Experience with your LTL company

I made about $55K my first year after graduating CDL school. Granted, I live out in the middle of nowhere where the cost of living is much lower. So they pay us less at our LTL terminal Yeah, I agree on you with your other points. We used to have a 401K plan... they stripped it. Then they started chopping at our pay. As for grievances... yeah, it would be nice to have someone to watch my back if I get myself in a bind. But I just learned not to get myself in a bind... Or I just keep some things to myself. On the other hand, we have just a handful of employees. There is not much fighting going on really.

 

It was but with bad knees I had to give it up sadly. My last run the customers Live ones made sure they were around when I arrived to say their good byes, one even treated me to some Texas BBQ.

 

FWIW, I had a knee replaced in December. Best move I ever made. Stupidest was in not getting it done 10 years or so ago. (hint hint hint hint)

 

Typical OTR is easy work. Get on the freeway and drive. Line you do the same thing but they make you run in the middle of the night, which most don't tolerate well. City driver bumping docks all day is pretty self explanatory to anyone who's ever done it. It's the hard work, dealing with customers, pounding bills, pallet jacking heavy stuff around. I think what they pay LTL guys is fair.

 

Just out of curiosity... Your profile says that you are still a student. My question is... where did you come up with this stuff?

By the way, line drivers also run during the day. FXF runs their trucks 1200 miles a day, 24 hours a day.

 

What's the deal with the knees? I already had one surgery for a meniscus tear, think I might need another one!

 

LoL, i have already had both knees torn and repaired. Now i'm facing knee replacement for the left knee due to not much cartlidge left. I tore my by repetitivly pulling totes, pallets of drums and hardwood flooring to the back of the trailer at non-dock stops. Eventually your body breaks down. We have several drivers that have had hip/knee surgeries. Most of the UPS parcel drivers i know that have 15 plus years on their route have had multiple surgeries.

 

Kind of an occupational hazard, particularly for LTL. And particularly for those of us who are over weight, and older. The knees go pretty dog gone fast when you are in and out of the truck and the trailer numerous times a day. And then add in all the hard physical work like Mark talked about, and it tears you up pretty good.

 

Man, all I do is drive and my right knee is the bad one. I have to use the cruise control as much as possible or else my knee swells up! Hopefully it's just another meniscus tear. Kinda scared to go for a knee replacement.