England Furniture, Tennessee

Hello again from England! (…in Tennessee) Update and musings. I’ll start with the awesome…

As I mentioned in my original post there was a nice pay bump May 1 2022. So basically I ran the first half of the year at the old pay rate, and the second half at the new rate. Got to say… it was a fine year:
2022 pay was just under $100k.
For reference 2021 was $70k.
I expect 2023 to probably be $105-$110

Nothing has changed in the way I run. Basically if you draw a line straight down from Wisconsin, I pick runs in states South and East off that line. My year is something like:
80% run in WI MI IN OH PA NE KS.
20% I’ll occasionally run western NY and sometimes New England. I try to stay away from I95.

I get bored a couple a times a year and run out to Cali. Then I hit that 55mph and remember why I don’t go there.

It’s hard to get Florida because the old timers usually snap those up ahead of me.

We got a one stop warehouse outside Boston gets 10 loads a week! It’s ALWAYS on the pick sheet. 1700mi round trip. I will sometimes take the first half of the week off, then do this Boston run for Friday. Most of the time the Backhaul is they send you down to NC for plywood or foam, and it adds another 200 miles on. That’s a good week with 4 days off and still grossing $1100.

Half the trucks just got upgraded. The old trucks are sitting out front ready to go to auction or truck heaven. ‍ So we got a happy young fleet of shiny blue Volvos and Internationals on the road. Autos and manuals. They say they are adding road facing cameras. And supposedly a few drivers have them already. But I haven’t seen them. At the last driver lunch the owner told all of us that there would never be a driver facing camera as long as he is in charge. - Road facing I’m ok with. I’ve got my own up on the windshield now anyway. - it all comes down to who’s insurable and who’s not. We’ve had drivers get in accidents and they don’t lose their jobs. So I can say this company is not out to get you. If your a horrible driver though, that’s just going to catch up with you after awhile. (And sometimes it’s just a run of bad luck)

Still got the same BCBS insurance. They tried making us complete a driver health exam but then ended up scraping it.
Same 401k.
Company pays for uniform shirts. Company pays for your parking and showers.
We use pilot here (company account) so I’ve got like a hundred bucks in points and unlimited showers and stuff. Easy to get.
Company will pay your hotel if you have to get one or have some kind of unexpected layover or breakdown.
Paid all hub miles.

I pointed out in my original post that this place is great because they leave you alone. Still True! And it’s awesome. Feels like a small company. You know everyone and have all their direct numbers in your phone. - But honestly my weeks are literally: pick my runs on Thursday via text, assignment comes on computer, make deliveries, repeat. No talking to anyone. Same for Backhaul. When my delivery is done my Backhaul will come on the computer (usually within 20 min) and I just go get it. No office interaction.

The weather has been dicey lately. There was a tornado in MS last night that killed two dozen people and leveled a town. Well, I’ve had mostly sunshine today but I’m off work. I wish that for all you out on the road today and every day: clear skies! A slice of pie in the icebox, some diet cokes and no backups at the fuel island! Have a great afternoon!

 

yes that is true. England is 100% touch on the outbound furniture. About half our customers have normal docks, the other half do not have docks so you have to get the furniture to the back. you DONT have to take it inside, just get it to the back where the customer can unload it. I can’t predict how well you would manage with your knee. You are provided a hand cart, you have to be able to turn the furniture and then get your hand cart under it and wheel it to the back, set it down and slightly push it over the edge.
You will also have to climb into the trailer from the ground often.

Backhaul are 100% no touch.

 

it’s 100% assist… so every stop you will get out and go into the trailer. At the stops w real docks you will turn the furniture so the customer can come right in and get it.
At the stops without docks you will use your hand cart to get the furniture to the back of the trailer, lay it flat and push it over the edge a bit so the customer can unload it from there.
That is the real experience day in and out.
It is roughly even on the percentage w docks and without docks.

Now I have had a few instances, maybe a couple times a year, where I’ll get to some mom and pop shop and they don’t have their stuff together… no help, or just some old man there…. so I will actually unload it into their warehouse. I had a guy last week with a heart problem, he was getting one heavy recliner couch. No dock. I pushed it off the back (gently) and then used his handcart to wheel it inside his warehouse for him. That does happen. But it is very very rare. Also I have done this before when the help is on lunch break and i just have a couple pieces to drop off. If they have a dock I’ll go ahead and unload it. Rare but it will happen from time to time.

a full trailer can have about 70-110 pieces. sometimes it can be a lot less, half full trailers are common especially on local runs closer to Tennessee. These trailers are not loaded all in a jumble. The furniture is stacked in fairly neatly like Tetris. So it’s easy to unstack. But you do need some flexibility… chairs can be stacked 3 high, a couch can be stacked on top. It’s pretty simple to gently lower it but does require some bending.

We do not load trailers at all. The trailers are pre loaded at the factory and waiting for you at the yard when you come in.

We sometimes have pickups along our routes.. the customer will have it wrapped and ready to go, you may have to help put it on the trailer and then you strap it to the wall so it don’t move around.

Yeah the fleet is all new and well taken care of. The new road facing cameras are a real thing. No big deal. The trucks do have all kind of sensors on them but you don’t get calls or write ups when they go off. Mine goes off all the time for sudden deceleration LOL I think it needs some fine tuning, regardless they don’t care at the office unless you are in an actual accident. Shop is on site so if you ever have a problem they fix it quick. Wash bay on site. Fuel on site. Very laid back and easy to just jump in ur truck, get your trailer and go.