LTL Positions, hourly vs. mileage

Thanks everybody. This just confirms that I don't really have a handle on what pays the best. By the way, it's not that I'm fixated on money, it's my son, he is playing catchup with life in a big way and he is always bouncing ideas off me (this seems to be something that everyone in my house does - I guess it goes with wearing the mom hat There are a lot of considerations but if P&D can pay better than linehaul, that's something to think about for the future too. I imagine P&D would be easier once he has a family, there would be more predictable home time. When he got home this morning he was expressing concern that it would be hard to get a linehaul run where he would be home every day, that he would not have enough seniority and it would take years. It is just a concern, he's not sure that's really the case. It seems to me that I've read other people commenting that they were able to get a home daily run before too terribly long, but I guess that probably depends on your company and terminal, so I don't know.

 

Yes, I was the one who was wondering about the job fair at his school vs. the linehaul job that he interviewed for at an open house the weekend before the job fair, not even trying, (as job fair practice LOL) and took. He was between jobs because the company he was involved with in his first 3-month stint driving hazmat tanker wasn't a good fit for him. I really believe the current job was meant to be, you know that thing about doors closing and opening. He is learning a ton and appears to be keeping his head above water. Although it's really hard work, but to quote Ben Carson's mother, "Hard work never hurt anyone." He seems to be adjusting to the night job thing and he has started to lose some weight (he could stand to lose some weight), I think because he's too busy to eat a lot and because the job is very physical, both of which are good for him.

He's made a few relatively minor mistakes here and there, but he is getting the job done. I am sure there is a learning curve with all new drivers. They've had him couple sets on his last run every day this week, and he's getting better and better and more and more efficient with everything, driving different trucks all the time, etc, which is exactly what he needs to do. He spoke with the terminal manager yesterday and mentioned a few of his mistakes that he regretted, and the terminal manager told him he is 50% of the way towards becoming one of his best drivers. And he has really only been on his own in the truck for 3 weeks. My son said he was probably just being nice. Sure, I bet the manager has been successful in his 20 year trucking career by being a marshmallow with drivers...NOT!

By the way, companies (not only LTL companies) are still contacting him that he handed resumes to at the school's annual job fair. What a difference a few months make - if only he had this kind of response when he got his CDL back in January! Either this is a crazy busy time of the year, or somehow 3 months of hazmat tanker made him special (that can't be it, can it?) or the job market in general is picking up bigly, which should bode well for everyone in trucking. I still check out Indeed from time to time and I'm seeing driver jobs posted by Fedex Freight (not contractors for FXF, the company itself) on a regular basis here on the east coast.