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Six7zero

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any one here got any insight about a line job in Portland Oregon? Average miles a bottom guy gets, any layoffs during slow months? My background is being process right now and I’ll be taking a pay cut from my current job but if I can get the miles I’ll probably just accept the job. Thanks
 
Your weekly medical premium is $0.0. You family out of pocket is I think 2 grand. If you screw up, with a union job you have a chance of keeping it. Non-union, not so much. Your hourly pay will be less, but what value do you put on your Medical costs? At ABF you can get 325.00 each week in short term disability. Does your current company offer that? Fed-X might pay 2 bucks more an hour. But what do they pay for medical coverage? Is it as good as the C-6 plan? Total pay is a lot more than just the hourly compensation. If you have a wife & 2 kids I don't have to mention how much value good coverage can mean. When you start to compare Teamsters C-6 medical coverage with other LTL outfits, the difference is night & day. & maybe thousands of dollars. Good luck. von.
 
Your weekly medical premium is $0.0. You family out of pocket is I think 2 grand. If you screw up, with a union job you have a chance of keeping it. Non-union, not so much. Your hourly pay will be less, but what value do you put on your Medical costs? At ABF you can get 325.00 each week in short term disability. Does your current company offer that? Fed-X might pay 2 bucks more an hour. But what do they pay for medical coverage? Is it as good as the C-6 plan? Total pay is a lot more than just the hourly compensation. If you have a wife & 2 kids I don't have to mention how much value good coverage can mean. When you start to compare Teamsters C-6 medical coverage with other LTL outfits, the difference is night & day. & maybe thousands of dollars. Good luck. von.
Oh man I do know all about the medical part as I’ve been with teamsters for about 8 years and that’s one of the biggest factor I wanna work here but my main concern is getting layedoff or not getting much miles. My current job I do make money but the benefits are not so good and I would like to continue contributing to my western conference pension. Your right I do have a wife and 2 kids 4 and 5 . Thanks
 
Oh man I do know all about the medical part as I’ve been with teamsters for about 8 years and that’s one of the biggest factor I wanna work here but my main concern is getting layedoff or not getting much miles. My current job I do make money but the benefits are not so good and I would like to continue contributing to my western conference pension. Your right I do have a wife and 2 kids 4 and 5 . Thanks
Then you of all people know just how valuable medical coverage can be. If you look @ the C-6 plan from ABF compared to what you might have now, you will be a very happy camper. von.
 
any one here got any insight about a line job in Portland Oregon? Average miles a bottom guy gets, any layoffs during slow months? My background is being process right now and I’ll be taking a pay cut from my current job but if I can get the miles I’ll probably just accept the job. Thanks
 
Portland is a tough terminal to work linehaul out of. They are having problems keeping drivers because the runs are all turns on I-5 and almost all night runs mainly to move freight up and down the I-5 corridor to service the terminals. And with those 12-14 hour dispatches, you are guaranteed to hit traffic gridlock somewhere on I-5 before you get back. And I think they are finding that the Portland area has enough good-paying driving jobs, that the well qualified drivers move on, what with the starting pay reduction. You WILL need to be triples certified, but they will take care of that. You won't be soloed with triples for 1 yr I think. Oregon is a triples state, Washington is not, thankfully. Eugene Ore is double turn with triples almost all the time. You can figure 13- 14 hrs for that one. You will do your own drop and hook in EUG. Seattle and Tacoma and Mt Vernon Wash (Mt Vernon is a driver drop and hook at night as well) terminals are all turns also. They get their 12- 14 hrs out of you just about every dispatch, what with the waiting for equip swaps and traffic delays and vias enroute. The sleepers are gone now, so no more sleepers. The I-5 corridor is a traffic nightmare, and you are frequently fighting the clock to finish your dispatch. The I-84 corridor is a miik run by comparison, even with the snow and ice in the winter. I used to tell Portland dispatch when they pulled me out of line to run an I-5 turn, that if I had to work the bottom of their extra board every night, at my age now, they would be shoveling dirt in my face in 6 mos time. Steve would just laugh and hand me my dispatch. I think he thought I was joking. If you 're tough enough and want it bad enough to stick it out, you'll make a good living there after you get to full pay. Just suck it up and go get 'er done! Do your job and you'll be fine. I'm not trying to scare you off, but I do want you to be fully informed of what will be expected. I would call Teamsters local 81 in Portland (google it) and talk to a business agent first also to get a feel for what is going on. He might even put you in touch with the linehaul steward. It' s a big decision to move a family. Good luck.
 
Portland is a tough terminal to work linehaul out of. They are having problems keeping drivers because the runs are all turns on I-5 and almost all night runs mainly to move freight up and down the I-5 corridor to service the terminals. And with those 12-14 hour dispatches, you are guaranteed to hit traffic gridlock somewhere on I-5 before you get back. And I think they are finding that the Portland area has enough good-paying driving jobs, that the well qualified drivers move on, what with the starting pay reduction. You WILL need to be triples certified, but they will take care of that. You won't be soloed with triples for 1 yr I think. Oregon is a triples state, Washington is not, thankfully. Eugene Ore is double turn with triples almost all the time. You can figure 13- 14 hrs for that one. You will do your own drop and hook in EUG. Seattle and Tacoma and Mt Vernon Wash (Mt Vernon is a driver drop and hook at night as well) terminals are all turns also. They get their 12- 14 hrs out of you just about every dispatch, what with the waiting for equip swaps and traffic delays and vias enroute. The sleepers are gone now, so no more sleepers. The I-5 corridor is a traffic nightmare, and you are frequently fighting the clock to finish your dispatch. The I-84 corridor is a miik run by comparison, even with the snow and ice in the winter. I used to tell Portland dispatch when they pulled me out of line to run an I-5 turn, that if I had to work the bottom of their extra board every night, at my age now, they would be shoveling dirt in my face in 6 mos time. Steve would just laugh and hand me my dispatch. I think he thought I was joking. If you 're tough enough and want it bad enough to stick it out, you'll make a good living there after you get to full pay. Just suck it up and go get 'er done! Do your job and you'll be fine. I'm not trying to scare you off, but I do want you to be fully informed of what will be expected. I would call Teamsters local 81 in Portland (google it) and talk to a business agent first also to get a feel for what is going on. He might even put you in touch with the linehaul steward. It' s a big decision to move a family. Good luck.
Good informative post. This can have a big impact on his decision with no bullshit thrown in. von.
 
Good informative post. This can have a big impact on his decision with no :horseshit: thrown in. von.
Here's what stunned me, von. When they eliminated the sleepers out of Portland to San Bernardino and back, most of the board quit rather than go to singleman out of Portland. That speaks volumes about the work load. This entry level wage is going to bite them big-time! It already has....The only real enticement they still have left is the pension. I can remember when you had to wait in line with a spotless resume for the chance to be invited to go to work for a "Master Freight" company!
 
Portland is a tough terminal to work linehaul out of. They are having problems keeping drivers because the runs are all turns on I-5 and almost all night runs mainly to move freight up and down the I-5 corridor to service the terminals. And with those 12-14 hour dispatches, you are guaranteed to hit traffic gridlock somewhere on I-5 before you get back. And I think they are finding that the Portland area has enough good-paying driving jobs, that the well qualified drivers move on, what with the starting pay reduction. You WILL need to be triples certified, but they will take care of that. You won't be soloed with triples for 1 yr I think. Oregon is a triples state, Washington is not, thankfully. Eugene Ore is double turn with triples almost all the time. You can figure 13- 14 hrs for that one. You will do your own drop and hook in EUG. Seattle and Tacoma and Mt Vernon Wash (Mt Vernon is a driver drop and hook at night as well) terminals are all turns also. They get their 12- 14 hrs out of you just about every dispatch, what with the waiting for equip swaps and traffic delays and vias enroute. The sleepers are gone now, so no more sleepers. The I-5 corridor is a traffic nightmare, and you are frequently fighting the clock to finish your dispatch. The I-84 corridor is a miik run by comparison, even with the snow and ice in the winter. I used to tell Portland dispatch when they pulled me out of line to run an I-5 turn, that if I had to work the bottom of their extra board every night, at my age now, they would be shoveling dirt in my face in 6 mos time. Steve would just laugh and hand me my dispatch. I think he thought I was joking. If you 're tough enough and want it bad enough to stick it out, you'll make a good living there after you get to full pay. Just suck it up and go get 'er done! Do your job and you'll be fine. I'm not trying to scare you off, but I do want you to be fully informed of what will be expected. I would call Teamsters local 81 in Portland (google it) and talk to a business agent first also to get a feel for what is going on. He might even put you in touch with the linehaul steward. It' s a big decision to move a family. Good luck.
I actually work just down the street from this terminal as a line driver and do pull triples almost every night except when going up Washington. AND we haul lots of abf freight sometimes I would pull a set of triples with 2 trailers being abf. I do like where am at now with a set Monday to Friday schedule same time every night but I am willing to let that go for better benefits for my family. Hiring manager said they’ll start me off at 90% from top wage which is like .56 a mile. Do you think being the bottom guy at this terminal will get me good miles every night? Thanks again for all your help and I will definitely talk to local 81 and hope they can get me in touch with the line haul steward.
 
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I actually work just down the street from this terminal as a line driver and do pull triples almost every night except when going up Washington. AND we haul lots of abf freight sometimes I would pull a set of triples with 2 trailers being abf. I do like where am at now with a set Monday to Friday schedule same time every night but I am willing to let that go for better benefits for my family. Hiring manager said they’ll start me off at 90% from top wage which is like .56 a mile. Do you think being the bottom guy at this terminal will get me good miles every night? Thanks again for all your help and I will definitely talk to local 81 and hope they can get me in touch with the line haul steward.
Are you at TP Freight? I know ABF ‘crossdocks’ a lot of freight to them...mainly freight and U-Pack trailers to areas they don’t service. I’ve rolled into that terminal (145) many times years ago. Busy place! I’ve been retired for a while now, but they were always busy. Can’t say with any certainty how your hours would be, but I can’t imagine you’d miss many days in the winter, let alone summer. Best of luck to you! Keep us posted!
 
Are you at TP Freight? I know ABF ‘crossdocks’ a lot of freight to them...mainly freight and U-Pack trailers to areas they don’t service. I’ve rolled into that terminal (145) many times years ago. Busy place! I’ve been retired for a while now, but they were always busy. Can’t say with any certainty how your hours would be, but I can’t imagine you’d miss many days in the winter, let alone summer. Best of luck to you! Keep us posted!
I’m with peninsula and thanks a lot hope it works out too.
 
I actually work just down the street from this terminal as a line driver and do pull triples almost every night except when going up Washington. AND we haul lots of abf freight sometimes I would pull a set of triples with 2 trailers being abf. I do like where am at now with a set Monday to Friday schedule same time every night but I am willing to let that go for better benefits for my family. Hiring manager said they’ll start me off at 90% from top wage which is like .56 a mile. Do you think being the bottom guy at this terminal will get me good miles every night? Thanks again for all your help and I will definitely talk to local 81 and hope they can get me in touch with the line haul steward.
Well the moving isn't a factor anyway, but burning your bridges might be. I've been retired for some time now, but I worked a little as a casual. I haven.t been out since this past March, so things might have changed. I'm pretty sure you won't have to worry about slowdowns or layoffs. They are always short of road drivers all the time in Portland, it seems. You are already aware of the PITA that is the I-5 combat driving marathon. Just be thankful for the automatic transmissions with all the stop-and-go. I think you will be a good fit if the union can give you the work history of the drivers in Portland since the changes have went into effect. You won't have the luxury of a Monday to Friday work week with a set departure time over here though. That I can guarantee. Think hard about how important that is to you and your family. Weekends are just another day in the work week for extra board. Your available hours and contractual time off will dictate the rest. It will be a long time til you get a decent bid run. The work you will be offered is this: double Eugene turns with triples plus hourly work time. double or turn-and-a-half Tacomas with hourly work time. Seattle and/or Mt Vernon turns sometimes via Tacoma going or coming. Now they may have some Pendleton turns as well occasionally since they moved Ontario to Pendleton. Usually the Pend drivers handle that. Also, there is a Biggs jct meet with the Spokane driver around midnight. They will bring you back to Portland and then send you north or south to Eugene as hrs permit and back to Portland. They are creative in their dispatching to maximize your utilization. There is a chance I think of an occasional Spokane as well and back to Hermiston and layover. Not sure of that anymore with the Pendleton drivers now in place. I think you will make it over here if you come with the right attitude and expectations. I'm sure you can handle the work if your family can adjust to the changes that are going to be required. It's tough with small children. You're in a good place now in that regard. Don't underestimate how important that is. That is one of my biggest regrets. I have 2 great kids thanks to my wife but I missed so much of their young lives. Do this. Get your questions written down so you don't forget to ask something important and go into the terminal on the dock office this weekend on Sunday and sit down and talk to Steve Smurthwaite in dispatch. He is the all knowing and omnipotent Oz and he can answer all your questions. Hell, he runs the whole northwest. Without him, ABF is lost. I'm not joking. If he's not there Jim will be and he is the operations supervisor. They are both great guys. Just offer to spring for the cokes in the breakroom.
 
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Well the moving isn't a factor anyway, but burning your bridges might be. I've been retired for some time now, but I worked a little as a casual. I haven.t been out since this past March, so things might have changed. I'm pretty sure you won't have to worry about slowdowns or layoffs. They are always short of road drivers all the time in Portland, it seems. You are already aware of the PITA that is the I-5 combat driving marathon. Just be thankful for the automatic transmissions with all the stop-and-go. I think you will be a good fit if the union can give you the work history of the drivers in Portland since the changes have went into effect. You won't have the luxury of a Monday to Friday work week with a set departure time over here though. That I can guarantee. Think hard about how important that is to you and your family. Weekends are just another day in the work week for extra board. Your available hours and contractual time off will dictate the rest. It will be a long time til you get a decent bid run. The work you will be offered is this: double Eugene turns with triples plus hourly work time. double or turn-and-a-half Tacomas with hourly work time. Seattle and/or Mt Vernon turns sometimes via Tacoma going or coming. Now they may have some Pendleton turns as well occasionally since they moved Ontario to Pendleton. Usually the Pend drivers handle that. Also, there is a Biggs jct meet with the Spokane driver around midnight. They will bring you back to Portland and then send you north or south to Eugene as hrs permit and back to Portland. They are creative in their dispatching to maximize your utilization. There is a chance I think of an occasional Spokane as well and back to Hermiston and layover. Not sure of that anymore with the Pendleton drivers now in place. I think you will make it over here if you come with the right attitude and expectations. I'm sure you can handle the work if your family can adjust to the changes that are going to be required. It's tough with small children. You're in a good place now in that regard. Don't underestimate how important that is. That is one of my biggest regrets. I have 2 great kids thanks to my wife but I missed so much of their young lives. Do this. Get your questions written down so you don't forget to ask something important and go into the terminal on the dock office this weekend on Sunday and sit down and talk to Steve Smurthwaite in dispatch. He is the all knowing and omnipotent Oz and he can answer all your questions. Hell, he runs the whole northwest. Without him, ABF is lost. I'm not joking. If he's not there Jim will be and he is the operations supervisor. They are both great guys. Just offer to spring for the cokes in the breakroom.
Both Steve and Jim are great guys! Spoke to both of them many times over the years! Steve...man, you can’t ruffle that guys feathers...cool as a cucumber!! And Jim...straight-shooter!!
 
@hangbelly and everyone else on this thread thank you soo much for all the info you guys have given like REALLY thank you, it’ll make my decision much easier now. Hope to hear back from HR tomorrow.
 
It seems some folks have a tough time adjusting to the demands of freight over other driving jobs. You shouldn't have those issues, since you already know what's expected. I don't know what the work environment and pay and benefit package is @ Peninsula, but I'm guessing it is better at ABF, probably even with the starting pay cut. I think your biggest decision will be the change in useable time off with your family. You can plan around that somewhat by managing your hours and planning ahead to include it with contractual time off ( 24hrs + 10hrs off after 6 tours of duty and 48hrs +10 hrs off after 12 tours) It just won't always line up with the weekends. No wonder they are recruiting you so hard. You are already trained. See if they will offer you a $1500.00 sign-on bonus! Just kidding. Good luck. Let us know what you decided.
 
It seems some folks have a tough time adjusting to the demands of freight over other driving jobs. You shouldn't have those issues, since you already know what's expected. I don't know what the work environment and pay and benefit package is @ Peninsula, but I'm guessing it is better at ABF, probably even with the starting pay cut. I think your biggest decision will be the change in useable time off with your family. You can plan around that somewhat by managing your hours and planning ahead to include it with contractual time off ( 24hrs + 10hrs off after 6 tours of duty and 48hrs +10 hrs off after 12 tours) It just won't always line up with the weekends. No wonder they are recruiting you so hard. You are already trained. See if they will offer you a $1500.00 sign-on bonus! Just kidding. Good luck. Let us know what you decided.
Haha I’d rather be at a good environment job than to receive a sigh on bonus lol. I actually got a call from hr and I’ll be doing my exam n drug test next week. I’ll stop by the yard tonight before I head to work and try n speak with Steve. Thanks again
 
Haha I’d rather be at a good environment job than to receive a sigh on bonus lol. I actually got a call from hr and I’ll be doing my exam n drug test next week. I’ll stop by the yard tonight before I head to work and try n speak with Steve. Thanks again


........And no matter what they say,.....don't buy the discounted "cheat sheet" for the answers to the Drug test......
 
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