The day to day ramblings of the LTL business.

Good question. YRC bought out USF and New Penn. Both subsidiaries got to keep their names. Only thing that changed was our pay and benefits got cut by alot.

Fast forward to XPO. They acquired CWF and sure enough CWF will repaint their trucks and change out anything related to Conway Freight. Management and policies included. Complete absorption. Very similar to FxF acquiring Viking Express and UPS acquiring Overnite Express.

In the case of YRC being acquired... Which is pure speculation... I would assume all branches would now be UPS. They have a much more dominant name and a much better reputation than YRC. I don't see much change on the non-union side of the house though. Best case scenario all non union barns will adopt a union so we can not only enjoy all the success... But also the benefits in terms of pay and compensation that come with such a global company.

 

Yeah, it'll be interesting to see what happens in the future. I'll definitely be keeping up with the POSSIBLE merger. I still know a lotta guys over at UPSF, although I haven't talked to them in a while, and having a merger this big and being the number one LTL outfit can only benefit all of its employees.

 

It would be super interesting to watch. Given the first five years of merge would be absolutely chaotic. Hopefully this will be past my time though. I would like to see myself doing something other than grinding the hell out of gears five years from now.

 

Now wouldn't it be funny if they decided to buy out XPO instead. Then all these rumors and speculations would have to be thrown out the window.

Or if they tried to buy out XPO as well and have complete domination of the LTL market...but then again, I would think that would be considered monopolizing the industry.

 

So yesterday I was talking on the telephone to one of our transit drivers and he told me that after 28 years he's getting his HAZMAT and Tanker and getting ready to hang it up and going over to the LTL Freightside.

Past couple years lots of veteran drivers at GFS have left to work for other companies one guy left to go work at Old Dominion after working at GFS for years and years and he went over to Old Dominion and has never looked back.

Personally I'm not disgruntled or upset or anything, I don't really know where else I would work truth be told, because the actual cash I make right now and made my first year I wouldn't have really made at an LTL company my first year, but.........there is a catch.

My job has a mortality rate to it, and sometimes I wonder if 15-20 years from now things I have done in the form of lifting and stuff like that will catch up to me.

I don't know I've got to formulate a plan B because I have thought of this and I see the writing on the wall, I can't do delivery for forever it's not going to happen and I do possibly see a lack of opportunity for me as a drop yard driver. Oh sure there maybe a management job I could apply to, but I don't like management to me that's a place where people go to have there careers ended, getting into management from what I have seen can pretty much be summarized as "many will enter, few will win." That's not a knock against my company that's anywhere truth be told. Or at least what I've seen.
So I don't know just sitting here thinking about my own mortality.

 

@Mike2633 My advice would be to ALWAYS have a contingency plan in place. I absolutely love my job, but you never know what may happen. That's why I always research other opportunities and read about other jobs, mostly on here. My interests lean towards private fleets, I'd check out Ashley and Zenith if I ever had to leave SuperValu. Knowledge is power. Combine that power with some experience and opportunities will knock. Just my opinion.

 

@Mike2633

Couple months ago I went home to see my folks. I went through my old room where I grew up in. I dug through some boxes and found an old GI Joe that I used to play with. It was one of those that had moveable arms, elbow joints and legs. I used to be able to put it into different display poses, but as the years went by, all the different joints became so worn out that they just dangle downward. That's when I had a "oh crap moment". That was going to be me in 20 years. I am all fresh, new and shiny now... But soon this job will tear me up and wear me down like my GI Joe.

This field is thankless and unforgiving. You are a cog in a giant wheel. Once all your teeth are worn out and rounded off, you get replaced. All corporate does is hang up safety posters about lifting with your legs and not your back... Yada yada... As if that will help stop your body from deteriorating. But realistically, there is nothing else corporate can do. It's the nature of the job.

In driving, you are always one wreck away from being fired. I assume anyone on here reading this has the driving part down pretty well and your job security based on your driving capability is not a concern.

Anyone doing this job... Wether food, beverage, local lumber, or LTL is one slip, trip, or fall away from possibly suffering life changing injuries. I almost got myself killed multiple times doing these ridiculous lift gate deliveries in the middle of winter. Linehaul, you guys are not immune from it either. One of my co-workers out of a different barn got his hand crushed between the pintle hook and the eye of the converter dolly that took off on him. Once you are too banged up and beat up to work, they just kick you to the curb and find a replacement. Employer based disability? You think this is the military where you can claim random stuff? Not Big Trucking's fault that you got hurt.

I got this coworker that I write alot about. He's been doing this job for 40 years. He reminds me of this every morning when I see him. In reality, I knew he's been doing this job or a long time just by watching him move around. He reminds me of my GI Joe that I dug up back home. Completely worn out. He gave his life and health to the company, and they took all they could get out of him. At least the important parts that matter. He is set to retire soon... To what I wonder. Not like he is in any condition to do anything except be on pain meds. He won't retire like one of those executive fat cats with a multimillion dollar pension, then play golf all day.

Keep thinking about your mortality Mike... Its a good thought to keep in mind.

 

The senior guys like it over here, for the same reason they like drop and hook runs rather than vendor or bin deliveries: no handling product. That, and instead of mile/case pay we go to hourly when in yard jockey roles. Our senior guys' hourly rate is a few points north of what almost every other outfit pays its senior drivers, be it a union shop or not.

 

Yeah, it was the same with us. The senior drivers bidded on the easy drop and hook runs, which were mostly the Drake's cake runs, and everything else we either used lift gate or delivered through the side doors to the depots.

We got paid trip rate, but the jockey position was paid hourly, but you were guaranteed 9 hours a day on it. So even if you jockeyed for 4 hours, you still got paid for 9, plus if you did an additional run , you also got paid for whatever the trip rate paid for the load. So technically you could of worked only 10 hours for the day and got paid for 20 hours totaled, with OT after 8. It was money in the bank. Man...I really wish IBC was still in business. I loved it there. I would still be working there today if they didn't close down.