I have just recently been offered a position as a casual linehaul driver at a Roadway terminal in my area. In many ways, I am VERY excited with the prospect of working for Roadway.

However, making the transition to Roadway isn't an easy decision for me to make. I currently drive for Frito-Lay and I routinely make between $1200.00 to $2000.00 a week and I am only out of town on an average of three nights or less(more local than OTR). The benifits are outstanding and the company itself is a multi-billion dollar company that continues to grow with every passing year.

The reason(s) I am considering leaving this company is simply because Frito-Lay drivers NEVER have a schedule. We all bid our runs on a daily basis(one day in advance/one day per bid), with no set/scheduled days off. So, as you can imagine, this way of bidding is very similar to being in an on-call position at Roadway--except it is a permanent standard for the position. Also, many of our runs are getting to be 12-14hrs. routinely and it is not uncommon to for me to get very little turnaround between runs on an average work week that is usually about 62 hours. Basically, my life is slowly falling apart.

I apologize for rambling, but my question is what can I expect with roadway??? What is the average pay during on call(100% with no benifits) and, MORE IMPORTANTLY, what is the average pay after hire(75% with benefits)? Do most drivers get hired on after doing some time as casual drivers?? I was told at the interview that many drivers are getting put on the board as soon as a week after hire. I have been driving for eight years and have never had any accidents/tickets---NONE and I have not had a sick day or absence since the age of 16. I figure that I would be an asset to the company.

Essentially, this a tough decision to make because I would be leaving a high-paying and secure job. I suppose that the deal breaker in making my decision is knowing that I will(eventually) have permanent employment and that the wage I will make throughout the transition and wage progression will pay the bills.(unfortunately, my mortage is $1630 a month).

Again, I apologize for the lengthy thread. But, I figure only that some of you Roadway drivers on this board will be able to offer me the truth. I would TRULY APPRECIATE any info with regards to this thread.

Thank you in advance............