Comments By Doug

6 string,

You are right the 15% giveback was a direct result of mismanagement. What you leave out is that management is gone. YRC is under new management.

What is your opinion based on then ? You keep saying you dont know anyone who works there that is happy and you wouldnt recommend them ? Please tell us what you base this on having never worked there ?

Its not BS, of course he CAN quit if he wants to go somewhere else and start at the bottom. Why would he ? Why would he take a giant pay cut, go back to working nights and start over ?

He hasnt been laid off, his job hasnt been cut, he just doesnt like it. He doesnt need to re- invent himself in this "crappy economy". In fact, unless he is in a position financially to do something else, it would be really foolish. Quitting a good job, even if you hate it in this " crappy economy" would be pretty irresponsible if you have a family to support or if you think you might want to retire before you die.

Oh and BTW, cradle to the grave employment in the LTL industry IS the norm. In a seniority based employment system, time in the seat is the only way to move up. If you voluntarily leave 20 years of seniority to start at the bottom somewhere else, you must be really unhappy where you are.

6 string, Why do you feel the need to constantly bad mouth YRC in here ? It amazes me that you have been in the business less than 2 years and you have worked at one company, yet you are an expert on the entire LTL industry.

The theme around here is not to bash a company or spread bad information without first hand knowledge. Drivers you have met is not first hand knowledge. I have a friend who works at FedEx freight as a linehaul driver and he hates it. He in fact IS trapped by his seniority. He has been there almost 20 years, is near 50 and cant just quit and start over.

Because he hates it that must make FedEx Freight a terrible place to work right ? When I started looking for an LTL job in Indianapolis, he told me the same thing, if he had it to do over, FedEx would be the last place he would work. I have know him for 30 years and he is one of the few people I stay in contact with from high school. In other words, he isnt just some random driver I ran into in a truck stop.

My guess is he is just tired of bouncing around in a day cab and the trucking industry in general after 20 years. His opinion of his employer may be based on his cynical view of the industry and the changes he has seen over 20 years. Doesnt mean FedEx Freight is a terrible place to work.

I have worked for YRC for about 3 months and I run into the same OLD drivers you mention everyday. For the most part, they are the type of people who would complain about winning the lottery because of all the taxes they have to pay.

Roadway and Yellow were bitter rivals and their drivers just didnt like each other. After almost 15 years, that hasnt completely gone away. These guys still talk about being a Roadway driver or a Yellow driver and how one company did it better than the other. People hate change and they just wont let it go. Those attitudes are poison and until those people retire or leave its going to be hard to change that perception.

My experience so far has been very positive. I like the job, the pay and benefits. My biggest complaint would be listening to those negative attitudes in the terminal. Same complaint I had working for Knight OTR. Hang around ANY terminal or truck stop and they are always there, complaining to anyone who will listen. I choose not to listen.

I just started working for them in Indianapolis at the end of August and I like it so far. Like any LTL company, seniority is the key. Being new and on the bottom you will work nights, weekends and holidays.

Being on call kinda sucks but its just part of the deal at the bottom. Im on call until I complete 5 tours and then I can be off up to 72 hrs. Completing 5 tours means 4 beds and home to Indianapolis. Bed means just like it sounds, you leave the terminal and where ever you end your day and go to bed is one tour.

So far I have mostly left the terminal in Indy and run say 8 to 10 hours to another terminal, go to a hotel and take a 10 hour break and take a load back to Indianapolis. That makes 2 tours.

After being OTR with Knight for a year and a half, it is really nice to spend the night in a hotel with a bathroom and shower instead of living in truck stops and rest areas.

Im home every other day for the most part and off at least 2 days a week.

They went through some pretty bad financial times but it seems, new management has turned that around and they are making a profit for the last 3 quarters in 2015.

The equipment is old, most of the tractors I have been in have 1 1/2 million miles on them but they seem to be in good repair. They are starting to replace the tractors and trailers that they put off because of the financial situation.

Its a union shop so you must join the union. I grew up in a union household and I was happy to join. Your philosophy on unions may be different and thats something you will need to consider.

They also have ALOT of older drivers who will be retiring in the next couple of years. I have moved up 30 positions since I started in August. Its a good time to get in and start building seniority.

You will hear grumblings about the 15 % pay cut and that they are bankrupt and going out of business and who knows, maybe they will. Personally, I like the job, the people at the terminal and I know what I signed up for so if they continue to turn the business around I got in at the right time. If not, I was looking for a job when I got this one, Knight calls about once a month asking me to come back.

Once you have been to the problem parking areas a few times you will figure out the alternative spots other than big chain truck stops. I found that paying for parking, for me anyway is more about convenience.

Depending on the time of day and how much time you have to hunt, paying $10 to $20 bucks to be able to park and go to bed as soon as possible is no big deal in my opinion. I am a Linehaul driver now and parking isnt my problem anymore, but in the year and a half I was OTR, I paid for parking maybe 4 times.

I ran the northeast quite a bit and it really wasnt an issue once I knew my way around and was able to trip plan so I could park before the crowd got there. If I couldnt, it was nice to know I could buy a spot if I had to. Even then, some places will fill up even the reserved spots if you arrive at the wrong time of day.

In the grand scheme of things, paying less than $100 a year for my convenience was no big deal. Nothing worse than getting woke up in the middle of the night and being told to move because you parked in an "improvised" parking spot.

My dispatcher and I got along great and he would have found a way to pay me for it if I asked but to me it just wasnt worth the hassle. He usually threw me an extra $50 to $100 just for going up there without complaint anyway so paying to park was no big deal if I had to.

I dont understand the delimma Tom. The stress you are putting on yourself now can be avoided by simply calling the companies you are interested in and telling them the truth about your situation and why you chose to leave Prime.

No more worrying about what story to tell or how they will react. Make the calls, tell the truth and then you will know, simple as that.

Buy renters insurance for the address you used for your CDL.

That was almost 2 years ago so if the classification has changed it may be different. I would just tell the recruiter before you go to any orientation about the prescription and take it with you to be on the safe side.

May also want something from your doctor that says you can take it without side effects.

Doug

I had a hernia repaired about 3 weeks before I went to orientation with Knight. I had a prescription for Tramadol that I took for a few days after the surgery.

I took the prescription and the bottle with me to orientation just in case it was an issue and I told the recruiter that I had taken it after the surgery. I was also concerned about anything from the anesthesia showing up.

No issues with the drug test, they didnt ask about the surgery or the Tramadol.

Doug

The problem with the Central States Pension Fund doesnt just lay solely on YRC. The problem is there are so many companies that no longer exist that have retirees drawing a pension from the fund their company no longer contributes to. That leaves the companies still in the fund to pick up the tab.

Pretty simple really, companies still in the fund are subsidizing the fund for retired workers from companies that no longer put money in the pot.

Benefits must be cut or the companies still contributing to the fund will go out of business trying to keep up with the payments, or the fund will collapse.

Its the same situation as the Social Security System. More people taking more money from a smaller pot than was ever contributed by them or in this case, for them.