should i leave my job for lower paying company?

If it was me? It would depend on how long I'd have to wait for the local position with current company, If it could be 3,4 or 5 years down the road, then I'd take the cut and move to the other company, but thats me, my finances might be different than yours, Things you should think about, with the $20k pay cut, how much of a burden would this put on your family? Can you still cover your bills and still be ok? Or would this mean you can just cover bill and have nothing left? Having a savings, In my opinion is very important, Weigh everything to see what best fits your needs, If your married, talk with her and discuss your plans, and what pay would be, I know life on the road can be hard, Im doing it as well, but would much rather be home with my wife, Hope this helps, good luck on what ever you choise to do

 

Getting a local job won't make things better overnight.

I'm a local city driver under a union, so I'll tell you what to expect if you plan on working for a unionized company.

Union shops have a seniority list. The number of drivers on said seniority list depends on the number of runs the company has per shift. If a company DC has 80 runs, there will be 80 drivers on the seniority list. Every year, each of those 80 drivers will bid on their runs, and the bid process is based on seniority.

If you get hired by a union company and their seniority list is full, you'll be hired on as a casual driver. As a casual driver, you're going to be filling in for the regular drivers on sick/annual leave, floating around from one shift to the next, one run to the next. Companies will try to keep you on a particular shift, but this isn't always plausible. You could work the morning shift, to turn around and work that night if they need you too.

You could also be scheduled to run auxiliary runs. Auxiliary runs have no fixed schedule, and you do whatever management wants you to do for those 8ish hrs you're there.

Yes, most union companies will try to give you two days off, but don't count on it as a casual. Don't count on having consecutive off days, and plan on working every holiday.

The smaller the turnover rate, the longer it'll take for you to turn regular and get on the seniority list. It takes the average union driver 2-3 years to get on the seniority list and have a set schedule. Until then you're going to float around from run to run.