Switching To Feeder Driver Question...

Holydriver

Well-Known Member
feeder seems like a good deal. what sort of hours are you all working, how early in my UPS career can i bid on becoming feeder, and how much of a mother fuxxer is it driving one of those damned trucks around in traffic?
 

Jones

fILE A GRIEVE!
Staff member
feeder seems like a good deal. what sort of hours are you all working, how early in my UPS career can i bid on becoming feeder, and how much of a mother fuxxer is it driving one of those damned trucks around in traffic?
Working anywhere from 40 to 70 hours per week depending on the run.
You can bid on feeder anytime they hang a bid list.
Driving a rig is like anything else, practice makes perfect.
 

Mugarolla

Light 'em up!
feeder seems like a good deal. what sort of hours are you all working, how early in my UPS career can i bid on becoming feeder, and how much of a mother fuxxer is it driving one of those damned trucks around in traffic?

There are all different hours in feeders, depending on where you are at. Day runs, night runs, mid afternoon runs middle of the night runs.

Driving in traffic is not a problem once you get used to it. Pulling a set on the highwah with 6 inches of snow is a little different.

You can bid into feeders as long as you have gained seniority. Some areas only take feeder bids from full time package drivers first, and then go from there if they do not get enough drivers interested.

How long it takes varies greatly. Some centers have 20 to 30 year wait times. Some have 10 years. Some have just a couple. I have seen part timers go into feeders because no full timer wanted it. The biggest reason was they didn't want to work nights.

I work 2100-0800. Not enough seniority for a day job. Although I prefer nights. I get to see my kids more.
 

Holydriver

Well-Known Member
How long it takes varies greatly. Some centers have 20 to 30 year wait times. Some have 10 years. Some have just a couple. .

I could wait up to 10 years? I saw a recent feeders bid in my building but didn't sign because I think it said no traffic violations within 2 years. I had 2 speeding tickets last year. But once accepted and trained it could potentially take up to 30 years to drive or to get my own feeder route?

Is it better than PC driver? I like driving, so that's a plus.
 

Tiredbrown

Professional box jockey
I could wait up to 10 years? I saw a recent feeders bid in my building but didn't sign because I think it said no traffic violations within 2 years. I had 2 speeding tickets last year. But once accepted and trained it could potentially take up to 30 years to drive or to get my own feeder route?

Is it better than PC driver? I like driving, so that's a plus.
Nope it may take you that long to win a bid into feeders. Once you won a bid you are in it just depends on how many drivers they need and how many sign the bid sheet and my favorite saying is a bad day in a semi is still better than a good day in a package car.
 

Mugarolla

Light 'em up!
I could wait up to 10 years? I saw a recent feeders bid in my building but didn't sign because I think it said no traffic violations within 2 years. I had 2 speeding tickets last year. But once accepted and trained it could potentially take up to 30 years to drive or to get my own feeder route?

Is it better than PC driver? I like driving, so that's a plus.

I did not mean that you had to wait 10 years. I meant that there may be that many people ahead of you in seniority that want to go into feeders that it could take that long to get down to you to just get accepted and trained.

They only train how many people they need. If they need 1 driver due to a retirement or new run, they will only train 1 person.

And if you eventually do get trained, it could be a long time before you have enough seniority to get a decent run or a run that is yours, other than being on the pick board doing something different everyday or everyweek.

I was a package car driver for 17 years before my seniority allowed me to bid feeder school. And I am toward the bottom of the feeder seniority list, getting bumped back to bundles when there are not enough feeder drivers on vacation.

This may not be typical, it just depends on where you are at.
 

barnyard

KTM rider
It all depends on where you are. The only way to know for sure is to sign a bid for feeder school (if you are qualified) and do the training. Pretty sure that I will never have enough seniority to bid my own run in my building.
 

BrownThunder

Well-Known Member
I signed the bid sheet today, looks like they need 8 drivers.

From what I heard, once you go feeders you get bumped to top scale right away.

Love PC, I thank God for giving me that opportunity. Feeders would be great but given my seniority it would take dumb luck to get a call this round.
 

olroadbeech

Happy Verified UPSer
in the west you get top pay from day one. btw, not too many pc drivers go into feeder here because they are afraid of driving the big rigs in the snow. so we get a lot of part timers graduating right into feeder. perhaps 20 of them in the last 2 years.

it's HORRENDOUS! I would rather have pc drivers with years of experience driving and using safe driving methods than these part timers. they are train wrecks for the most part.
 

Holydriver

Well-Known Member
I still thinking driving that big sumbitch around would be hell. And doubles? Dang! But if I see a sign up roster I'll sign up next time. Just to see what happens
 

BrownThunder

Well-Known Member
I'm in NorCal, it's top scale day 1. I used to be scared to drive the big long PCs but now it's nothing. It isn't until I step out of the truck that I'm reminded of just how huge it is. The more comfortable I got with the truck, the smaller it felt while in it.

I'm confident I can drive the big rig. Thank god it doesn't really snow out here
 
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