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R&L | R&l China Grove, N.c.

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Measely Wages

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Hi drivers.
I’m brand new to this thread. I was just wondering if anybody can tell me how the extra board works with R&L?
I have worked for both ABF and YRC in the past and with them, being on the extra board meant that you just got the runs that all the drivers with more seniority didn’t want. You were bound to work any and all shifts... at any and all times. Sometimes, you wouldn’t work at all.

This would continue until you were able to put your time in to eventually bid on a steady shift; a process which could sometimes take years.

The terminal manager at R&L told me that it didn’t work that way at his company; being on the extra board means that you will still have a steady shift at all times.
Is this true?
Thanks!
 
Measely Wages said:
Hi drivers.
I’m brand new to this thread. I was just wondering if anybody can tell me how the extra board works with R&L?
I have worked for both ABF and YRC in the past and with them, being on the extra board meant that you just got the runs that all the drivers with more seniority didn’t want. You were bound to work any and all shifts... at any and all times. Sometimes, you wouldn’t work at all.

This would continue until you were able to put your time in to eventually bid on a steady shift; a process which could sometimes take years.

The terminal manager at R&L told me that it didn’t work that way at his company; being on the extra board means that you will still have a steady shift at all times.
Is this true?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Extra board linehaul or Extra board city? Also we generally use the term floaters, especially on the city side. We also have lifetime bids unless you really screw the pooch or their is a change of operations which doesn't happen a lot in the East.
 
Measely Wages said:
Extra board city.
Click to expand...
You'll probably be working regularly. Very rarely do linehaul floaters do city work but city floaters do do linehaul work if needed. Generally city floaters start mid morning unless you're filling in for a bid run that's on vacation or medical leave. Many times you are backup into an area that already has a driver there for volume or heavy Day of stops. I'm not out of the terminal you're looking at so I don't have exact info for you. As far as sitting, we're dust like any other LTL, if business slows you will sit, bottom up. We do let senior guys take off when it slows so a junior guy can work but it depends on the terminal. If you make it known you want to work, they do try to keep you moving. I would not count on a steady run or start time every week during slower times. Again, we have lifetime bids so if a bid gets posted, sign it. Lots of guys decide at the last minute decide to scratch their names. And remember, there is three ways to do things; the right way, the wrong way, & the R&L way!
 
Ted Decker trk said:
You'll probably be working regularly. Very rarely do linehaul floaters do city work but city floaters do do linehaul work if needed. Generally city floaters start mid morning unless you're filling in for a bid run that's on vacation or medical leave. Many times you are backup into an area that already has a driver there for volume or heavy Day of stops. I'm not out of the terminal you're looking at so I don't have exact info for you. As far as sitting, we're dust like any other LTL, if business slows you will sit, bottom up. We do let senior guys take off when it slows so a junior guy can work but it depends on the terminal. If you make it known you want to work, they do try to keep you moving. I would not count on a steady run or start time every week during slower times. Again, we have lifetime bids so if a bid gets posted, sign it. Lots of guys decide at the last minute decide to scratch their names. And remember, there is three ways to do things; the right way, the wrong way, & the R&L way!
Click to expand...
Thanks so much for all your valuable information. I’m currently working for a major grocery chain delivering food pallets locally. Not a bad gig but I’ll probably gross about $55,000 this year. Not chump change in general but difficult to support a family on. LTL in general seems to be one of the higher paying trucking jobs, along with restaraunt food delivery as well. I’m ruling out the local food delivery options since I’m approaching 60 and, even though I’m in good shape physically, going up an down a ramp with a two wheeler is not something that I care to do anymore.
R&L is tempting but, at this point, I’m not sure if I would be making a wise choice to leave my current job
 
Measely Wages said:
Thanks so much for all your valuable information. I’m currently working for a major grocery chain delivering food pallets locally. Not a bad gig but I’ll probably gross about $55,000 this year. Not chump change in general but difficult to support a family on. LTL in general seems to be one of the higher paying trucking jobs, along with restaraunt food delivery as well. I’m ruling out the local food delivery options since I’m approaching 60 and, even though I’m in good shape physically, going up an down a ramp with a two wheeler is not something that I care to do anymore.
R&L is tempting but, at this point, I’m not sure if I would be making a wise choice to leave my current job
Click to expand...
I think it's 3 years to top out. Most guys run 50-55 hours a week. Top rate is 29.02 in my area. So :

52.50 hrs x 29.02=1523.55
1523.55 x 52 weeks = 79,224.60

So yeah, there's money to be made. Different working environment than a union carrier. I came out of CFCC myself.

My wife carries her benefits and kids with her employer so someone else can chime in on bennies
 
Ted Decker trk said:
I think it's 3 years to top out. Most guys run 50-55 hours a week. Top rate is 29.02 in my area. So :

52.50 hrs x 29.02=1523.55
1523.55 x 52 weeks = 79,224.60

So yeah, there's money to be made. Different working environment than a union carrier. I came out of CFCC myself.

My wife carries her benefits and kids with her employer so someone else can chime in on bennies
Click to expand...
Thanks so much for all your valuable information.
Here in China Grove, N.C., I believe max pay after three years is around $27.00 per hour; around $21.00 to start, plus you have to buy your own pallet jack. Bennies seem to be average.
 
Measely Wages said:
I’m ruling out the local food delivery options since I’m approaching 60 and, even though I’m in good shape physically, going up an down a ramp with a two wheeler is not something that I care to do anymore.
R&L is tempting but, at this point, I’m not sure if I would be making a wise choice to leave my current job
Click to expand...
Ever notice all our city trailers have lift gates? They are not for looks. Try unloading 4,000lbs of hardwood floor with a lift gate, it's not exactly fun or easy. Oh and after that you might have 3,4,5 or more stops that require the lift gate. Take a drive thru your town and look at all the businesses that don't have docks and factor in the residential deliveries. Don't want to deter you but the fact is only a few routes will be nothing but bumping docks. Some things to think about.
 
fubar said:
Ever notice all our city trailers have lift gates? They are not for looks. Try unloading 4,000lbs of hardwood floor with a lift gate, it's not exactly fun or easy. Oh and after that you might have 3,4,5 or more stops that require the lift gate. Take a drive thru your town and look at all the businesses that don't have docks and factor in the residential deliveries. Don't want to deter you but the fact is only a few routes will be nothing but bumping docks. Some things to think about.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info.
I worked for both abf and yrc; delivering city with a liftgate; plus with abf, we also had to deliver the upacs.
I didn’t have any problems, though at times it was challenging.
My biggest gripe was loading the trailers on the dock with a forklift; abf and yrc drivers load their own trailers. i did it but i really sucked at it.
 
Measely Wages said:
Thanks for the info.
I worked for both abf and yrc; delivering city with a liftgate; plus with abf, we also had to deliver the upacs.
I didn’t have any problems, though at times it was challenging.
My biggest gripe was loading the trailers on the dock with a forklift; abf and yrc drivers load their own trailers. i did it but i really sucked at it.
Click to expand...
Unless you hire on as a combo driver you will never work the dock as a linehaul driver or city driver. Combo positions are limited. Even as a floater, you will not work the dock .

The liftgate deliveries can be a hassle but I've never had any serious problems. The key is communicating what you can and can't do for a customer before ever unfolding the liftgate. I've had several times where the customer had unreasonable expectations and I refused to attempt the delivery. At worst it ended up with a call to Safety and after an accurate truthful description of what could be done and not done the freight went back to the yard. Some days I've hand stacked flooring into the back of a pickup or something but that's about it. Another key is to not abuse it.

We do have runs that are liftgate heavy but a lot will depend on the service area . I pull a liftgate everyday but on average, 2 days a week I never use it.
 
One other thing, some folks make a big deal out of us having to buy our own pallet jacks. You are simply required to have one, you don't have to buy from the company . If you do buy through the company, it is able to be paid with payroll deduction with no interest . They also fix them for you if they break. It is yours to lock up. I think it's a holdover from when they used a lot of contractors in the early years. They do offer electrics, but I would never buy one. If it can't be done with my manual one, it ain't gettin' done.
 
Thanks Ted for all your very useful information.
I was taking my 30 min. break today in a rest stop off I-85 in Thomasville, N.C.
An R&L guy parked next to me so I decided to pick his brain for a bit. Real nice guy. He’s team driving with his wife, doing otr pulling doubles. He said he loves it and he also said, get this.... he’s grossing $125,000 a year, and his wife is also grossing $125,000 a year. Geez...not bad atall.
Team would never be my gig but the more I hear about R&L, the more I think that I’ll soon make the move.
I’m currently driving for Foodlion and the pay is pretty poor.

What would the pros and cons be with linehaul vs. city delivery?
 
Measely Wages said:
Thanks Ted for all your very useful information.
I was taking my 30 min. break today in a rest stop off I-85 in Thomasville, N.C.
An R&L guy parked next to me so I decided to pick his brain for a bit. Real nice guy. He’s team driving with his wife, doing otr pulling doubles. He said he loves it and he also said, get this.... he’s grossing $125,000 a year, and his wife is also grossing $125,000 a year. Geez...not bad atall.
Team would never be my gig but the more I hear about R&L, the more I think that I’ll soon make the move.
I’m currently driving for Foodlion and the pay is pretty poor.

What would the pros and cons be with linehaul vs. city delivery?
Click to expand...
Quite possible that you might have been talking to our team out of Hartford CT. We have a husband and wife team out of here.
 
Measely Wages said:
Thanks Ted for all your very useful information.
I was taking my 30 min. break today in a rest stop off I-85 in Thomasville, N.C.
An R&L guy parked next to me so I decided to pick his brain for a bit. Real nice guy. He’s team driving with his wife, doing otr pulling doubles. He said he loves it and he also said, get this.... he’s grossing $125,000 a year, and his wife is also grossing $125,000 a year. Geez...not bad atall.
Team would never be my gig but the more I hear about R&L, the more I think that I’ll soon make the move.
I’m currently driving for Foodlion and the pay is pretty poor.

What would the pros and cons be with linehaul vs. city delivery?
Click to expand...
I'm pretty busy today and first part of Sunday so it'll be later in the weekend, but I'll give you my 2 cents worth in a bit
 
Measely Wages said:
Thanks Ted for all your very useful information.
I was taking my 30 min. break today in a rest stop off I-85 in Thomasville, N.C.
An R&L guy parked next to me so I decided to pick his brain for a bit. Real nice guy. He’s team driving with his wife, doing otr pulling doubles. He said he loves it and he also said, get this.... he’s grossing $125,000 a year, and his wife is also grossing $125,000 a year. Geez...not bad atall.
Team would never be my gig but the more I hear about R&L, the more I think that I’ll soon make the move.
I’m currently driving for Foodlion and the pay is pretty poor.

What would the pros and cons be with linehaul vs. city delivery?
Click to expand...
Also, I have a thread called"some linehaul pay rates" further down the R&L board here and it's got some good info, it is my own first hand knowledge and therefore terminal specific but it might give you some idea on linehaul rates and what questions to ask
 
Measely Wages said:
Thanks Ted for all your very useful information.
I was taking my 30 min. break today in a rest stop off I-85 in Thomasville, N.C.
An R&L guy parked next to me so I decided to pick his brain for a bit. Real nice guy. He’s team driving with his wife, doing otr pulling doubles. He said he loves it and he also said, get this.... he’s grossing $125,000 a year, and his wife is also grossing $125,000 a year. Geez...not bad atall.
Team would never be my gig but the more I hear about R&L, the more I think that I’ll soon make the move.
I’m currently driving for Foodlion and the pay is pretty poor.

What would the pros and cons be with linehaul vs. city delivery?
Click to expand...
We've teams doing that. Some of those are dedicated and they get a little time at the house as well. Most leave Monday evening and aren't back till Saturday though. Nice equipment and they make good money but I agree, not a gig for me. I'll take my 52.50 hour per week average and be happy.
 
Measely Wages said:
Thanks Ted for all your very useful information.
I was taking my 30 min. break today in a rest stop off I-85 in Thomasville, N.C.
An R&L guy parked next to me so I decided to pick his brain for a bit. Real nice guy. He’s team driving with his wife, doing otr pulling doubles. He said he loves it and he also said, get this.... he’s grossing $125,000 a year, and his wife is also grossing $125,000 a year. Geez...not bad atall.
Team would never be my gig but the more I hear about R&L, the more I think that I’ll soon make the move.
I’m currently driving for Foodlion and the pay is pretty poor.

What would the pros and cons be with linehaul vs. city delivery?
Click to expand...
Linehaul pros

Lifetime bids
No dockwork, ever
If you do a meet and your meet
Is late, you can move up
Within legal limits and are
Paid for extra miles
Generally assigned truck
All runs out and back daily
(Except if you have
Weather issues)
Consistent pull time for bid runs

Linehaul cons

Lifetime bids, so if you get a
Stinker, you're stuck
Not paid for delay time
According to others linehaul pay
Is low compared to other
LTLs

City cons

Have to buy pallet jack
Until you get a bid start times
Can vary a lot
Lifetime bids
We have more work than drivers
Trailer is loaded for you
They like to bounce people
Equipment can be an issue,
Especially if linehaul takes
Your truck


City pros

Assigned single axles on some
Runs
Trailer is loaded for you
No dockwork, ever
Assigned trailer and door for bids
Plenty of work
They like to have you off street
By 1930.
Lifetime bids
Paid for all time
 
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