How long until you won your first bid route?

Netsua 3:16

AND THAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE
71B6BBD3-D697-410A-A4B0-8B27B99653CC.gif
 

FedUPSer9816

Full Service
Just wondering how many years did you work at your hub until you finally got your own route?
I was an off the street hire from FedEx Express peak 2016. Then laid off, rehired as an air driver for 2 months, then FT RPCD when Saturday Ground rolled out. Got my own bidded route my 2nd year for 2 years, though it was a training route. Now on a late start trip that nobody likes, UPS Store sucks. But I like it, no airs, dropboxes at night, guaranteed 9.5 M-friend top rate money in the bank!
 

Overpaid Union Thug

Well-Known Member
Getting a bid route nowadays is no big deal since some supplements started requiring that ALL routes be bid. Getting a decent route is the goal now. And that’s personal preference.
 

Netsua 3:16

AND THAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE
Getting a bid route nowadays is no big deal since some supplements started requiring that ALL routes be bid. Getting a decent route is the goal now. And that’s personal preference.
They really need to do this in my local. But our volume fluctuates so much that on any given week we can be plus or minus 15-20 routes. When we have slow days the layoffs are insane. Then the next day, we’re all on road and bricked out.
I will say, part of it has to do with what I gather to be purposeful volume manipulation on Saturdays/MONDAYS, when really those two days combined are just a normal ass full operating day, but they HAVE to justify staffing on Saturdays. Saturdays are a joke.
 

barnyard

KTM rider
A couple of months shy of 15 years. I have been on my current route for a bit over 3 years and have been seriously thinking about going back to cover driving.
 

Covemastah

Hoopah drives the boat Chief !!
I did work on the Twi during peak of 87, left on good terms rehired in Jan of 89 and was one of the only guys on interview that could drive a stick , so they threw me on a package car
 

Netsua 3:16

AND THAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE
A couple of months shy of 15 years. I have been on my current route for a bit over 3 years and have been seriously thinking about going back to cover driving.
Just bored? Or they permanently blew up your route? We’ve had 2 extremely high seniority guys leave their routes of 15+ years recently to go cover and take the extra layoffs. Of which, right now, THERE ARE NONE
That’s how I got my route. The pickups suck because of distance between work areas, used to be more manageable but now nobody wants it. Except THIS GUY
 

barnyard

KTM rider
Just bored? Or they permanently blew up your route? We’ve had 2 extremely high seniority guys leave their routes of 15+ years recently to go cover and take the extra layoffs. Of which, right now, THERE ARE NONE
That’s how I got my route. The pickups suck because of distance between work areas, used to be more manageable but now nobody wants it. Except THIS GUY
My area shrunk significantly. Instead of staying in my bid area, I am pushed into the neighboring route. It is right around 55% my route. There are days that a cut car is put in and that route is 100% my bid route. Most of the time when I have an 8 hour request, I have to bring stops back. My route used to have 2ish hours of rural routes every day. I have not been in those areas in 2 years.

I have enough seniority that I would be the #1 cover and would be able to choose the routes I cover. I am feeder qualified, so I work a feeder run at peak.

I would prefer to do as little as possible for the time I have remaining at the box factory.
 

Netsua 3:16

AND THAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE
My area shrunk significantly. Instead of staying in my bid area, I am pushed into the neighboring route. It is right around 55% my route. There are days that a cut car is put in and that route is 100% my bid route. Most of the time when I have an 8 hour request, I have to bring stops back. My route used to have 2ish hours of rural routes every day. I have not been in those areas in 2 years.

I have enough seniority that I would be the #1 cover and would be able to choose the routes I cover. I am feeder qualified, so I work a feeder run at peak.

I would prefer to do as little as possible for the time I have remaining at the box factory.
Nice thing about being high seniority cover is you can run those gravy junk routes with no pickups!! Protect your body on the way out brother
 
1 year PT, 6 months driving, which included a failed 30 day packet and then going seasonal. Once I made book after my second attempt, it took 11 months for me to get a bid route. City route that nobody else was interested in. Not the best area, but I have no regrets.
 
Top