Ask a Feeder Driver, Feeder Driver FAQ

[Jones]

It looks like I’m going to be offered a full time team position off the street at cach. I’ve worked as a seasonal feeder before but had to leave due to schedule conflicts that no longer exist.

Do you all think it’s worth taking? Junior team drivers getting an ok amount of work out of Chicago? I’m conflicted as hell on what to do, thanks in advance for any input.

It's the best driving job in the trucking industry. If you plan on driving a tractor trailer for a living then it's a no brainer, take the job.

 

[brostalss]

What do you mean feeder class? Do some locals run their own feeder training? Here we get sent to a school that has nothing to do with UPS. They have a contract with UPS to train us to get our CDL.

All in house in my local. I tested at the DMV. They usually test out of our Ontario Hub in house but they were being re-certified while I was in class.

 

[Indecisi0n]

All in house in my local. I tested at the DMV. They usually test out of our Ontario Hub in house but they were being re-certified while I was in class.

They certify in wiggle wagons ?

 

[Trash Panda]

It looks like I’m going to be offered a full time team position off the street at cach. I’ve worked as a seasonal feeder before but had to leave due to schedule conflicts that no longer exist.

Do you all think it’s worth taking? Junior team drivers getting an ok amount of work out of Chicago? I’m conflicted as hell on what to do, thanks in advance for any input.

Depends if you've teamed before or not. Can sleep with someone else behind the wheel and the truck shaking. Spoke to another driver out of CACH recently sounds like they’re starving for team drivers.

If your allergic to money then no, dont take it. I hear they only run 4 days a week. Sleeper intent list at our yard was flowing with names.

If they run you ragged id go for it. You'll knock out your probation period in no time.

 

[Indecisi0n]

Depends if you've teamed before or not. Can sleep with someone else behind the wheel and the truck shaking. Spoke to another driver out of CACH recently sounds like they’re starving for team drivers.

If your allergic to money then no, dont take it. I hear they only run 4 days a week. Sleeper intent list at our yard was flowing with names.

If they run you ragged id go for it. You'll knock out your probation period in no time.

Cab must smell like man ass all the time .

 

[ManInBrown]

That's how it is here. Go to the DMV and take the test's,get a learners permit, one week at the hub with on-roads in the yard and local roads around the building(farthest I went was 45 min from there). One week doing actual runs with on-road then CDL test from feeder manager. Pass, you get a certificate to take to the DMV......voila Class A CDL.

Amazing how much different it is in other parts of the country.

 

[Trash Panda]

Cab must smell like man ass all the time .

For some that could be a perk.

 

[Mack37]

It's the best driving job in the trucking industry. If you plan on driving a tractor trailer for a living then it's a no brainer, take the job.

Im thinking the same thing, though, I need to ask starting rate as it seems finding info on the sleeper jobs can be difficult. I know the top rate, haha, everyone does but I need to find out starting.

Depends if you've teamed before or not. Can sleep with someone else behind the wheel and the truck shaking. Spoke to another driver out of CACH recently sounds like they’re starving for team drivers.

If your allergic to money then no, dont take it. I hear they only run 4 days a week. Sleeper intent list at our yard was flowing with names.

If they run you ragged id go for it. You'll knock out your probation period in no time.

I haven’t but I don’t think I’d have a problem as I’m a heavy sleeper. I Have 16 years trucking experience so as long as my teammate is similar I think I’d be ok. I want to be run ragged, that’s the big question though. Will they run me or stave me?

 

[Trash Panda]

I haven't seen much info on 710’s contract but hourly starting out its 21.00. Id imagine cpm is similar to national master.

Single .5816
Doubles .5939

 

[BottomFeeder909]

[QUOTE="brostalss, post: 4123444, member:

 

[Poop Head]

I want to be run ragged

@Indecisi0n might be looking for a co-driver

 

[Rick Ross]

I haven’t but I don’t think I’d have a problem as I’m a heavy sleeper. I Have 16 years trucking experience so as long as my teammate is similar I think I’d be ok. I want to be run ragged, that’s the big question though. Will they run me or stave me?

The biggest factor to me is the co-driver. Some won't use the engine brake at all and make you roll around in the berth because they keep using the brakes, some talk way too loud on their phone. Others try to knock the kingpin off the trailer everytime they couple (remember you'll be sleeping through this much of the time).

The other thing that surprised me was how tight some of our schedules are. I have yet to cover a run that had much excess drive time built in. If traffic cooperates it's common for us to run 730+ miles in 11.5 hours then switch to the berth... A lot of drivers struggle to do that on a regular basis, but that's how guys I go out with run to make the $$. It's all about getting to the TA ASAP and getting on the clock while you wait on your loads.

Also, schedule is everything, if you're the B driver get with the most senior driver you can find who isn't a jerk.

Good luck!

 

[robot]

Cab must smell like man ass all the time .

Ugh that reminds of the time I had to move a sleeper tractor. Smelled terrible in there and a waft of BO came from the seat when I sat down in it...

 

[retiredTxfeeder]

They are running the sleeper drivers ragged in my old building. Talked to a guy yesterday. He told me they begged him to work an extra punch last week. 10 hours=$700.00. He was all over that.

 

[olroadbeech]

They are running the sleeper drivers ragged in my old building. Talked to a guy yesterday. He told me they begged him to work an extra punch last week. 10 hours=$700.00. He was all over that.

$350 in taxes

 

[Mack37]

The biggest factor to me is the co-driver. Some won't use the engine brake at all and make you roll around in the berth because they keep using the brakes, some talk way too loud on their phone. Others try to knock the kingpin off the trailer everytime they couple (remember you'll be sleeping through this much of the time).

The other thing that surprised me was how tight some of our schedules are. I have yet to cover a run that had much excess drive time built in. If traffic cooperates it's common for us to run 730+ miles in 11.5 hours then switch to the berth... A lot of drivers struggle to do that on a regular basis, but that's how guys I go out with run to make the $$. It's all about getting to the TA ASAP and getting on the clock while you wait on your loads.

Also, schedule is everything, if you're the B driver get with the most senior driver you can find who isn't a jerk.

Good luck!

I’m ok with the team aspect, just worried about the stability starting off. I’m a career tractor trailer operator with the postal service so I have stability and lay off protection. I don’t know what I’m going to do, I may just be having an old fashioned case of the grass is greener.

 

[barnyard]

Ugh that reminds of the time I had to move a sleeper tractor. Smelled terrible in there and a waft of BO came from the seat when I sat down in it...

There is a run in my building that does some trailer swaps. The company has gypsies pulling our loads to hubs outside the state. Technically, they are our loads and if the gypsie has problems pulling the load or getting it on the door, we do it. I have had to put their empties on the door twice. Both times, they said I could use their tractor (already hooked to the empty) and both times, I opened the door and was hit by in impenetrable wall of stink. I told both to unhook and I would do it with my tractor.

And that is not to say that I am a walking garden of roses and lilacs. I carry deodorant and air freshener in my bag and use both. I cannot imagine it getting to the point where another person cannot get into the tractor.

 

[barnyard]

just worried about the stability starting off.

If you interview, ask how many people they are hiring. If only a few, I would worry. If more than 50, I would say that you will be working pretty steady.

Edited to add... if you read through some of last year's posts in this thread, you will find posts from someone that went into feeders and 6+ months later said that he was 100 spots from the bottom on the seniority list.

Also, if you interview, ask if you are going to be assigned to a team run or if you are covering team vacations.

 

[Rick Ross]

I’m ok with the team aspect, just worried about the stability starting off. I’m a career tractor trailer operator with the postal service so I have stability and lay off protection. I don’t know what I’m going to do, I may just be having an old fashioned case of the grass is greener.

How much do you make a year at the USPS? This is good money but I wouldn't change if your making a good living with a decent schedule.

if you make the change I would absolutely schedule vacation for your feeder school and production weeks. We had quite a few drivers fail feeder school who already had their CDL because they couldn't remember the 5/10 and also couldn't describe how it applied to daily driving.

You also may also be unlucky enough to get a jerk trainer who loves failing people. When I got into feeders I learned many had failed their first school and most of them were failed by the same 2 supervisor trainers.

 

[Rick Ross]

There is a run in my building that does some trailer swaps. The company has gypsies pulling our loads to hubs outside the state.

You can't file to get those runs back as meet point runs?

Both times, they said I could use their tractor (already hooked to the empty) and both times, I opened the door and was hit by in impenetrable wall of stink. I told both to unhook and I would do it with my tractor

I would never drive another companies tractor. If they blamed you for damage it seems like it would be tough to fight.

The longest any of our guys are out is 2-3 days without coming back with enough time to go home and shower. I've never noticed any funk but some are absolute slobs. The last run I did had a new Freightliner with under 40k miles and the inside was worse than others that are around 500k. I don't understand why they would want to live that way.