, today we have a society that feels entitled to everything without earning it. We have families that are 3rd generation welfare recipients, our politicians eager to hand out freebies for a vote. It's no surprise that there is no labor pool to choose from, why should they work when they can get it for free.

 

[highspeeds]

Good luck on the higher pay ! ! The simple answer for the shortage of people to fill jobs at ALL trucking companies is that the new generation of kids coming out of high school or college is that "snowflakes" are being produced by the millions. The new generation (known as Gen X) do not want to work. They don't want to work nights, or weekends, or actually SWEAT, or get their hands dirty. The must pass a drug screen and have no DUI. How many young people (or any people) you know can pass a **** test for drugs? Not many? Those are all things that are a big part of the trucking industry. Also since 9/11, the background checks are a lot more strict. People with drug use or trafficking records are usually eliminated even if they didn't do any jail time. Since the trucking companies are now lowering their formerly strict standards, that also paints the whole industry with a poor reputation. How many parents actually recommend their kids to go into trucking? None, that I know of.
The young people now entering the work force are more into electronics, computers, smart phones, video games and sports bars. The other "dirty smelly, sweaty, noisey jobs" such as welders, mechanics, machinists are going unfilled too, even though they are high paying good jobs with a future. They are being passed over by the new "snowflake generation" that thinks clean, high paying jobs should be just handed to them. They want to start at the top of the pay scale, NOT at the bottom and work up. Too many are now living on government entitlements or on Mommy and Daddy's money. And, yes, all the negative news about unions (some true, some not true) is affecting those looking for jobs, too.
Just go to your typical large truck stop these days. The parking lot is littered with **** filled plastic bottles. Go inside and there is always a few fat, sloppy geaseball drivers sitting in the booths or at the food bar. We won't even mention what goes on after dark in that same parking lot - "Lot Lizzards" galore. Stop on an exit or on ramp on any interstate and it, too, is littered with **** bottles. Is there any wonder why so many do not want to get into trucking now? It has become so disgusting, that during my final years as a line haul driver, I didn't tell anybody what I did for a living. We are all painted with the same brush.

Baby boomers raised GenX. GenX raised the millennials. The millennials watched neither the boomers or the Xers ever step up and do anything for themselves. And suffer from the idea of giving themselves to a company for 30 years only to get nothing from it.


Are the millennials really stupid not to accept the working conditions and compensation packages that litter sites like this ?

Why are you blaming them for making a better decision ?

Even if that means simply refusing to subjugate themselves to such a horrible situation ?

You lump this in as a high paying job with a future ? Do you believe that ? Is there a reason that they don't ?

 

[highspeeds]

Henry, you really nailed this one. Especially about young people not wanting a job like ours. They have no desire to start @ the bottom & make their bones in this industry. But, you can bet that people coming from a third world company would give a limb to drive a truck to support their family. For they know how good they will have it here compared to their own country. A perfect example is the Mexicans for decades crossing our border to work the fields of this country & returning or sending their wages back to their home. I worked on a 6,000 acre tomato farm outside of Sacramento,CA in the summer of 1972. I drove a forklift all day loading flatbeds in the fields. I was the only white man in a camp of 60. I knew of no American who wanted to bend over 10 hours a day & pick produce back then. And no one today coming out of college or high school would sign up for that kind of work. von.

Start at the bottom ? Now that you have voted to ensure they will never have the compensation package that you do ? You guys complain about how you have been screwed, and the new hires have to deal with what you have done to them on top of it ?

And now the Mexicans are leaving the country and going back home. Following our jobs back across the border.

 

[highspeeds]

Simple question. Wouldn't you people be disappointed if your children or grandchildren ended up driving trucks. With all you have told them and shown them and tried to teach them that this would be all the better that they could do ? That in this day in age that they would not know better than to end up in a situation like this ?

 

[trucknfool]

Baby boomers raised GenX. GenX raised the millennials. The millennials watched neither the boomers or the Xers ever step up and do anything for themselves. And suffer from the idea of giving themselves to a company for 30 years only to get nothing from it.


Are the millennials really stupid not to accept the working conditions and compensation packages that litter sites like this ?

Why are you blaming them for making a better decision ?

Even if that means simply refusing to subjugate themselves to such a horrible situation ?

You lump this in as a high paying job with a future ? Do you believe that ? Is there a reason that they don't ?

These companies are not concerned the least bit about your retirement. Really they don't care the least bit about you. Try being on leave and no use to them a while and feel their love.!!

 

[troubleman84]

Yes I was in a union shop years ago. That was back in my young and dumb days. I gotten smarter since then and know that join a union is like investing in a VCR company

Is this the same guy who hates everything about Estes?

 

[troubleman84]

If the truckload carriers you named are treating there driver so bad why is it so hard for all the LTL companies to find drivers? YRC and ABF have had signs out for the last 4yrs, that I know of, hiring drivers, dockworkers, mechanics, and bosses. The point is 15yrs ago none of the LTL companies had to put signs out, it went by word of month or the TM had a stack of apps to pick through. More or less driver were beating down the doors to work at these types of companies.
The problems are, no one wants to do this job, or they don't what the headache of all the endorsements need on your CDL, or like a buddy told me, his job performance not a seniority list should make were he stands in the company.

Driving schools???? We have driving schools so does FedEx and OD

You said the union is going through bad time. The union is allowing YRC to only pay 25% of what they should be paying to the pension plan so why would I want to invest into that. CSPF is going broke fast we all know it.

Driver turnover is high for many different reason. Like pay, home time, working hours, equipment, and many others reason. Every drive has there own reason why they leave one company and go to another.

Since deregulation of the trucking industry the non-union carries grown and a lot of union carries have closed there doors. You think if the teamsters closed up shop our pay would crash I don't think so. With the low number of clean record CDL drivers and more and more retiring and less coming in I think the pay will go higher.

You have a choice if you want to be in the NMFA which puts you in central states and depends on your location.

 

[Fly-by-night]

Is this the same guy who hates everything about Estes?

???? Never said anything bad about Estes. I might have said at one time that they were hiring but that's it.

 

[Fly-by-night]

You have a choice if you want to be in the NMFA which puts you in central states and depends on your location.

Well I don't get a choice to have the money given to me and not get involed in the union pension. You give me that and then we can talk.

 

[XCCX]

Well I don't get a choice to have the money given to me and not get involed in the union pension. You give me that and then we can talk.

What makes you think you would not have a choice of what type of investment/ retirement vehicle the company would pay into. No one is entering the central states pension fund. The teamsters manage hundreds of different types of retirement plans from multiethnic employer pension funds ,single employer paid to enhanced 401k's . Your focusing on one muti employer fund that you have zero chance of pertisapaiting in. There is not just one big Teamster retirement fund the every employer pays into . Again your union dues mostly stay at the local level and are not associated with any pension fund.
When we bargain for a contract we the employees will decide what type of retirement package we want not the union officials. If you think someone is going to try to manipulate us into an ailing pension fund to help bail it out you are dead wrong. Also just for the record the local multi - employer pension fund in are area is well funded.
I suggest that you contact the Teamster local in your area and ask if you can discuss the retirement plan options that they oversee and would be avilible instead of assuming the company would be paying into a failed fund.

 

[henry j]

Sad but true, today we have a society that feels entitled to everything without earning it. We have families that are 3rd generation welfare recipients, our politicians eager to hand out freebies for a vote. It's no surprise that there is no labor pool to choose from, why should they work when they can get it for free.

Yes, you nailed it. Our society has become more divided than ever in many forms. The "privileged" part are not necessarily rich or white. They have been brought up in families that have given them everything, with no parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles showing them they must work for what they get - earn it. In order to avoid their responsibilities of doing their mentoring and parenting jobs to these kids growing up, way too many find it easier to just give the kids everything else to keep them busy. Video games, any expensive cell phone or smart phone they want - then upgrade it every few months. When younger, toys galore. If it's broken, just buy another better one. No supervision on what they listen to or watch on TV, video games, DVD's, movies or what concerts they go to. They are free to watch hardcore p*on, go to Rap concerts encouraging **** of women, killing police and gang membership, and stay out all night. Cars are given to these kids. No car payments. No insurance payments, all paid for by Mommy and Daddy. If they DO go on to college, that too is all paid for by Mommy and Daddy. Nearly all colleges are now liberal training grounds teaching more about why people shouldn't have to work anymore. It should all be free , given to them by the government. They are entitled to it. Nothing is ever taught about the value of work or actually learning a trade. Nowadays everybody wants to be a lawyer, a social worker, a psychologist, or get a degree in, economics, chemistry, business, computer science, fine arts.......but nobody wants to get their hands dirty or work anywhere but in an air conditioned office. They feel doing a job as a mechanic, a welder, a TRUCK DRIVER, a dock or warehouse worker, a machinist, etc., is below them. After all, they've been given everything all their lives, why should they now be expected to WORK for anything where it might be too hot, too cold, too dirty, too noisy or God forbid, actually SWEAT to make money. That kind of stuff is for the lower beer drinking class. I prefer wine and going to Starbucks every morning and night.
Then there's the lower half of our divided society. The ones that do not finish ANY school, because that "is not cool", and would rather hang out on street corners in the "hood". They are not interested in a job because, (1) they couldn't get one anyhow with no education, unable to pass any drug screen. (2) makes way more money selling drugs,(3) being arrested is a badge of honor in the gang - work is not, (4) nobody in the family has ever had a job (5) probably can't play rap music real loud at a job, (6) can't move up in the gang if actually having to got to a job every day (7) my gangsta buddies would laugh if I got a haircut and didn't wear baggy pants down to the knees anymore (8) and most of all - Why work when all my "baby Mamas" are all getting free AFDC payments every week? More babies = more money.
So scratch of all this part of the population as potential YRC or non-union freight workers. You can't lower the stards low enough to include these people. They are part of the "entitlement" society. They feel work is also beneath them, because the government "owes them" money every month. If they don't get it, it's time to demonstrate and burn things. Getting arrested for it is "police brutality". Getting a job is out of the question.
That leaves a small portion of society in the middle between the two mentioned.
They are the ones not afraid of work. Kids of blue collar factory workers, farm kids, kids that actually did work growing up without everything given to them. They are smart kids in most regards.....but....there's always a "but". So many of these kids have caved in to peer pressure to try drugs. Most, by a large margin, have tried drugs as a way to be a part of the crowd. Many of those go on to harder and harder drugs and either get arrested or stay hooked on serious stuff. From that point on, with a drug police record or unable to pass a drug screen, they are not material for a trucking job. The solution for the trucking companies LOWER THE STANDARDS, allow people with police records and prior drug use to drive our trucks. Problem with that thinking is a high recitative rate among those with priors police and drug records. They may be OK for other jobs, but not driving trucks in all kinds of weather with dry vans, doubles, triples hauling haz mats days nights and on weekends. They can't pass the FBI screenings now required to haul haz mat. All that makes the available pool of drivers that all companies are competing for even smaller.
The pay and benefits to attract those potential drivers should be going up, not down.

 

[henry j]

Baby boomers raised GenX. GenX raised the millennials. The millennials watched neither the boomers or the Xers ever step up and do anything for themselves. And suffer from the idea of giving themselves to a company for 30 years only to get nothing from it.


Are the millennials really stupid not to accept the working conditions and compensation packages that litter sites like this ?

Why are you blaming them for making a better decision ?

Even if that means simply refusing to subjugate themselves to such a horrible situation ?

You lump this in as a high paying job with a future ? Do you believe that ? Is there a reason that they don't ?

I don't recall lumping this as a high paying job with a future. A job with a freight company - either union or non-union - is neither.
All I'm saying it is an honest job that sometimes requires sweat, hard work, bad hours, bad food, night work, weekend work, fighting traffic daily, lousy home time, bad road conditions and a lot of responsibility pulling 80,000 lbs. (or more out west) without killing yourself or someone else.
The GEN X or Millennial generation (as you refer to them) see all this kind of work as "below them" since most have grown up with everything handed to them. If they can find a way to make tons of money without having to deal with responsibility or hard work involving getting dirty, good for them. They will need it to pay for that expensive SUV or tricked out pickup and $400,000 "starter home" they so many of them feel they "deserve" or are "entitled to". Besides. there are no pre employment or random drug screens to worry about in an office job.
The "good high paying jobs with a future" I was referring to are the jobs such as welder, machinist, CNC operator and others that require getting your hands dirty or full of oil or working in a too cold or too hot environment that may be uncomfortable for today's coddled and spoiled new generation to deal with. Those jobs are going unfilled. They also require training, but not the kind these kids now are getting in their expensive colleges (also all paid for by Mommy and Daddy). Trade school training is a better path to a good future than ANY truck driving job and also better than some "degrees" handed out at some expensive colleges.
I, myself, never encouraged either of my sons to get into trucking. I told them to stay OUT of it. In my opinion, trucking is the "underbelly' of society's necessary jobs that have to be done by somebody. Up until recently, trucking jobs were filled by good, although poorly educated, men that were not afraid of either hard work or getting dirty doing it. The pay and benefits made up for all the bad things associated with the job. Now all that has changed. There is a shortage of people that are willing to WORK. Too many are either past or present drug users - both young and older. The benefits have been slowly disappearing lately, too. Too many companies have found out that they can pay a lot less by just manipulating the numbers on pay vs any benefits.
They know most newbies are just focused on
(1) a shiny new truck to drive (2) what the pay per hour rate is........period. Never mind about overtime pay, insurance, 401 K fees held out by the company or anything else pertaining to the future. It's all "I want what I want and I want it now"
All too often in those companies you referred to as "litter' the offer of a new shiny truck is all it takes to sign somebody up.
Then the "truck driving school" comes next. Contract to be signed agreeing full payment of "school" to company no matter what.
Then years of obligated service to said company until contract debt paid in full or wind up in court.
There are still a lot of good hard working people out there to fill trucking jobs, just not enough of them, and way too many can't pass a drug screen.
Should we lower the standards to allow drug users to drive 80,000 rigs on our highways? I don't think so. But that's what's happening.

 

[Stand4afuture]

https://www.google.com/amp/www.balt...leknown-pension-heist-20151216-story,amp.html

 

[Stand4afuture]

https://www.google.com/amp/www.dulu...ress-fault-failure-teamsters-pension-fund?amp

 

[highspeeds]

I don't recall lumping this as a high paying job with a future. A job with a freight company - either union or non-union - is neither.
All I'm saying it is an honest job that sometimes requires sweat, hard work, bad hours, bad food, night work, weekend work, fighting traffic daily, lousy home time, bad road conditions and a lot of responsibility pulling 80,000 lbs. (or more out west) without killing yourself or someone else.
The GEN X or Millennial generation (as you refer to them) see all this kind of work as "below them" since most have grown up with everything handed to them. If they can find a way to make tons of money without having to deal with responsibility or hard work involving getting dirty, good for them. They will need it to pay for that expensive SUV or tricked out pickup and $400,000 "starter home" they so many of them feel they "deserve" or are "entitled to". Besides. there are no pre employment or random drug screens to worry about in an office job.
The "good high paying jobs with a future" I was referring to are the jobs such as welder, machinist, CNC operator and others that require getting your hands dirty or full of oil or working in a too cold or too hot environment that may be uncomfortable for today's coddled and spoiled new generation to deal with. Those jobs are going unfilled. They also require training, but not the kind these kids now are getting in their expensive colleges (also all paid for by Mommy and Daddy). Trade school training is a better path to a good future than ANY truck driving job and also better than some "degrees" handed out at some expensive colleges.
I, myself, never encouraged either of my sons to get into trucking. I told them to stay OUT of it. In my opinion, trucking is the "underbelly' of society's necessary jobs that have to be done by somebody. Up until recently, trucking jobs were filled by good, although poorly educated, men that were not afraid of either hard work or getting dirty doing it. The pay and benefits made up for all the bad things associated with the job. Now all that has changed. There is a shortage of people that are willing to WORK. Too many are either past or present drug users - both young and older. The benefits have been slowly disappearing lately, too. Too many companies have found out that they can pay a lot less by just manipulating the numbers on pay vs any benefits.
They know most newbies are just focused on
(1) a shiny new truck to drive (2) what the pay per hour rate is........period. Never mind about overtime pay, insurance, 401 K fees held out by the company or anything else pertaining to the future. It's all "I want what I want and I want it now"
All too often in those companies you referred to as "litter' the offer of a new shiny truck is all it takes to sign somebody up.
Then the "truck driving school" comes next. Contract to be signed agreeing full payment of "school" to company no matter what.
Then years of obligated service to said company until contract debt paid in full or wind up in court.
There are still a lot of good hard working people out there to fill trucking jobs, just not enough of them, and way too many can't pass a drug screen.
Should we lower the standards to allow drug users to drive 80,000 rigs on our highways? I don't think so. But that's what's happening.

And again. There are three generations. The father - baby boomer ( 60s ). The son - GenX ( 40s ). The grandson - millennials ( 20s ).

Most machining is done by computer. Robots do most welding. CNC shops have all the machines set up by one guy that gets paid good and the rest are just machine tenders that get peanuts.

I don't want to shred your opinion. You are free to have and share it. But you have some inconsistencies in your facts. I can tell from your writing style that it may be easier on you if you just stick to talking about how you feel without getting to much into why. The sharks that navigate these forums might start to nibble.

Carry on, you are an entertaining read.

 

[Maltman]

https://www.google.com/amp/www.balt...leknown-pension-heist-20151216-story,amp.html

https://www.google.com/amp/www.duluthnewstribune.com/opinion/3959223-response-wall-street-congress-fault-failure-teamsters-pension-fund?amp

This is some serious propaganda bullcrap. Congress changed the law so the funds wouldn't go broke quicker than they already are. Next why should I have to pay for their retirement. I hate it for them I really do, my grandfather is actually a victim of this but that is the problem with multiemployer funds they are not gauranteed at the same rate so the Teamsters were short sighted when they negotiated for them. So you can deflect on the Congress or wall street but the blame goes right back to the negotiators for the collective bargaining unit

 

[henry j]

And again. There are three generations. The father - baby boomer ( 60s ). The son - GenX ( 40s ). The grandson - millennials ( 20s ).

Most machining is done by computer. Robots do most welding. CNC shops have all the machines set up by one guy that gets paid good and the rest are just machine tenders that get peanuts.

I don't want to shred your opinion. You are free to have and share it. But you have some inconsistencies in your facts. I can tell from your writing style that it may be easier on you if you just stick to talking about how you feel without getting to much into why. The sharks that navigate these forums might start to nibble.

Carry on, you are an entertaining read.

Since I have knowledge in and have done both machine shop work and know people in the welding trade, I disagree with what you say about the trades. CNC machines are not "all set up by one guy". If it's a big shop, there are many people and many operators. "Peanuts" is what the trucking companies are paying people that have had NO training. All they have is a CDL that can be revoked. Without that they are unemployed and unemployable. No other skills. Depends on where you live, but manufacturing and machining jobs pay over $20 - $25 hr. Good welding (manual not robots) jobs pay about the same - much more on pipeline projects.
AND they pay overtime over 40 hrs, have good benefits and home every day, no bad weather or slick roads to deal with in shop. Pipeline work is a different matter, but the pay is much higher to compensate for it. An idependent pipeline welder with his own welding truck I talked to in Texas, told me he was 2nd year out of welding school. Truck was paid for. He was earning $80 hr straight time with all the work he could handle. OT after 40, Double time on Sunday, even more on Holiday if required to work.
Something most trucking companies nowadays can't match or even come close to except on pipeline projects.

 

[eBiTDa]

Since I have knowledge in and have done both machine shop work and know people in the welding trade, I disagree with what you say about the trades. CNC machines are not "all set up by one guy". If it's a big shop, there are many people and many operators. "Peanuts" is what the trucking companies are paying people that have had NO training. All they have is a CDL that can be revoked. Without that they are unemployed and unemployable. No other skills. Depends on where you live, but manufacturing and machining jobs pay over $20 - $25 hr. Good welding (manual not robots) jobs pay about the same - much more on pipeline projects.
AND they pay overtime over 40 hrs, have good benefits and home every day, no bad weather or slick roads to deal with in shop. Pipeline work is a different matter, but the pay is much higher to compensate for it. An idependent pipeline welder with his own welding truck I talked to in Texas, told me he was 2nd year out of welding school. Truck was paid for. He was earning $80 hr straight time with all the work he could handle. OT after 40, Double time on Sunday, even more on Holiday if required to work.
Something most trucking companies nowadays can't match or even come close to except on pipeline projects.

No one ever talks about them steelworkers that use to litter the lands. Don't get one of them started on the benefits of the union lifestyle. Welding? Enjoy your Parkinson's.