Thinking of turning down Conway Freight

Oh yeah you do. If the towed unit is rated at over 10,000 lbs GVRW it's class A.

 

Sounds like you want to pull trailer sets so go for it. Freight is an entirely different game than what you're used to though and it's a little bewildering at first, so be prepared to be utterly incompetent for at least the first couple of months until you get a feel for how a freight dock works. No dock experience and no combination vehicle experience means you're going to have to learn everything from scratch. It's a great opportunity if they're willing to be patient with you. Once you get freight experience you can work anywhere...same s h i t different color truck.

 

This is the best answer to your question in my opinion.I just left an LTL gig I had for 20 yrs hard work decent money. But if freight drops drivers drop and they start at the bottom of the ladder. Being happy in a job and able to pay your bills makes up for the big buck's you might make somewhere else. Besides you job know could grow more then it is and expand and then you would be one of the top dogs. Whose to say they might add class a trucks one day.

 

I would agree, money is needed, but it ain't everything, IMHO.
I have a similar dilema right now, I can work for company A that pays very well, has a great benefit package, great people, but a little harder, heavy work, or company B that doesn't pay as well as A, but it's similar to what I'm doing now, where I know the customers, the product, many of the people who work there. Do I take the challenge, and the money, or do I take less money, but less stress?

 

I almost got signed on at Conway, was supposed to start on a Monday and got the job I'm working at now (got the call) on a Sunday. I was fresh out of driving school, got my Doubles and Triples and my Tanker/Hazmat. Went through the interview and there practical test, took my DOT pysical and all. Here's what I liked and Disliked about them

Liked:
THE PAY! 19.47 an hour plus .44 a mile when doing line haul
750 bucks a week while in training

Disliked:
Working mostly nights
Older wire out equipment (Sterling's with a 7 Speed)
First year benefits sucked
On call 24/7
1 year contract that was a 3500 fine if you broke it

The contract is what killed it for me, I called him back and said thank you but no thank you and the manager was a ####### dick to say the least so I'm pretty glad I skipped on them.

 

you must have been going through their apprentice program.

 

Depends on what terminal you go to. My terminal in the summer months I was only working 10-15 hours a week. Even the more senoir guys on the board werent even getting any work. You will spend more time on a toyota fork lift then grinding gears in a truck. I went through the apprentice program as well and from what Ive heard it has changed a little bit.

My friend kept telling me to deal with it and time will change. Now the guy below me is #3 on the flex board(or maybe two) But waiting a year wouldve put me more in the hole then I already was. I was 3 of the 5 who were hired at one time. Guy below me quit as soon as the program was over since he was getting less than I was. Guys above me, one quit after me, other transfered, the guy above them left as well. Two guys were fired as well(guys on the bid times)

Now if you go to the right place you will be treated good or bad. After I got my experience in, is when I started applying to other jobs and ended up going to YRC(some terminals do offer a apprentice program) ABF is probly the best to work for and they offer a school as well.

Im not trying to discourage you but really do some thinking before making the change. I left FedEX Ground before, I was working 65 hour weeks for straight pay through a contractor, but I was making steady money and at CWF I lost almost everything saved up, and they WOULDNT allow me to work my second job EVER! They would get pissed off at me. At least at YRC if they tell you NO WORK you dont have to show up till the next day.

Best of luck at whatever you choose to do

 

Just before I moved down here from Canada the wife-to-be met a guy who was one of the big wigs for Yellow Freight in Louisiana. She gave him a copy of my resume. At that point I had more experience than any of their senior drivers plus the outfit I was working for was doing the deliveries for Yellow in Atlantic Canada so I was already pulling their multiples cross-border. "Oh yes, have him call me as soon as he gets here". Sounded real good huh?

BUT

When I called him he starts with the "apprenticeship" crap.... working "as needed", then "part time", then "spare board" then.... well you get the drift. "You gotta be kidding me?" I tells him. "Oh no, we're union (I believe Teamsters) and that's how it works". Fortunately I already knew much of this from dealing with their sorry outfit in Maine.... and from prior dealing with "the Horsemen".

So I drive my 2012 Mack and watch the "money guys" scurrying along with their POS daycabs; running like there's no tomorrow (regardless of weather or road conditions) cause they're "on schedule". Yup, they undoubtedly eventually make more money than me. But I quit living like a hamster in a wheel years ago. I buy my own cheeze thenkyew.