UPS or Cryo-Hauling/ Which Career Is Better?

You won’t see many nights at home working for UPS for 30 years except your days off. You will see days at home because you will be working nights. In 2002 I did what you are thinking about doing. I hired in to UPS for peak and worked from early November to Christmas. I was then brought back in June to cover vacations and worked till September. Then in November I was hired full time. I spent 10 years (7-8 really good years) with UPS and after several years the pay was great and the work was easy. The hardest part of the job is the schedule and inconsistent work until you get seniority. Occasionally people are lucky enough to get hired in immediately full time depending on the locations work volume. It will be luck of the draw for you and could either be really great immediately or it could suck for a while. If you have patience and can wait up to 5 years for a great job with a more predictable schedule it will be worth it. If you need immediate gratification it may not be for you. Top pay currently is close to $48 an hour and the mileage rate is over $1 a mile. Money is not something you will be short on once you get to full pay. My area of the country is currently 3 years to top pay. I will be receiving my retirement from UPS for that part of my Teamster years at 62. Good luck and give it a shot if you don’t have to choose between the two jobs immediately. If it doesn’t work out try the other job. If you have to choose between the two now I would take the Cryo job if it will be more consistent immediately.

 

I would assume if you let a unit roll away because you didn't set the brakes you are gone.
As far as tight backs go these tanks we fill are located for ease of customers usage, and not fot truck access, so yeah some can be tight but nothing too difficult, one just has to stay aware.

When I say work life balance I mean, depending on your start time and days off, you can do normal activities that OTR can't.
Bowling league, softball, night classes etc.
You clock out and the truck/job is out of mind.

 

Cool, thanks.

Thanks man, I was looking for something more with a set or predictable schedule, you know, normal life... And I'm thinking of getting out entirely of the industry. I have only two years in trucking and wanted something different. I'm in Port Saint Lucie, Fl btw, I don't how the market is down here and I'm more looking for something instant then climbing the trucking latter just to get some decent pay and benefits.

 

With Ups you got to realize also. Does the hub have a lot of teams? If they do you won’t be home everyday. Just on the weekends. Low seniority guys have to run team. Some places it may take 8-10 years to get in the brown truck and be local. Excellent money running team. The money will blow your mind but that’s also a factor.

 

UPS will be the most unpredictable schedule you would ever have just slightly short of the railroad. I would be dead and gone before I got day work. I was 36 when I hired in there though and already had a dozen years towards my pension with another company so I wasn’t planning to stay more than 20 or so anyway.

 

Yeah, well, I'm turning 27 in December, no savings, no 401K, nothing. I'm living somewhat paycheck to paycheck, and I feel like I'm just wasting my life away, out for months at a time and home only a few days. Will I have to that for 30-40 years? I gotta look for something else before it's too late, I honestly don't know what I'm doing lmao!!

 

I am not familiar with that Hub, but my buddy told me they are still hiring occasionally off the street full time in certain cities. UPS offered a buy out to the old timers and enough of them took it that certain locations are now under staffed. You are young enough to try package car. It’s not easy work but they make the same money as Feeders and it’s all day work. You could always transfer to feeders several years later when you have some time in. The UPS full scale pay, insurance and pension is hard to beat! 30 years and out at 57 would give you a great pension and still be young enough to enjoy life during retirement.

 

" I'm more looking for something instant then climbing the trucking latter just to get some decent pay and benefits."
Whatever you decide to do you are going to have to work your way up. Once you have 30 months and a spotless or close to spotless record you could apply to drive for Walmart. There is a DC in Fort Pierce close to you.

 

Ummm... Is package car like the people delivering packages to people's houses? Also, I thought someone said UPS or maybe FedEx layoff a lot of people.

Yeah, I heard Walmart is one of the best driving jobs out there, but I also heard they're hard to get into, don't they also have a driver facing camera?

 

First and foremost you have GOT to get the experience of driving first. Changing jobs every few months won’t help (not saying you’re doing that a lot).

Get 2-3 years clean driving in, then apply to a major LTL outfit. If you’re willing to relocate for the right opportunity, you’ll be hired in no time flat.

keep this advice in mind and truck on!!