Hello everyone! I'm 29 years old and I've been a truck driver since 2010. I live in so cal and I am interested in applying for OD for a P&D position. I'm sorry if my post is long but I just want you guys to know where i'm comming from. Any comments would be greatly appreciated. I heard a lot of positive things about OD and it is uncommon now a days to hear a truck company that gets a lot of positive reviews. Thats why I'm interested in working for OD. I like driving and being on my own and not have to deal with a lot of stress. Don't get me wrong I know there are times when it can be stressful but is not compare to some jobs out there, On the other hand, there are a few things that I don't like about truck driving. For instance ot. I know OD don't get ot until after 60 hrs.The other thing I don't like is working long hours. Don't get me wrong I like working but not that long. Correct me if i'm wrong but people who work for OD don't they work for 12-14 hrs. a day? I am also considering going to a trade school to learn electrician. I know in the beginning I won't be making as much money as I would be making at OD. I know if I stick it out who knows i might be making lots of money or i might just be out of work and going back to driving. I know people that are electrician trainee and are laid off and they jump from one job to the other and I don't want that. I know their are bunch of jobs out there that let people go all the time but for some reason I think electrician and people who work in the construction field get let go more often than any other job. The thing I do like about working in electrician is that is 8 hrs and anytime over 8 is ot. You get to work with your hand. I know we will always going to have electricity so the job field isn't going to go away. I thought about applying to apprenticeship but i heard a lot of negative things where people work for 4 months out of the whole year because there is no work. I'm not down for that, I rather have a steady pay check and be home every night even if it means I have to work 12 hrs a day because I would rather work than be out of a job. So, what do you guys think? What career would be worth taking being a truck driver for OD or being an electrician?
ODFL | IS OD a good career choice?????
- Thread starter triune
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I work for a competitor of OD. But imo OD seems like a good company. I talk to OD drivers often, and they always seem happy and hardly ever say a bad word. And when they do complain, its not that bad.
Side note: you say you live in Southern Cali. I do believe its state law that OT is paid after 40. I could be wrong though.
Side note: you say you live in Southern Cali. I do believe its state law that OT is paid after 40. I could be wrong though.
most city guys don't get 60 hours a day pretty rare the only real exception is line haul. Being a city driver is not an easy job and there is going to be stress,you have deliveries to be made and pickups to be made so on and so forth. My opinion is odfl is a great company to work for I have worked for other trucking companies but odfl is where I am very happy where I am at.as far as trade schools well you might think about that one for awhile.trade schools are a for profit school you figure it is going to cost about 50,000 to go threw which is going to take about 3 years.what kind of work are you going to be doing while you go to school. I lived in ca I know it's not cheap. Second when you get of trade school there is no guarantee you will land a job as some look down at trade schools some dont.you have to start paying that money back rather you find a job or not.i looked at doing the same thing as trucking isn't my favorite thing I wanted to do but there is no way I can make the kind of money I do anywhere is.i am a single father with custody of 3 kids which all 3 have medical conditions working 60 to70 a week is not something I want to do but life throws you curves and I do line haul.i can say this most people I know who work 40 hours a week don't really make that much money anymore you have to work hours to make it.its not like it use to be and being in the state you are in would be difficult since the taxes and cost of living is so high.thats as honest as I can be I have been at the same cross road you are at it all depends on what you want.odfl isn't going anywhere and is a very stable company and I love working here just look at our threads on the site you won't find to many where you see people upset with odfl unless someone is starting something. what ever you decide I wish you well but hope you take time to think it threw and if your married I hope you include her in your decision as they say hell has no fury like a women scorned.which basically means even satan himself is afraid of a women.lol
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I've been here 8 years after OD bought out the company I had been with for 15 years,OD's been a great employer.
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Back in '08-'09 when the freight business when into the dumper some people were let go because of a lack of work,technically not a lay-off,although many of the people terminated were re-hired when the economy picked-up.
FreightBandit
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OD is a top notch carrier and they take care of the workers
:D
:D
cruiser461
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when does OT get paid at OD?
Overtime after 60 in most states.
I am curious to know if those people were let go in the order of their company seniority? And since they were not layed off were the ones rehired as new employees at the entry level pay rate or did they retain their former rate of pay and benefits?
You're not OD so if you're trolling take it somewhere else.
Probably able to use work history as a determining factor.One of the reasons they turn a profit every year,less dead weight than alot of companies.
What is your problem? I asked a simple question. Since this thread starts with the question if OD is a good career chioce then why can't I ask a question concerning DayliteDean's post on people being let go and then rehired back in 2008-2009? Why does a moderator consider my simple questions as trolling?
You don't work for OD.
No I don't because if I did I would probably know the answer to my question. But why does my one post make me a troll? I didn't know that only OD employees were allowed to post on this forum. I won't make that mistake and do it again.
You didn't do anything wrong. According to forum rules, you may post on other company forums just as long as you don't attack the company.
The Mod was wrong to say what he said.
MUSCLETRUCKER
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Hello gentlemen/ladies. I dont speak much, but i must say, OD linehaul is the best thing that ever happen to me. I love everything about it except my 65mpy tractor!! Lol! OD is a solid choice if they'll hire you. Just be ready to work when they tell you too and youll never have any issues. Good luck to you Sir!!
MUSCLETRUCKER
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As for the question that individual asked about how did they rehire employees after the lay off,i too would like to know how its done. I was an owner operator during that 08-09 period. I came on board right after that. So hopefully the rude MOD wont bite my head off since i am an OD employee. Cheers
Im not an OD mod,however as a mod,I can say when a newbie enters a forum I look at past post to look for intent.This is not my forum so I am not gonna speculate but this post from Crystal,in the ABF forum, would have definitely caught my eye,and the fact most of his/her post are union related.
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Really, I don't know who you work for so I'll assume that we are still talking about OD. When did things change at OD with the bottom feeding for cheap freight? I never worked for them so I am just speculating here. Kind of like your IHop comment. But it was common knowledge, North of the Mason Dixon line, that they were a bottom feeder who paid low wages and could only get freight by lowballing rates.
Since you brought up stability and and gearing up for increased business how does OD adjust for the manpower? Do they rehire those economiclly terminated drivers? I have mentioned economic terminations twice in this thread and no one has commented on it so I'll ask about it. Wasn't OD, one of if not, the first LTL company that used the term economic terminations to fire it's workers instead of laying them off and paying unemployment benefits?
Isn't economic termination when a company fires it's drivers to adjust monthly operating figures? Isn't economic termination usually done by firing the higher paid drivers with more company seniority? And when OD needs more drivers don't they often hire those same drivers back but as new employees? Don't they get rehired at the entry level rate of pay and benefits and at the loss of seniority? Does OD even recognize seniority?
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Really, I don't know who you work for so I'll assume that we are still talking about OD. When did things change at OD with the bottom feeding for cheap freight? I never worked for them so I am just speculating here. Kind of like your IHop comment. But it was common knowledge, North of the Mason Dixon line, that they were a bottom feeder who paid low wages and could only get freight by lowballing rates.
Since you brought up stability and and gearing up for increased business how does OD adjust for the manpower? Do they rehire those economiclly terminated drivers? I have mentioned economic terminations twice in this thread and no one has commented on it so I'll ask about it. Wasn't OD, one of if not, the first LTL company that used the term economic terminations to fire it's workers instead of laying them off and paying unemployment benefits?
Isn't economic termination when a company fires it's drivers to adjust monthly operating figures? Isn't economic termination usually done by firing the higher paid drivers with more company seniority? And when OD needs more drivers don't they often hire those same drivers back but as new employees? Don't they get rehired at the entry level rate of pay and benefits and at the loss of seniority? Does OD even recognize seniority?
