Comments By G-Rod

I'm sure at some point it just happens, but how often do you guys have animals run out in front of you while driving? What is the impact of a deer in a semi? I mean, shouldn't feel like it does in a car or pickup right? Since I'm at least for now wanting to drive line haul, which are mostly over night driving, this has crossed my mind.

12 or 13 years ago when I was driving a box truck through Kansas on I-70 west of Topeka, I saw a deer running full speed, head down (like a dog, not run hop hop run, like usual) from a wide open field across I-70. I saw it from about a half mile away coming. There was a driver ahead of me with a set of doubles, and I watched as I thought, man, they are going to meet up. I saw this deer run across the opposite lane across the grassy median, and it went in front of the truck. I was far enough back that I was waiting for it to come out the other side. Well, not quite, it ran in front of the truck and all I saw was that thing pop about 15ft up in the air, a red mist, and fly 15 more feet back into the grassy median. The truck swerved, the doubles looked like, what I guess would be "cracked the whip" effect, wheels came up on both sides, but the managed to keep it up and keep on going.

As I passed the deer, it was just obliterated. But I do still wondered how the driver didn't see it coming. Wide open, no tall grass, brush, trees, or crops in the fields on both sides of the highway. Maybe the half mile between us changed the perception.

So 6 string, looks like its been a lil over a year since you started this post. How have things changed for you since you been driving line haul til now? What have been some of the biggest challenges you've been faced with so far doing line haul? Has your paychecks stayed pretty consistent?

I just started as a part-time dock worker for FedEx, would like to shoot for OD, but been watching their website for months, and jobs just don't seem to come up that often. Understandable from the things you've said and other things I've heard about the company. So I have my foot in the door at FedEx, hoping to prove myself, then get into their driver apprentice program and let them train me for my CDL. Mostly from what I've read and hear, line haul is line haul is line haul. And the majority of it pays well. I did have the guy hiring me at FedEx openly make a comment when I asked a tax question on paperwork that I was filling out, that he has a couple "road drivers" that make 6 figures a year......so I perked up to that!

Gonna spend the rest of this week doing computer training stuff, but I'm ready to get out there and start proving myself.

Nope. P&D is not what I wanted to do but I'll do it :)

Not too much chance of that though for awhile. Working the 11-7 shift any driving I'll do will be taking a load to another station, working their dock and then bringing a load back. I'll just be classified as a city driver. Though part of the training is to ride with a "city coach" for a week while they do their P&D. Should be interesting :)

I am at a hub, my home terminal, so I dont have to commute while I train.

If you want to do this, get your DOT physical, get your learner's and apply for an apprentice position. You have nothing to lose.

So what's your story if you don't mind me asking, how did you start with FedEx? Did you do dockwork? Was driving your goal? You said you didn't have a choice in P&D....did/do you want to do linehaul?

I started last night as part time dock, still in the paperwork phase, the rest of this week will be computer training for me. do's and don't's of the company. I'm really to get going, sooner I can prove myself sooner, I can hopefully work my way into a driver's apprentice position like you.

Sounds good. I'm finally starting at the part time dock position on Tuesday. Been drug out for about a month to get going. Sure I'll be doing that for a few months, but it's my first step to trying to get to drive.

Is P&D what you wanted to do? I haven't completely ruled it out if I run into limited options, but I'd rather line haul. Just not to crazy about driving a semi around the city all day. There's some businesses so small that I have no idea how some of those guys get into the dock. Maybe if I did it all day I'd get use to it. I would just prefer to not have to deal with all of that mess. But if I don't have a choice, I may have to take what I can get.

Are you training at what will be your home terminal or did you have to travel for it? Good luck, hope it all keeps going well for you.

They drive to fast for conditions many times. Snow or ice or both they run full speed when they can. This is just another example of drivers giving companies a bad name.

The reason for this is perception. You notice FedEx and UPS drivers, they have visibility, logos across their truck vs a guy in a plain truck.

I also have to agree with this, seems like I see more FedEx trucks on the road than anything.

Keep me updated as to how things are going Skippy. Good luck in training. I had a FedEx city driver tell me the other day that he made $85,000 last year, working overtime and some Saturdays. He also said he's pretty sure they have a linehauler that broke $100,000. This is here in the Midwest.

If a company is willing to invest in me for me to acquire a CDL and a chance to make $60K+ a year, I don't see why I wouldn't be with them for a while. I'm not a job hopper. All I am is the guy with a "high school education" looking for the opportunity to make good money. So if a company gives me that opportunity, we should mesh really well together.

I just dabbled on the high road test and got halted, not that I was just guessing answers, but I was trying to do it without having to actually look up the right answer. Here's my question, before the questions their is a review section. On the actual DMV permit test, is that review section provided? If it is, I shouldn't have much of a problem passing reading the material immediately before answering, but don't know if it is, which is why I am/was trying to answer questions straight from memory before getting halted.

Oh yeah, and wanted to ask you DSH69, what type of driver are you in training for? P&D, linehaul? Do you get a choice of what you want to do, or do they just say we're gonna train you to and you're gonna do what we tell you?

Sounds like I may be coming right behind you, but I am starting on the dock part time first. Did you get hired as a driver apprentice? I did get hired for the dock, still going through paperwork, did a drug test today. The lady told me it could still be a couple weeks. Pretty lengthy process, even as a part timer.

Hows the program so far? Are you at what would be your home terminal, or do you have to go travel for the class? Good luck and keep me updated as to how the process goes.

So I think I'm working my way into driving, what has gotten me to this point is, after 10 years of hard dedicated service to my current job, I can finally see that I'm just spinning my wheels here. Next, I only have a high school education, came out of high school gung ho ready to bust my butt and let my hard work get me to where I needed. Well, non of that happened. Now I'm 34 and deemed stupid in the work world because I don't have any specific set of "skills." I can do whatever with a little bit of being taught and shown. But that's obviously not good enough for employers.

In doing my research I've found about 2 things I think I'd want to do that also seem to pay well. The railroad, and driving a truck. The thing with the railroad is, those are great paying jobs, with great benefits, but positions don't become available too often and when they do there's 200 guys trying to get one job. Upon researching driving jobs, primarily on glassdoor.com, some of the best if not the best paying driving jobs are in LTL in the form of P&D and Line haul. P&D seem to average about $24.00/hr, while line haul have a somewhat wide range of $55,000-$100,000/year. Trying to learn more about line haul is what led me to this site and ultimately joining thanks to 6 string rhythm's post of LTL Trucking - My line haul job post. Learned a lot reading through there. Still researching though. The downside to glass doors salaries, are sometimes there are only 1-2 posts, which could sway an average. Old Dominion does have about 7-8 posts of line haul salaries that average to $76,000/year, Saia is second with 4 at $71,000/yr.

So to all the Line haulers out there, are this figures somewhat accurate? Anybody want to talk salary? I'm not gonna lie, I'm after the money! LOL The opportunity to be able to make $60,000-$100,000 with my high school edumacation.

This is irrelevant for trucking, but I work in a warehouse now and make $40,000/yr. Up to $43,500 if I want to work overtime. My job is EASY. But it has become toxic with the people here. I'm a "problem employee" because I bring the real problems to my boss who will do nothing about them. Theft, salesmen inflating sales numbers to receive bonus checks, laziness, employees who have came in, clocked in for work, and immediately left the premises to go get breakfast while the boss is out of town, ect. So while I am what I think to be a model employee, show up everyday, on time, pull more than my weight, wear many different hats while being highly adaptable, but I don't take sh*t from the people skating by and I let my boss know about it, but he just turns his head to protect his reputation to his superiors. This then affects moral and leads to turmoil amongst co-workers. So it's time for me to go. He doesn't appreciate me now, but he'll miss me when I'm gone.

I have just gotten hired at FedEx as a part-time dockworker, while still working my full time job. This is in hopes that I can maybe get into their driver apprentice program and become a driver, and not have to pay for CDL school which I was going to do at the first of the year. I've talk to some of the FedEx drivers that come to my warehouse and they seem to agree that the figures are pretty accurate. One P&D guy said he made $85,000 last year, but worked quite a bit of overtime and some Saturdays. He also said he's pretty sure they have a line hauler that breaks $100,000/year. I'm necessarily against P&D, but don't really want to drive and semi around the city all day and deal with customers, however, I'm not totally ruling it out.

6 string has commented that $65,000 is definitely doable. With all this, I'm just trying to reassure myself that I could make a good living by heading down this path. All these #'s sound great to me coming from $40K/yr, but then there are other websites and drivers, and even some posts on here that talk about guys barely making $40,000/yr and being away from home weeks on end. Sounds like that's primarily OTR though.

Any and all comments, reassurance, would be greatly appreciated.