Con-way Freight

Ok, I'll throw it out there.. I like Con-way Freight and would hang it up and find something else to do if something ever happened to this job - it's kind of a career.. I run night line-haul so I'm paid mileage while I'm driving but am paid hourly to the minute for things like drop/hook, fuel, dock, breakdown, and wait time. Mileage is in the mid .50's and hourly is around 23 right now and will be a little more when we get the last of the cut back in two weeks.. Been here 7.5 years now and it took 5 of those to make it worthwhile but it was well worth the wait. I generally make about $350 per night on a run I selected - will be a little over $87,000 for the year and I'm home daily. I'm taking what will amount to a 30-35K pay cut next year by choice because I selected to bid off line-haul and work in the yard so I could have a nice early start time and a life. I have that choice now and will probably opt to get back out and make money in 2012 but I have the choice.. If you wanna drive and make a real career out of it, you simply cannot beat a good LTL job and this is one..

 

It's not paradise and I don't mean to paint it that way and I don't think I did. The first two years here were tough because I missed a lot of days due to lack of work but I stuck that out and sit pretty well now in regards to seniority so I can pretty much do whatever I want to do and run wherever I wanna go. Only one time in 7.5 years did I not make it home that day/night - was caught behind a massive accident on the Ohio Pike and spent the night in a Hampton Inn in Toledo, Oh. I'm not sure about out West, but in the East there are no lay-down runs and every driver is home daily unless something like that happens.

I ran line-haul again for 2010 and was home every day so far this year. I still have 4 more weeks till bids switch and I go out in the yard so something could change, but I have been home every day this year. The way it usually works is I'll get caught in a major snowstorm the last week of 2010 bids and I'll get layed over for 3 days while Virginia attempts to clear the roads..haha..

I think you made a good choice with CWTL.. See what you think and keep an open mind..

 

I've heard that La Salle stinks. I'm on the East Coast so we have Milton, Pa and Hagestown, Md for headaches - 120-160 drivers per night with no room in the yard or on the dock.

This place is definitely different than OTR and by no means for everyone - the 5 years to top scale sucks but I can tell you that when you get there it's pretty sweet.

I thought about hanging it up here back in 06 and again in 08 but I'm glad I stayed. Although I liked it a lot, all I could hold for 3 straight bid years was a city start where I didn't get much OT at all. That ended when my original terminal was closed back in 2008 with the reconfigurations. Long story short that all opened up where I am now. Took some tough decisions and sleepless nights but I'd do it all over again 10 times. 8 years after I started here I can run any night line-haul destination and have all but 2 of the start times my terminal offers. I'll be back out next year but I took a year off nights so I could do 8 and the gate with an early start.

I fully get what you're going through but only you can decide whether to stay or not. Talk to your family and just weigh your options. I've found that the doom and gloom break room hero's aren't worth paying attention to so just decide with your family and your own beliefs. You've got your foot in the door so my advice is to weigh whether the potential here is good enough to stick around - if money isn't a main priority I would probably leave - really would..

Just think it through and whatever you decide I genuinely hope it's the best for you and your family - I really do man..