I work at The Sygma Network

Who do you work for ease?

 

Milan Express of Milan,TN

 

there is no doubt that in ltl you will work and lift boxes, move pallets around in the trailer.... But is it worth it to be home and make more money in some cases? I think so!

 

can't seem to get a call back from anyone on the apps I turned in with all the ltl's.....everything is done on the internet now, how can you get a job or call back when you don't even speak to anybody? When I call to check on them, they say, keep checking the internet, it all goes through our cooperate office, its a pre screening process!!!!

 

Ive worked at Sygma for 2 years now, and while the single paying routes pay good money for the most part, the team trips do not. Some team trips average around 20 hours or more, some like our DC trips are 40 hours, and that is just one trip, you do 2 of those a week averaging almost 80 hours!! This breaks down to under 15.00 a hour when you do the math. If you are at the bottom half of the driver list, then most likely you will get the crappy routes or team trips from hell. Currently Im looking to get into LTL trucking, with a job that pays hourly (typically $19-$20 in the NE region), that way I know if I work over 40 hours, it wont be for a garbage rate.

 

i worked for us foodservice and drove 2 and half years for them and i have to agree, its not bad at all. Once you figure out the system and stacking the dolly, the product comes of the truck easy as long as your an organized worker.

 

I worked for SYGMA San Antonio for a while and think that it's a great place to work for the right kind of people. If you're an old OTR veteran driver like myself who has been out here for too long, forget it.

As I see it, the best candidate for a SYGMA delivery driver would be someone who is in their early 20s age-wise and is in very good physical condition as you will literally become an 'industrial athlete' after a short while. The reason I say 'early 20s' is that as demanding as the job is, you would be able to put in 30 years by the time you're in your early 50s and still in decent health. At that point you would be eligible for the retirement pension and still be able to enjoy life.

I was in my mid- 30s when I gave SYGMA a try. As that old saying goes, "If I Knew Then What I Know Now", I would've tried getting in with SYGMA when I was much younger and it was easier for me to learn & become more physically conditioned for the job. I'm in good shape and exercise daily but I did encounter some lower back problems during my mid- 20s when I worked as a truck mechanic and probably spent too much time in the gym on top of that- the repetitive heavy lifting takes its toll after a while.

Food delivery is dangerous work, especially when you're 'ramping' product like most of those guys have to do at each stop. It isn't as bad if you keep your assigned dolly in good shape and wear the right shoes with steel toes & non-skid soles. Of course, as with anything that has true benefits (like being home often and making more money) there will be a certain degree of risk involved. That line of work isn't for everyone but those who get their start early enough can make some serious money and be there for the families they may want to start and support as they get older.

 

do any of you guy think a foodservice outfit would hire an 18(soon to be 19) year old?

 

Maybe they would but they would likely start you off in the warehouse. One guy I knew at SYGMA did just that- he started at 18, worked in the warehouse for a few years, became a Driver Helper, then got trained, got a CDL, and went through some more training before he worked the 'extra board' and then got his own route by the time he was 23 years old. Good Luck to ya!

 

You can be as organized as can be, but if your dealing with pallets facing the wrong way, stops hidden on wrong pallets, fridge pallets falling down, etc, etc..............it make for a very long and difficult night, even for the most senior drivers. If you have a warehouse full of morons, I don't care how organized you are, the job will suck.