OK. I have waited all my adult life(only full time job outside of highschool I've ever had) to retire. My compensation: $3000 per month no insurance as I am only 50. I do not like working at night as a feeder driver. HATE it. You think package sucks.....try seeing your family only on the weekends. And if you truly don't know about changing job classification and all the seniority crap.......it still mystifies me how a person with 30 years + ends up at the bottom of the seniority ladder AT THE END OF HIS CAREER. This is how it will be for the rest of my career. So, give up 110k, 7 weeks vacation? Daughter in college, house payment blah, blah...Know this: If I could get a plum, day feeder run, I don't think I would ever leave. I'm quite qualified and trained in other aspects of our company but would have to quit to be considered.......bizarre.
It sounds like you have a good "problem". Seems like you're a victim of getting your butt into the company at a young age. and now at the rather young age of 50, you got over 30 years in. Yes the medical benefits issue and if ObamaCare kicks in, looks like you'll HAVE to have the benefits. But Good gosh, you have a "problem" that people that arrived to the company later than you don't have but wish they did.
I am assuming if you are making 110 k a year, you are getting a lot of overtime . For all intents and purposes, you really are only seeing your family on weekends . You got 7 weeks vacation and with all the paid holidays, you are essentially working 10 months a year. That's pretty darn good, doncha' think? You didn't state it explicitly, but obviously the the package car driver job has worn you down(mentally , physically, probably both).
Someone , a few posts behind me, suggested,(BadGas, post #37) to bid that a package car route that Management takes out on Mondays and Fridays. Is there any variation of this strategy that can help make your life a little better?
I realize that you're not happy with the career "deadend" you hit, but my good man , count your blessings , harvest them and try to tweak the edges of your job and see if you can tip the scales of the balance.
If by any chance, you can't come to a solution for your problems and feel you have to quit, then you got a no lose situation, thats when you try feeders. I think you know you will mentally sweat a bit in the beginning as you adjust to pulling and backing a trailer. See if you can adjust to a night schedule. An 8 and skate job and you know what?, you are home for breakfast with the family and sleeping in the later morn and afternoon, the afternoon and morning that you were working in a package car before anyway.
If you don't like it , then you quit the job that you were going to quit a few months before anyway. No lose situation .
I don't think they can clawback the money for the truck driving school if you quit at that point. Can they?
If they can , then that is a drawback to my suggesion.