I'm not kidding. Package keeps us fit and strong. Eat anything, drink anything, NO PROBLEM!
But to go from a very active job you've done for MANY years to a sedentary job is going to get you fat.
So what should I do?[/quote]
Stay in package car and be a skinny crippled guy. Feeder may not be active in the way you know it but drive down the road in heavy traffic with crappy weather and see if your heart rate doesn`t go up.
Getting fat all depends on your eating habits,the guys who are fat now are guys who were only kept thinner by package.
As far as going feeder,our board added a hundred guys in the last 18 months and not one of them would go back even with the sometime "bad"hours.
Pro:
Less physical work
Work stays the same year round(you`ll once again enjoy Xmas)
Work stays the same daily,your hours may be from 8 to 13 with a lunch but it`s the same work either way.
You`ll get to know the guys you work with better,you are around more between runs,you make runs together,have lunch together.
Make more money,our rate is slightly higher,the opportunity for extra hours,days are usually available.
If you can,want, sign up for 6th day(1.5x hourly)or 7th day(2x hourly) Same work more pay. It might seem a bummer to give up a day off until you realize you just made $775 for it.
Hours of work,feeder runs 24hrs a day, you can get on a shift that works for your lifestyle,by seniority of course,if you can`t get the time you want some guys swing which means you fill in for the guys on the time you want.
No more hassle when your ill. It`s DOT regulated,if your sick you call in and tell them and thats it. No "you got to come in" speach,etc. If they were to make you come in and you so much as scratch a trailer,it`s their ass more than yours. Also if you become ill at work you tell them and leave,same reason.
Everything is done by seniority,no more ass kissers on premium routes,etc.
If your a safe driver you`ll have no problem.
Con:
More mental work,which can be stressfull when new.
Stress,sometimes, it`s always in your head that what your driving is bigger,heavier,longer,turns different,stops different,and can kill you a lot quicker than a package car.
Work stays the same year round,same trucks,same roads,same railyards and pickups. But! There`s no humping Nordic tracks
Hours of work,ie bids,are by seniority. Higher guys get the choice time,but remember what seems like a choice time may not be what fits your life. I have picked midnights since I went feeder 11 yrs ago,it may not seem like a good time to some but I am home everyday by 1pm. I see my kids when there awake,I eat dinner with my family every night,I get my errands done while stores are open. My week begins at 12:01 Mon

but ends at 12 noon on Fri

. You`ll find what works for you so don`t worry about the round the clock hours.
Some mgmt hates us more because we are the top scale people doing what appears to them to be easy work. You may have a run in with mgmt but in feeder you`ll know the contract inside and out and there`s always a steward or two on your shift.
If your one of those guys who drives a package car like a sports car you better get over it quick because you`ll have an accident if your lucky or dead if your not.
Like I said it takes getting used to but not one guy on our board has ever wanted to go back.