New Penn | Non CDL drivers

[crazy]

In other words, if I was 21 again in trucking school on day one and we had google, internet and a treasure of information from those who drove before me or was part of union, etc in this industry I would have done a great deal of thinking and choosing very carefully what I would like my future to be. IF I was 21 again. Ultimately the work I did Im pretty happy with, even if some bosses were not for their own reasons.

If I was 21 again and had google,internet and a ton of information I surely would have gone to school for something else .. The last thing I think I would do if I could start all over would be to drive a truck and work freight.. Don't get me wrong as driving in the 70's and 80's was fun.. But people back then were friendlier unlike today where everyone is afraid of their own shadows.. If you broke down on the side of the road it wasn't long before someone would stop with coffee for you.. Think that will happen today?? IMO it was the CB's that kept everyone connected..
Another reason is the toll it took on the ole body.. Back then you wouldn't think twice to move a 55 gallon drum or pick up something that was heavy.. Today I get a 28lb box of kitty litter and move it with the handtruck.. Those were the days though and I can say it was fun but again I wouldn't do it all over..

 

[Turn the Page]

I personally don't mind it too much. But there is something to the argument against it.
They can be used against seniority due to schedule.
Ours start at noon.
And their bids are those trucks.
Those start at noon. Senior guys can't have that start time.
And they don't have our payrate. Cheaper pay also can be used against seniority.
Plus they can't go to HAZMAT customers.
That makes for more special treatment.
Guys don't like that they get good pay and a start time without having to get HAZMAT.
We pay for ours.


I prefer we all get the same pay.
City. Dock. Straight truck. Road.

That avoids a lot of violations and bitching.

If a dock worker and a non CDL driver makes the same as a CDL driver why would anyone take the time and money to obtain a CDL

 

[slavenomore]

If a dock worker and a non CDL driver makes the same as a CDL driver why would anyone take the time and money to obtain a CDL

That shouldn't be our problem. Should it?

 

[slavenomore]

If a dock worker and a non CDL driver makes the same as a CDL driver why would anyone take the time and money to obtain a CDL

In our barn there are only 2 straight trucks.
That's only 2 start times for no CDL guys.

To be less owned by the industry...the CDL guys do have start times.
The rest are eternally on call.
Owned a little more...come when you're called...go home when we say. Make no plans for the day for freight comes first.

 

[slavenomore]

Here's my views on it.
I had a CDL when I got here. Pretty much my best route with schedule for 2-5 years were written as driver/dock outbound and inbound start times. From 4pm starts to midnight or 11pm starts.
Our terminal had 1 no CDL guy who was right under me on the list. He slipped thru the cracks by management not watching his daycount towards triggering preferred casual status.
He hit the 70 days or whatever it is at over 6 hours and one minute.
So he made the list without a CDL. But you get no bid time without it.

All nonCDLguys were on call casuals when I got here.
And they used a lot of them.
They got paid less and could be called or not called or let go of at any time. No real defense either for anything. But they had to pay dues.
They worked hard. Did the same job as a lot of us on outbound and inbound bids.
But lived scared for their jobs. Could be hassled by bosses or even Teamsters with no consequence.
It was thought that a couple more triggered preferred at the time but nobody really checked.
The company watched for a few years so nobody else slipped thru.
A few years ago at the end of summer when their hours always get cut to ensure they don't make the list and trigger preferred.....it got busy and another terminal needed help and requested a few to go there.....not thinking......3 guys triggered preferred up there...and they needed to be put on.
Then they put a bunch of them on the list FT. And they got better pay and paid days off and everything but our payrate.
Everything but start times and our payrate. Rights to file.

Did they do it on purpose for cheaper dock workers and driver shortage?
Or was it a mistake? Either way it happened.
Now we only have a few on call casuals and a bunch of FT on call NO CDL guys.

We all got paid the same before.
Except casuals.
And we all could do all jobs except casuals.

It was a good simple system. But the casuals AND lower rates for dock only and now straight trucks with no CDL...can be used to infringe on the only thing we have left which is seniority.
So...I prefer one payrate so that is not infringed on.
Now we have road pay, UE pay,hourly pay, noncdl straight truck pay, and no CDL dock pay, and casual dock pay, and casual driver pay.......all of which can be manipulated and played with for profits over us.
And it's hard to watch it all to ensure nobody is being violated.
One pay rate simplifies it.
Seniority prevails.

 

[slavenomore]

Anyways. We had 2 noncdl straight truck guys. One is back to dock due to medical because they are not really NONCDL.
Just not full CDL Luke the rest.
The other just completed his training in Maybrook or Newburg and got his full CDL. He started a UE bid this week.
So we are back to driving the backbreaking nonforklift home delivery straight truck. Anybody who doesn't want the NO CDL guys driving should volunteer for it because I'm sick of it.

 

[ROADY]

If I was 21 again and had google,internet and a ton of information I surely would have gone to school for something else .. The last thing I think I would do if I could start all over would be to drive a truck and work freight.. Don't get me wrong as driving in the 70's and 80's was fun.. But people back then were friendlier unlike today where everyone is afraid of their own shadows.. If you broke down on the side of the road it wasn't long before someone would stop with coffee for you.. Think that will happen today?? IMO it was the CB's that kept everyone connected..
Another reason is the toll it took on the ole body.. Back then you wouldn't think twice to move a 55 gallon drum or pick up something that was heavy.. Today I get a 28lb box of kitty litter and move it with the handtruck.. Those were the days though and I can say it was fun but again I wouldn't do it all over..

I couldn't have said it any better. I enjoyed going to work in the 70's and 80's. We did our jobs but had fun doing it. We were our own bosses out on the road. I remember rolling 80 55 gallon drums to the tail of a 45' trailer at a shippers dock like it was nothing, now forget about it. But you are right I wouldn't do it again either.

 

[seabreeze]

If I was 21 again and had google,internet and a ton of information I surely would have gone to school for something else .. The last thing I think I would do if I could start all over would be to drive a truck and work freight.. Don't get me wrong as driving in the 70's and 80's was fun.. But people back then were friendlier unlike today where everyone is afraid of their own shadows.. If you broke down on the side of the road it wasn't long before someone would stop with coffee for you.. Think that will happen today?? IMO it was the CB's that kept everyone connected..
Another reason is the toll it took on the ole body.. Back then you wouldn't think twice to move a 55 gallon drum or pick up something that was heavy.. Today I get a 28lb box of kitty litter and move it with the handtruck.. Those were the days though and I can say it was fun but again I wouldn't do it all over..

Today's traffic would do me in.

 

[slavenomore]

That is the definition of socialism, "all labor is of equal value." Ridiculous!
A guy moving brown boxes across the dock, a guy that can be replaced by a college kid casual, is not worth as much as a professional, licensed, medically certified, hazardous material qualified driver. The guy driving a straight truck is not worth as much as the triples qualified driver.
A nurse is not worth as much as a doctor.

And don't get me started on doubles and triples and 53' and barn doors and wide trailers and tall trailers either.
All a bunch of dumb crap making companies money and more BS work and aggravation for the driver.
If it makes you feel more professional pulling that crap...knock yourself out.
I'm a capitalist too....and I prefer less work and more money.
If I was around when they started all that dumb greedy crap...I would have fought it.

 

[seabreeze]

Dock casual payrate. Casual driver payrate.NonCDL payrate. Mileage payrate for road. Progressing to top pay rate. Hourly payrate. 53'trailers. Barn door trailers. Wide trailers. Load bars and racks. Doubles. Triples.
All that stuff gets dissected in order for you to make less....with your "professional" CDL license.
All stuff for you to work harder for less. And pull more freight for less.....so much for your capitalist ideology. Your capitalism is better for the industry but not for you or drivers.
Either a dock guy will load it or I will. It doesn't matter to me if he makes the same. If he doesn't make as much, they will use him more and you less.
Give me a narrow 45 which is 12'6"...and I'm good......you can have the rest to feel like a professional.

Just stop and think Slave, if we had 12' 6" trailers, look at all the fun we would miss with Swift drivers!

 

[seabreeze]

It is what it is. It probably ain't ever gonna go back. They took all the money paid for freight hauling and gave it to everybody but the drivers..made whole industries...by calling us professionals and drivers swallowing the bait whole.
It happened before I even started driving..but I kinda can see what happened.
Smart isn't necessarily smart...at least where money for us is concerned. And time...and life is time.

Same thing when we started running 3 axle tractors in the East.
We had guys that were tickled pink to drive them.
The ride was terrible and you put people out of work.
We had a driver file a grievance because a jr. driver got a 3 axle and he didn't
After that, the sr. driver was always dispatched with the 3 axle and heavier load
Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face!

 

[Triplex]

Same thing when we started running 3 axle tractors in the East.
We had guys that were tickled pink to drive them.
The ride was terrible and you put people out of work.
We had a driver file a grievance because a jr. driver got a 3 axle and he didn't
After that, the sr. driver was always dispatched with the 3 axle and heavier load
Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face!

That's what drivers do best don't you know. And how about the road drivers that want longer and longer runs so they can make more money? I've tried to point out numerous times that after 8 hours they are working cheap. They never seem to understand what I'm taking about.

 

[seabreeze]

That's what drivers do best don't you know. And how about the road drivers that want longer and longer runs so they can make more money? I've tried to point out numerous times that after 8 hours they are working cheap. They never seem to understand what I'm taking about.

Yep, I guess I was a homebody, our long runs were about 520 mi.
I could run what I wanted, but the 391 Jax was just fine, Mon, Wed, Fri.
I ran the turn board when my son played ball and got to see every game.
I lost a lot of money, but it was worth it to me.
I live in poverty now and he won't keep me up.
Mom and I live on Spam and pintos.

It's hard to make newer drivers understand, benefits are more important than money, down the road.

 

[ltltrkr]

That's what drivers do best don't you know. And how about the road drivers that want longer and longer runs so they can make more money? I've tried to point out numerous times that after 8 hours they are working cheap. They never seem to understand what I'm taking about.

when I was 19, the lady that did accounting said once you pass a point of OT the amount of tax goes up and she showed me and example. One week I worked about 54 hours, the next week I worked 62 hours. The Gross looked great, the take home was $21 different, not worth the extra 8 hours worked. Guys always like to say look at my gross, I am worried about the net take home.

 

[crazy]

when I was 19, the lady that did accounting said once you pass a point of OT the amount of tax goes up and she showed me and example. One week I worked about 54 hours, the next week I worked 62 hours. The Gross looked great, the take home was $21 different, not worth the extra 8 hours worked. Guys always like to say look at my gross, I am worried about the net take home.

It all works out in the end.. You pay taxes on your gross for the year not by the week.. if they withheld that much of your overtime it will be either given back in the form of a refund or your tax bill will be less.. Only bad thing is the government holds your money interest free..

 

[Razorblade]

It all works out in the end.. You pay taxes on your gross for the year not by the week.. if they withheld that much of your overtime it will be either given back in the form of a refund or your tax bill will be less.. Only bad thing is the government holds your money interest free..

And the tax rate is progressive. You don't pay the higher rate on total income. Yes, each paycheck assumes that you make that much every week but as crazy said, it all works out at the end of the year.

 

[Triplex]

And the tax rate is progressive. You don't pay the higher rate on total income. Yes, each paycheck assumes that you make that much every week but as crazy said, it all works out at the end of the year.

It amazes me how so many people still don't understand that.