1. outofworkjoe

    outofworkjoe Bobtail Member

    8
    1
    Dec 16, 2007
    philly
    0
    Ive been working for these guy for 6 years now.Very very hard work!!!You must unload trl by hand,We use hand trucks,greaseed floors,50 pound bags of flour,potatos and everything you can think of,I carry about 250 lbs on my hand truck,not an job for the lazy.Yes I do make 21.40 an hour,but I work for it 10 stops 500 or more cs to unload.Iam out of philly.All the new guys go the NYC :biggrin_25513: on yea no dirs just take the bills on leave,yes its an union job,but hit somebody,you home for 2 on more weeks with no pay!On I say what happens if you get hurt,they dont know you any more,Get used up like an bar of soap.Iam looking to leave,just took the postoffice test for TT,got an 103.He He Iam a Vet:biggrin_25514:,Hey only the union shops pay by the hr.If you go to nonunion shop they pay you by the cs and stop and mile.
     
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  3. justanothercrzytrkdrvr

    justanothercrzytrkdrvr Light Load Member

    172
    49
    Dec 14, 2008
    Fort Worth Tx
    0
    I'm looking at US Foods in Houston Tx - non union shop. They pay by the hour, starting at $16.00.

    I've already taken the drug screen and physical and I'm just waiting to hear back from them. They still have to do all the background checks.

    I've done this work in the past and really enjoy it. I hope things work out cause I've been out of a job now for a week & it's driving me crazy.

    Anyway, if it all works out I'll try to keep things posted on here. The next step would be orientation in Houston followed by two weeks of training.
     
  4. carramrod32

    carramrod32 Heavy Load Member

    712
    792
    Sep 7, 2008
    Midwest
    0
    At least you know what is in store for you as far the work goes and such. I have much appreciation for anyone who does food service delivery with the whole ramp and dolly thing.
     
  5. justanothercrzytrkdrvr

    justanothercrzytrkdrvr Light Load Member

    172
    49
    Dec 14, 2008
    Fort Worth Tx
    0
    Well I finally heard what may be some good news the other day. Apparently they are just waiting on an employment verification to come back and my background. They told me the next orientation was April 13th. and to plan on being there if nothing changes.

    I'm looking forward to starting work and getting some steady hours and pay finally. Of course I'm not holding my breath until I'm actually in orientation & done with training.
     
  6. justanothercrzytrkdrvr

    justanothercrzytrkdrvr Light Load Member

    172
    49
    Dec 14, 2008
    Fort Worth Tx
    0
    Well I'm confirmed for Monday 4/13. I got the hotel info and I spoke to HR who had verified everything.

    I'm anxious to get started and wondering what the job will really be like. If the hours will be there and all that stuff.

    I'll keep things posted here from time to time for those interested.
     
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  7. ampm wayne

    ampm wayne Heavy Load Member

    945
    746
    Jan 13, 2009
    bloomington,in
    0
    Keep-us posted. There is a US FOODSERVICE terminal in my home town. They just recently changed their name to North Star. I know a few drivers there. They are the best paid drivers in the area. They tell me the work is very hard. They un-load at restaurants. One of the drivers I know runs team. He runs a route that takes 2 days. He is home one day then runs the route again. So he actually works 4 days a week. He seems happy but does complain about how much work it is to un-load the trailer.
    Good-luck to you.
     
  8. justanothercrzytrkdrvr

    justanothercrzytrkdrvr Light Load Member

    172
    49
    Dec 14, 2008
    Fort Worth Tx
    0
    Orientation went off without a hitch. I drove down to Houston on Sunday and stayed the night in a hotel (company provided). It was a pretty nice room and the only downside was that it was by the airport so we constantly had planes flying overhead.

    Anyway, we got started Monday morning and were finished around 3pm that afternoon with all of the initial paperwork.

    Tuesday we met with our respective departments. This was the "long" day for us drivers as we had to fill out even more paperwork for training, take some tests, and watch videos. We also spent about an hour in the warehouse observing the selectors as they pulled orders to go out on the trucks. I thought this was a pretty cool idea.

    The hotel provided a free breakfast which wasn't to bad. However, we had to buy our own lunch & dinner both days.

    The company takes their business very seriously, as they should. There are a few negatives such as having to handle money and of course the labor intensive unloading but I knew that going in. I would say overall the positives out weigh the negatives.

    I'll start training tomorrow thru Friday, then off for the weekend and back at it again on Monday. I'm anxious to get started and find out my routes and get to it. It's to early to tell but so far so good and everyone seems very genuine and down to earth at the office.

    If anyone is interested I will try to answer any questions you may have. I am a Houston driver however so things will be different from area to area. Houston is a non-union plant but I know that other locations are union. Pay is certainly different but here they are paying by the hour and overtime after 40. I don't have any info on benefits yet but they do have several to choose from. Trucks aren't really assigned but they are very strict about keeping them clean. They also monitor lane departure and hard brake or rapid decel events. They use a Xata unit for logs & dispatch so no paper logs. They provide you with uniforms (takes about 2 wks) and of course all the tools you need to do your job.

    I actually qualified for a sign on bonus, which they pay up front but if you leave within one year you have to pay it back. They give you a $70.00 boot allowance each year. Depending on when you start you are eligible for vacation time following your 90 day probation period. I started in April so I will get 28 hrs for the remainder of the year. This resets in January to 80hrs as does your sick leave (40hrs) and 3 days personal leave. It doesn't roll over but you sell back what you don't use.

    There are other perks that they offer here in Houston (not sure about elsewhere) but it seems like a really cool place to work right now. Only time will tell but my big thing is that they really believe in promoting from
    within which is what interests me. I love driving and doing my thing on the road but I want to work for a company where I have the potential to move up if I want and it certainly seems that way here.

    Thats it for now folks. More to follow later. Happy trails everyone!
     
  9. justanothercrzytrkdrvr

    justanothercrzytrkdrvr Light Load Member

    172
    49
    Dec 14, 2008
    Fort Worth Tx
    0
    Well I met my trainer Thursday morning & we drove over to pick up our backhaul. He was pretty cool guy so no issues there. It took us all of like one hour to pick up our backhaul which is about the quickest I've ever been in and out of a place, especially a food warehouse! We took our time and headed down to Houston but we only made about 7 hours which kinda sucks. We spent the night in Houston in a company paid hotel which wasn't bad. It was a nice room and there are a few restaraunts close by that you can walk to.

    We left this morning (Friday 4/17) headed back to Dallas with only three stops. We didn't have that many cases so with two people it came off pretty quick but allowed for some good training time. We made exactly 10 hours but after they take the 1/2 hour for lunch you end up with only 9.5 hours.

    Anyway, it's been awhile (4 months) since I did this kind of work & I could tell that I had lost some of my edge. I don't think it will take long to get back in the rhythm of things though. It will take some time to get to know my stops/customers and where & how they want things brought in & of course I'll need to learn the product so I know what it is I'm bringing in.

    The downside is that I talked with my manager on Thursday about my schedule once I finish training and he said that it would only be four days a week. I'll pick up a backhaul on Monday and take it to Houston and stay the night. I'll pick up my load Tuesday morning and head back to Dallas making deliveries. I will be off on Wednesday and then repeat the process on Thursday/Friday. I was not happy to hear that because my first impression is that there is going to be very little if any overtime. My trainer even stated that it's a stretch for him to pull down 50 hours a week & he's a senior driver. I've done the math & I need to make atleast 50 hours a week to be able to call this job worth while from a paycheck point of view.

    It's not hard work or atleast not to me. I'm a little crazy maybe but I like it. I just need to be working 5 days a week and pulling down 50 hours. They only pay overtime after 40 and they pay bi-weekly. I haven't confirmed yet but I've been told by several employees that you get a raise every 6 months for the first three years until you reach their cap which is $19 and some change. After that you only get your yearly cost of living raise. I'm going to confirm this with HR and will report back on here but keep in mind that this is the policy for my location. As far as the equipment goes the trucks are very clean and most of them are the newer international daycabs. The trailers vary from old to new and have typical issues but nothing major. I've never used a XATA before but I feel I already have the hang of it after two days. There is alot of paperwork details that you have to adhere to but overall it's not that bad.

    It's a cadillac deal if you can get the 5 days and 50 hours, otherwise I find it hard to "survive" on just 40 hours. I'll post again on Friday once I've finished a full week.

    Good luck out there and be safe everyone!
     
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  10. justanothercrzytrkdrvr

    justanothercrzytrkdrvr Light Load Member

    172
    49
    Dec 14, 2008
    Fort Worth Tx
    0
    First let me just say that I know the economy is slow and things are not as good as they use to be. I also realize that I am living in Dallas and working for a company based out of Houston so their schedules, pay, etc. are all based on that areas cost of living and how good or bad things are down there.

    I'm technically still in training & you would think that I would atleast get the hours and make the time right. No sir, I got the call yesterday that I would be off today (Wed) just as if I was on a regular schedule. My trainer is working but not me. Let me also mention at this point that we only worked 8.5 hrs on Monday and 9.5 yesterday so being off today doesn't help.

    As for the training, well, there maybe it's just me cause I am a fast learner but I don't see any value in continuing the "grueling" process any longer. I got the XATA down, the paperwork, stops, etc. and it's not like were doing something different or going to a whole lot of different places everyday. It's the same stuff from day to day.

    I'm not going to give up just yet. I'm going to try and talk to my very young and very inexperienced supervisor and see whats up. They are suppose to be working on more backhauls for us but I just found out this week that they are adding yet another driver to an operation that they don't have enough work for the three they already have.

    I can't feed my family and pay my bills on 30 something hours a week and no overtime. I don't have neither the patience or the time to wait it out and see if it gets better. I have another company offering me $3.00 more an hour plus overtime after 8hrs instead of 40 and they claim to have all the hours available that I can possibly work. The only catch is that I will sometimes have to team and it could be a year before I get my own route.

    I hate to job hop and I really like the opportunity that US Foods is offering. I don't mind the work but the problem is they don't seem to have any work, or atleast any out of Houston!
     
  11. justanothercrzytrkdrvr

    justanothercrzytrkdrvr Light Load Member

    172
    49
    Dec 14, 2008
    Fort Worth Tx
    0
    Well, I did it. I resigned my position at US Foodservice Houston yesterday. I accepted the other companies offer & I'm following the money. I just can't take a chance on letting the opportunity pass me by as much as I hate to job hop.

    Now I just have to wait & see how bad they screw me over # US Foodservice. You have to sign a payroll deduction form when you are hired giving them permission to withold whatever they want out of your last check and if that doesn't cover it then you have ten days to pay it back or they come after you.

    I don't know how binding that piece of paper is since it's not notarized, if that even matters. It has some pretty well thought out wording in it so I don't know, but I'm sure I will find out & I'll be sure to post back either way.

    I think they are going to end up loosing a lot of good drivers anyway as long as they cut hours back, don't offer a good compensation/benefits package. I wasn't the only considering leaving, just the first one to step up and do it.

    I don't have any bad feelings toward anyone or the company, it just wasn't for me from a financial standpoint. I was told one thing going in and ended up being something completely different once I was in the door. I discussed it with my supervisor and he admitted that things had feel through and that right now he could only "maybe" get me to 40 hours but that was it.

    I wish them & everyone there the very best & kinda wish it would of worked out but I have to support my family and pay my bills & I just couldn't do that working for them.
     
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