Ask a Feeder Driver, Feeder Driver FAQ

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Pickles

Well-Known Member
I'm 22.3 and a Qualified Feeder Driver. When someone from Feeders retires they hang a bid for one of us qualified to sign. Since I'm top qualified and enjoy doing random runs every day I keep letting the qualified people under me go into the classification before me. If none of the qualified list signs they automatically make the bottom qualified go in to the Feeder qualification.


I also don't go in to the Feeder classification because my vacations and days off are picked through the my combo job. Which means I get off any week or day I want to. If I went in to Feeders I probably wouldn't get a Summer vacation. Also, by doing random days, I usually get more hours then some of the guys who do the same run everyday.
 
cachsux

cachsux

Wah
APettyJ said:
Maybe it is different in your local. Here, when they need covers they'll train cover drivers, who then become part of the q-list. There is a q-list for each year drivers are trained. So this year I will be joining q-q-list "B", since there are drivers already on the q-list, who are now q list "A". When Feeder positions open up they will promote all the drivers in q-list A, and then go with list B, and so on until all the positions are filled. Who ever is left on the list moves to list "A"; guys on list "c" move to "B" (if there is a list "C").

Drivers are picked in seniority order respective to their q-list; so if someone with less seniority than me is on q-list A while I am on B, he will be in line to get the feeder bid ahead of me. However, once we both get bids then my company seniority rules.

So, once you are placed on a q-list you are in line for a Feeder bid. Someone with more seniority cannot "bump" you unless they are in your q-list, which goes by the year you were trained. However, here to qualify for feeders you must have driven in Package for at least the last year (maybe more.)
Click to expand...

And they say 705 has a messed up way of doing it.
 
barnyard

barnyard

KTM rider
Johney said:
1 day? Man that sucks.
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Not that big a deal. I could have worked a week, but the forecast was horrible, so I passed. We have 3 qualified to cover, 1 guy with more seniority will always work feeders, so there has to be 2 feeders on vacay for me to work.

The same guy that has more seniority than me to cover feeders, also is the only higher guy than me for cover driving. We do different types of routes, so I generally get my pick, so it is really not that bad. It would be nice to do feeders for a couple of weeks in a row so that I could build a solid routine.
 
cachsux

cachsux

Wah
APettyJ said:
I don't think it is messed up. Allows a guy to get off the Q-list ASAP, while using regular seniority rights once in Feeders.

Benefits drivers and the company.
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By seniority in package you can come in and drive for peak. By seniority you can come in when a feeder spot opens. There's no "q list, a-b or c.
 
'Lord Brown's bidding'

'Lord Brown's bidding'

Well-Known Member
cachsux said:
By seniority in package you can come in and drive for peak. By seniority you can come in when a feeder spot opens. There's no "q list, a-b or c.
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How are your covers list organized? Technically, those of us on our q-list are not yet bidded feeder drivers, but TCDs. However, with our Feeder dept there are NO outside hires, as there never needs to be. We are trained even before a bid is open, for some guys years before...
 
cachsux

cachsux

Wah
APettyJ said:
How are your covers list organized? Technically, those of us on our q-list are not yet bidded feeder drivers, but TCDs. However, with our Feeder dept there are NO outside hires, as there never needs to be. We are trained even before a bid is open, for some guys years before...
Click to expand...

I couldn't tell you in a small building but in our area the big buildings have the feeder drivers that cover the region.
We don't have a cover list. You either go feeder as a peak temp or a replacement driver and are trained accordingly. We have a board big enough to cover our vacations, 370+ currently.
 
'Lord Brown's bidding'

'Lord Brown's bidding'

Well-Known Member
cachsux said:
I couldn't tell you in a small building but in our area the big buildings have the feeder drivers that cover the region.
We don't have a cover list. You either go feeder as a peak temp or a replacement driver and are trained accordingly. We have a board big enough to cover our vacations, 370+ currently.
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The peak temps, they go back to their previous positions between peaks?
 
'Lord Brown's bidding'

'Lord Brown's bidding'

Well-Known Member
Being on the list here means that outside peak I, for all intents and purposes, am a package car driver. While on the q-list I'll even still have a bidded package route.

However, I will pick my vacation and personal days as part of the feeder seniority list; after all, my whole purpose at the moment is to cover their vacations and personals, so I need to be available if needed (this is one place where actual seniority, vs q-list seniority, holds true, even before becoming a bidded driver).
 
cachsux

cachsux

Wah
APettyJ said:
Being on the list here means that outside peak I, for all intents and purposes, am a package car driver. While on the q-list I'll even still have a bidded package route.

However, I will pick my vacation and personal days as part of the feeder seniority list; after all, my whole purpose at the moment is to cover their vacations and personals, so I need to be available if needed (this is one place where actual seniority, vs q-list seniority, holds true, even before becoming a bidded driver).
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You would not like picking vaca on our feeder board unless you're used to crappy picks in package car also.
 
Johney

Johney

Pineapple King
cachsux said:
You would not like picking vaca on our feeder board unless you're used to crappy picks in package car also.
Click to expand...
The bottom guy on our feeder cover didn't even get to pick vacation the weeks were assigned. Basically what weeks were left he got.
 
over9five

over9five

Moderator
Staff member
Johney said:
The bottom guy on our feeder cover didn't even get to pick vacation the weeks were assigned. Basically what weeks were left he got.
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Yup, the bottom guys here got that too. Sucks to have over 20 years in, and you can't even pick a vacation week!
 
Johney

Johney

Pineapple King
over9five said:
Oh man, that sucks!
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He wasn't happy. But it is what it is. They all go through it in our building. Fortunately it looks like up to 5 guys are retiring it the next year so he may gain seniority and possibly his own route in a year or less. Also they posted a bid and two more guys are going into training this year.
 

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