Should I take the job?

[bailey2227]

Hello:

I just contacted a UPS Freight facility in my area. They put me on the phone with the hiring manager. The manager said they are in need of hiring 5 more CDL Dockworkers. I asked him a couple of questions about the position. He said the starting pay is $17.95 a hour. After a year you would reach top pay of $21.00. He also said you need a year or two of experience to be an Over the Road driver. I guess Over the Road drivers make a lot more. He said the 5 positions are all full-time. When you are hired at UPS Freight, are you guaranteed full-time hours. I know UPS Freight is non-union. When I got off the phone w/ him, I called a driving school in my area. I could get my CDL License in the next 6 weeks full-time. My question is would it be worth it. The cost of going to this school is around $6,000. I would have my CDL "A" License, with hazmat, double, triple, tanker, etc.

I am really looking for those who work in UPS Freight to help me out. Are the medical benefits and vacation the same for UPS Freight as they are for UPS. I know the pay is a little bit lower for UPS Freight then UPS as a feeder. The manager said you can make $70-$80,000 a year with some experience as an Over the Road driver. Is that true?

I hope to get some responses back here soon. I need to make a decision about this pretty fast. Oh, one more thing. Is the retirement the same for UPS Freight as it is for UPS?

 

[lazfran]

Hello,
Did you explain to him that you don't have a CDL yet? For UPS freight and practically any LTL company to become a driver even if it is a Dockworker/CDL position, you need at least 2 years with the license + experience. Most if not all insurance companies wont take in a driver that does not meet these minimums. The way to go after you get the license is to do over the road for a couple of years or do local beverage delivery etc. I worked for Pepsi for 4 years before jumping ship to UPS. It was backbreaking work but the experience was priceless for me to get hired at UPS. LTL companies love ex-food & beverage delivery drivers. They looked at my driving, customer service skills, ability to meet deadlines etc.
Good luck!

 

[sppollock]

I know that a couple of the drivers at my UPS Freight terminal were hired as dock workers and were trained by the safety person. They are now full time drivers. You should check to see if this is possible.

 

[ericjones999]

You would be wasting the money to get the CDL through a school. Take a job as a dock worker without a CDL and UPS will help you get the CDL training and you will have virtually no out of pocket costs. Dock worker with a CDL do start at 17/hour or so and do not top out until the THIRD year not one. Get in the door on the dock and you will have inside priority for any full time positions for dock, driver or whatever. Good luck, there is a part time outbound position here open. Interested?

 

[Southern Cross]

What area of the country are you located in? Are you near a large hub? If you DO qualify for RDDR status and being on the "bottom" of the board, will you have a problem working weekends? Will you have a problem in a "sleeper enviroment"? In 2008, so it has been said lately, many of our runs will be facing changes. I am not sure how this will effect drivers presently employed, but it may cause some great runs to become not so great. I'm not sure how it is at many of our locations at the time of this writing, but I have heard that it is not good at the bottom of the board. We all have to start some where and should you choose to become a RDDR, you will face some LEAN times. Good luck.

 

[raceanoncr]

You would be wasting the money to get the CDL through a school. Take a job as a dock worker without a CDL and UPS will help you get the CDL training and you will have virtually no out of pocket costs. Dock worker with a CDL do start at 17/hour or so and do not top out until the THIRD year not one. Get in the door on the dock and you will have inside priority for any full time positions for dock, driver or whatever. Good luck, there is a part time outbound position here open. Interested?

Sorry, but at this time, UPS does NOT help UPSF drivers get CDLs. I don't know of any barn around the nation that has or will do this. Now, UPS, the parcel division does!

You start on the "docks", that is, inside, probably as a part-timer, advance to full-time package (in most cases), and over time, qualify for feeder position, which means you will be sent to feeder school to obtain your CDL.