RTD Pay Progression

[fedex_rtd]

Depends on where you live and the cost of living, but new hire starting pay is $18.XX (for most cities) to around $23.XX (like if you live in San Francisco). Obviously you're not going to live very well in some place like San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, etc making $23 an hour. Then you're "supposed" to get about a $1 per hr raise per year. So after a decade, you should be from $28/hr (for most cities) to like $33 in places like San Diego.

Closer to $34 an hour, most of the west coast is at $34.71 I don't see a big raise for us compared to the rest of the company. The big issue for new drivers are the work hours, most runs are done late at night or very early morning hours. Best way the company could compensate would to bring back the shift differential pay. Most RTD's took a serious pay cut when the company stoped that pay.

 

[abused.crr]

I spent 22 years with express in many different jobs. I finally saw the light! Got my cdl through express and left about 4 months after. I now work for my local department of transportation and I can’t be happier. Get your cdl and leave!

 

[Oldfart]

Closer to $34 an hour, most of the west coast is at $34.71 I don't see a big raise for us compared to the rest of the company. The big issue for new drivers are the work hours, most runs are done late at night or very early morning hours. Best way the company could compensate would to bring back the shift differential pay. Most RTD's took a serious pay cut when the company stoped that pay.

3rd shift was 50 cents. 2nd was 35 cents. While that is a pay cut, I wouldn't classify it as a SERIOUS considering they raised RTD pay to the same as Dispatchers and Swings where it was originally only a 35 cent increase over courier pay. RTD was not the only position to lose shift pay.

 

[Route 66]

Well for the package car drivers.....they know how many times you've buckled and unbuckled your seatbelt and then compare that to how many stops you have and if it doesn't match up, you get in trouble. They have GPS on their trucks so if you scan a package before you're at the actual address, it shows up on some report. They also can tell if you've backed up your package car which is a huge no no. Yes, that kind of stuff is like harassment in my opinion, but it's all legal. So monitoring if you scanned a package before arriving at the actual delivery address is micromanagement. Oh and I don't work at UPS.

and are they able to ascertain whether a fart is wet or dry?

 

[cosis]

I spent 22 years with express in many different jobs. I finally saw the light! Got my cdl through express and left about 4 months after. I now work for my local department of transportation and I can’t be happier. Get your cdl and leave!

If you are so happy why are you still lurking on this board?

 

[abused.crr]

If you are so happy why are you still lurking on this board?

Still have a lot of fdx friends/past coworkers that visit this board. They know me and I know them. Only one other of them had the balls to get their cdl and then leave like I did. The rest can’t hang with the “red strokes.” Local municipalities and state department of transportations will snatch you up quick! Life is good.

 

[fedx]

It's called telematics. You dont "get in trouble" for any of that. If they talked to me about 1 or 2 seat belt violations I would grieve them for harrassment before the meeting was over. Unless they are following you and witness you doing any violation in person. They cant talk to you about anything.

If they were following me because I have 1 or 2 seat belt violations over the course of my 190 stop day. I would grieve them for harrassment for following me.

I haven't had 1 talk with about anything (except for calling in sick, attendance review) in years.

You call it "telematics", but I call it micromanagement. Monitoring if you put your vehicle in reverse. How petty.

 

[fedx]

I spent 22 years with express in many different jobs. I finally saw the light! Got my cdl through express and left about 4 months after. I now work for my local department of transportation and I can’t be happier. Get your cdl and leave!

So what do you do now for the DOT? How is the pay at your new job? That had to be a hard decision on leaving FedEx after 22 years and start all over. You lose out on vacation, seniority, etc.

 

[Oldfart]

You call it "telematics", but I call it micromanagement. Monitoring if you put your vehicle in reverse. How petty.

Paranoia will destroy ya.
Unnecessary backing causes accidents.
Not putting your seatbelt on is a safety issue.
Not pulling in your drivers side mirror when parked means your mirror is stuck out in traffic to be hit.

 

[MAKAVELI]

Paranoia will destroy ya.
Unnecessary backing causes accidents.
Not putting your seatbelt on is a safety issue.
Not pulling in your drivers side mirror when parked means your mirror is stuck out in traffic to be hit.

Don't know where you came up with the mirror metric. I've never seen a UPS truck pull in the mirror. And there is no sensor to monitor it

 

[Oldfart]

Don't know where you came up with the mirror metric. I've never seen a UPS truck pull in the mirror. And there is no sensor to monitor it

You are correct on 1 part, but as usual, you are wrong on the other.

No sensor but package car drivers in my area are required to pull in the mirror at every stop if they park on the street. If they don't and the mirror is hit, the accident is theirs. I used to see them do it all day when I ran a route and my package car driver neighbor confirmed it.

Why not get operational to ask on the UPS board. She said she likes to hang out there.

 

[fedx]

Paranoia will destroy ya.
Unnecessary backing causes accidents.
Not putting your seatbelt on is a safety issue.
Not pulling in your drivers side mirror when parked means your mirror is stuck out in traffic to be hit.

Yes, all that stuff you mention are "possible" issues. They aren't issues until they are. So you might get 5 accidents for backing up out of every 5,000 times it's done by various drivers (just guessing here). And I'm not talking about "unnecessary" backing according to UPS. I mean backing up at all-even though UPS trucks have backup cameras like FedEx. You back up at all and it sends an alert on the computer system that monitors your driving. Really UPS should just have the reverse gear removed from their package cars so they can only move forward lol. Yes, you should always wear your seatbelt, but I'm not talking about whether or not you should do it. I'm talking about your company monitoring it on a second by second basis. Obviously you know FedEx doesn't have all those monitors like UPS does. So would you OF rather drive a vehicle that is monitor free or one that knows everything you're doing? I have a feeling you're going to say you'd be fine with either.

 

[Oldfart]

Yes, all that stuff you mention are "possible" issues. They aren't issues until they are. So you might get 5 accidents for backing up out of every 5,000 times it's done by various drivers (just guessing here). And I'm not talking about "unnecessary" backing according to UPS. I mean backing up at all-even though UPS trucks have backup cameras like FedEx. You back up at all and it sends an alert on the computer system that monitors your driving. Yes, you should always wear your seatbelt, but I'm not talking about whether or not you should do it. I'm talking about your company monitoring it on a second by second basis. Obviously you know FedEx doesn't have all those monitors like UPS does. So would you OF rather drive a vehicle that is monitor free or one that knows everything you're doing? I have a feeling you're going to say you'd be fine with either.

Nobody likes to be monitored from clock in to clock out. People on here always talk about how great UPS is and how FDX sucks and you just proved that to not be true. They make more money and have better benefits but their working conditions are much worse than ours in my opinion. They don't answer to UPS management, they answer to the union. The company has very little flexibility with manning and their employees have a very adversarial relationship with management. I might not make $36 an hour and pay little if any for health insurance but I am treated very fair by Fedex and would not trade jobs with my neighbor that works at UPS.
We have GPS on the powerpad and trucks but if an employee is doing what he is paid to do, he has no worries. I follow the rules the company has made and expect other employees to do the same. The GPS only affects the employees that don't do what they are supposed to.
I imagine driver facing dash cams and other tools will be implemented at some time in FDX trucks. I won't be around to work with those but for those employees that are, you can either deal with them or suffer the consequences. Plenty of other fleets have the driver cams and they have improved their fleets driving records. I heard first hand when I went to Smith System class a while back testimonies from safety specialist from other companies the positive affect driver cams had. Technology is there to change the way we do our job and expect it to happen in due time. We went from radio broadcast for p/u to Dads to powerpad. From sheeting up deliveries to tracker to supertracker to powerpad now LEO. If you are against a company using technology to conduct business, you work for the wrong company.

 

[59 Dano]

I'm talking about your company monitoring it on a second by second basis.

You're in someone else's vehicle and they're paying you to operate it the way they want you to operate it. If you're doing what they pay you to do and you're doing it the way that they want you to do it, then whatever they're monitoring is the best CYA you could ever ask for.

 

[fedx]

Nobody likes to be monitored from clock in to clock out. People on here always talk about how great UPS is and how FDX sucks and you just proved that to not be true. They make more money and have better benefits but their working conditions are much worse than ours in my opinion. They don't answer to UPS management, they answer to the union. The company has very little flexibility with manning and their employees have a very adversarial relationship with management. I might not make $36 an hour and pay little if any for health insurance but I am treated very fair by Fedex and would not trade jobs with my neighbor that works at UPS.
We have GPS on the powerpad and trucks but if an employee is doing what he is paid to do, he has no worries. I follow the rules the company has made and expect other employees to do the same. The GPS only affects the employees that don't do what they are supposed to.
I imagine driver facing dash cams and other tools will be implemented at some time in FDX trucks. I won't be around to work with those but for those employees that are, you can either deal with them or suffer the consequences. Plenty of other fleets have the driver cams and they have improved their fleets driving records. I heard first hand when I went to Smith System class a while back testimonies from safety specialist from other companies the positive affect driver cams had. Technology is there to change the way we do our job and expect it to happen in due time. We went from radio broadcast for p/u to Dads to powerpad. From sheeting up deliveries to tracker to supertracker to powerpad now LEO. If you are against a company using technology to conduct business, you work for the wrong company.

It's all a trade off. Yes UPS pays great, but you're monitored in everything you do. Plus I've heard several times that UPS tries to build a case to fire you from the very first day you're hired. FedEx doesn't pay as well, but they don't keep track of your seatbelt either. So it's a trade off. Most union shops have an adversarial relationship with their employers. That's just how they're set up. If there wasn't such a relationship, there wouldn't be a real need for a union (except maybe for pay). UPS drivers deliver heavy packages just like FedEx Ground, where Express handles lighter packages since it's air freight and more expensive to ship. So Express drivers don't get their bodies as beat up as UPS. However, Express could pay their drivers better and have less turnover. I'm not saying pay starting drivers at $30 an hour, but maybe top drivers out at 5 years instead of 10. Ten years (at best) top out is still ridiculous. I've talked to long time drivers who said back in the early 80s people were topped out in 3 months. Then it was 1 year, then 18 months, then 3 years. Then it switched to 20 years and that's when all the turnover started happening. Five years top out would be a good time span. And with the problems keeping RTDs, they really should do something to keep them since there's such a shortage of them. As far as technology goes, it's a double edged sword. It's good for safety, but not good for comfort. You mention front facing cameras. I've heard of OTR trucking companies who have those front facing cameras who will turn them on without the driver knowing and they monitor the driver just to get a laugh. Watch the driver pick his nose or sing or whatever just to entertain themselves. With technology comes the ability to abuse it.

 

[Star B]

I'm talking about your company monitoring it on a second by second basis. Obviously you know FedEx doesn't have all those monitors like UPS does. So would you OF rather drive a vehicle that is monitor free or one that knows everything you're doing? I have a feeling you're going to say you'd be fine with either.

It's coming. The more the populace allows non-union or union busting techniques from the politicians and the wealthy, the more control upper mgmt will put on the workers because... they won't unionize....

 

[Oldfart]

It's all a trade off. Yes UPS pays great, but you're monitored in everything you do. Plus I've heard several times that UPS tries to build a case to fire you from the very first day you're hired. FedEx doesn't pay as well, but they don't keep track of your seatbelt either. So it's a trade off. Most union shops have an adversarial relationship with their employers. That's just how they're set up. If there wasn't such a relationship, there wouldn't be a real need for a union (except maybe for pay). UPS drivers deliver heavy packages just like FedEx Ground, where Express handles lighter packages since it's air freight and more expensive to ship. So Express drivers don't get their bodies as beat up as UPS. However, Express could pay their drivers better and have less turnover. I'm not saying pay starting drivers at $30 an hour, but maybe top drivers out at 5 years instead of 10. Ten years (at best) top out is still ridiculous. I've talked to long time drivers who said back in the early 80s people were topped out in 3 months. Then it was 1 year, then 18 months, then 3 years. Then it switched to 20 years and that's when all the turnover started happening. Five years top out would be a good time span. And with the problems keeping RTDs, they really should do something to keep them since there's such a shortage of them. As far as technology goes, it's a double edged sword. It's good for safety, but not good for comfort. You mention front facing cameras. I've heard of OTR trucking companies who have those front facing cameras who will turn them on without the driver knowing and they monitor the driver just to get a laugh. Watch the driver pick his nose or sing or whatever just to entertain themselves. With technology comes the ability to abuse it.

Some of your info is correct but some is incorrect.
Fedex did not top out in 3 months in the 80's. I was there way before that and it was 15 or 18 months. At least where I was.
I do not remember Fedex ever declaring the 20 year time to top of range you mentioned. I never knew how people behind me got raises but considering they just published an exact time frame for raises, I don't believe you can say it was 20 years.

Fedex Express drivers deliver the SAME weight boxes that UPS does. Express weight limit is 150lbs and every Express driver has delivered packages that were in the 160lb range.

RTD pay is anywhere from close to 30 to close to 35, depending on the market. Not a bad salary for the work required. Drop and swap or loading pallets with a jack or forklift and not having to be away from home or deal with the hassles many truck drivers deal with is pretty sweet. I did it for 15 or so years and it was a easy money, I just got tired of the early hours and jumped back in a 900.

 

[MAKAVELI]

You are correct on 1 part, but as usual, you are wrong on the other.

No sensor but package car drivers in my area are required to pull in the mirror at every stop if they park on the street. If they don't and the mirror is hit, the accident is theirs. I used to see them do it all day when I ran a route and my package car driver neighbor confirmed it.

Why not get operational to ask on the UPS board. She said she likes to hang out there.

It's a method they're supposed to follow but not on a telematics report. Like I said I have yet to see UPS driver actually do that.

 

[Oldfart]

It's a method they're supposed to follow but not on a telematics report. Like I said I have yet to see UPS driver actually do that.

Did I ever say their black box would monitor the mirror? Might want to have a 5th grader read you my post. It is a rule according to my neighbor and the drivers that I talked to. Are you suggesting you know more than the drivers that told me it is a rule or maybe you are looking at UPS drivers that simply are not following the rules. You seem to know everything, even the work rules at UPS. Interesting.

 

[floridays]

I would seriously consider doing that. There aren't and hasn't been any feeder drivers jobs where I live and I've look at UPS' job site almost daily for a couple of years now. This month they finally have some temp/seasonal ones that came up, but I wouldn't go there just to be a temp. But for you Csdm18, you have to think of the opportunity cost. Figure how much a year you make now, will make next year, the year after....all the way up to 6-7 years from now. Then figure how much you'd make at UPS at their starting pay, then their pay next year, and the year after, etc. You'll probably find out that you'll lose out on close to $50,000 (or more) over the course of 7 years if you don't go to UPS if you have the chance. I think FedEx needs to step up their retention efforts of RTDs. They are paying pilots who were going to retire this year a $100,000 bonus to stay with the company till after peak. They have the resources to keep people.

Where did you hear of this $100,000 bonus pertaining to exiting pilots staying through peak? I'm curious, haven't heard anything of the sort . I generally hear more than most, I have large ears. Educate me please.