Con-Way Any Freight Updates?

Yeah, Milton is weird. There is so much dock-work they have moved away from hiring drivers to hiring dockworkers. It has cut into the hours for a lot of our drivers. It has had the opposite effect on me - my miles are up because I have more time to drive since I'm spending less time on the dock now. A few of us at my terminal have been asking about running 4 nights a week instead of 5 to keep guys working but the answer was a big old no. What concerns us all is they could use dockworkers for the dock and vans for all second and third day freight eliminating all day line-haul and a huge chunk of night line-haul. This has already happened somewhat but the spike in freight kept us all busy. Only time will tell. The company will be around - it's just a matter of what driving/dock positions will be around in the future.

 

Is Con-way hiring drivers in Michigan?

 

Freight update:

2.6% of the 5% pay reduction is returning in January. Health insurance will go up a little but we'll still be a slightly ahead. Better than nothing I guess. We need two good quarters or one real good quarter to get the 401K and remaining 2.6% back. For whatever reason, accounting we were told, when we get it all back it will be 5.2% rather than 5%.

We operated at 96 last quarter. Needed a 95 O/R to get the 401K back. I was a little surprised they returned half the pay instead though. Freight still seems steady so I guess we'll have to see what the usual winter slowdown brings.

 

About two weeks ago a major shift in freight flow was announced. The major lanes affected were from Texas into the Northeast and Chicagoland into the deep south - especially South Florida. The freight will move less miles, and in some cases, what was 3 day service is now 2 day service.

Some terminals are loosing quite a few runs - others are gaining quite a few. Basically, instead of running up through Louisville from Texas, then across I80 into the Northeast, that freight will run over through Nashville/Knoxville, up I81 to Hagerstown, then up 81/95 into the Northeast. I have no idea what the exact changes were between Chicago and So Fl but a day was cut off of about 450 possible lanes.

There were 16 terminals loosing runs and 12 that were gaining. If a terminal is projected to loose 6 runs, 6 drivers will be allowed to transfer with seniority into one of the gaining terminals. Even if nobody transferred out, no job losses are expected in my region other than a few at Newburgh, NY. The big gainers are mostly down South but Milton, Pa and Hagerstown, Md are gaining a ton up here.

I'm sure a lot of our drivers don't like it but if your terminal lost runs the company will pay the bill for you to relocate to a gaining terminal. It's an opportunity for a lot of drivers to leave the North and head South if they so choose while retaining their seniority.

Freight is still heavy BTW.

 

Not really other than my last post here. We did break the tonnage record again - I believe it was November, 30.

All the other stuff is employee related. We're getting 1300 Freightliner Cascadia's - they have been sighted running piggy back to our shop locations. The newest trucks will be going back to the longest runs. I bid short again for next year so I'll have an 04-06 depending on how many new ones we get. Half of last April's pay cut is returning January, 11.

Other than that nothing too major right now. We're busy which is a good thing.

 

Monday is the start of the freight realignment. Wish us luck. Many drivers are also starting at their new terminals, myself included. One terminal, Hagerstown, Md now has two terminals -we'll see how that goes.

 

Yeah I pulled into the wrong one and caught an earful. Apparently it's not in use yet. If I'm not mistaken the Hagerstown terminal(s) are in southeast PA.

 

They're using it now.. If it makes you feel any better, we're all catching an earful because nobody is sure which way to go over there. Sometimes the gate is locked and sometimes it's open. I believe all outside carriers are supposed to report to the main terminal and a hostler will bring your trailer to you behind the fuel island.

The zoo is about 50 feet over the Md line in Pa. It's on the Pa side of Mason Dixon Rd which divides Md and Pa.