Random LTL Rants (all are welcomed)

It's kinda sad reading threads on here about the mileage some otr guys get and thinking to myself I was running more than that on the linehaul and I'm a local guy lol. That sucks

 

And having a significantly higher quality of life as well.

 

So I don't want to speak to to, soon, but I put in for a new bid. We had a route go up for bid and it was kind of an upset that wasn't being expected. Our night time Volume guy, decided to go back on to day shift and decided he wanted to go back to pushing a wheeler.

So I was asked and I had said to my self 6 months ago, if it looks like the Volume route is going to come up for bid I am going to take it. I had covered for him for 2 weeks prior to that and it turns out the night work doesn't bother me like I thought.

So today the official word went out that, our over night Sunday night- Thursday night Volume run was going to go up for bid.

It is a length of service job, but all of our senior guys who aren't on transit are all, already set in there routes and lives, so the bosses asked me if I would be interested and I said yes, yes I would. So today it went up for official bid and I put my name in the hat.

A lot of guys don't like the hours that route runs, me doesn't matter, I don't have wife, kids, family it's just me so I can run over night Sunday-Thursday.

It'll be an adjustment sure, but it can be done, I mean come Sunday night hell I get up at 2:00am anyhow, come Sunday night what's the big deal mine as well bite the bullet and start the work week early.

So my boss said to me as of today, I was the only bidder and the bid closes on Wednesday so, chances are real good.

What this means if I get the bid I will now be in the Volume/Transit Group although I will still be managed by local management and not warehouse management. I'll be in the big 50' trailer division and I'll be handling the big dock stops to the real big money big heavy buyer customers. We got the 50' trailer last year or so and the other guy doing it, he's a good dude, but he goes back and fourth on stuff on his life, and he wasn't happy with the Volume work he wanted to ride his motor cycle and be home at night so finally he went back to taking a regular route.

I've liked the volume/ transit work. Volume's a little harder because it's still unloading and customers, but the stops are palatalized in theory there's no two wheeling.

However, that doesn't mean perfect. I've had difficult volume loads believe me and challenges. Destroyed an entire pallet of food almost trying to get it into a rickety elevator.

But I Welcome the change, the volume truck was a nice addition to our yard it's been a good relief valve for the 28' trailer routes. Our routes have been very heavy across the board and management's been able to take a real big stop that would hold up a 28' foot guy for hours and get it on the 50' and instead of a guy and truck being held up for 2 hours the volume truck can get it off in 1/2 an hour or 45 minutes.

So I'll be more out on the road and still in the city just with 2-3 stops instead of 10-13 stops.

Pay will be a slight adjustment, but it's not going to be drastic and life's a marathon and you've got to last and I've always been in the past couple years running some of the biggest routes in the branch always top 5 every quarter for cases delivered I think I was 3rd biggest route in the entire branch last business quarter.

So I'll know on Wednesday, but it's looking pretty good, so will see, but it's looking pretty good that I'll see you guys out there on the road. Be sure to waive.

 

So here's how things are going so far, bidding stops tomorrow, it's D-day. Right now I'm still officially in first place. Two senior guys way higher up then me did call and inquire the one, I think was just tire kicking, my boss said he's not going to bid, because if he bids he'll get it, but he's not sure of the pay he wants a concrete number on what the pay is and that's not been given out and really I don't truly think he really has any interest in the route or job, but it's just tire kicking.

The other guy showed a lot more interest, and actually has a bit more seniority then the first guy, but he works far away at one of the outer drop yard dark branches and lives 10 minutes from the yard and has
the best set of routes that yard has, he's already got it made.

He would have to drive an hour to work and an hour back home at the end of the day. So his biggest obstacle is getting to work, when he already works 10 minutes away.

So neither one of these guys has put in an official bid though, so will see I thought something like this may happen, I'm not totally surprised. So that is all I have for today.

 

Good luck .

 

Thanks, not out of it yet, but the ground is uncertain.

 

Hope you get the bid Mike. Night work is not for everyone, but some people really like it. Room darkening blinds, curtains to cover the edges of the blinds and a window unit or box fan to drown out the noise in the neighborhood helped me when I was on night work.

 

and not having a dumb dog that wants to get up at 10am and go bark at EVERYTHING also is a big help.

DAMHIK

 

I do have one of those lol he lives next door though, but he likes to bark at everything and stand at the fence and bark at my house.