Con-Way Freight vs. FedEx Freight for new driver?

you need to be accident-free for a full year before you can transfer.
and you could be the #1 guy at your terminal now, but if you transfer, you go straight to the bottom at the new one.
the only thing you keep is the raises, benefits, and paid-time-off that you've accumulated.
another thing is, I live in the northeast, so I get paid a little more than the rest of the country. now if I wanted to transfer to cali or something, I would be forced to take the pay-cut.
..just another thing you should check in to.

 

Thanks Jake and you're welcome charly, I was thinking the same thing Jake about sticking it out and climbing the ladder. I actually have 8 guys under me on the seniority list, I can't wait to find that gravy work area, u know all docks and close by lol .

 

So what's the key to making the big money at con way freight? Aside from seniority? What terminals, runs to look for etc? Whats the strategy?

 

linehaul makes the most money. you have to earn seniority to get the good runs.

 

Basically u just have to build seniority but when I was there I would make sure that I got ten hours a day! !!!!!! When it gets slow, hopefully it don't! !! Just stick it out! !!! Now the difference with fedex is when it's gets slow, u still work. Might not be a dayshift position but u will make ur money! !!!!! Whether it be working the dock at ur or another terminal, Line haul driving. I know guys who actually made more money when it got slow! !!!!

 

So I started July 5th. Watched a crap load of DVDs. Intro to the dock work yesterday. I'm supposed to be training in Des Moines for a week, next week then in Wichita or Kansas City the week after. My terminal has very few linehaul runs. So I'm trying to figure out when I do transfer, how to tell what types of terminals will have alot of linehaul? How would I know aside from just asking?

 

U would have to ask or the bigger the terminal, the more oppurtunities there will be for a linehaul position.

 

Seniority is how you make money at most LTL companies but other than that I guess there are a few situations that can make you a lot more at Con-way. Heavy line-haul terminals are always the best. Line-haul = money so the large terminals with night operations generally offer the most line-haul which is where the 80K plus is. The X terminals pay substantially better - you said you're in Joplin but I have no idea what terminal services Joplin and what the terminal code is. If your terminal is in Mo or Ks it's an X, but if you're based out of Ar or OK it's an L which is Southern pay scale which sucks compared to Central/East pay. The Northeast terminals like mine make the most and get there quicker but in reality your paycheck will go a lot further than mine will.


Transferring is a double edged sword here unless it's a shift in territory, line-haul flow, or your original terminal is closed down and split - we call that following the freight and I've done it twice while keeping my seniority. If you put in for a transfer and it's approved, you go to the bottom of the seniority board at the terminal you transferred into if no freight was moved. At times the company will move around some P&D territory or shift how freight will flow through the line-haul network and in those cases you keep your seniority under two circumstances - your current terminal loses work, and you have enough seniority to make the move - simply, if you're at terminal X and they lose say 10 drivers worth of work to terminal Y, if you're one of the 10 drivers that want the transfer you're good and will keep your seniority - if 10 drivers above you wanted the transfer you would have to stay where you were.

I've followed freight twice after a terminal closure and a line-haul re-alignment but don't bank on that. It can happen but you'll never know when or where. I went through some crap years but stuck it out so that would be my best advice - you're not gonna make 100K or even 80K in your first 5 years no matter where you're at so just keep that in mind. Also keep in mind I still hear the same stuff I did 8 years ago when I started here - back then they (other drivers) told me the company was going under, I was never gonna make any money, there was no point in working here, I would never have any seniority, and now I can decide how much I want to make for the year and what I wanna do by signing my bid sheet. This was a better place to work 8 years ago but it's now better than it was 2 or 3 years ago so whatever. All the good LTL jobs are generally the same - you chase seniority to make the money, you eat a lot of crap sandwiches, you listen to drivers that swear the company is evil, you eat another crap sandwich, you wake up one day and realize you're at top scale and have some seniority, you become one of the complainers swearing the company sucks and is evil while grossing $1900 a week, and then you live your life from there however you choose. I stay out of all the petty crap and use the job as a way to live the way I want.

 

It's true! !! Every word Jake said, I see it especially at my terminal! !!!

 

CNWY New Hire Day 16

Thanks for sharing your insight Jake. I'm at XFR which is Nevada, Mo. It's about 50 miles north of Joplin, Mo. I'm originally from Cincinnati, OH and want to transfer back that way. From what I've been told I can transfer after my first 90 days is up. I was up in Des Moines training and the HR guy up there told me that. I want to transfer sooner than later so I can start building my seniority. Anyways, going up to Kansas City tonight for a night line haul ride along. Second night for that. So far so good.
Be safe!