Need some advice.

I say go for it. Drive your earnings up the next 5 years. Better for retirement. I would think. You could always go back to your company now right? I mean you could ask them. Maybe they will increase your mileage pay, but ABF is great company. Are they still Union? Like one of the last ones I am sure.

 

Run past them and go to ODFL.

 

If you’re a neatnik, you’ll hate slip seating. LTL is a very different animal then you’re used to. I left a good spot at R&L as a city driver to come do open deck flat bedding for a very small outfit at 51. I couldn’t be happier. It was a good fit for me and started off as a paycut but has since turned into a pay raise. Point is it’s not always about $$$’s ABF is a good company as is ODFL and other large LTL’s but it may not suit you. You’ve got to consider the lifestyle. Why be miserable for 5-6 years just for a few more bucks? At our point in life, mid 50’s is it really going to change that much in the time we have left to drive?

 

Depends on your personal priorities for the pros and cons. Money is always a consideration, more for some than others. I'm in a situation where I know I could make more money if I moved on. However, I'm treated really well, enjoy the folks I work and coordinate stuff with and get to run pretty much how I want to. I decided the gamble of making more money verse possibly losing the other pros of my current company isn't worth it. So, I'm staying put. But, totally understand how and why others would jump to another place to make more money. So, it's your choice, you just need to figure out for you if it's worth it or not. Unsure how others can help you figure that out.

 

My wife of 28 years told me I should do what makes me happy these last few years. House is about paid off, don’t owe anything else, first grandkid born three weeks ago. I take time off when I need it when I want it now. I don’t have to wait for someone to approve it. Those are the types of things I think become more important at 50 or 60 unless you’re in deep financially.

 

Bottom of the board at any LTL outfit, you’ll be babysitting that phone and slip seating most likely