Applying to FedEx, which position is better?

[stevetheupsguy]

Originally Posted by Ricochet1a

Given the amount of people that were at the interview, they'll get back to you within a month if they are going to offer a job. The time between any potential notification and when they want you to start would be almost nothing (start early next week sort of thing). They may also place you into a "pool" of potential employees. If you meet the requirements but others are deemed "better applicants" the other applicants will be given offers first. Who they chose first has a variety of criteria. The most important is usually who meets the background check requirements first (whose check comes back first). The other is any attempt to maintain gender and race diversity within the location.

You cannot work for two FedEx companies at the same time. If you take one position, you will not be able to take the other.

Contrary to what another poster stated, you cannot maintain employment with a competitor of FedEx, or any company that directly provides services to FedEx. This includes UPS, USPS, a local courier/delivery service, a contractor for FedEx or any company that has a business relationship with FedEx directly. This obviously doesn't include "customers" of FedEx. This is classified as a conflict of interest. I looked into this when I started with Express and attempted to have employment with the USPS as a "part-time flexible" employee. I had to choose - at times I do regret the choice...

Don't "wait" for FedEx to call you back with an offer. Continue your job search as if FedEx didn't even interview you. If you find work and are later offered a position by FedEx, you will have a choice to make regarding which job you really want. FedEx will wait if you have found other employment in the time between interviewing and any potential offer to allow you to give two weeks notice or to alter your work schedule with any pre-existing employment. The majority of FedEx part-time employees hold other employment or are students, so they know to expect this.

However, once you start any work with FedEx, there are no allowances made for conflicting schedules. If you cannot meet the assigned work hours as scheduled and on-time, you'll be better off turning down the employment. Express will involuntarily terminate new employees for failing to maintain adequte attendance and punctuality requirements without regard to any "excuses". I've seen this happen many, many times. Even employees that are doing good work will be let go if they do not meet the attendance and punctuality requirements.

In your first month, don't be late, you wouldn't have enough days worked to keep your rate from falling below 95%. In your first 90 days, don't be late more than 4 times. I think I've beaten that horse to death.

Dockworkers basically load and unload trucks. You'd be using pallet jacks or fork lifts to move freight around a warehouse. This is like the work that is done in Express "RT" locations. Freight is palletized and loaded onto trucks in the PM, and it is received from the ramps in the AM to be broken down to be loaded into trucks for delivery to customers. In my opinion, this type of work is preferable to being a package handler. This type of work is also more marketable if you would be looking to go some place else.

A Courier position in a station is a decent gig for a part-timer looking for a small income and some insurance coverage while they go to school or grad school (my situation). Taking a full-time Courier position now is akin to signing your life over to Fred for a song. Think long and hard before you do that. When pay raises existed, they were marginally over the inflation rate and are a joke compared to UPS compensation rates. If you are young and looking for a career at driving a truck, I'd have to recommend that you hold out for UPS.

Very Informative!

[hdtvtechno]

FedEx pays more $$/Hr for package handlers then UPS
But UPS pays more $$/Hr for Delivery Drivers then FedEx

[Ricochet1a]

Originally Posted by hdtvtechno

FedEx pays more $$/Hr for package handlers then UPS
But UPS pays more $$/Hr for Delivery Drivers then FedEx

Absolutely true...

If one is looking for part-time employment that is only going to last for a few years, Express is the better deal.

If one is looking for a career, UPS is by far the better deal.

It all depends on the individual's time horizon. If they are looking at a relatively short time horizon, then they'd probably be better off working for Express as a part-time Courier. It only takes about a year for individuals that hire in as non-Couriers to be able to get a job change into a Courier position (translation, there is high turnover).

If an individual is looking for a permanent career, then they'd be wasting their time with Express. It is a dead end as far as career security and compensation levels.

The difference in TOTAL cumulative compensation (starting from day 1) between Express and UPS for new hires is made up after about the first 18 months an UPS employee starts working as a driver. After that point, the UPS driver rapidly outpaces the Express employee in compensation by far.

If one were to assume current pay differentials and business models (which realistically one cannot, but for comparision sake must), the UPS employee will make just over double in total compensation over a career than if they worked for Express. This includes all forms of compensation including benefits, wages and retirement plans.

[Sleeve_meet_Heart]

After 5 years of employment, how much does a package handler at FedEx make in this day and age? What are the typical raises for those people per year?

At my 5th year as a handler with UPS in 2005 I was making almost 15/hr.

In the short term, yes, I can see FedEx STARTING with higher pay. But in almost every facet, I cannot see FedEx paying more down the road a few years.

[fredly00]

Originally Posted by Ricochet1a

If one were to assume current pay differentials and business models (which realistically one cannot, but for comparision sake must), the UPS employee will make just over double in total compensation over a career than if they worked for Express. This includes all forms of compensation including benefits, wages and retirement plans.

I disagree, over a life time I believe a UPS driver will make 4 times(at least) what a fedex courier makes. as for Handlers the last post is a good one, I don't know how they stack up in progression.

My first full year as a driver at UPS(not topped out 17.70) 45K
First full year at FedEx ~23K
Put it into topped out terms for UPS, and almost 15 years to top out at FedEx.. the gap just grows.

[Ricochet1a]

Originally Posted by Sleeve_meet_Heart

After 5 years of employment, how much does a package handler at FedEx make in this day and age? What are the typical raises for those people per year?

At my 5th year as a handler with UPS in 2005 I was making almost 15/hr.

In the short term, yes, I can see FedEx STARTING with higher pay. But in almost every facet, I cannot see FedEx paying more down the road a few years.

Very, very few individuals stay package handlers for more than 18 months. If they are at the ramps or hubs, they transition to material handler which entails aircraft loading and unloading operations. It pays marginally more but is far less strenuous work. Handlers start at about $12/hr now with local market variations.

There are a few handlers that last past 18 months as a handler, but not many. The average handler last about 6 months before they either transition to aircraft operations, or quit (or become a Courier if they are at a station). There are some that last 12 or more month to change jobs to being a Courier, but they are the exception rather than the rule. Those that do last more than 18 months tend to work solely for insurance benefits and waive their minimum hour guarantees so that they can work 13-15 hours a week. UPS handlers are holding out for a well paid union job, FedEx handlers are just holding out. A FedEx handler that waives minimums, and has their family on their benefits is basically working for the health insurance card only. The weekly premiums leave only about $100 a week in net take home pay for the 13-15 hours of hard work.

A FedEx handler can transition to a Courier position in as little as a year and in many locations Couriers are hired off the street. The starting wage for Couriers now is just under $15 base market rate. So it took you 5 years as a UPS handler to get $15/hr, a FedEx new hire Courier can make that from day 1.

However.... the pay raises are only between 5 and 6.5% - when we had payraises. For the first couple of years, a new hire was lucky to get a 5% raise based off how the evaulation system is structured.

So... UPS and FedEx new hires starting on the same day will result in the FedEx employee being paid more per hour than the UPS employee (assuming the FedEx employee was hired directly as a Courier). This will continue until the UPS handler becomes a driver. Then the pay difference flips. It will take about 12-18 months for the UPS new driver to surpass the FedEx Courier in total compensation received to date and after that it is all money in the bank compared to the FedEx employee.

This is why for a short term employment situation, FedEx is the better option. For a career, UPS is by far the better option. Many FedEx employees get "stuck" in thinking that their employment is going to be short term, and they are left shaking their head 10 years later wearing purple. If they are full-time at this point, they are stuck.

Express has tremendous turnover of employees. The turnover is at the lower 20% of compensation levels/positions. There are about 140,000 Express employees and it seems that Express has been going through about 40-45,000 employees a year. The bottom end of Express is a revolving door. Express is about to hit employee # 800,000 if they haven't already. Nine years ago the new employee #s were in the 300,000 range. That is half a million in just under 10 years. In the Memphis area, everyone knows someone that has worked for FedEx if they haven't worked for FedEx themselves.

There are part-time Couriers that have 10 and even a few have upwards of 20 years. Some were full-time that switched to maintain a steady source of income while they pursue other income opportunities. With the way the traditional pension plan was structured, this was a viable option. There was no differentiation in years of service between full and part time status, only the average high years of income were used to calculate pension amount. Others are working parents that want time with their children while they maintain continuous employment. For those who want only part-time employment and a modest health insurance benefit, Express works. For those that are full-time employees, they are getting hosed.

[UpstateNYUPSer]

There is a husband and wife team that both drive for Express locally. He is FT while she is PT and sells real estate on the side. They were both working there FT before they got married but she decided to go PT and loves it.

UPS needs to address the starting wage for PTers.

[quest01]

Originally Posted by UpstateNYUPSer

There is a husband and wife team that both drive for Express locally. He is FT while she is PT and sells real estate on the side. They were both working there FT before they got married but she decided to go PT and loves it.

UPS needs to address the starting wage for PTers.

The last sentence is the reason why I applied to both UPS and FedEx shortly afterwards is due to the starting wage of part time package handlers. The starting hourly wage for UPS package handlers is $8.50 an hour while only working 3.5 to 4 hours a day and from the tour its obviously a physically demanding job. While the FedEx part time handlers start at $12 something an hour but work around the same amount of hours. From reading some of the posts on here it seems FedEx is the better company for new hires but UPS is more career oriented.

[hdtvtechno]

Originally Posted by quest01

The last sentence is the reason why I applied to both UPS and FedEx shortly afterwards is due to the starting wage of part time package handlers. The starting hourly wage for UPS package handlers is $8.50 an hour while only working 3.5 to 4 hours a day and from the tour its obviously a physically demanding job. While the FedEx part time handlers start at $12 something an hour but work around the same amount of hours. From reading some of the posts on here it seems FedEx is the better company for new hires but UPS is more career oriented.

I do agree

[quest01]

I had an interview today for a FedEx handler position. There were two people in the room, one was in HR and I'm not sure who the other person was. They both took turn asking me a series of questions probably around 10 questions in total that took around 30 minutes to complete. I thought the interview went well, the questions weren't that difficult so hopefully they call me back or I'll eventually call them.

[hdtvtechno]

best of luck man

[grgrcr88]

Standing and holding your ankles!!

[UpstateNYUPSer]

Originally Posted by grgrcr88

Standing and holding your ankles!!

The OP was not asking how you got your job at UPS (I actually thought kneeling was involved) but was asking about jobs at FedEx.

[quest01]

I had an interview yesterday for a FedEx part time Dockworker position. I thought the interview went well, he asked me a series of questions and at the end I had to this this little test where I had to repeat a few words from different signs and take this math test where I counted the number of boxes on a pallet. After I did that he showed me the warehouse area about what dockworkers do and everything, there was only 4 people in the entire building. The job doesnt seem that labor intensive like the handler positions at ups and fedex, the manager says your on the forklift about 85% of your shift so Im assuming your using a forklight to put pallets of freight inside trucks for most of the shift. He mentioned its more fast paced then anything.

[quest01]

I have a question can you work as a fedex part time dockworker and a ups delivery helper?

I have an interview and orientation for a ups delivery helper position today and its only a seasonal position until December 31st. I had an interview for a fedex part time dockworker position late last week and I called the person who interviewed me yesterday to check the status of the hiring process and he told me hes still waiting for the background check and if that clears(which it should) I have to take a drug test.(which I should pass) I was just wondering if I could work both positions even though they are both shipping companies, the ups driver helper position is only a seasonal position until the end of December. I wouldn't think it would be a big deal seeing that that the ups position isn't permanent.

[Ricochet1a]

Originally Posted by quest01

I have a question can you work as a fedex part time dockworker and a ups delivery helper?

I have an interview and orientation for a ups delivery helper position today and its only a seasonal position until December 31st. I had an interview for a fedex part time dockworker position late last week and I called the person who interviewed me yesterday to check the status of the hiring process and he told me hes still waiting for the background check and if that clears(which it should) I have to take a drug test.(which I should pass) I was just wondering if I could work both positions even though they are both shipping companies, the ups driver helper position is only a seasonal position until the end of December. I wouldn't think it would be a big deal seeing that that the ups position isn't permanent.

Nope. It would be considered to be a conflict of interest from FedEx's point of view - probably from UPS's too. No employee of a FedEx company may work for a company that FedEx competes with. UPS and the USPS are specifically included in this definition of conflict of interest.

The fact that the UPS position isn't permanent isn't relevant to FedEx. One cannot have employment with an competitor of FedEx's, be it full-time, part-time seasonal or temporary.

Continue to pursue both. Take any job that is offered to you. If FedEx offers you a position first, let UPS know that you cannot work for them (assuming that you want to keep "permanent" employment with FedEx). If UPS offers a position first, then FedEx offers a position, you can evaluate what you want. You will have to inform FedEx that you have a temp postition with UPS and will be given a specified period of time to produce "proof" that you have terminated employment with UPS if you were to accept FedEx employment. 30 days is the usual time period to provide proof.

If you are looking for a career in this industry, take the UPS position if it is offered and work your tail off. You'll have a decent shot to continue as a handler and be able to progress to a driver positon within a few years. If you are looking for short term employment, then the FedEx positon would be the one to pursue.

If FedEx calls you to take a drug test, you've got the job - pending the result of the test. FedEx doesn't give drug tests to people if they don't intend on hiring them, this is why it is done after the background check. To me it would make sense to give the drug test first, since that would "weed out" any users and save FedEx the cost of the background check. But FedEx does the background check first.

[quest01]

I had a group interview today for a ups seasonal driver helper position and there was only 4 people there including myself. After the interview he scheduled us for an orientation in around 2 weeks. I was just wondering do you see a lot of driver helpers quit the job? I noticed that two of the people at the group interview were middle aged women probably around upper 40s to lower 50s in age. The only problems I had with the interview was that the seasonal driver helper position only pays $9 an hour and the interview was only 10 minutes long while the drive took 40-45 minutes.

[fredly00]

Originally Posted by quest01

I have a question can you work as a fedex part time dockworker and a ups delivery helper?

If its income to you. and doesn't affect DOT HOS(hours of service) which it won't since you aren't a driver. Its neither UPS or FedEx's business what you do in your personal time.

As a laborer its not a conflict of interest, at the management level there is potential for
conflict of interest.

In this economy(or any economy) if you need to work at both to support yourself, then
go for it.

This being said the tough part is the application process in which you list your previous employers.

[Ricochet1a]

Originally Posted by fredly00

If its income to you. and doesn't affect DOT HOS(hours of service) which it won't since you aren't a driver. Its neither UPS or FedEx's business what you do in your personal time.

As a laborer its not a conflict of interest, at the management level there is potential for
conflict of interest.

In this economy(or any economy) if you need to work at both to support yourself, then
go for it.

This being said the tough part is the application process in which you list your previous employers.

This is simply not true. FedEx prohibits it employees from being in the employ of a competing company. Please ask your local management to verify this.


If you are an Express employee, look at your employee handbook, page 34 (depending on year of issue), Moonlighting - PEOPLE 1-60

Quoting:

"Both Full-time and Part-time employees are prohibited from working for our competitors, suppliers, contractors or another FedEx Corporation company. If your employment is a conflict, normally you will be given thirty days to provide written verification of termination. Notify your manager if you suspect your employment is a conflict of interest. A competitor is defined as any person or business entity that competes with any facet of FedEx Express"...

End Quote.

Please get your facts straight before giving potentially misleading information. If in doubt, the best thing to do is to remain silent or state you don't know.

[DOWNTRODDEN IN TEXAS]

Originally Posted by [I

If in doubt, the best thing to do is to remain silent or state you don't know[/I].

I DON'T KNOW...I like that Mr. Spiccolli, do you mind if put that up on my board for all my classes to read, I'll give you full credit of course...

Gee Mr.Hand, will I pass your class? Mr. Spicolli, I DON'T KNOW..

Sorry, I couldn't stop the flashback...lol

[quest01]

The manager for Fedex National LTL called me today to setup a drug test tomorrow. Does this mean I'll most likely be hired as a dockworker if I pass the drug test?

Thanks

[hdtvtechno]

Originally Posted by quest01

The manager for Fedex National LTL called me today to setup a drug test tomorrow. Does this mean I'll most likely be hired as a dockworker if I pass the drug test?

Thanks

If they asking to take the drug test.. and if you pass it.. you're good to go Congrats

[fredly00]

Originally Posted by Ricochet1a

If you are an Express employee, look at your employee handbook, page 34 (depending on year of issue), Moonlighting - PEOPLE 1-60

read the first page of the handbook.... ITS NOT A CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT

[Ricochet1a]

Originally Posted by fredly00

read the first page of the handbook.... ITS NOT A CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT

It is not a "Contract" of employment....

All the disclaimer is doing is stating that an "at-will" condition of employment exists and that the handbook doesn't constitute a formal contract of employment.

Going to the next paragraph...

"Official personnel policies, as found in the people manual are referenced throughout the FedEx Express employee handbook...."

The moonlighting policy is an "official personnel policy" of FedEx. (PEOPLE 1-60).

Please, you are clearly misguided here and know not of what you write of. Ask your manager if you are allowed to work for UPS or the USPS. Don't ask your manager and tell them that you are indeed working for the UPS or USPS and see what happens. You will learn real quick the enforceability of "official personnel policies".

[Fedex Driver]

Of course you can work at both at the same time,just dont get caught.