LTL Trucking - My Linehaul Job

Thanks for the input. I have a friend who works for Conway and believes he can get me in their doing what he is doing. That is basically working at night driving to other terminals in which you then work the docks and then drive back to your home terminal. To me that sounds like the best option for me starting out. Granted it is at night, it still allows me to not be gone for days. Although it won't be all driving as it will include forklift and dock work it still allows me to get better and more comfortable in the truck before considering line haul and or P&D. That of course is whether the position is still open after completing school.

And Brett, around me their is a good bit of places always hiring whether it is for P&D or line haul. Conway, Estes and A Duie Pyle are all within a mile of each other. ABF and Old Dominon are also up the road 30 minutes from the other 3 listed. To my knowledge 6 string is pulling from the OD a hour away from me and even attended the same trucking school I plan on attending. So here, York PA, it is quite a bit of companies looking for drivers. I only listed a few of the bigger ones but there is other smaller ones as well

Tyler, Conway and Estes are known for having positions that require drivers to also work the dock. Estes has some L/H positions that are strictly driving, but unless I'm mistaken, I do believe that most Conway drivers are also working the dock. Personally, I'd roll with Estes over Conway.

You also are seeing what I've been mentioning in this thread about how LTL companies will 'bunch up.' Typically, if you know of one LTL in your area, there will be others. That's just how it is.

OD was my top pick, and I'll never leave. But if I didn't have OD as an opportunity, I'd look into Estes, UPSF, Fed Ex Freight, and maybe Conway.

Tyler, you have plenty of options where we live. I think you know how fortunate you are! Do well in trucking school, and you should have your pick of the litter.

Thanks 6 string and always good to hear from you. I will be meeting with Chris hopefully this week at DCS to get set up for the next class.

I have talked to a few drivers from OD, most recently Mark K, and all have had nothing but good things to say about OD. For me certainly the Emigsville hub of companies will be much closer than Carlisle but i also have a connection at Fed Ex in Lewisberry. I will more then likely be applying to all 3 at Emigsville first plus Fed Ex and may reach out to OD and ABF in Carlisle as well. The more options i have the better. Also may look at A&S Kinard as i have heard nothing bad about them either. Granted Brett has me a little worried starting out P&D, I will evaluate any and all when the time comes. Please keep in touch 6 String would love to hear how things are going

...From what I understand through reading, research and talking to drivers, $60K/year is very standard, with potential to make up to $100K/year with some extra effort.

6 string, you said early on in this thread, there were times you considering quitting. what things got you to that point? the isolation? the stress of driving a big truck? driving over night? long hours?

What made you decide to stick with it? are you glad you did?

You've commented about being on tight schedules, what happens if they give you a run that takes 10 hours to get there, but you get stuck or slowed down by traffic costing you and hour and a half putting you over your 11 hours drive time? Do you immediately have to stop that truck for 8-10 hours for the last 30 mins it would take you to get there? How does that affect you as far as the job goes? Penalized or chewed out?

Jared, those figures are very reasonable. OD just issued another pay raise for L/H and P&D drivers. L/H starting rate is now .58 cpm for southern miles, .59 cpm for northern miles. Top rate takes 2 years I believe, for L/H, and should be around .62 cpm now.

So, averaging 2500 miles a week, a rookie at OD could easily gross over 75k a year.

If you're looking at union shops, I'd consider UPSF over ABF. UPSF starts you out lower, but you'll have the highest paid LTL gig in the country. Also, ABF makes you wait 2 years until you get any sort of paid vacation. Still, ABF is a fantastic company to work for - it's still LTL! Probably the only LTL company I would stay away from would be YRC.

The reason why I wanted to quit in the beginning was simply because of all the things every driver goes through in the beginning of their career. And comparatively speaking, I still had it VERY good. I couldn't imagine the stress for the OTR drivers. Mostly, it was getting used to the long hours and rigorous schedule (including learning how to be nocturnal), the responsibility of the job / driving a big rig, and being away from family - plus the sheer exhaustion. In short, a lot of the same things that OTR drivers go through, but I got to go home much more and earn a higher income.

Am I glad I stuck with it? YES!!!!!!!!!!!! I absolutely love OD and being a linehaul driver. To me, linehaul IS trucking. It's not for everybody, but I've embraced the profession. I work for a company that is stellar, and I earn enough for my wife to stay at home with the kids, what's not to like? I like it all, days or nights. When I go into metro NY, I do it with a smile because I know I am blessed.

Tight schedules. Currently I am a wild driver, which means my runs will vary. There are some runs I do that are over 600 miles for the day. Basically, for those 600+ mile runs, if it runs smoothly, I can get back with about 1/2 hour left of drive time on my clock. It's tight. If I think I'm gonna run out of time, I call ahead of time and I can get picked up. This has happened. If I'm too far away from my home terminal to get picked up, I'll be sent to a hotel - no big deal. I always carry an overnight bag with me in case this happens. It's rare. If you run over your logs, you'll be in violation. You get written up. Do it enough, it will be a big problem. This isn't just company policy, it's federal regs.

I have an opportunity to get one of these linehaul positions. Applied today as a matter of fact.

I was also wondering, as someone asked, what happens if you get delayed for some reason (snow or ice or whatever) and you are up against your hours?

Anyone know how they deal with this as far as making up the delivery, retribution and the like?

Thanks,

If you run out of hours, LTL companies will put you up in a hotel where you can do your 10 hours. You just have to call in and let them know ahead of time. They'll re-route you to the nearest terminal , and send you to a hotel from there. A couple terminals at my company actually have rooms for drivers, but for the most part, it's a hotel.

As far as retribution, there is none. As long as you've been driving all day and not doing something else, if traffic or weather delays you, you have to stop when you run out of hours.

Good to hear from you buddy. Hope all's well in NJ!

Thanks 6 string and always good to hear from you. I will be meeting with Chris hopefully this week at DCS to get set up for the next class.

I have talked to a few drivers from OD, most recently Mark K, and all have had nothing but good things to say about OD. For me certainly the Emigsville hub of companies will be much closer than Carlisle but i also have a connection at Fed Ex in Lewisberry. I will more then likely be applying to all 3 at Emigsville first plus Fed Ex and may reach out to OD and ABF in Carlisle as well. The more options i have the better. Also may look at A&S Kinard as i have heard nothing bad about them either. Granted Brett has me a little worried starting out P&D , I will evaluate any and all when the time comes. Please keep in touch 6 String would love to hear how things are going

Feel free to pm me. Not sure if you already tried. Somebody from here recently tried and I never got the message. I'm happy to help in whatever way I can.

Chris is a good guy - he expects the best, remember that if he seems to get a little 'pushy.' Just trust in the process.

Commuting is definitely something to consider in regard to the company you choose. Some guys at my terminal have 550-600 mile runs and commute around 45 minutes both ways to work, every day. That would take some discipline. I'm under 30 minutes, and find it manageable. Some guys are over an hour away, and will purposefully bag out for the week, because going home every day would not be feasible. There have been runs I've done in the past that would amount to 14-15 hour days, by the time you factored in my commute. It all depends on what you can tolerate and handle. Personally, I think anything over 30 minutes would be rough.

Of course I'm a huge OD fanboy, but if I lived in York area, I'd seriously consider Estes or Fed Ex Freight - just because of the commute. Then again, you might be fine with a 45 minute commute every day, in order to work at OD. Considering what I know about OD now, I would still make the commute from York. At our OD terminal, right now is an excellent time to jump aboard. With the growth happening, they are in a hiring phase. You'll move up in seniority relatively fast. That's important to consider.

I looked at Kinard too. Before I knew OD or any LTL was an option, my choices were Crete / Shaffer for my first year of OTR , and then a local company like Kinard for my remaining local career.

In regard to P&D as a rookie, tons of folks do it. Granted, Brett raises legitimate concerns and issues. I see lots of new drivers coming in and doing city work. They expect you to have growing pains, but you can't be a knucklehead. Personally, I wouldn't wanna do P&D, and it's not just because of the pay cut. It's all personal preference. The drivers that are P&D , would never wanna do linehaul! P&D drivers are like the infantry - they're the face of the company and are in the trenches. I respect P&D drivers.

Thanks 6 string and always good to hear from you. I will be meeting with Chris hopefully this week at DCS to get set up for the next class.

I have talked to a few drivers from OD, most recently Mark K, and all have had nothing but good things to say about OD. For me certainly the Emigsville hub of companies will be much closer than Carlisle but i also have a connection at Fed Ex in Lewisberry. I will more then likely be applying to all 3 at Emigsville first plus Fed Ex and may reach out to OD and ABF in Carlisle as well. The more options i have the better. Also may look at A&S Kinard as i have heard nothing bad about them either. Granted Brett has me a little worried starting out P&D , I will evaluate any and all when the time comes. Please keep in touch 6 String would love to hear how things are going

Feel free to pm me. Not sure if you already tried. Somebody from here recently tried and I never got the message. I'm happy to help in whatever way I can.

Chris is a good guy - he expects the best, remember that if he seems to get a little 'pushy.' Just trust in the process.

Commuting is definitely something to consider in regard to the company you choose. Some guys at my terminal have 550-600 mile runs and commute around 45 minutes both ways to work, every day. That would take some discipline. I'm under 30 minutes, and find it manageable. Some guys are over an hour away, and will purposefully bag out for the week, because going home every day would not be feasible. There have been runs I've done in the past that would amount to 14-15 hour days, by the time you factored in my commute. It all depends on what you can tolerate and handle. Personally, I think anything over 30 minutes would be rough.

Of course I'm a huge OD fanboy, but if I lived in York area, I'd seriously consider Estes or Fed Ex Freight - just because of the commute. Then again, you might be fine with a 45 minute commute every day, in order to work at OD. Considering what I know about OD now, I would still make the commute from York. At our OD terminal, right now is an excellent time to jump aboard. With the growth happening, they are in a hiring phase. You'll move up in seniority relatively fast. That's important to consider.

I looked at Kinard too. Before I knew OD or any LTL was an option, my choices were Crete / Shaffer for my first year of OTR , and then a local company like Kinard for my remaining local career.

In regard to P&D as a rookie, tons of folks do it. Granted, Brett raises legitimate concerns and issues. I see lots of new drivers coming in and doing city work. They expect you to have growing pains, but you can't be a knucklehead. Personally, I wouldn't wanna do P&D, and it's not just because of the pay cut. It's all personal preference. The drivers that are P&D , would never wanna do linehaul! P&D drivers are like the infantry - they're the face of the company and are in the trenches. I respect P&D drivers.

Good info and for me the commute will be factored in. Currently I am south of Red Lion so it is 20 minutes to York or 25-30 to Emigsville add for Carlisle and its about 1 hour or just over to get to OD, not out of the question but must be factored in. Yes i did PM you and assumed you didnt get it or was busy. Worst case is maybe after i complete DCS i will see you at his picnic one year ;)

For me its just a matter of getting over the standard fears that go into getting my CDL and getting started

Tyler, I didn't get your PM. Try again. I'll check my spam folder as well.

An hour commute would be hefty my friend.

I've yet to make it to one of Chris' BBQs. It's for a lack of time.

Not to take away from Chris, but you'll wanna inquire into whatever companies you're interested in, to see if they have their own paid training program. I could've saved 5k if I went to OD's training. But, I don't regret the training I got at Chris' school. Plus, at that time I didn't know about paid training for LTL , and wanted to have more options in choosing a truckload company that didn't have paid training, like Crete / Shaffer or Schneider.

Tyler, I didn't get your PM. Try again. I'll check my spam folder as well.

An hour commute would be hefty my friend.

I've yet to make it to one of Chris' BBQs. It's for a lack of time.

Not to take away from Chris, but you'll wanna inquire into whatever companies you're interested in, to see if they have their own paid training program. I could've saved 5k if I went to OD's training. But, I don't regret the training I got at Chris' school. Plus, at that time I didn't know about paid training for LTL , and wanted to have more options in choosing a truckload company that didn't have paid training, like Crete / Shaffer or Schneider.

pm sent

Tyler, I didn't get your PM. Try again. I'll check my spam folder as well.

An hour commute would be hefty my friend.

I've yet to make it to one of Chris' BBQs. It's for a lack of time.

Not to take away from Chris, but you'll wanna inquire into whatever companies you're interested in, to see if they have their own paid training program. I could've saved 5k if I went to OD's training. But, I don't regret the training I got at Chris' school. Plus, at that time I didn't know about paid training for LTL , and wanted to have more options in choosing a truckload company that didn't have paid training, like Crete / Shaffer or Schneider.

pm sent

after working for Sage schools in Caldwell Id. for 5 yrs .and Success for 1 yrs .) I have "NEVER " seen a LTL / freight Co. reimburse for tuition . and the big carriers "shaffer / May / Schneider / SWIFT etc. only do it for a 1 year commitment ,( or their schools with a 1 yr commitment ) then it's a little payments for reimbursement over a year term .. the tuition is now well over 5,000$ for CDL training from an accredited school .And the big OTR co. wont hire unless you have the paper of accreditation , the smaller schools wont do anything but give you 96 hrs class ( including 4 hrs testing for permit ). 40 hrs BTW. and 4 hrs w/ a examiner .for approx . $ 4,000 +- ..then I gave alot of specialized training ( folks permit in hand ) taught pretrip ,how to back / to drive in traffic ..they passed test , and away they went ... most folks don't have this kind of $$ laying around ..

thats where a majority of drivers both OTR & LTL are from ....SAGE went to this type of training ....more power to them ,,it's about $$ !

but certantly differently different world ( rules ) wise than was 30 ago . best of luck to ya all !

Tyler, I didn't get your PM. Try again. I'll check my spam folder as well.

An hour commute would be hefty my friend.

I've yet to make it to one of Chris' BBQs. It's for a lack of time.

Not to take away from Chris, but you'll wanna inquire into whatever companies you're interested in, to see if they have their own paid training program. I could've saved 5k if I went to OD's training. But, I don't regret the training I got at Chris' school. Plus, at that time I didn't know about paid training for LTL , and wanted to have more options in choosing a truckload company that didn't have paid training, like Crete / Shaffer or Schneider.

pm sent

after working for Sage schools in Caldwell Id. for 5 yrs .and Success for 1 yrs .) I have "NEVER " seen a LTL / freight Co. reimburse for tuition . and the big carriers "shaffer / May / Schneider / SWIFT etc. only do it for a 1 year commitment ,( or their schools with a 1 yr commitment ) then it's a little payments for reimbursement over a year term .. the tuition is now well over 5,000$ for CDL training from an accredited school .And the big OTR co. wont hire unless you have the paper of accreditation , the smaller schools wont do anything but give you 96 hrs class ( including 4 hrs testing for permit ). 40 hrs BTW. and 4 hrs w/ a examiner .for approx . $ 4,000 +- ..then I gave alot of specialized training ( folks permit in hand ) taught pretrip ,how to back / to drive in traffic ..they passed test , and away they went ... most folks don't have this kind of $$ laying around ..

thats where a majority of drivers both OTR & LTL are from ....SAGE went to this type of training ....more power to them ,,it's about $$ !

but certantly differently different world ( rules ) wise than was 30 ago . best of luck to ya all !

Yes, any company near me who does paid training for LTL or Line haul you are under their contract for 1 year minimum. Not sure on all but I know Conway is 2 years which is the highest I found. I will foot the bill so I have choices and not under contract. more choice also means possibility for better pay which allows me to earn that 5k back in no time.

I emailed Old Dominion about what schools they except, they didn't really give exact names, but this was the reply:

"The school must be a minimum of 160 hours and provide you a certificate of graduation with a grade transcript. We do offer tuition reimbursement if you come to OD directly out of class."

Does anyone think I should ask for specific schools or try to get better info? Or try to contact the terminal near me? I'm looking at Apex CDL institue here in KC. From what I understand they are a very good school. $4,000 for 3 weeks. Here's a link to a youtube video of a guy who's rig was nearly laid completely over and he managed to keep it upright! It's an Apex video in case anyone wants to check out their others. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ROCBQ35FR8

Apex did specify that they work with FedEx for job placement, so I think I'd be good there if I wanted that as an option. FedEx and OD would are probably my top two options along with ABF as a third. OD is the furthest away at about (according to mapquest) 32.5 miles. With no traffic it could be a 35-40 min drive. Traffic, an hour.