Ups vs. Fedex on Tractor-trailer division, career path HELP!

[Michael Millhouse]

Hi I am new here, and I hope I posted this in the right area. I have a few questions for those of you are are familiar with the tractor-trailer divisions, or "feeder" positions. I am an experienced tractor trailer driver, who is working for a contractor for the usps. my company will be going under soon, and I have heard that top tractor trailer pay (as a company driver, that is not "otr") can be found at either ups, or fedex. I have applied for a class-a driving job on both companies websites, multiple times, and have heard nothing back from either company. from the little I have read on here, the brown cafe, it seems that maybe I could get some help. so, I have some questions, and I thank you for taking the time to read, and respond to these in depth.

1. what is the overall UNBIASED difference between working for ups, and fedex?

2. What is the pay scale for a tractor trailer driver at each company?

3. what is the different divisions of ups, and how do they affect the tractor-trailer driver?

4. is it true the only way to get to a "feeder position" is to start from the bottom at ups, and work your way up slowly (even with a cdl license and experience)?

5. if I got a job as a part time package handler, would I be able to put my name on a list, and skip over driving package cars, and move up to class-a driving cause I have previous experience?

6. are the feeder drivers considered the same thing as Line haul driving? what is the difference between a local, line haul, and otr driver at ups, and do they all work for one part of the company ( ups freight, ups ground...)

7. what kind of pay does a doubles & triples driver make, what kind of hours and scedule does one work? ( ups, and fedex)

8. what is the best way to get a tractor-trailer driving job at ups?


thanks for the help!

 

[Covemastah]

Mike,,,welcome to the BC !1 I am a feeder driver,and will answer most of your questions..
1 UPS is union ,better wages,FedEx is mostly subcontractor in ground div
2 ups you could hit 31.oo p/hr after you make book,about two yrs AFTER you make book. you dont get book right away,could take a while
3 UPS and UPS freight,2 differant companies..easier to get into freight if you want to drive asap
4 YES
5 NO
6 feeder drivers mostly work nights and are home in am,,run local stuff,ups bldng to other ups bldngs ,airports,railroad and some pick ups
7 dbles pay is .25 more p/hr and all drivers have to pull dbles as job requires
8 If your young enough start at bottom and work way up,,could take 15 yrs or so to get Feeder job. If yoiu start as a temp,you will most likely work seasonal i.e summer and christmas season and probaly NEVER get hired as a full timer !!


it may be in your best interest to look into UPS freight if you want to get started as a T.T driver,,UPS is a long road to get into a feeder position if your a guy over 30 just starting out ! Best of luck to you and I hope this helped you out !!!

 

[Old International]

Covemaster writes dbles pay is .25 more p/hr and all drivers have to pull dbles as job requires. Maybe where you are, but in SC, Feeders is .10 more an hour, unless you pull DBLEs for more then 1 hour, then it's .60 an hour above base rate.
It took me 17 years to get into feeders. Then I was a cover driver(got to work all the holidays, and strange requests) for 5 years before getting a run of my own.

 

[Michael Millhouse]

thank you for responding, that is some food for thought. so, feeder position, which is tractor-trailer driver, is like the top of line job for the driver, at ups it seems, and it can only be achieved working from the ground up. thank you

 

[Michael Millhouse]

old international - 17 years?????? wow.... so a feeder position, is that considered lineahauling? like, I see guys that leave the hub here in salt lake, and then I know they meet half way with another set of triples that come from reno, nv. and they swap their sets and go back to their home terminals. that is a feeder? thanks.

 

[Michael Millhouse]

so what is the difference between ups and ups freight?

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

thank you for responding, that is some food for thought. so, feeder position, which is tractor-trailer driver, is like the top of line job for the driver, at ups it seems, and it can only be achieved working from the ground up. thank you

Feeders is not the "top of line job for the driver".

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

so what is the difference between ups and ups freight?

UPS Freight is a division of UPS.

 

[dilligaf]

Feeders is not the "top of line job for the driver".

I bet you get a few responses to this.

 

[bluehdmc]

Feeders is not the "top of line job for the driver".

It certainly isn't as micro managed.
That's not to say it isn't micro managed, just not as much.
Plus if you're lucky the a/c will work on your tractor

 

[cachsux]

Feeders is not the "top of line job for the driver".

Says someone who's not in Feeder. Oh, could you please carry that 150lb package into my garage? I'll get the door for you,thanks.

 

[cachsux]

1. what is the overall UNBIASED difference between working for ups, and fedex?

One is union, one is not. Not sure of all FedEx drivers but the ones I knew were independent drivers much like their ground division.

2. What is the pay scale for a tractor trailer driver at each company?

We're currently at $31 and change. Don't know FEd's but I'm sure its not as high.



3. what is the different divisions of ups, and how do they affect the tractor-trailer driver?

Only the two. UPS and UPS freight. Obviously the difference mostly is the items that each carry.

4. is it true the only way to get to a "feeder position" is to start from the bottom at ups, and work your way up slowly (even with a cdl license and experience)?

Yes and no. The vast majority work up from within. There are exceptions. The local 710 in my building do hire off the street but at what ratio I can't tell you. I know these street hires are mostly on call and coverage until a more permanent spot opens. Cdl, schmeDl. You could be a NASA rocket scientist and you'll still have to put the time in.

5. if I got a job as a part time package handler, would I be able to put my name on a list, and skip over driving package cars, and move up to class-a driving cause I have previous experience?

Nope

6. are the feeder drivers considered the same thing as Line haul driving? what is the difference between a local, line haul, and otr driver at ups, and do they all work for one part of the company ( ups freight, ups ground...)

There are three types, in a nutshell. Local drivers that make runs to pickups, railyards and other local buildings, drivers who make building to building runs of greater distances that are home every night, and the long haul sleeper team drivers that make 3-5 day runs each week.

7. what kind of pay does a doubles & triples driver make, what kind of hours and schedule does one work? ( ups, and fedex)

Most buildings feeder drivers work nights primarily. My building we're 24/6. 5 day a week bids,60 hours max. I make the same pay regardless of what I pull.

8. what is the best way to get a tractor-trailer driving job at ups?

Work your way up from within which can take who knows what kind of time depending on the building you're out of, location,etc. As I said local 710 out of Chicago has hired off the street in the past but I can't tell you how often. I would check around as many different areas as possible and perhaps be willing to move to one that has a higher demand.

thanks for the help!

 

[rocket man]

so what is the difference between ups and ups freight?

THE NAME

 

[rushfan]

"Not the top of the line for the driver?"

I'd rather take 10 lbs of weight gain, yes that's all I gained. I go to the gym by choice, not by delivering 200 stops. It's more enjoyable. You can have your automatic door opening package car, and your knee/back problems. I'll be a "lazy" feeder driver any day.

 

[Covemastah]

So what is the top of the line Mr. Know it all ?? driving in the frozen Tundra of upstate New York and being told "you suck " every other day? i have done all kinds of jobs in a P/C,cover,my own Rte and putting out fires at peak(that job was aweful) Feeders may not be the life style for most,but it beats being broken down day by day in a p/c car !!

 

[over9five]

Easy boys. He works in the Bubble of Goodness, don't forget.
Where management and hourly frolic barefoot through the tulips holding hands.
Those over 70s float through the air into that garage.
And your body never wears down, it gets younger.

 

[moreluck]

Easy boys. He works in the Bubble of Goodness, don't forget.
Where management and hourly frolic barefoot through the tulips holding hands.
Those over 70s float through the air into that garage.
And your body never wears down, it gets younger.

like Benjamin Buttons from the Bubble???
Is that similiar to Jenny from the block?

 

[Old International]

You know, I used to like Upstate. Not so sure now.
I do know that I have to put up with one tenth of the crap that the Pkg guys do. I am respected by my supervisor, and I rarely hear from him about job issues. The pay is better, I ride in a better vehicle. The downside? Working odd hours, starting on holidays, ending on holidays, having to pull the hub manager's ass out of the fire buy running straight back, and taking my break on the yard at my center.--- But then the preload supe thinks I am god........................

 

[brett636]

As far as the pay goes I cannot say what the independent drivers for Fedex ground get paid, but I was talking to a Fedex Express company driver one night waiting on a trailer to finish up and he told me how they do their bonuses and what it usually is. I did the math and figured he is making about $45k/yr., and if you can get enough overtime could push $60k/yr @ fedex. Compare that to the several feeder drivers I know of who made over 6 figures last year and tell me which company you would rather work for.

 

[2Slow]

In some locations, mine for example, a lot of the feeder guys came off the street. They typically worked as seasonal employees a few times before being hired permanently. All the package guys have had the chance so the 6 to 1 ratio gets tossed out the window.

I think it's the top hourly job in the company, even if the hours do blow. It's pretty hard to really relate the difference, but I rarely hear feeder guys complaining. That's all package guys do. Ymmv