I am a city driver in the Midwest and I have been with the company for 7 years. As of late my new bid is dock w/cdl 5pm start time. The company is now forcing me on the road whenever call offs happen and vacations. I am aware we have 2 seniority lists. I am the bottom city guy but have company seniority over 2 road drivers. Does any of this happen at anyone’s terminal?
TForce | City Drivers Forced On Road
- Thread starter Brody
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The dock/CDL allows the Company to use you as they see fit. As long as you do not violate hours of service there is not much you can do. As far as seniority, I would need more detail, just bring it your Stewards attention. We have all been there at one point, be safe and don't let them coerce you into any violations...
For the record, my steward and BA(still currently a driver here just on LOA untill he loses his appointment with union) have never cared about anything that doesn’t affect them. Usual response to issues are “they can do that”. My main gripe is that I am being forced into another classification in which I have company seniority over 2 drivers and I am not allowed to use it. I am covering vacations for drivers that I have more vacation than. Haha. Also company is using casual employee on inbound and outbound and I am being told I can’t have the inbound hours because they need me for night coverage. My bid says nothing about the road. Past practice was that it was only voluntary. I understand it’s hard to hire an extra board guy and have him sit by the phone. I asked company for a lay-off so I could bump those road guys for a full time run and they won’t do it. Guess I’ll just keep working.
Key word is "bottom of the City board", you are asked from the top and forced from bottom, company time has nothing to do with bumping a road guy, he has classification seniority over you.
i'm not real clear on the bottom city driver having to take road runs if necessary (although, when you think about it, it kind of makes sense) because we use to do it that way. (i think because we didn't have extra board city drivers then?) We have a city and road board. i'll ask my steward.
We then did it as such: The extra-board city driver(s) (we now have added extra board city drivers) would have to fill in for road if necessary/ if no one else volunteered---the logic is extra means ANYTHING extra. This means that you might very well have high seniority, but would still have to take the run over someone who has LESS seniority than you.
Now, we also have recently added extra board road drivers (myself and few others), and in the rare event that all the extra board drivers have called out or are otherwise tied up with other scheduled runs, then we go to extra board city to fill in for road.
Our dock/cdl combo drivers do not fill in for road.
i wonder if there is documentation that covers this?
We then did it as such: The extra-board city driver(s) (we now have added extra board city drivers) would have to fill in for road if necessary/ if no one else volunteered---the logic is extra means ANYTHING extra. This means that you might very well have high seniority, but would still have to take the run over someone who has LESS seniority than you.
Now, we also have recently added extra board road drivers (myself and few others), and in the rare event that all the extra board drivers have called out or are otherwise tied up with other scheduled runs, then we go to extra board city to fill in for road.
Our dock/cdl combo drivers do not fill in for road.
i wonder if there is documentation that covers this?
The only thing in the contract that addresses this is the fact it says city drivers can’t be forced on a road run that has a lay down. Don’t want to have bottom guy blues just don’t wanna have to take a nap every day thinking I am working all night then only come in for 4 hours on OBD. I will say after running the road the road drivers do not deal with half the BS city drivers do. I have spent my career exclusively running city routes and dock. 15 deliveries and 8 pickups on diad when you leave the gate. Don’t always get it all done haha. Idle time, seat belt , production, route reviews, don’t hear much about any of that on nights. Grateful and blessed to have a job, I just wonder if maybe the road is the way to go.
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It seems as if you don't wreck, make your arrival times, don't forget to write up your trailers they really don't mess with us too much. There are exceptions of course, the hidden safety Commie, a supervisor on the prowl, a junior driver trying to gain seniority, the usual. But blow your horn, wear your vest, stop at the stop signs you don't get much attention... Article 5, sec. 1, para. d, kinda leaves them an out, unassigned, {extra-board} can pass down a run to a junior driver if it doesn't affect the operation. I feel ya pal, 27 yrs, and I still wait by the phone, that is by choice, I'd rather beat my willie with a hammer than work dock.....
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In addition, company seniority and classification seniority are separate...
Gotcha. When it comes to layoffs according to contract it goes by classification, then the affected employee can bump the junior employee in another classification by company seniority. Contract doesn’t ever mean much around our place.
No. A senior guy can avoid layoff and go to the bottom.of the board of another. They would be below junior guys with route seniority, but would be ahead of junior guy when it comes to layoffs on that board.
Car Ramrod
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They can do whatever they want.
I’m glad we ain’t got that problem. 2 seniorority lists blows.
But nuthin blows like bein a night linehaul guy and gittin hit with a 4 hour sort and segregate someheres when ya git back. That’ll make ya wanna strangle somebody.
Curious what turns you off about dockwork? i am currently doing niteliner bullplop right now for reasons that are too complicated to get into at the moment. While i would likely choose extra-board over niteliner, the dockwork is not difficult.
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40+ years in this business takes a toll on your body, I can do it, I do do it. I'm full of arthritis the cold and cold concrete are hard to tolerate. Take a forklift ride down the Gaffney dock it beats you to death, cracks, tracks from the old dragline, I'm 60 plus, I've done it. It's only in the last 15 years or so that 98% of the freight is palletized, when I first started if you had an inbound load and it had 5 or 6 pallets on a 45 foot van you had a good one, open the door and 20 cartons fall out, no need for a gym membership then. I won't even get into the inexperienced, inept, and disrespectful supervisors that think they know it all. I have been fortunate enough to position myself to be able to survive without 60 hour weeks and hopefully all my younger Brothers and Sisters will be as fortunate as I. I have 16 months, 1 weeks till I can ride into the sunset. Go get em' tiger... Take care of your body it's the only one you have... Youth is wasted on the young...
i think my problems with niteliner dockwork are:
1) It's in the middle of the night. i would rather drive in the middle of the night. Well, i would rather be sleeping, but that's another topic.....
2) Dealing with the stress of 20 forklifts buzzing around at full governed speed and constantly trying to avoid crashing into another one. This might be the most stressful part of the job. And it IS stressful.
3) Too regimented. i'm just not in love with it. Although for me, i find the actual operating of a forklift and unloading/loading freight fun.
Like i said, the work is not difficult---i think i handled maybe 3 pieces of freight the whole week. Last night was a car exhaust pipe that wouldn't fit on a pallet, but that was it. Everything else palletized.
1) It's in the middle of the night. i would rather drive in the middle of the night. Well, i would rather be sleeping, but that's another topic.....
2) Dealing with the stress of 20 forklifts buzzing around at full governed speed and constantly trying to avoid crashing into another one. This might be the most stressful part of the job. And it IS stressful.
3) Too regimented. i'm just not in love with it. Although for me, i find the actual operating of a forklift and unloading/loading freight fun.
Like i said, the work is not difficult---i think i handled maybe 3 pieces of freight the whole week. Last night was a car exhaust pipe that wouldn't fit on a pallet, but that was it. Everything else palletized.