Well folks - Yellow/Roadway (now known as YRC Inc.) is in full merger mode.

We have been moving equipment and files from the Yellow facility in Cincy to the Roadway Terminal next door.

it looks kinda strange having a yellow truck pulling a big R trailer and vice versa...

Coming back from Chicago yesterday I had a roadway tractor - a yellow lead - a new YRC jiff and a new YRC pup on the rear...

looked like a patchwork quilt going down the road!

Many Junior men are losing their jobs when all is said and done - but they do get to hold onto their seniority for 5 years - which will allow them the opportunity to rejoin once the economy gets better - or move to another area that is hiring.


I have been at Roadway coming up on 5 years - and for the first time EVER was laid off.

I was laid off last Monday - and called back wednesday...:biggrin_2552:

which worked out pretty good since I did not have any hours to run on Tuesday.

In a sick way I was hoping I would be off thru the beginning of February - (Daytona Bike week etc etc !!):biggrin_25517:

But it looks like we are running pretty good right now.

The guys in the hot seat (probably losing their jobs or settling in for long lay offs) are the ones who were NOT working as of December 18th 2005 (when merger COO was announced).

latanea

wow...

what a year...

I have been hashing over in my mind whether or not it is as bad as people say out there...


I performed a little experiment the past 2 weeks...

I sent my resume into one of those mill websites that then for-wards it off to a gazillion companies.

1. curious:biggrin_25526:

2. if things get much worse - I may need a temporary job (lay offs at YRC are going deep this year):biggrin_2551:

well the results do not look good...

not many companies are hiring - and the ones that are pay less than half of what I make now...:biggrin_25512:

(ouch)

The end of the story is that I have many offers - but all of them involve going back OTR - or running a B.S. regional style.

Dunno folks - I know that it would have to get a lot worse for it to be considered a "depression" - but in many areas - we are already preparing for such an event.


(remember that the crash of 1929 was not really felt by all until 1933)

so things could get a lot worse...

latanea

Just got a call from my sis -

(I saw them yesterday as they left to run over to the Renaissance festival in Waynesville Ohio.

anyway - I ran back home and did not talk to her last night - but she just called...)


seems they never made it to the festival -

as they were sitting in a turn lane to enter the gates - a guy on a motorcycle (with his son riding behind him) was staring at the happening and drifted over and hit their car!

The bike scraped down the side of my sis's car - (new by the way.. hehehhehe) and rode off over a guardrail and into a ditch...


There were 5 witness's besides my sis and her family... 1 was the State Trooper working security at the entrance of the festival...:biggrin_255:

My bro n law ran over and said the guy was mangled up pretty bad - the kid seemed OK except for a scrape on his knee...

within an hour there was a helicopter / ambulances / media etc etc at the scene...
:biggrin_25526:
State Troopers gave her the guys info - and she called his insurance company this morning to get her car fixed.

They drove it home - but she said it looks terrible... (no grill / and the drivers side fender and door are peeled back)...

eeeeek!!!

latanea

I ran down to Charleston WV last night - and then back home..

total run time was 10.7 hours...

The hitch was that I had to stop at a customer on the way down and drop of a trailer.

(your gonna love this one)

I left Cincy on time (18 minutes early actually) and arrived at the customer not having stopped for ANYTHING except red lights...

It was 10 minutes past 5pm....

A lady come running across the parking lot screaming at me that they did not take inbounds after 4pm!!!...

I smiled and said that was fine - I also said that there must have been some confusion on the delivery time and that I would sign off on the bills for here - and take the trailer to our Charleston terminal where a city driver could deliver it tomorrow during their "open hours"...

she freaked out and screamed again that she could not take a delivery after 4 and that I was supposed to have been there at noon (I had not even received a work call at noon - and was still at home asleep) ....

OK I said again (and keep in mind I have a complete calm about me around customers that is 99% neutral) so I said again OK here is the number to the Charleston terminal - they will be in at 7a.m. please call them and they will have a city driver bring it out to you quickly....

she stared at me - COMPLETELY enraged...

and screamed WE DO NOT TAKE DELIVERIES AFTER 4pm!!!!

I handed her the phone number and said thank you... put the truck in gear and started to pull off when she then screamed

PUT IT IN DOOR 3!!!!

:biggrin_25517:

I hope she feels better that I now know her policies and rules...
:biggrin_25525:


[IMG]http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1395000/images/_1399618_roadway_truck300.jpg[/IMG]

(faster than a speeding 60 mph bullet)

latanea

Ran a loop around Indiana / Kentucky yesterday...

You know you "know" the roads too well when you change lanes to avoid potholes automatically!

somewhere in my subcomcious I remembered to get out of the right lane at the 131.6 mm on I65 south in Ky.

hehheheh:biggrin_25512:

nothing better than returning home at night to see Cincy gleaming on the River...

ahhhhhhh.....:biggrin_25518:

latanea

What a week - doctor visit on Monday - ultrasound and lithotrypsy on Thursday.
:biggrin_2551:

(Been on the "sick board" at work for the last 68 hours):biggrin_255:

I have used up all of my pain killers - as noon yesterday - and I am ready to work again.

(had to stay off while I was doped up):biggrin_25517:

Man.... Not sure if you have ever dealt with "stones" before - but lemme tel ya... they are a real treat!:biggrin_2554:

Nothing better than an interrupted urine flow - and the light KNITTING NEEDLE STABBED IN THE SMALL OF YOUR BACK sensation to make you say yeeha!

So in my medicated state I wandered over to a few cookouts this past Friday and Saturday eves... nothing better than pig in a pit...

anyway - I am bored... going to go back to bed...

ready to truck....

waiting on a work call....


waiting.....


:biggrin_25518:

latanea

I was sitting in the lobby of the hotel we use in Atlanta the other day (Monday) and a group of seven came in and plopped down in the lobby couches around where I was sitting...

They were very excited and gung-ho about their orientation starting that day with "Super Service".. (an OTR company based out of Ky.).

One of them asked me if I was going to orientation too....:biggrin_25525:

I said - "no, I am going to work in a few minutes..."


he then asked where - and who I worked for - I told him and of course had questions...

This is where the conflict in my head comes in -

do I tell them what they want to know - or do I just say "they are ok I guess - treat me ok.." (generic truck driver response):biggrin_25517:

I would hate to get their minds thinking that they are making a mistake - but the fact is I feel they are - most of them had worked for another large OTR carrier - and I did ask if "by trading one job for another - of equal pay and expectations" "do you gain anything?"

of course they all agreed that things would be different at SS trucking...

*sigh*:biggrin_25511:

So many drivers trade one crappy situation for another crappy situation without ever looking into all the other ops out there.

One of the happiest drivers I know drives a trash truck - 10 hours a day - 5 days a week - home every night and weekend etc etc - and he does not touch any trash - all done remote with a front hook (dumpsters)

all this and 16 bucks an hour plus overtime.

he stated that for many years he would have never considered that job because he assumed it would be dirty and stinky and paid low...

options guys - keep your eyes open. and do not believe the hype OTR companies are pumping out there:biggrin_2554:.

latanea