New Qualified Driver..

[NedFlanders]

Probation period is finally over!

So now the fun begins of learning new routes as i become a cover driver.

I have a few questions maybe you guys can help..

Am i guaranteed work everyday?
Whats the average time length of cover driving before a permanent route?
Also, what is the pay scale like? I think im at about 15/hour now..
When do the benifits (health insurance, etc) become available?

Thanks for any help

[Jack4343]

Originally Posted by NedFlanders

Am i guaranteed work everyday?
Whats the average time length of cover driving before a permanent route?
Also, what is the pay scale like? I think im at about 15/hour now..
When do the benifits (health insurance, etc) become available?

Thanks for any help

I'll try to answer your questions but I might not be 100% correct. I'm a cover driver so I'm going by me...
Guaranteed work? Yes and no. You are guaranteed your hub hours at your hub rate daily. A cover driver is guaranteed no driving hours. Work varies by center. Some cover drivers work daily and some don't work for days or weeks as a cover driver. From what I understand, if they tell you to come in and cover, they must pay you a 8 hour day at cover driver pay rate.
The average time to get a full-time driving job? It varies by center as well. Varies from immediately to 10 years. My center's average to go full time is around 7-10 years.
Pay scale? I'm a bit fuzzy on this but I think I make 85% of full-time driver rates. I also get yearly raises. I'm a cover at almost $25 per hour. I have been a cover for 4 years.
Benefits? They haven't kicked in already? How long have you been employed at UPS? Benefits started for me after my probationary period as a part-time worker. New hires under the new contract must wait 1 year before benefits start. My benefits are no different as a cover than they were when I was in the hub. You do not get full-time health benifits through the union until you become a full-time employee. I have heard that part-timers have a little better coverage but I'm not sure on this.
As far as vacations go, there is a certain number of cover driver reports that you have to have the previous year to be eligible for full-time vacation pay (45 hours a week at your cover driver pay rate). The number of reports is around 154 days. I'm not sure of exactly how many. If you hit that many reports as a cover driver this year, you will be eligible for vacation, sick, option and holiday pay at your cover driver rate NEXT year. You will hate getting that $100 check for your weeks vacation after getting used to cover driver pay checks.
Holidays are a bit confusing to me as far as pay goes. I get my holiday pay at cover driver rate now but when I first started cover driving, I got paid at hub rate for 4 hours many times. I think it might also have to do with reports the week of the holiday but I'm not sure of that as well.
Hope that helps and good luck!
Jack

[NedFlanders]

Thanks for the help Jack.

I guess things will become more clear in the next few weeks.

Just worried about the days/weeks off at a time. Hard to pay bills that way.

[edd_tv]

not sure how it is in your building, but when i started i would call everyday about half hour fourty five minutes before start time and ask if they needed me. a lot of the time they always had drivers that wanted to go home. thier loss my gain. like you said its hard to pay the bills not working steady. i tried to learn as many routes as i could so i could work as much as i could. not so sure i agree with that now as it has become kind of a problem at our building but have to do what you have to do sometimes.

[big_arrow_up]

You will always make 85% of top full-time driver pay. Right now it's 23.96 and after August 1 it'll go up. Every time full-timers get a raise you will because your pay will have to always be 85% of theirs. I was a TCD for roughly 3 years. I averaged 45 hour/week during the last two years. Those weren't always all driving. Sometimes it included hub hours but there were plenty of weeks where I drove every day. Sometimes weeks at a time.

[pkg-king]

In our building, after wage progression, cover drivers make the top rate just like the FT drivers.

[dilligaf]

Originally Posted by pkg-king

In our building, after wage progression, cover drivers make the top rate just like the FT drivers.

Same here-----top driver pay

[big_arrow_up]

Here only full-time cover drivers make top rate after progression. Temporary Cover Driver (TCDs) are stuck at 85% of the top rate until they go full-time.

[NedFlanders]

Well the past two days i have only ran airs and sent home.

There are at least 5 or 6 cover drivers ahead of me and when a route opens in the morning they get it before me.

I don't know many routes either, which is another problem. But i can't learn them if i am being sent home everyday.

Don't know about the pay yet, but i have a feeling im still at 15.xx an hour.

Looks like this is going to be a long process. Gonna be hard to pay the bills too.

I guess im actually looking forward to peak, so i can actually work lol

[trplnkl]

Ned, I'm confused. Are you a FT cover driver or a PT cover driver? Do you have a PT gig on preload, night sort or any other UPS PT position?
IF you are FT cover driver, you should get a route BEFORE any PT drivers.