Seasonal to Permanent: Is it possible 1st year?

brownrecluse · 10-19-2007, 10:04 PM

Greetings. Newbie here. :blush: I've just been hired as a seasonal Package Car Driver. What can I do (better than all the other newbies) to potentially be offered a permanent position after the busy season? Thank you in advance for your input.

DS · 10-19-2007, 10:15 PM

Welcome to the browncafe pro.You're kind of ahead of yourself with the username.Every center is different ,but if you run your ass off you might stand a chance.

upsgrunt · 10-19-2007, 10:19 PM

Yea, you are going to have to set yourself apart from the others and "out perform" them. You will most certainly feel like you are dying, but if it is really what you want as a career, you must run, run, run, and then run some more. In the process of doing that-make NO mistakes, have no injuries, and have no accidents. And if you can walk on water that would help also.

LKLND3380 · 10-19-2007, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by protrucker

Greetings. Newbie here. :blush: I've just been hired as a seasonal Package Car Driver. What can I do (better than all the other newbies) to potentially be offered a permanent position after the busy season? Thank you in advance for your input.

I would say you have a 30% chance of being kept on AS A DRIVER after December 31...

If you are a good worker then I would say you have a 80% chance of being offered a part timer position in preload and then reaching full time driver in 2012...

VTBrown · 10-20-2007, 01:21 AM

It all depends upon you and where your area/center is on the outside bid.

I worked one peak and was perm. the following vacation hire period.

brownrecluse · 10-20-2007, 05:27 AM

Thanks to you all for your input. I most definately want a driving career with UPS - career change or broadening actually. I hold a Class A CDL and wonder about putting it to use @ UPS as well... I'm so green though... I haven't yet figured out all the options (or lack thereof) available to me.

Mapp · 10-20-2007, 05:54 AM

Depends on a few things, I was origionally hired as a seasonal, but it was for a small center with 22 routes that had 3 drivers retire just before peak. I was kept on as were 2 other seasonal drivers. You may be kept on after but will probably be on call if you are.

Just work hard and be safe.

My 2nd week of the job consisted of me making 140 resi stops out of the back of a moving van with about 115 miles.

lovetokayak · 10-20-2007, 06:50 AM

It really depends on your area. I agree with the others, that hard and safe work will get you noticed. Getting along with other drivers also helps. On the other hand, don't get your hopes up too much. I was in the same boat as you. Hired as a seasonal driver and working my butt off. I figured if I outperform the other guys, they will be crazy not to hire me. I also hold a class A cdl and I'm a woman. The only thing I achieved was to have them load me with more and more stops. After last peak they kept dragging me along until May, when I was hired as a seasonal driver again. I was lucky, because at my center the outside hire came up last month, and I was hired on full time. Love this job but just want to warn you not to get disillusioned. I hope it works out for you. Remember to be safe.

brownrecluse · 10-20-2007, 08:55 AM

Everything that I am reading here echos what my UPS driver "Rick" (delivers to my home) has told me. Safe, dependable, hard work with a very positive, can-do attitude just may result in a permanent position. I am most definitely up for the challenge. This will sound extremely corny - but I just finished Big Brown: The Untold Story of UPS by Greg Niemann - and I am already proud to be associated with UPS. I can't wait to start! I appreciate all of your replies.

brownrecluse · 10-20-2007, 09:14 AM

Congrats Lovetokayak! I'll bet there is a nice pay and benefit increase with the full-time position eh?

Griff · 10-20-2007, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by protrucker

Everything that I am reading here echos what my UPS driver "Rick" (delivers to my home) has told me. Safe, dependable, hard work with a very positive, can-do attitude just may result in a permanent position. I am most definitely up for the challenge. This will sound extremely corny - but I just finished Big Brown: The Untold Story of UPS by Greg Niemann - and I am already proud to be associated with UPS. I can't wait to start! I appreciate all of your replies.

Geez, you are going to have a very hard fall from grace. You'll literally have to go through the gates of hell to grab a F/T position. UPS will use and misuse you in any which way, including massive amounts of layoff time. Sadly much doesn't change on the other side once you do get the F/T position. In your first F/T year (at least here) it's pretty standard to be laid off the entire summer. I advise anyone who finds themself in that spot to seek temporary employment elsewhere and don't offer to work preload/night. They will get very mad that they are paying you benefits for nothing, do not go back to working in the building!

VTBrown · 10-20-2007, 10:59 AM

Duh....just file unemployment.

helenofcalifornia · 10-20-2007, 11:25 AM

Most of what has been said applies. It really depends on your center. Is it a center or a hub? How many drivers are in your center? I would agree also that try to make an impression with the other seniority drivers. They might have some influence in the hiring process. It's kinda OK to be a brown-nose kiss a** here, but you might want to tone it down with fellow drivers at work. And with the new contract that goes into effect in 2008, it will take 3 years to progress to top pay. That means many months of earning $14 an hour and taking home $300 when everyone else is taking home 2-3 times that. Still, it's a good job and worth the wait. Most of us started as part-timers and had to wait YEARS (8 for me) to go full time. The part-timers might not want to hear all your enthusiasm for jumping their spot in line. Good luck.

VTBrown · 10-20-2007, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by helenofcalifornia

Most of what has been said applies. It really depends on your center. Is it a center or a hub? How many drivers are in your center? I would agree also that try to make an impression with the other seniority drivers. They might have some influence in the hiring process. It's kinda OK to be a brown-nose kiss a** here, but you might want to tone it down with fellow drivers at work. And with the new contract that goes into effect in 2008, it will take 3 years to progress to top pay. That means many months of earning $14 an hour and taking home $300 when everyone else is taking home 2-3 times that. Still, it's a good job and worth the wait. Most of us started as part-timers and had to wait YEARS (8 for me) to go full time. The part-timers might not want to hear all your enthusiasm for jumping their spot in line. Good luck.

Helen, have you read any of the new contract? $14.70 is a thing of the past in the new contract. Yeah it's 36months but it's more pay over the 36 months.

helenofcalifornia · 10-20-2007, 07:24 PM

Yeah, you are right. I haven't read anything about the new contract, only what I have been told by others. Great union member, right? I just got real tired of all the controversy. So the newby will be making more than $14.70 for his first year? Good for him. There is a rookie in my center who has one of the toughest routes, always brings it in under, and when we compare checks he is making $300, while the rest of us are $700-1100. That's just not right. But I tell him it's part of the game, kinda like fraternity hazing until you get admitted to the "fraternity" when your pay will top out.