Drivers Leaving With The Quickness

[NonyaBiznes]

In that past 8 months, we've had 6 drivers (RTD's) leave and/or retire.

Just found out 4-5 more will be leaving the end of this month. Only ONE will be retiring .. the others are going to
other companies.

Curious if other areas are having "early retirements" and/or drivers going elsewhere?

I'm not talking about "newbies"; these guys have 25+ years ... and they will make DOUBLE with the company
they are heading to ... yes DOUBLE.

 

[Mr. 7]

Where are they going?
Seems logical to me since they took away split shift pay, that hit the RTDs pretty hard.

 

[Operational needs]

Can you blame them? Who wants to stay in a job where you are threatened with a warning letter for your first accident and termination for the second. I drove RTD. The average driver on the road is crazy! It's not a matter of if you will have an accident, but when, depending on the area.

A good friend, an RTD, quit about a month ago and is driving a truck at USPS. He realized he would NEVER reach top pay at FedEx.

 

[STFXG]

Impossible. No jobs for that demographic.

 

[Cactus]

Hey Fred, more proof that you don't get what you don't pay for.

 

[Operational needs]

Impossible. No jobs for that demographic.

Not sure whether you are speaking out of sarcasm or ignorance, but FYI, RTD is Ramp Transport Driver, aka tractor trailer driver.

Tons of those jobs everywhere. Shortage of CDL qualified drivers.

 

[MrFedEx]

In that past 8 months, we've had 6 drivers (RTD's) leave and/or retire.

Just found out 4-5 more will be leaving the end of this month. Only ONE will be retiring .. the others are going to
other companies.

Curious if other areas are having "early retirements" and/or drivers going elsewhere?

I'm not talking about "newbies"; these guys have 25+ years ... and they will make DOUBLE with the company
they are heading to ... yes DOUBLE.

Not sure about double pay, but there is a tremendous shortage of CDL-A drivers right now, especially in the long-haul segment of trucking. FedEx has cut RTD hours, not kept up with industry pay standards, and has started monitoring them like couriers with WebTech. Gee, why leave for more pay somewhere else?

 

[MrFedEx]

Where are they going?
Seems logical to me since they took away split shift pay, that hit the RTDs pretty hard.

A lot of FedEx RTDs drive at night or very early in the morning, so taking away the shift premium hurt some of them badly. I don't know of too many RTDs that take splits. Pretty soon we'll have Ground-quality RTDs running the station freight. Tell Fred to put aside some money for catwalk, dock, and body shop repairs.

 

[STFXG]

Impossible. No jobs for that demographic.

Not sure whether you are speaking out of sarcasm or ignorance, but FYI, RTD is Ramp Transport Driver, aka tractor trailer driver.

Tons of those jobs everywhere. Shortage of CDL qualified drivers.

Sarcasm. According to the board there are no jobs for that demo. Older couriers have NO options.

 

[MrFedEx]

Sarcasm. According to the board there are no jobs for that demo. Older couriers have NO options.

Here's a clue for you. The vast majority of couriers do not have a Class A license, which means your statement is nonsense, as usual.

 

[STFXG]

Not very difficult or expensive to obtain. Poor excuse, as usual.

 

[MrFedEx]

Not very difficult or expensive to obtain. Poor excuse, as usual.

Swift, JB Hunt, and most of the other long-haul carriers will train you for free, but nobody wants to work for them. Experienced drivers with a great safety record and the right endorsements (Doubles, HazMat) are hard to find. Carriers (except Ground) care about their FMCSA scores.

 

[bbsam]

So nobody wants to work for those offering to train them? Tough crap then. Let them stay where they are and bitch about it.

 

[MrFedEx]

So nobody wants to work for those offering to train them? Tough crap then. Let them stay where they are and bitch about it.

I guess you're not familiar with long haul trucking. Let me give you a brief overview. You are on the road 2-3 weeks at a time, despite what they tell you when you get hired. Dispatch is also usually forced, meaning you take the load, even if you don't want to go to NYC because it means you'll be that much longer getting home. Know what a lumper is? How about appointment freight? Many carriers have close to a 100% turnover every year because it only takes a few months for most drivers to figure out their real wage per hour is something like 5-6 dollars because of all of the unpaid dock wait time and sitting in traffic (unpaid). You only make money when the truck is moving, so when you're creeping at 3 mph on the 405 in LA, you made around 45 cents for that hour.

 

[bbsam]

So Fedex doesn't suck as bad as the alternative?

 

[MrFedEx]

So Fedex doesn't suck as bad as the alternative?

The "alternative" isn't workable for most people with a family because what they need is something local where they can be home every night. As bad as FedEx sucks, at least I get to see my wife and kids.

 

[NonyaBiznes]

Walmart. Starting pay --- wait for it ---

$90,000 - a first year driver made $109,000.

 

[NonyaBiznes]

Amazing.

Wondering about certain folk that say they have or currently work for Fedex; yet you don't know what a "RTD" means?

Hmmmmmmmm ...

 

[MrFedEx]

Walmart. Starting pay --- wait for it ---

$90,000 - a first year driver made $109,000.

If true, that's amazing. WalMart actually runs top-notch equipment (mainly Petes) and has a reputation for being a good company to drive for. That is very good money for an over the road driver.

 

[Route 66]

Amazing.

Wondering about certain folk that say they have or currently work for Fedex; yet you don't know what a "RTD" means?

Hmmmmmmmm ...

some still call us 'CTV drivers'...now that really dates 'em!