Wondering for union car haulers(Cassens, PTS, Allied) how close you have to live to a terminal to be employed by them?

anyone out there know?

There is no required distance per se, but use your best judgement.

For example:

I have worked for Cassens for about ten years now. I live in the Detroit area about twenty minutes from my terminal. We have many drivers that live in the area. We also have drivers that live far from town. Some are from Kalamazoo, Flint, Cleveland, and we have a senior driver from Kenosha, Wi.

Obviously, being closer to a terminal is optimal to flexibility in picking your loads. (Yes, you get to pick where you go - by seniority). The guys that live in Cleveland don't like going to Chicago just as the Kalamazoo guys would rather not go to West Virginia. This is the part of the job that is risky for guys who live far from a terminal and is known when you sign up. Living closer to a terminal is optimal, not required. The company will only pay for required motels away from your home terminal. This can not be stressed enough. If you run out of hours at your home terminal or if you are assigned to the city board, all motel costs are on you.

That said, there is no other way I would want to work in the trucking industry than hauling cars for a union company. Do your research before picking a company. They are all under the same contract but you want to know more about the company. A couple of things to check out are:

1. Company financial health. Cassen's and Jack Cooper are the only two companies currently operating at full contract rate and making a profit. They are doing this and also being able to buy new equipment. Allied and PTS are operating under bankruptcy and at a reduced pay rate. They also have much older equipment.

2. Location. Not only does location have a bearing on the driver as stated above, but it is more important to the stability of employment. It is more stable to work at a terminal that has a consistently selling product line or a rail head feeding the terminal. In Detroit we have eight plants feeding our terminal, so work is fairly steady. If you were to work in, say, Canton, Mississippi, things would be a lot different. They have one factory and are at the end of the Cassen's logistic chain. They just laid off 1/3 of their board. As much as it sucks, there are worse places to haul cars from than Detroit.

Thanks for the info. I applied at Cassens and Allied so far, and expect it is difficult to get in as auto sales go down, and competition for those jobs. I had met one guy who used to do it who told me that he lived 350 miles from work, but then someone else said they won't hire you if you were more than 2hr/100 miles out.

http://www.teamster.org/08news/hn_080501_2.asp


regarding question about Contract update on carhaulers

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TEAMSTERS LOCAL 100


Faster than a 60 MPH bullet....

what does this random link to the ibt website have to do with the question at hand?

well for one - the new contract will have provisions for distance to work rights .. (work call to terminal distancees)

as well as answering a question emailed to me by a former poster.

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TEAMSTERS LOCAL 100


Faster than a 60 MPH bullet....

True, Article 44 in the Central and Southern Supplement specifies a two hour reporting time, but it does not specify distance.

ARTICLE 44.
REPORTING AND DISPATCH TIME
All drivers must report for work within two (2) hours after being notified by the Employer to so report, provided that such driver has had his legal rest period. If a driver fails to so report he shall be dropped to the bottom of the availability list.

With many of our drivers living more than 2 hours from the terminal and the definition of notification not being spelled out, this provision is rarely, if ever, enforced. I have never seen it enforced on another driver, nor have I ever been called to work within two hours. The job just doesn't work like that. Carhaul is much different than freight. Unlike freight, which has scheduled runs, carhaul drivers declare for their next dispatch. When returning from a trip, we can, within reason, decide when we work next. The only time you would ever be waiting at home to be called for work is if you are on lay-off.

Article 38, Section 2 covers that:
In the event of recall from layoff, an employee will be recalled by verified phone call or certified mail, return receipt requested, with a copy to the Local Union, mailed to the employee's last known address. The employee must respond to the notice within three (3) days after receipt thereof by notifying the Employer when the employee will report for work, and must actually report for work within five (5) days after receipt of recall notice, unless the employee has been laid off for more than 45 days, in which case the actual report to work must be within fourteen (14) days after receipt of the recall notice, unless the employee is unable to report for a justifiable reason, or unless otherwise mutually agreed.

Thanks for the additional info. I know its a long shot but I'm going to keep trying to get into carhaul. Every bit of info is useful.

Always glad to help.

I notice you are from northern Michigan. We have a few drivers from your area. A driver from Detroit lives in Kalkaska and we have an Aurora, Il driver from West Branch. Don't let your location discourage you. Our contract is up May 31 and there are usually a few senior drivers that will retire right after a contract is up. The economy will turn around soon. Keep your eye open for the union companies to do some hiring in the near future. I can only speak from my point of view as a Detroit Cassen's driver, so keep a lookout for Jack Cooper in Lansing to add a few drivers here and there.

Good luck.