United Parcel Service, Inc. - Aurora, Il.

I worked for UPS over the peak season, about 2 months. I was hired as a temporary driver. They're a good company, great bunch of people to work with I thought. The pay was $21 per hour, I'm not sure what union scale is for that position. There was plenty of overtime available. When I signed on, I was promised a $1500 bonus at the end of the contract, which they didn't pay. I asked around and it turns out they changed their mind about the bonus sometime in late November. That was the most disappointing thing. You just gotta get everything in writing these days.

The only other disappointing thing with this company is it's so hard to get a permanent position. They only hire truck drivers out of their "package car" driver pool, which takes about 10 years on average for a driver to advance, or so I heard. I did hear that they hire off the street in Hermiston, OR, however. All things considered though, this is a good place to work, I'd work for them again in a heartbeat.

I've been reading some about UPS Freight, is this a seperate division of the company? If so, do they have a different hiring practice? Are they Union? O/O only? Does anyone from the Pacific Northwest work for them?

I took a job with Schneider National in the meantime, that starts soon, I'll let u know how that works out. I've heard good things about them on this forum, I need a company I can be happy with for 2-3 years, to start building a career.

 

UPS Freight is the former Overnite Transportation, that UPS bought. I think the $21/hour was pretty close to their starting permanent rate, but I don't have their contract in front of me.

I drive for a well known courier company in Canada. Quite often I get other drivers asking me if we are hiring truck drivers. I tell them that in general we don't, since it's the same thing - we upgrade from within. But you may find with UPS, since they are under the same union we are, that there may be a clause in the contract allowing the company to award a tractor trailer position to a junior person who already possesses the license. It's called the "senior qualified person" clause in our contract. We've had dock workers with 2 years get a postion over a courier with 15 because they already were qualified.

But you'll also find that in larger cities that may have a higher driver turnover, that you can get hired off the street into a tractor position. Toronto is like that for us. In my local terminal 120 miles outside Toronto, I'm barely top 50 in seniority (19 years) out of 130 people, whereas the main Toronto terminal, I would be 45th in seniority out of several hundred people.

 

I believe that Willis Shaw is looking for local drivers in the Seattle area. If I remember correctly, they are becoming Fedex National.
Also, R & L carriers is looking for local P&D driver's. As is Saia.

 

Do they have a website? Do they hire 21 year olds?

 

Is there something in writing that tells pay scales, layover pay rules, etc.?
I put in my trip sheet and over the last couple years it seems they make up rules as you go along. Sometimes I get paid layover and sometimes not. It used to be I would get paid layover if I was away from home, wait all day and all night for a load for the next day. Now their new rule is if you wait all day and all night and half the next day, you don't get paid layover if the dispatcher gives you a call saying you have a load today. She writes down the time she calls you. So basically I waste all my hours and don't get paid a cent. And they can do want they want because no union.

 

Well UPS Freight does have their problems just like any other company. Right now the drivers are feeling the squeeze. They are really changing things. Like, we are not allowed to fuel at truck stops but only UPS terminals. Therefore no free showers up front. I am not wealthy like some drivers, so I don't have 50 bucks a week up front for showers. Now the rule for layovers is a full 24 hours waiting for a load, but when dispatcher calls you before the 24 hour period, you don't get that layover pay. It isn't much but it eases the pain a little bit for waiting so long for a load or for a back haul. There is no longer a couple hundred or more for Safety bonus every year. Instead they came up with this Road Safety program. You get online and complete all the safety tests. Then you are eligible to buy a product after a year or two. And that product you buy with the points you earn is like a two dollar pencil set or something like that. Last year for Thanksgiving we got a coupon for a free Turkey at a market. This year nothing but a card board calendar. So if you are looking to go work for UPS you might want to do some research on how others are doing it.
It seems like a good company but they are really penny pinching right now. And it hurts the drivers.

 

I have put in a application for estes for line haul. how is working for the company? what type of runs do the line haul drivers do? thanks in advance

 

Hi Bubba,

Well I am a newb getting ready to train with SWIFT but my Dad worked for UPS for 37 years.

He didn't drive a truck but I think a good company is a good company..you know what rolls down hill.

I can remember him bringing me little metal UPS trucks and every Christmas UPS would give the employees a frozen Turkey in a Christmas box so I have a special feeling for Old Brown.

Great company I hope they treat you right!

Merry Christmas

 

Good old brown is not what it used to be back in the old days, UPS is a good company. What ever you do don't get the target put on you what ever their flavor of the month is be it miles, injuries, or accidents etc.