What is it like?

[Tenpoint88]

Hello. I am 18 and pretty fresh out of high school. I know here in a month or so lots of jobs part time for ups are about to be on the market. I have an uncle who is a ups tractor trailer driver and seems to make a lot of money. He started from the bottoms washing trucks and now he has quite the career. Anyways, I've been doing construction since I got out of high school and it doesn't seem like a "career" being a work like a dog every day. I don't expect to not work like a dog here, but I might actually go somewhere at UPS. Anyways, how long does it typically take to get up to a full time position? Also how long does it take to get raises? And lastly, how does vacation work? Can you take unpaid vacation? Obviously I wouldn't want to during the winter when they are very busy but what I mean is during the summer because my family goes on family vacations for a week over the summer. Anyways thanks.


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[AndUPSER]

You'll work like a dog but you will have a chance for advancements with good health insurance and paid vacation after a year. You will get raises every year, check the contract for exact details.

Going full time varies from each hub/center. I would ask your Uncle on approximate wait times. My hub has a wait time of 9 years right now, but is expected to drop down dramatically within the next 2-5 years due to retirements.

Unpaid vacation time will depend on your management team. A whole week may be iffy, but having a Thursday and Friday off could be reasonable.

 

[retiredTxfeeder]

You have a lot of questions. I no longer work there, but I spent 38 peaks in the trenches. Right now is the best time in recent history to get hired on at UPS. Full time or part time. Used to be you had to be 21 to drive, not sure if that is still true. Best thing for you to do is get a copy of the current contract, either online or from a steward or local union hall. read it and everything that pertains to you. It will cover starting wages, and raises and how long it takes to earn a vacation. As far as taking a week off to go on vacation with the family, well, that may not go over too well with management unless you have a week of vacation earned. This is a real time job, with real chances to go to the top like your uncle did and drive a feeder. Pull on your big boy pants and work hard to be a success. Oh and go ask your uncle to loan you a hundred dollars, cause you know he has it. haha. Good luck to you, young man.

 

[alligator_suede]

Don't be too hasty about deciding what you'll want during peak lol. If I could completely shut down my brain's empathy centers I'd take my vacation during peak.

A couple supplements to the above posts:

I believe the insurance and benefits kick in after a certain number of hours worked, not just three hundred plus sixty-five days. But, if you're interested in going full time and are productive, have a good attitude, etc. it may be possible to work doubles, especially during peak. Doing so will cut that year down. It depends on your hub though, as many people with seniority might be in front of you in line for working doubles, and the work won't always be there. Most doubles don't work doubles most of the time.

I don't know if vacation days are a universal (in my hub I think it's 2/year for new hires, and you get an extra day every year), and call outs are iffy. I'm not sure how many of those you get. Your sup won't like you in any case if you rack up too many of those (goodbye working doubles) and they are definitely unpaid.

 

[Brownslave688]

By the time you're 30 you'll like be making around 100k a year.

Skip the family vacation for a year or two. It's worth it. Plus what teenager wants to do vacation with their parents.

The work is hard but you are compensated very well.

 

[Tenpoint88]

Thank you guys for the advice. And 100k a year by the time I'm 40? Dang! I mean it's either work my ass off for 2-3 years at UPS and then have a nice life for the rest of my life or work in construction or shipyard for the rest of my life and feel like a slave. My dad always says UPS is where I should go. Seeing how good my uncle is doing and the fact he started washing trucks really encourages me and I am a pretty positive guy. I look at this as a career and plan to work my hardest. Anyways thanks for the advice guys.


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[Tenpoint88]

And I meant 30, not 40 lol


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