Driver opinions

Pollocknbrown

Well-Known Member
Hey there I was just wondering drivers opinions as to my question. I eventually want to become a driver for UPS (cant yet b/c im not 21 (not till dec of 08) and don't have 1 years seniority to even bid on positions. So my question is when i do 21, what would be my best possible way getting into FT pkg car driving, would it be to wait it out till i have years of seniority (because my dad said people in my hub, when he left last summer, had 10 yrs seniority
and were still waiting to get into driving. Or would i be better off working some time there (3-5 years say) develop a good reputation, start looking for a driving job in other cities (im from buffalo and i love chicago and would love to be there, or any other city around the great lakes), and when i get one quit my HUB. Thank you in advance for your time and response, and i do apologize as well if there is a thread like this already in play.
 

blue efficacy

Well-Known Member
No, with an "O" or yes, with a but.

You will almost certainly not get a job in another city. But it is not impossible.
For every 6 driving jobs given to insiders, 1 can be given to an outside hire. Those are often given to PT supes. Nigh impossible to get one of those jobs, needless to say.

And you cannot bid on jobs outside your building. You can transfer to a different building, but it is not easy. It has to be "educational." You must be attending a school closer to the building you wish to transfer to, and they must have an opening. Not to mention your job classification seniority would be end tailed upon transfer, so you'd be right back on the bottom of the list.

Your only, best option is to stick it out in the HUB. You really have no other choice if you'd like to become a full time driver.

Of course, if there is more than one hub in your area, you could enroll in a class at a local junior college and try to get a transfer to any other location in your area, if you believe that there is a location where you would have a shorter path to driving. I believe, but am not certain, that if you stay in your district you retain your seniority as well.

You're young, you won't be eligible to drive for some time, wait till you get closer to your 21st bday. Get a picture of how the driving situation at your building looks like then before doing anything rash!


Hope this is informative, I am sure others in this forum will correct me if I provided any bad information.

One more thing, the longer you're in the building the easier it gets. You'll start to be able to win bids for better jobs. Smalls, Irregs, and sorting off a slide are the easy jobs. My advice is grab one of these and hold onto it until you can go driver.

Good luck!
 

Fnix

Well-Known Member
When you turn 21 start doing saturday airs and cover driver. Do driver helper in peak in between now and then.
 

brownrodster

Well-Known Member
If I were you I would figure out which centers near the hub need drivers. Then enroll in a community college near there and get an educational transfer.
 
The waiting time on the list isn't always set in stone. I waited six and a half years to get my Magic Call, and right after me, probably within 6-8 months, some people with a year and a half senority started going driving. Sometimes there's just a bottleneck, and you could get lucky.
 

Pollocknbrown

Well-Known Member
No, with an "O" or yes, with a but.

You will almost certainly not get a job in another city. But it is not impossible.
For every 6 driving jobs given to insiders, 1 can be given to an outside hire. Those are often given to PT supes. Nigh impossible to get one of those jobs, needless to say.

And you cannot bid on jobs outside your building. You can transfer to a different building, but it is not easy. It has to be "educational." You must be attending a school closer to the building you wish to transfer to, and they must have an opening. Not to mention your job classification seniority would be end tailed upon transfer, so you'd be right back on the bottom of the list.

Your only, best option is to stick it out in the HUB. You really have no other choice if you'd like to become a full time driver.

Of course, if there is more than one hub in your area, you could enroll in a class at a local junior college and try to get a transfer to any other location in your area, if you believe that there is a location where you would have a shorter path to driving. I believe, but am not certain, that if you stay in your district you retain your seniority as well.

You're young, you won't be eligible to drive for some time, wait till you get closer to your 21st bday. Get a picture of how the driving situation at your building looks like then before doing anything rash!


Hope this is informative, I am sure others in this forum will correct me if I provided any bad information.

One more thing, the longer you're in the building the easier it gets. You'll start to be able to win bids for better jobs. Smalls, Irregs, and sorting off a slide are the easy jobs. My advice is grab one of these and hold onto it until you can go driver.

Good luck!


Blue are u saying that most inside driving jobs (5 of the 6) go to PT sups or the outside hires (1 of 6)? and thank you for those who commented.
 

VTBrown

Well-Known Member
If you have gained seniority your out of luck as one of the "outside" bid winners.

Most outside bids go to Seasonal Drivers and Part Time Sups.

I myself worked one Christmas as a Seasonal, came back the following June to cover vacations and was given the VT outside bid that September.
 
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