Am I crazy? Own landscaping business, scaling that back to be a cover driver

[mjllapp]

I've owned my landscaping business for the last 12 years, since I was 18. I'm pretty sick of it, looking for a job with benefits that I can actually retire on. I applied for a cover driver job, spent a lot of time in the last week memorizing the 5 & 10, today I spent 8 hours in a dinky UPS office taking the computer classes before I go to "UPS boot camp" next week. I'll be in there all day tomorrow and then head to New Stanton PA for the week of training.
I just hope I'm not wasting my time, as I can can make decent money in the landscaping, but I'm sick of the hassles with employees and 70-80 HR work weeks in season and then almost nothing thru the winter except for snow plowing, which can be hell all by itself! My neighbor has been with UPS for 17 years, it took him 4 years to get into full-time driving, where the pay is worth it. I can scale back the landscaping and let employees do most of the work and I just manage it and work at UPS part-time until I get a full-time driving position. I have my CDL and could get a driving job elsewhere, but I like to work hard and go home and sleep well. I always worked hard and got super dirty every day, at least this job I wouldn't get as dirty LOL.
I passed the road test in a beat up old manual package car, the sup said I handled that truck better than some of his full-time drivers, scored a 60, beating their previous best record of 70. Judging by the computer classes, operating the truck will be the easiest part of the job, it looks like a pretty physical and mentally demanding job under pressure, I just hope I don't trade the hassles of being-self employed for the BS of being under union and corporate rules and regret it!
I'll give it a go, but I'm kinda stressed out, anybody been there, done that?

 

[IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U]

I've owned my landscaping business for the last 12 years, since I was 18. I'm pretty sick of it, looking for a job with benefits that I can actually retire on. I applied for a cover driver job, spent a lot of time in the last week memorizing the 5 & 10, today I spent 8 hours in a dinky UPS office taking the computer classes before I go to "UPS boot camp" next week. I'll be in there all day tomorrow and then head to New Stanton PA for the week of training.
I just hope I'm not wasting my time, as I can can make decent money in the landscaping, but I'm sick of the hassles with employees and 70-80 HR work weeks in season and then almost nothing thru the winter except for snow plowing, which can be hell all by itself! My neighbor has been with UPS for 17 years, it took him 4 years to get into full-time driving, where the pay is worth it. I can scale back the landscaping and let employees do most of the work and I just manage it and work at UPS part-time until I get a full-time driving position. I have my CDL and could get a driving job elsewhere, but I like to work hard and go home and sleep well. I always worked hard and got super dirty every day, at least this job I wouldn't get as dirty LOL.
I passed the road test in a beat up old manual package car, the sup said I handled that truck better than some of his full-time drivers, scored a 60, beating their previous best record of 70. Judging by the computer classes, operating the truck will be the easiest part of the job, it looks like a pretty physical and mentally demanding job under pressure, I just hope I don't trade the hassles of being-self employed for the BS of being under union and corporate rules and regret it!
I'll give it a go, but I'm kinda stressed out, anybody been there, done that?

Driving is one of the hardest parts.

 

[mjllapp]

Well that's good to know, right now I'm more intimidated by all the new stuff and entirely different way of doing things, going from being my own boss and telling 8 guys what to do, to being at the bottom and having to work my way in. I'm not sure if its gonna work, but time will tell I guess, they say they can keep me busy til January, which is fine because that's when most of our snow comes, after Christmas. Word is a lot of the senior drivers are retiring next year, supposedly the best time in years to get a foot in the door and be able to expect advancment within in a year or two

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

There will be a lot of drivers retiring within the next 5 years.

 

[cosmo1]

Well that's good to know, right now I'm more intimidated by all the new stuff and entirely different way of doing things, going from being my own boss and telling 8 guys what to do, to being at the bottom and having to work my way in. I'm not sure if its gonna work, but time will tell I guess, they say they can keep me busy til January, which is fine because that's when most of our snow comes, after Christmas. Word is a lot of the senior drivers are retiring next year, supposedly the best time in years to get a foot in the door and be able to expect advancment within in a year or two

Hopefully you are winding down now. Don't dump the business yet, make sure you will still be driving in the spring.

Good luck.

 

[cosmo1]

There will be a lot of drivers retiring within the next 5 years.

Except, we don't know where he is.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Except, we don't know where he is.

I was talking company wide.

 

[mjllapp]

I'm in Central Pa, not dumping my business at all just yet, subbing out more work and hiring a really good reliable guy to replace myself in one of the plow trucks. I'm going to hate being stuck in that building or package truck sometimes, but I'm hoping I can do both. Kinda getting the feeling there's a lot of rules that I don't know about, that could end making it a complete waste of time.

 

[NMW]

Hopefully you are winding down now. Don't dump the business yet, make sure you will still be driving in the spring.

Good luck.

"These days" there is no such thing as happiness in being an employee---so if you can't find HAPPY with having a small biz and control over your life (which is what you trade to drive at UPS) you aint gonna find it there--juss being real. HAPPINESS IS IS IS your own business--since you (ought to) OWn all the hassles and are in control of your own life.

 

[mjllapp]

"These days" there is no such thing as happiness in being an employee---so if you can't find HAPPY with having a small biz and control over your life (which is what you trade to drive at UPS) you aint gonna find it there--juss being real. HAPPINESS IS IS IS your own business--since you (ought to) OWn all the hassles and are in control of your own life.

True, happiness is something best found within. At the moment I am totally my own boss, but family time and finances always seem to come second to the business, which creates a lot of problems. I know a career at UPS would be demanding, but it would also be consistent and pay better once I get a full-time position. I just hope they continue to give me work after January, I guess that depends on my performance? Also I think right now we are in the "free period" so the time I put in doesn't count towards seniority, which apparently is a big deal in the union. I guess it's a foot in the door for later on. INTEGRAD was postponed by 2 weeks and relocated to MD, I probably won't have more than 3 weeks in before the holidays. Hopefully they aren't going to be jerking me around, they had scheduled driving school for this week, initially but then I was told that the classes are full. hmm...

 

[TearsInRain]

how much do you make at your business? cover sucks in comparison but once you're FT it's superior

 

[MC4YOU2]

Family life is nearly non existent after FT at UPS. If you're raising kids, it's especially tough. You can make good money and get benefits, but the family life is what you trade away. Unfortunately.

 

[mjllapp]

I average a little over 50K annually with my lawn business, 60-80 Hr weeks are typical for me between spring & fall, then in the winter I have to much time on my hands. That's why I thought about doing the UPS thing in the first place, just as something to get me out of the door early in the morning and do something productive. I like the fact that FT drivers don't have to clock in (locally) until like 9AM. I hear it's not as busy in the summer. How consistently do they have you work the max (60 HR week)? Fact is, as a blue collar worker there's nowhere else I can work that would get me close to six figures with benefits, our area is inundated with blue-collar workers so that drives down the wages.

 

[Poop Head]

BS of being under union and corporate rules

Yes

 

[IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U]

I average a little over 50K annually with my lawn business, 60-80 Hr weeks are typical for me between spring & fall, then in the winter I have to much time on my hands. That's why I thought about doing the UPS thing in the first place, just as something to get me out of the door early in the morning and do something productive. I like the fact that FT drivers don't have to clock in (locally) until like 9AM. I hear it's not as busy in the summer. How consistently do they have you work the max (60 HR week)? Fact is, as a blue collar worker there's nowhere else I can work that would get me close to six figures with benefits, our area is inundated with blue-collar workers so that drives down the wages.

Guess you got to quit your lawn business And find out.

 

[mjllapp]

I'm definitely not going to quit the business until I'm well established elsewhere, gonna keep it going on the side, but you're right, the only way to find out is to do it! Basically I'm trying to decide between a temporary (plow operator) job at PennDot which would make it easier to get a nice relaxed pace 7-3:30 township job (after which I could mow a few lawns, do my side hustle), or a temporary (cover driver) job at UPS, which might turn out to be more demanding, but better paying full-time job. I guess I'll try UPS this winter and if I don't like it I can always try PennDot next winter, they are always advertising for seasonal drivers. Going to go study for DIAD test at the local center this morning, and then Monday I'll be in MD starting INTEGRAD!

 

[1989]