You're absolutely right. The single route guys were better in the sense that they knew that they had to keep the trucks in good condition because they had to drive the damn things. Show up for work every day because you had money in the game and had to move a mountain of stuff every day just to hold on. Today with the introduction of the investor class they're focus is completely on the bottom line. Any slug they could get to work for nothing will do just fine. Any old piece of smelter bait is good enough for a truck. One that no single route guy would leave the terminal in and the investor himself would be scared scatless if he had to go out in it. But then again this is what X wanted.Let's just hope that they will continue to be blessed with an inexhaustable supply of it and the investor class goes broke.
About to start job at Fedex ISP looking for insight.
- Thread starter socalfusions
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socalfusions
Member
I wonder why that is? That would be a sweet job to get out of the military, I suppose flying things like C-130's is very similar to flying a jumbo jet with freight.
This is the case, they listed the terminal location but didn't elaborate on the route locations. You're right I probably would have felt the same way, I wonder if they didn't divulge that information for a purpose?
I'm hoping my contractor is on their game, I'll find out soon enough.
You're saying in 5 years I'll be doing the same thing and getting the same pay if I stick with this ISP? I wouldn't doubt that to be honest. I never went into this with the aspirations of making anything out of my pilot career, I just threw it out there on whether it would create any network opportunities in the future. I've actually thought about flying in Alaska but have stayed local due to various responsibilities, that would sure be an experience though.
Scary to think that but wouldn't be surprising if it happened sadly.
One thing one of the contractors stated to me, though this was a different one than the one I'm working for, is that they don't offer overtime and that the workday is usually less than 8 hours. I'm not sure that would actually be the case since it sounds like too good of a deal and the guy telling me this had pretty bad english. Don't they have to offer overtime after 8 hours in a workday unless you're doing 4 day work weeks? (What happened at Amazon). $12 would be a pay decrease from the $15 I was making at Amazon, sad part was the other ISP's in the same operating area as us were making $18 and were paid by the route instead of the hour so they would often get in after 5-6 hours and get paid for the day. One of the things I'm looking forward to is working the same route, that was one of the most frustrating parts about Amazon, they would give you a new route everyday and you would go through the struggle of figuring everything out over and over again until you learned it after weeks. I agree that $12 should not be attributed with the most stressful jobs.
UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)
Well-Known Member
Less than 8 hours?
The Ground guys here start before I do and are generally still on road as I am on my way home.
10-12 hour days are the norm.
The Ground guys here start before I do and are generally still on road as I am on my way home.
10-12 hour days are the norm.
socalfusions
Member
That's unfortunate to hear that the game has changed into this. What exactly is a single route guy? It seems that more and more businesses are adopting this philosophy, I used to drive for Uber and when they started out you could make 30k+ a year, now you're lucky to make much more than minimum wage. Gotta please those shareholders.
I didn't really believe it when I heard it, perhaps it was intended to get me to work for that contractor instead of the one I went with? Do you get overtime?
It will be fine
Well-Known Member
I can run all my routes in 6 to 10 hours depending on the route and pickup times. I have some guys that turn 6 hours of work into 10 hour days. It's not my problem if they're slow.
Let me explain. Fedex is a holding company.Express, Ground, Freight etc are operating units that work by and large independent of each other. Fedex Ground was originally RPS and was bought out from Roadway and rebranded in 1997. At one time RPS did some air business with 2 day air using spaced leased from commercial airlines. That left when X took over. At the beginning one contractor had his own one route. For the last several years there has been a conversion to a contractor having multiple routes. It's being done on a state by state basis and will be completed in a couple of years if not sooner. As for pay it varies from contractor to contractor. A few pay by the hour but most are on perdiems or on a pay per stop basis. Therefore that wage figures you hear are often per diems divided by the length of day or hours worked per day or what they earn per stop divided by the length of day. Also a few contractors will pay a little bit in bonuses. Keep in mind for a period of 4-6 weeks leading up to Christmas expect to work 6 day weeks and there is persistent talk that 6 day work week will become year round. Don't expect much in the way of benefits such as a pension or employer paid healthcare plans or overtime. Very few contractors pay it. Think of what you have as transitional employment. Just the job between jobs. Something to tide you over until a really good opportunity comes along.
Cactus
Just telling it like it is
Did I just hear some discouraging words from the Ground butt-kissing committee?
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socalfusions
Member
Do they do that intentionally to get more pay or is that simply due to them working slow?
Thanks for clearing that up, I had no idea the industry was like that at one point.
That seems strange, you'd think that driving a larger vehicle would result in more pay rather than less.
Route 66
Slapped Upside-da-Head Member
Ground drivers don't get paid by the hour, so milking the clock nets them nothing - other than additional happy time behind the wheel.
UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)
Well-Known Member
I get very little to no overtime.
i
Where I worked, as long as you paid the driver what he would make on minimum wage, including overtime, you didn't need to pay OT if he worked for a set daily amount. For example- If min wage is $9 an hour, and you pay $140 daily, your employee could work a little over 13 hours and still be within the law.
8 hrs x $9 = $72
5 hrs at $13.50(1.5 x $9) =$67.50
__________________________
Total = $139.50
So if you work 8 hrs, you are making $17 an hour minus tax, and minus any benefits any normal employer offers. If you only work 6 hours for that $140 you are doing pretty well.
But if you work 10 hrs or more, you are making less than $14, calculating for the OT you earned.
But no matter how much you end up with as an hourly wage, make sure your ISP is withholding and paying all the proper taxes and is not treating you as a subcontractor.
Where I worked, as long as you paid the driver what he would make on minimum wage, including overtime, you didn't need to pay OT if he worked for a set daily amount. For example- If min wage is $9 an hour, and you pay $140 daily, your employee could work a little over 13 hours and still be within the law.
8 hrs x $9 = $72
5 hrs at $13.50(1.5 x $9) =$67.50
__________________________
Total = $139.50
So if you work 8 hrs, you are making $17 an hour minus tax, and minus any benefits any normal employer offers. If you only work 6 hours for that $140 you are doing pretty well.
But if you work 10 hrs or more, you are making less than $14, calculating for the OT you earned.
But no matter how much you end up with as an hourly wage, make sure your ISP is withholding and paying all the proper taxes and is not treating you as a subcontractor.
MAKAVELI
Well-Known Member
This post is all one needs to avoid working for a ground contractor. They can legally lower your wage on a daily basis. Where else does an employer actually pay you less for doing more work?
Only in America.
STFXG
Well-Known Member
So wrong. Sounds like where you were is full of people that need to learn the FLSA and motor carrier exemption. Learn how to properly calculate a salaried employees wages.
Different state, different minimum wage law. Where I worked, minimum wage was well above federal minimum wage. And in this state, a salaried employee is required to have supervisory or managerial duties, and the hourly wage is only required to at least meet state minimum wage per hour if paid on any basis other than by the hour. So maybe you need to sit and read all states minimum wage laws and definitions of who can be salaried before trying to 'correct' others on the subject.
In addition, the same state now requires overtime pay for drivers like fedex drivers after 40 hours per week, and that is why they received a settlement for overtime pay after 2006 when the STATE law was changed. That state law supercedes federal law, because federal law sets MINIMUM standards, and states can require employers to exceed the federal minimum, just like minimum wage.
STFXG
Well-Known Member
You're contradicting yourself. A salaried employee has to have supervisory or managerial duties, but a salaried employee has to make more than the minimum wage if paid other than hourly. So which law are you not following? Improper pay of a non-exempt employee or improper classification? If they are being paid a daily rate then that is a salary. Are they exempt employees by your states definition?
Not what I said. Just because you pay someone a set daily rate doesn't make them a salaried employee in Oregon. If you pay them a set rate, or piece rate, that rate must meet minimum wage and OT laws unless the employee meets the definition of salaried. Being paid a daily rate is not necessarily the same as being salaried. I went through this with the state both when I won my UI case, and when fedex was found to be the employer of drivers I hired.
By that states laws, the drivers are neither salaried nor exempt. They are required to be paid an amount equal to minimum wage and OT laws. They are simply employees, and do not meet the definition of those you can consider as salaried, who are exempt from overtime pay, but still must be paid an amount at least equal to minimum wage. They can be required to work more hours per day, etc
You need to read and learn before thinking you are god almighty and know everything.
It will be fine
Well-Known Member
You were HD, driving trucks under 10k, hours are not governed by the DOT in that case. Did you deal with the state regarding any drivers that were covered by DOT HOS? That is where the motor carrier exemption comes from which allows straight time no OT since a federal agency is already controlling how many hours an employee can work. Serious question not trying to be a dick.
