Feeders are a whole different animal. I was talking package and PT. Feeder drivers never get sick or take time off where I am. Different breed. Maybe walrus? Kinda big, moody, mean and always sounding gruff.
I would think there are a few reasons for that. For example , we got a few package guys here in the browncafe that have to go to the dentist. Most dentists aren't open 10 oclock at night (unless you're elvis, did you know he visited the dentist late at night and the next day , he died? but I digress) . So you guys have to take a day off to see the dentist. A feeder will be off anyway (those that work at night) and can see the dentist. A feeder that works in the day ain't seeing overtime anyway these days and can schedule after work and be pretty safe assured he can make the appointment.Even if there is overtime, he can safely refuse it knowing that there are others who will gladly grab that scrap of meat. PC drivers are over 9.5 constantly and are pressured to make sure the packages are delivered.
A feeder driver doesn't generally have to cover for another feeder driver once he is out on the road so his fate isn't tied to others and he is generally delivering one big "package" and his handtruck is literally a truck.
Yes, feeder drivers get sick and when they do, they can be less talkative to conserve energy and just stay within themselves to do the job safely. PC drivers have to talk to a million people : their overseers, the customers etc and park constantly. Parking can drain ya in my opinion especially in tight areas. Plus PC drivers have to keep up the sense of urgency going at all times. Feeder drivers can drag their feet when they are sick and the only time it will show is when they are hooking up a tractor to a trailer and doing the walk around. Once you are in the truck, it doesn't take a lot of energy to keep the foot on the pedal. Maybe some of you PC drivers have had the dream run once in a while where you went 115 miles and did few stops(recent thread?) . Other times, you are doing a tight circuit with multiple stops , multiple time pressures, etc. Out of those two scenarios, which one are you more likely able to do when you are sick?
Also, during peak, feeder drivers are accustomed to working 13 hour days that sometimes creep near 14. When peak is over, and we go back to less hours and we get sick we can alway pull into our memory of what got us through the string of the 13 hour days and get the 8 hour day in and let it be known that we are not feeling well so we get no overtime.
As for a guy like orangeputeh(feeder) who puts in 12 hour days on a consistent basis. He has a couple of things going for him when he gets sick. (including all things mentioned already) His run is known to him before he shows up at work, there are no suprises . He just has to get hooked up and point the truck in a straight line and rely on his honed skills. Plus Orangeputeh was once a long distance driver with another company where he probably worked many 18 hour days and taught himself how to push through when he wasn't feeling well because being out of commission was something his company didn't want to hear. A 12 hour day to him is less in comparison to what he once accustomed himself to doing
I am not saying PC drivers are wimps, heck no ,it is just the demands on your energies are greater than on ours and when you are sick , you are more likely to call in and also as mentioned your daytime hours preclude you many times from seeing a doctor. We feeders don't lift packages(that much) and we can bang our knees like you PC guys do and hurts our arms but we can get by recovering in our air conditioned trucks (oh dear lord that ac does wonders for a fever and the outside heat doesn't wear us down consistently during the summer.
Also, when we do our bulk pickups, sometimes when we backup to the shipper, we can sit there for 45 minutes and we will get woken up by the shipper when everything is done. PC drivers will go to other stops if this is the case for them. Also feeders who go to the airport sometimes have the opportunity to lie down in the tractor for up for 1 or 2 hours. How welcome that can be when you are marginally sick.
We are encouraged to take our lunches and even when we do, sometimes our loads aren't ready even when we get under the trailer (again another 30 minute nap).
Don't get me wrong, feeder drivers have tough days where we are lifting empty pallets out of our trucks, where our time deadlines are tight and where the stakes are higher if we don't manuever out trucks correctly(doubles) But we generally know what we are doing the day before and another driver calling in sick does not add more "packages" to our trucks. Plus it is my opinion that a center will keep extra drivers busy in shifters and then pull those drivers out of the yard if they need to cover for a sick driver.
I could go on forever but I think you got my point. As I was writing, the epiphany that came to me was the air conditioning. What a difference maker that is. I probably could have told some more about the tough stuff about feeders. The reason we don't always make eye contact with a pc driver passing by is that sometimes we are too damn concerned about where the blindside (momentary , but blind nevertheless) of the back of the trailer is when we are driving in tight traffic that we can't afford to say hi with a glance and a wave of hand.
I'll just throw this up against the wall now. I like using orangeputeh as an example a lot of times because we know a little bit about him and his run
