Con-Way Freight vs. FedEx Freight for new driver?

It's nice when you get there but it takes way too long - the last jump to top rate is the biggest too so the rates aren't much better from years 2-4..

Had I started at this terminal I would have hit it in 3 since this one has the metro pay rates.. 3 years is what it should be IMO..

 

Wow - 1.2 million with 30 doors must make for a ridiculous outbound dock.. If your terminal looses freight to another there are always follow the freight options. I've done it a couple times now as a lot of us have. Hopefully the drivers that transfer wanna do it and it works out in their favor. It's definitely worked in my favor and some drivers I know well here have benefited from these moves too..

 

Ok, what is pay for beginners? Does company pay for CDL training? Home time? Gone from your family for months to make big money and your wife and kids forget who you are, yes no? Appreciate any and all information given.

 

I've seen ppl who took the driver apprentice route and got hired on with no exp. And for the time away from home those guys were all ltl or local drivers so they were home daily with fedex.

 

Working at XJO has it positives and negatives. The positives are my paycheck seems to be fine. The weekly deductions for family benefits are significantly less than working for an OTR company. The management is flexible but fair. The negatives are simple...'CITY-TURNS!' This changes my overtime pay to straight pay. Changing to another terminal seems fine but my paycheck maybe affected. Con-Way is a nice company to work, provided you are conscious to your terminal's behaviors (i.e. long work days).

 

For con-way FREIGHT (not TRUCKLOAD): apprentices are basically dock workers while going through the program (So no, the company doesnt pay for your CDL, but you still work and get paid by the company and the drivers train you)... they make roughly $12/hr... then once you get your license, you jump to 18.27/hr... home daily, weekends off, unless you're at the bottom of the seniority list, then you'll be on call saturdays, but its not too bad.. most saturdays you're the only one there, so you pick your favorite truck and go do what you need to do.. its actually not that bad... the only thing that sucks is you can't really make plans unless you cut a deal with the other bottom guys to cover for you.
there's more details in other con-way threads, but that's a rough idea

 

Conway has a new apprentice program where every barn has an assigned drivers trainer or they send to a near by barn that has one and you do classroom training and drivers training for 12 weeks 4 hrs 3-4 days a wk but I don't believe you get paid for this time but you do get paid 12.79/hr for working the docks. I worked the docks at fedex part time and tried to get an apprentice position there but didn't I did get a position at Conway and it was before the course was set up but they assigned me a mentor and he worked with my pretrip and knowledge and I practiced in the yard by hosteling and on weekends. Now I make the big bucks but it is the cdl that they helped me get makes up for the time of 12/hr. Anyplace where you don't have to pay to get your cdl is a good start and you have to understand you will be the bottom of the list for a bit but the guy on top of the list was once at the bottom too.

 

Congratulations

 

Are some of you FedEx ltl drivers making 90k a year? I would love to make that much, just to see the look on my brother in laws face. He has an MBA and makes about 70k.

 

I agree with you, I have 3 brothers in law and several cousins from my wifes side who think I'm just a flunky trying to fin off whatever system I can mooch from, I'd like to get to 95K a year and show them my W-2's They would crap themselves... LOL