Old dominion or abf

Your right about the times...I run Indy to Chicago...depending on the time of day/night you know who you will see. OD has it going on...that's all I know.

 

Bit of both - both good companies. I'm team with ODFL right now, I believe Naptown Steel Hauler just got on with ODFL. Starting .56, top out .61 - good benefits. Solo linehaul easy $100k/year if you run the miles.

Solo wild runs, meet and turns, or go P& D if you like punishment. We get pay raises every year, company is expanding terminals . . .

All the ABF drivers I've talked to are thrilled about their gig too.

At least you're not asking Werner or CRE !!

 

I did indeed just get on with OD, although I haven't started yet. I just turned my notice in today to the co. I've been working for, so unless they let me go early I can look forward to two weeks of crap runs and cleaning up the truck barns. But I'll do it with a smile on my face.

OP, I don't know much about ABF but I've spent a lot of time talking to OD drivers any time I caught one at the pump or in line for coffee, and every single one of them likes it there. I've met a few that were having a bad day or bad week, but you get those anywhere you work. This is anecdotal evidence so you can take it or leave it, but I'll be working out of the Indy terminal which is huge, something like 300 doors. One of the other drivers told me that aside from retirements or medical reasons they have almost zero turnover. Nobody quits because they don't like the job.

 

Your probably right about the time of night......I roll thru Columbus to Cincinnati between 2130-2330 going out and 0630 to 0730 coming home, (running out of Upper Sandusky),

 

[QUOTE="semi" retired;4420041]Well, not sure if you've ever worked for a union company, and we're not going into that (per moderators), let's just say it's different. I have a friend that works for a non-union company and has been hauling a lot of ABF freight in their own trucks. Not sure how they get away with that, but it would make me nervous.[/QUOTE]

As a driver who is on his 2nd union job, and who has only worked in union trucking jobs, let me break it down here.

A union = job security, for the most part. A union will also mean, fresh new talent and motivated individuals get pushed back to the 'extra board' while the 'top seniority' guys think they run the joint. Their laziness and seniority, and ultimately incompetence, is rewarded with the best schedule, best hours, and most respect. The top seniority guys will punk the low seniority guys on every level. They will bully management, and if you have anything to say to it, they've got their business agent on speed dial to cry about every little thing.

A truly excellent company does not need a union. You will need to ask yourself, "why did my former coworkers get together and demand a union in the first place? Were the working conditions here really that bad at one time?"

On that note, if you're not a total arse hole and make the seniority list, you're set and are guaranteed to have a job, even if you roll a truck and fail a drug test (maybe).

The dynamic at work is, the management and the union are always clashing, and if you don't side with one or the other, you're a traitor. You're either betraying your boss or betraying your union; and the workplace becomes very political when you just want to make a paycheck.

Good luck to you.

 

hmmmm lets see high pay plus free family health insurance and a pension.
not much to think about there.

 

Speak for yourself, Each and every Terminal or Hub is run different and every individual varies at each place . 2nd time employed at ABF, 1 time employed UPSF. UPSF is a different animal in the LTL game. UPS policies is very odd to someone not molded from the start of a logistics career.

Theirs a reason ABF flies under the radar. Nothing Fancy, Pay is fair, Benefits is great, Difficult to gain employment and for the most part, Management leaves you the F-alone and lets you do your job. Always 1 person at every employer disliking interaction with lower lifers and the simple solution, Avoid that person and carry on with your day. Honestly, It's not uncommon to tell senior drivers to F-OFF. It's a 2 way road. Respect is earned, I Don't treat this as a military setting and can leave again to pursue other adventures in trucking.

Our barn with a little over 30 drivers. ALL work minimum 40 hours, Working the Dock/City Driving/Road Driving/U-Pack.



Answer for the OP: ABF and ODFL both fine places to work. Go work for the first place to give you a chance. Can't go wrong at either.

 

[QUOTE="semi" retired;4420041]Well, not sure if you've ever worked for a union company, and we're not going into that (per moderators), let's just say it's different. I have a friend that works for a non-union company and has been hauling a lot of ABF freight in their own trucks. Not sure how they get away with that, but it would make me nervous.[/QUOTE]
It's part of the National Master Freight Agreement.

A bunch more wording lazy to copy and bore you with.
Can be found here in a PDF format http://teamster.org/divisions/freig...ent-nmfa-and-regional-supplemental-agreements

Basically, If another carrier can move it cheaper, Then that union carrier will go with a outside carrier. . If a union carrier is swamped with work, It makes sense.
on the flip side, Work is slow and few people need work and outside carriers take that union hours. Way above my free time on TTR to argue that mess and correctly word everything.

 

Hi moloko, I agree with everything you say, but I'm very careful what I say here, as the word "union" must trigger some red flag with the mods, and like they say, it never goes well, and the thread gets closed. I was always a non-union driver, for 20+ years and worked for some great companies, like you say, never needed a union, as the relationship with the boss was usually really good, or I moved on. I did a good job for them, and was rewarded accordingly be it with an increase in pay, or even the seldom heard "atta boy, good job". When I got my one and only union job with a bread maker, I was shocked at the difference. It was something I was totally unprepared for. Once, I came in from my run, and was talking with the boss, like I always did with my other non-union jobs, and as I left, the union steward, who was an older man, been with the company for 25 years, cornered me and said, "I see you were talking to management, what was that all about"? I thought he was kidding, but was dead serious. I said, nothing really, just being friendly. He said, "I don't EVER want to see you talking to management again, if you have a problem, come to me and we'll schedule a meeting". I couldn't believe he said that, and that was just the tip of the iceberg, and quit a short time later. Just wasn't for me. I then found out, a couple of years after I quit, the company fired all the union drivers and went with outside carriers.