Becoming package car driver

Drloudpac

New Member
I have worked at ups for about 2 and a half years now as a p/t loader. My ultimate goal is to eventually become a package car driver. I was wondering what the approxamite time (years) that is required to become a driver, and how much full time years influences that? I don't very much like loading and the soreness from the work but it seems like sticking it out would be worth it at this point.
 
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S

serenity now

Guest
I have worked at ups for about 2 and a half years now as a loader. My ultimate goal is to eventually become a package car driver. I was wondering what the approxamite time that is required to become a driver, and how much full time influences that? I don't very much like loading and the soreness from the work.

once again, this is entirely dependent on your building * so ask some of your coworkers * the range of answers to that question from the BC community will be: 3 months - well over 10 years
 

LongTimeComing

Air Ops Pro
I have worked at ups for about 2 and a half years now as a p/t loader. My ultimate goal is to eventually become a package car driver. I was wondering what the approxamite time (years) that is required to become a driver, and how much full time years influences that? I don't very much like loading and the soreness from the work but it seems like sticking it out would be worth it at this point.

The wait changes from location to location. Some places it's 5 years. Others it's 15 years. You need to talk to HR about that as you probably won't find that answer here. I'm not sure what you are meaning by "full time years" influencing your wait time...

If you don' like loading for 3.5 hours because it makes you sore, what makes you think package car driving is going to change things? You are going to be just as sore, if not more, from driving.
 

upsgrunt

Well-Known Member
If you're still sore after 2.5 years of loading, you're not gonna like driving much better.

Sorry LTC- I was posting the same time as you.
 
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LongTimeComing

Air Ops Pro
Next thing you'll hear, is how he disgusted because he is 'deciding' that he is over-dispatched....that he's tired of management giving him crap for running 2 hours over every day, how he works through lunch, etc etc etc.

This apparent inability to deal with the physicality of the job will one day morph into managements fault...
 
S

serenity now

Guest
don't talk to HR; ask someone that knows
ask a few of the junior drivers what their wait time was
 
S

serenity now

Guest
Next thing you'll hear, is how he disgusted because he is 'deciding' that he is over-dispatched....that he's tired of management giving him crap for running 2 hours over every day, how he works through lunch, etc etc etc.

This apparent inability to deal with the physicality of the job will one day morph into managements fault...

wrong thread, maybe?
 

Notretiredyet

Well-Known Member
Whenever a PT tells me they're thinking about going into driving I tell them to apply for a SVD or PT air driver position. It's a good way to get a feel for what the job is about and to gain experience driving and using the DIAD. Then when a FT position does come up you'll have a fighting chance to gain seniority. Going straight into FT driving is a lot more difficult these days coming directly from an inside job, convinced my preloader last year to take the SVD job bid last summer that nobody wanted. It paid less than air driver wage but he took the cut in pay for the chance to gain experience and qualify to drive. When a permanent FT driver position came up in the fall he took it and was immediately qualified for the job, much to the surprise of the center manager who thought he could put him thru another 30 day qualifying period.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
Does SVD stand for Substitute Vacation Driver? Here we call them casuals---drivers who are not FT and do not have a bid route. We do have one FT bid cover driver who works before any of the casuals work.
 
S

serenity now

Guest
If dude can't handle being a loader for a few hours, there's no way in hell he's going to handle PC. That's more or less what I was trying to say.

Next thing you'll hear, is how he disgusted.....

just seemed like a major time leap to me
 

Notretiredyet

Well-Known Member
Yes it does, we have a job bid each spring for that job, it pays less than an air driver in wages so none of them ever bid on it. We always have a difficult time getting someone to take this position due to its low wage, then they deny all our SVD days when we request them if it isn't bid. This issue is being discussed at negotiations, the wage needs to be raised as incentive to bid the position.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
SVD days? Is this when you break your option week up in to individual days off? We don't have that up here---just personal/sick days and full vacation weeks.
 

TooTechie

Geek in Brown
The best place to ask about how long the average wait time is either your local or the local HR folks. The larger the hub, the shorter wait you'll have. I started being a full time driver a month ago and out of the 8 people in the orientation I had the shortest wait of 3 years, 1 month because I was from a large hub. Others in the orientation were from smaller centers that had not hired a single driver in 7 years. One new driver had been waiting 9 years.
 
S

serenity now

Guest
If you have been at your building for 2.5 years and are not smart enough to know the answers to your questions, you should probably look for work elsewhere.

true, but c'mon, it's the guy's first post * take the high road
 

barnyard

KTM rider
true, but c'mon, it's the guy's first post * take the high road

A post that a simple search would have eliminated. How many times has this exact same topic been posted in the past couple of weeks????

The OP needs to read more and post less.

I triple dog dare you to go to a pick up forum and start a thread titled, "What is the best oil for my pickup??"

See how that works for you.
 
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