How does UPS Freight keep drivers???

Maybe so. There are opportunities everywhere, if you know where to look and keep your nose clean.

 

It's icy out shoulda passed! Lol

 

Haha slow and steady wins the race, sir. Plus my run is headed south.

 

Yes it does! Be safe out there!

 

Hey all,

I got hired off the street by UPS May 23, 1977. Was given the choice of package or feeder. I chose feeder. Already had my commercial (chauffeurs license it was called back then) with a doubles endorsement and 1 yr. experience under my belt. I was 24.

This was during the fleet expansion in the Oregon district. Started at $11.00 an hour, time + 1/2 for anything over 8. Doubles mostly but a lot of triples,too. An extra .25 an hour if you pulled 3 trailers.

It was a gamble that paid off as I was only promised vacation relief and Christmas rush, but within 3 months was offered my own run, albeit a crappy one at the bottom. Didn’t move up in seniority for 5 years. 7 drivers; 3 day and 4 night on the outer fringes of the district (northeast Oregon).

Very seldom saw a supervisor; we had a good safety record and they pretty much left us alone. Parked at the local truck stop.

Got cancer and forced to quit spring of ‘86 as I had to have an eye removed. Was making top wage of $15.14 an hour. All cabovers in those days; Pete’s and Macks.

Entered trucking again in 1997 due to a new federal vision waiver program that was available to me.. Pulled mostly chemical tanks & retired from Transport Service in 2012.

 

Not exactly. Got regular cost of living raises. Can only say for sure I started at $11.00 in ‘77 and ended at $15.14 in ‘86.

We were union but negotiated a separate contract from the Master Freight Agreement, the agreement that CF, Yellow and all those other fallen flags had. UPS followed their contract template, generally, with specific tailoring for UPS.

Most I ever made in one year was $37,000 for a 55 hour week. That was good money for a single guy with no debt living in a small town. We could only work a max of 60 hours a week and I had lots of winter driving, chaining, which would put me real close to my 60 some weeks. Came in one morning with 5 minutes to spare. My run was a turn around, 410 miles. Ran speedographs with those wax coated discs in those days.

Yeah, we actually had to find a phone booth if there were any problems...lol!

It was a different company back then. They ordered 2 axle tractors with the shortest wheelbase possible, exhausts that ran underneath, 5 sp Spicer trannys, engines in the early Pete’s were 270 Cummins cut back to 255. Mack’s had Mack motors. Later in the 80’s we ran 350 Cummins in the big windshield GMC Astros we had for about 3 years running. Forgot to mention those Astros. We all got brand new trucks every year, first center in the Oregon district to get air conditioned trucks. Armstrong steering on all.

 

Thanks. New on here but been lurking for years. Just had to sign up to get my two cents in on this Buster Brown thread. Brought back memories.

No company is perfect but I felt quite fortunate to land that job. It was like the Holy Grail. Had every intention of retiring with them but the cancer thing interfered with that. But I am 66 now in good health and thanks to the vision waiver program which didn’t exist in my UPS days I was able to go truckin’ another 15 years. OTR definitely different from linehaul but tanks are a great choice.