Soft layoff is a Latent Overnite Operational Psychosis term. There is no such thing in The Contract and your State unemployment office uses the term laid off and nothing in between.
A friend of mine, who is directly above me on the Road board, is laid off. He went out, bought a tractor, and leased it to a large box store chain. He did not quit UPSF and they cannot fire, dismiss or fail to call him for work according to The Contract. He was coming into town from a run for this other company and the UPSF dispatcher called him and wanted to know if he was available for a 500-mile turn run. He said yes, went to the service center, parked his tractor, walked onto the property with his other company uniform on, went into the locker room and changed into his UPSF uniform, clocked on and did the turn run.
More power to him and it did not affect me. This is his right and we have even discussed him hiring me to drive his tractor occasionally pulling loads for the other company while he works for UPSF. I work for FedEx Ground contractors on call and have shown up wearing a FedEx Ground uniform at my UPSF service center also. UPS cannot do anything about it.