Thinking of going LTL

Wow, that's a lot of questions. I have a couple company suggestions. Not to be a smart ###, but I would assume Dayton freight has a terminal near Dayton. The biggest LTL companies are ABF YRC and cConway, check their websites to see if they have terminals near you

 

You are correct, for the most part. However, start times can vary in P/D, depending on when the freight arrives at your particular yard. Our yard 'officially' starts at 0930, but depending on the day/run/circumstances, we can start anywhere from 0400 to 1200.

Way full of it. Now, some companies pay more than others, but when you add up all the free work and hassle involved in TL, you simply can't lose on a per-hour basis by going LTL.

I'd say, get a position at the company, no matter what it is. You can always go from road to city or vice versa, as soon as something opens up on the opposite board. The hard part is getting in there in the first place; FXF took A YEAR to call me back. It was worth it, though.

As for LH vs. P/D, it honestly depends on what you want to accomplish. P/D seems a good fit for you, especially if you like dealing with people, keeping fit and interesting logistical challenges. If you're all about the Benjamins, however, LH will make you far more than P/D. The top LH drivers at our yard are rockin' six figures a year, P/D not so much. Of course, it does depend on the runs available from your location, not to mention seniority.

Usually. Now, if you're at the bottom of the board(where you start), and your particular yard hired too many drivers or had a sudden decrease in freight, your hours might suffer. But remember, on a per-hours-worked basis, you'll still be doing pretty well. And if you're willing to just WORK, whatever has to be done, you'll have a lot of opportunities to cash in on other guys' vacation time, days off, sick days and general laziness.

Absolutely. If times get really slow, sometimes there's just no freight to move...but see above.

It depends on the company and--believe it or not--the location. Some yards get paid more than others at the same company, but not by a very significant amount. I can say that at my yard, hourly is around $24/hr. and LH pays $0.59/mi. Remember that on LH, pretty much any time you spend fuelling, working the dock, being delayed, or anything outside of driving or a break will be paid hourly. It adds up.

Hope this helps...!

 

Try Conway freight in Columbus ( XCO ). They were hiring in June when I left my OTR truck there and switched over to my local yard in DE. My P&D day starts at 0915 on Mondays, and 1045 rest of the week. I am a flex driver so it can change anyday, but this is mostly what I do. I covered two linehaul drivers who were on vacation the first couple weeks I was there, I like p&D better. Better to get on as soon as you can, so you'll move up the board sooner. I am #3 from the bottom now, will be #4 next week as we have another guy starting then.

 

im 24 and never spent OTR... Always been LTL. depending on your location will determine whether its easier to be Line-haul or p/d. Some terminals allow you to change while others dont. Companies like YRC, Estes, and ABF getting into P/D is easier than getting to line-haul at smaller terminals. Most of their work is sent to them by the hubs and distribution centers. Ive done both p/d and line-haul and I prefer line-haul over P/D as I dont like dealing with people all day.

Some LTL companies will have you doing combo dock and driving while still low on the totem pole. UPSF is like that, dock and driving, but as you gain senority you dont have to work the dock anymore on a good bid. YRC the P/D drivers do a combo at some terminals, typically the smaller terminals. Most of YRC combos at bigger places you work the dock a bit then do some big volume loads to customers. ABF has that too.

Con-Way freight no matter what you will be working the dock. I think Fedex and R&L do the same thing.

 

The p/d drivers at my terminal that work the dock do so by choice, mostly cause they hate driving haha, they usually come in at six, work the dock till 9 or so then start their route

 

First off, before you do anything, I recommend you finish out your commitment. Yes, many LTL carriers don't require experience, but at the same time, nobody likes a quitter. Finish your year so you don't display the symptoms of a job hopper. Besides, you probably don't want to cough up whatever your company will charge you for your training. A year of OTR will look good on your resume.

As for your other questions, P&D is your obvious choice. Pay depends on your location. What I make in Oregon is completely different than what they make next door in Washington. Line pays much better than P&D, but as you already pointed out, it requires you to work nights and give up what most of us consider a normal social life. I also never worked OTR, but I am guessing driving line is about the same. Monotonous boring routes. Usually 3-5 hour stretches at a time. Yes you get to sleep in your own bed 95% of the time.

Our P&D and line make the same hourly wage. The key difference is that line will get paid by the mile when they are driving. Mathematically speaking, a line driver hauling down the interstate will make more per hour. If the line driver gets done early, he may be able to pick up some dockwork/short P&D trips to pad his paycheck. A lot our P&D guys do linehaul first until they max out their hourly wage and then convert to P&D in order to still make decent and have a normal life. The hours you work will depend on your terminal and how busy you are. Our guys easily go into their 60 hours/week. If you are the low man on the totem pole, expect to be called off more than everyone else. The guy with the most seniority gets to pick his runs. Start times vary... It could be as early as 2 AM to help strip trailers, and go as late as 1000 AM for customers that have later receiving hours.

As for dock work, you will see it with P&D more likely than not. Many of our guys like to build their own trailers. We don't even have dock workers at our terminal. As for forklift experience, that is a huge plus. Just one less thing you need to be trained on.

As for who hires what, that depends on your terminal again. Line usually has higher retention rates with my carrier. We currently have two P&D spots that have been vacant for four months. Even with weekly newspaper ads, great pay and benefits, we can't find people to drive for us. The oil fields in ND and MT are luring everyone away I guess. If you have six months left, apply once you are a month out (circa March). Reason for that is shipping picks up in Spring, and with it the need for drivers to handle the workload.

Good luck. Feel free to ask anything else.

 

I used to live in Toledo and worked for Central Transport there. I would suggest Pitt Ohio and Dayton Freight Lines in that area. Specially the latter. Where exactly are you at? What's the city closest to you?