For all you UPS workers

[Junior93]

Hey, I have been really thinking about become a UPS package car driver.. I understand you guys are union and that i may have to work part time as a package handler.. If I started out as a package handler how long would it take before I could be a full time driver??

I will be 16 in a few months, and when I turn 18 I am thinking about trying to join the terminal in Knoxvile, TN.. What would be my starting out hourly pay as a package handler??

and would they hire me??

 

[trplnkl]

My best advice to you is to study hard, make good grades and look for something else to do. Take a little time, read some of the posts on this message board, read what the drivers here say about their jobs. Keep track of the %s of those that like and dislike the job and what it does to your body in the long run. The things you will read here are for the most part true to life and cover the whole spectrum of UPS. Get the BIG PICTURE of what UPS is. You've got two years to wait, look around there are much easier careers for anyone that has the education and drive to do them. To survive UPS it helps to have a strong body and a weak mind.

I'll let someone else tell you the answers to your questions.

 

[Covemastah]

Good advice TRP,, Hey kid,,,YOU ARE 16 at that age you should be thinking of hanging out with the guys, getting your licence,a car & getting past puberty,grabbing your first boobies and playing sports with the guys....yah see the Brown truck go by & you just don't realize the
responsibilities on that drivers drivers shoulders. Its not all it seems in his world...Start thinking about college and that sort of thing,,wow when I was 16 all I could do was think about sports ,girls & taking Yaz's place when he retired.. Enjoy your self son,,,16 and H.S days stay in your head forever,but never come back!!!!!

 

[Just Numbers]

Good advice TRP,, Hey kid,,,YOU ARE 16 at that age you should be thinking of hanging out with the guys, getting your licence,a car & getting past puberty,grabbing your first boobies and playing sports with the guys....yah see the Brown truck go by & you just don't realize the
responsibilities on that drivers drivers shoulders. Its not all it seems in his world...Start thinking about college and that sort of thing,,wow when I was 16 all I could do was think about sports ,girls & taking Yaz's place when he retired.. Enjoy your self son,,,16 and H.S days stay in your head forever,but never come back!!!!!

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Kid--stay in school. Get both pieces of paper. Use your brain, not your back.

 

[UnconTROLLed]

If you ever wanted to work in a prison, except you are the inmate, UPS is a good choice.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

If you ever wanted to work in a prison, except you are the inmate, UPS is a good choice.

Poor analogy.

UPS is nothing like a prison; if anything, UPS is like a branch of the military, only without the unlimited funding (and cool planes).

 

[trplnkl]

Poor analogy.

UPS is nothing like a prison; if anything, UPS is like a branch of the military, only without the unlimited funding (and cool planes).

and ya can't carry a gun.

 

[City Driver]

My best advice to you is to study hard, make good grades and look for something else to do. Take a little time, read some of the posts on this message board, read what the drivers here say about their jobs. Keep track of the %s of those that like and dislike the job and what it does to your body in the long run. The things you will read here are for the most part true to life and cover the whole spectrum of UPS. Get the BIG PICTURE of what UPS is. You've got two years to wait, look around there are much easier careers for anyone that has the education and drive to do them. To survive UPS it helps to have a strong body and a weak mind.

I'll let someone else tell you the answers to your questions.

dont forget to leave yourself an out


get a college degree...so if you find yourself if a dead end job, you have a way out


if you think your life is headed in the wrong direction....get out and look

when you decide which goals you want to manuever towards, aim high in your steering


its the weekend...what am i doing

 

[Junior93]

Well ok thanks.. but still I never got my question answered

 

[MobileBA]

Go to college and get your diploma, it is something that can never be taken away from you and open so many more doors.

 

[pickup]

Well ok thanks.. but still I never got my question answered

I'll try to answer you sir. Assuming you have no criminal record or one they can't access (i.e. sealed).You would get hired, unless the u.s.a. is in mad max mode two years from now. Okay you're young, that is a reference to a movie called "Mad Max" where the world is in total shambles.

As for how long it would take to become a fulltime driver, it depends on a lot of factors: could be as little as 3 years(maybe 2 if you are lucky) or as much as 8. Depends on how big the center is and at how many guys retire, get fired, die and if the economy in the area is growing or stagnating.

I don't think it hurts to give it a shot. It can be a good experience if you have nothing else going on in your life. And you can get an idea first hand if this is good for you or not. You can use the search function (top left of screen?) to search topics and you will find a lot of your questions have been answered all ready.

 

[tieguy]

My best advice to you is to study hard, make good grades and look for something else to do. Take a little time, read some of the posts on this message board, read what the drivers here say about their jobs. Keep track of the %s of those that like and dislike the job and what it does to your body in the long run. The things you will read here are for the most part true to life and cover the whole spectrum of UPS. Get the BIG PICTURE of what UPS is. You've got two years to wait, look around there are much easier careers for anyone that has the education and drive to do them. To survive UPS it helps to have a strong body and a weak mind.

I'll let someone else tell you the answers to your questions.

TRP I don't totally disagree with that logic. I told my kids you work hard in school get good grades and you can dictate your own career path and possibly work in a field and have a job you enjoy.

At the same time I think it might be a good experience for the kid to work at UPS for his first real Job. He learns what its like to work for a living and he is exposed to the ups work ethic which is second to none. That experience can not really hurt him and could possibly make a lasting impression on his life that helps him be sucessful wherever he goes.

 

[tieguy]

Hey, I have been really thinking about become a UPS package car driver.. I understand you guys are union and that i may have to work part time as a package handler.. If I started out as a package handler how long would it take before I could be a full time driver??

I will be 16 in a few months, and when I turn 18 I am thinking about trying to join the terminal in Knoxvile, TN.. What would be my starting out hourly pay as a package handler??

and would they hire me??

starting pay 8.50 with a 90 day progression that bumps you up to 10 bucks an hour.

If you learn a sort job and do it then its a dollar an hour more. Of if you work the preload its a buck an hour more.

Max of 11 bucks an hour after 90 days.

If you have a good work history and no major issues on your background check then they will hire you.

waiting time in knotn will have to be answered by a local person. If you go for a job interview I would not ask too many questions about being a driver. If the HR person gets the feeling you would be dissatisfied with a part time job offer then he may not hire you. If you tell him you're really excited about a career with UPS then that would sell better. All in how you phrase it.

 

[JonFrum]

Junior93, you're 15 now. I think you have to be 21 to be a package car driver.

As a part-timer you will start at $8.50 an hour for 17.5 hours a week, get annual raises, and throughout your fifth year you will make $11.87 (or $12.87, depending.)

Let us know how you make out --- with "grabbing the boobies," I mean.

 

[evilleace]

It is actually a max of $10.50 an hr after 90 days

$1 raise after 90 days and then another dollar raise if you preload or sort

driving time varies in different locations but you will want a second choice as UPS is not for everyone especially as you are only 15 research other careers and then make your decision.

 

[trplnkl]

TRP I don't totally disagree with that logic. I told my kids you work hard in school get good grades and you can dictate your own career path and possibly work in a field and have a job you enjoy.

At the same time I think it might be a good experience for the kid to work at UPS for his first real Job. He learns what its like to work for a living and he is exposed to the ups work ethic which is second to none. That experience can not really hurt him and could possibly make a lasting impression on his life that helps him be sucessful wherever he goes.

Oh, believe me I don't disagree with what you are saying either. My main point was ( I guess I should have stated it differently) was, going to work for UPS at 18 years old with a career plan that only includes UPS is probably a mistake. I am not one of those that believes collage is a must for making a living, in fact I would prefer that young folks do some real work before going to college. It could shed a little perspective on which way to go.
One thing I do believe to be true is that future UPS drivers will indeed have a harder time working till retirement than we do today.

 

[nunya321]

OMG, Jr, sorry all these guys are giving you fatherly advice when you're just trying to explore your options....(although I have ta tell ya...they're right.) You think you'll never get old & bitter about your career as you'll be "different" and you'll "do it the right way," but regardless of where you end up--here, there, somewhere else--you'll eventually end up like the rest of us with the rude awakening of reality. (hey, man, I was gonna be a freakin' photo journalist for National Geographic--what the deuce happened?!? How did I end up at UPS???)

Anyway, in addition to all of the above threads, to answer your question, if you're 18 & pass the interviews, etc, you'd most likely start out as a package loader. You don't just go into being a driver as that's what everyone assumes, when they have what they think is the brilliant brainstorm of, "hey, why don't I try to get on at UPS as a driver?"

As a loader, if you put your dues in and absolutely work your butt off like you most likely have never done before or thought you were capable of doing, you may have a shot at becoming a driver, again though it depends on the factors like what Pickup mentions above. Loading packages is a very, very hard job, however, that being said, I wish when I was struggling through college working at the Waffle House (seriously) that I'd known about the loading position. The pay is pretty decent for a kid, there's tuition reimbursement (or WAS, but I won't go into that), and you will learn exactly what you're made of as far as work ethic right away. Many don't make it --"it's just too hard," However, if you have the grit in you, it offers a springboard into several paths at UPS once you get your degree, and not just as a driver.

While these guys gripe and talk a good game of how much they hate their jobs, they're really a lot of fun and pretty cool for the most part from my perspective over the last 10 years. If you do chose that path (after school and additional self-development on how the world works, etc), you certainly will for the most part, be part of a really good group of people.

Best of luck to you and stop being so serious at 15--go play around on Facebook or something and get off this trainwreck--ENJOY your youth!!!!!

 

[tieguy]

Junior93, you're 15 now. I think you have to be 21 to be a package car driver.

As a part-timer you will start at $8.50 an hour for 17.5 hours a week, get annual raises, and throughout your fifth year you will make $11.87 (or $12.87, depending.)

Let us know how you make out --- with "grabbing the boobies," I mean.

It is actually a max of $10.50 an hr after 90 days

$1 raise after 90 days and then another dollar raise if you preload or sort

driving time varies in different locations but you will want a second choice as UPS is not for everyone especially as you are only 15 research other careers and then make your decision.

sounds like we have some differences.

 

[evilleace]

I am not saying UPS isn't for him I am just saying that he should explore other options and actually work at UPS before dediding if that is the job for him he may hate working there.