Linehaul drivers. How many hours a night do you spend waiting?

XPO Logistics Freight has some linehaul positions in which you drive to another barn, then the driver works the forklift on the dock for an hour or two until all of his freight is loaded, then turns. I drive for 250 miles, one way @cpm rate, then work at the barn for about an hour or so at an hourly rate. After my freight is loaded, I turn and drive back to my own barn. I personally would rather do this than a meet and turn, because it gives me a change of pace after 5 hours of driving nonstop. It's not for everyone, many drivers hate the idea of dock work. I guess they would just rather drive. I like the control I have over my own freight and the time factor in which its loaded. I'm paid well and never have to sit and wait for someone else to load at their own leisure... Just my 2 bits.

 

15 minutes here. After 15 minutes, you’re paid by the hour. Say what you want about unions, but they negotiate decent deals for drivers.

 

Uhh what company? Couldn't find "here"

 

Occasionally... Then

Not much, but that's just based on my experience... If it keeps the freight into one less trailer for the backhaul, then I've been known to breakdown some pallets, or "massage" the freight as it were.

 

My meet guy waited 1 1/2 hrs on me today, but it couldn't be helped. I could have been right on time, but it would have been with 81k and a flat tire.

 

This is why I like lay down runs. No waiting on a meet guy that stops at every other truck stop, no waiting on freight to get loaded by dock guys at 3am who have been awake 17 hours and moving like a turtle. Roll into terminal, put trailer on the dock, go to the motel. Last lay down I had they typically had me ready on time. Occasional 10-20 minutes extra wait.

 

Outside of UPSF most of them pay .05-.10 CPM less than the big non union companies, so even with your wait time paid union guys are still coming out behind. "But free insurance......". Dont care. I pay like $100 a month for ALL of benefits, i'll pay the $100 if it means im making $1200 more a month.

 

I wouldn’t mind a lay down run (although my wife might not dig it), but my company got rid of most of them in favor of meets to save on hotel costs. Most of them were meets on Friday nights anyway, so they just changed them to run that way all week.

 

That’s not the case here. Union shops pay more here. Every area and shop is different.