You will have to qualify. Which means there will be a degree of merit involved in your success or failure.
But as for the bids themselves, expect to be outbid for a long time.
The company is tightening up, and it's harder to find easy money here. Which means that a lot of people that wouldn't have considered going driving before, now are.
I know drivers that moved up within a year, and drivers that had to wait 5 years.
If you're planning on a career that utilizes favoritism, do us all a favor, and lose the plan to become a union steward.