Life Post FedEx Freight... as a Local Cryo Driver

I'm not posting checks while at this company. 40 or 45 hours weekly at $28/hr, not hard math.

Before you begin with things like "flash in the pan" and the like, just know the company I work for currently has been around longer than UPS. The company isn't going anywhere, not only is it not going anywhere, to my knowledge hasn't laid off/furloughed any drivers during this debacle. It is however changing the way it brings product to market etc, which UPS/FedEx (stable giants as you call them) do as well.

Also, just paid my Silverado off that I bought in November.

 

You are 100% correct. I left a $100k/yr bid to have a better life, work during the sunlight, sleep next to my wife, and have dinner with my 4 (then 3) kids nightly. As a result, I’ve had the drive and energy to be a better father, husband and local citizen. The last 4 weekends in a row I’ve spent fly fishing with my 2 oldest sons (8 and 6). They’re having a blast and soaking it up. And I could have never been able to throw their butts in my pickup Saturday at 0430 to make the 3 hour drive to the fishing spot I like in New Hampshire if I stayed at FXF running line.

My 2020 W2 may be less than $75k from my main employer, but I sleep better at night being a more present figure in my family’s life than I did before.

 

Let's call it $29-32k ytd with many weeks being paid a full week and going home early every day.

 

Sat down with the Saia terminal manager today...

He addressed my concerns with relative ease. This location is still relatively busy with freight, and has been since last summer with the exception of the period of time that the COVID-19 stuff began to halt the economy.

0800-0830 start time
My previous LTL experience will bring me in at top rate
Assigned city tractor
Current city driver board is averaging 44-48 hours
Saturday and Sunday linehaul work is almost always available

I've been doing a lot of pondering about leaving my current company for a bit. I've determined that my company has a relatively low glass ceiling for a driver that isn't in reasonable driving distance to a manufacturing facility. I also discovered that if I were to relocate to a different area, that I'll encounter some logistical issues with the transfer process, something that I was unaware of when I was coming into this company.

• Consider that I am in a role that currently requires Class B, although I still hold my Class A.
• Transferring to another location in the future (My long term goals are to move out west... Utah, Wyoming, Idaho...) would be doable to another Class B position.
• Driving requirements tend to differ around the country in this company. I've seen positions listed requiring 5 years with no recordable accidents, or 3 years of tank, or 3 years of Full TimeClass A Tanker work etc.
• If I decided to transfer to a position that required 3 years of recent F/T Class A Tank work, they would not consider my work history with the company up to that point as experience, because I am in a role utilizing a Class B tank. Effectively, my full time Class A work ended when I left FedEx, and I could be driving a Class B tank with this company for 5 more years until I moved and would be ineligible to apply for the position, regardless of my license class, ability to pass a road test or safety record.

So, the ability to transfer and be able to slide into a tractor trailer position with this company is very finite for a driver that is not already in a tractor trailer job.

Either way, a new adventure is on the horizon. Have to begin to deal with the paperwork, scheduling the whiz quiz, road test etc AND give my employer proper notice. I figure it's likely that I don't step foot in as an employee for another 3-4 weeks.