SEFL | Southeastern Freight Lines Achieves Best-Ever Safety Records The Journal of Commerce

[Tater]

I am in Linehaul and don't mind telling you that I have rotated five times this year. But I would also like to point out that I spent the rest of the nites being away from my wife and family. I went into linehaul to get away from alot of the rotation but it still happens. If you want to transfer out west or to Texas you might not have to rotate at all. But if you are at a terminal with a low bill count and a lot of City drivers this might be a lean winter,but I think it looks better than last year.

 

[Lazer]

Right out of the box here, I AM NOT AN SEFL employee. (although I work for one of SEFL's interline partners) If an opinion from a employee of another company is welcome I'll offer this up: As to the friction between P&D and Linehaul,it is at every LTL company. It does get more pronounced when the economy slows and bill count declines. I myself have run linehaul since I entered the LTL industry, (over 10 years ago),here are some of my thoughts,should there be rotation? it is every hard to have that run smoothly if the SC magmt is not used to being operated that way. Should linehaul drivers sacrifce equally as P&D do? That also is extremely hard to implement,first any and all linehaul drivers know that no matter what bid or dedicated run they are doing on any given night, that driver may or may not do their run and get sent 'out of town ' for a day or two. Try telling a P&D driver that he may not be going home tonight to see his kids and sleep with his wife and see how that flies!! As I see how other SC's work at the company I work for,yes the P&D driver is the 'gold standard', they can drive what ever tractor they want that day,they don't need to do pre-trips(takes to much time,besides the linehaul driver should have done that),dont bother fueling up after your shift,(the linehaul driver can do that he only gets paid a 1/4 hour no matter how long the line at the fuel pumps)and by all means don't ever ask a P&D driver if they checked the oil on your assigned tractor or God forbid if they swept the floor!! As I see it, P&D drivers get alot of leeway in the LTL industry, most linehaul drivers make ample sacrifices day in and day out as just a matter of the job position. Not knowing when you may get home,trying to sleep during the daytime,and at noisy motels with car doors slaming,horns honking,maids pushing carts up and down the halls till 3 in the afternoon, not being able to go out every friday and saturday night like a normal person. Just to name a few, so when a P&D driver wants to know why linehaul can't 'sacrifice equally',that rings a bit hollow with this driver.

 

[imported_sabresfan]

There's points to be made for both sides thats for sure. All drivers should check the oil, coolant level and perform a pretrip. Being I do not drive the same tractor everyday my philosophy is simple leave the truck as you get it. We have lost two linehaul positions at our term to guys retiring now and neither are going to be replaced. As I and others have stated I would have no problem coming in on friday night's and running a quick turn so a roadman could get a long weekend. It was almost the end of April this year before I finally got a 40 hour paycheck. We have only been asked to fill in for the linehaul guys around Christmas this year. I think a good policy to implement to help everyone out would be to require the guys with 4 weeks vacation to take 1 week in the first quarter of the year when freight is the slowest. This was a policy at a place I worked at years ago and was generally accepcted as a way to help keep others working when it's slow. Like I said in my previous post if a city man got to bid on his run twice a year like linehaul did I could easily take the good with the bad as far as freight goes. Certain drivers with less seinority have been placed on better runs because they do not show the work ethic others do. This is all in an attempt to make supervision look good on the backs of the guys that show up. I have been pulled off 2 city runs in the past 6 years and forced to run wild in the city to help out. My biggest gripe if you can't tell is the lack of meaning in seinority on the city side and the backroom deal making that goes on screwing the guy that shows up and tries everyday.

 

[freightpimp]

Robo I am only stating that everyone should be on the same page....and as far as addressing it to the manager..I asked the Service Center Mgr directly..at a meeting with all the city drivers..if the linehaul was going to participate in the rotation. His response was, not at this time.
It seems to be the same everywhere...you mention equal treatment involving a linehaul driver sharing and you get the same response...I don't expect the linehaul guys to be for it..maybe someone in corporate is watching though..:-)

good luck working there, sounds like you got some real fine co workers.

 

[imported_yardpuppy]

Lazer I could not say it any better myself I am a linehaul driver for sefl I have a 3 2 schedule run but I have stayed out 3 weeks in a row all week with out Going home this is to keep other guys at my house from rotating that is 4 and 5 days straight with out seeing my 5month old daughter I give up a lot to help the guys I run the road with keep working and not rotate I have rotated several times this year but I do not get paid when I sit 20 hours in a bunk house I will compare how many hours I am away from home to any city driver and see if I make any more for being gone so much I do not keep up with anybody else but I would think twice about throwing rocks in a glass house remember YOU CAN ALWAYS RUN FOR G and P and not rotate things will get better I hope we can all pull together and get through the next few months I hope I did not offend anyone but the grass is not always greener on the other side

 

[screamingeagle35]

Response to rotation

good luck working there, sounds like you got some real fine co workers.

Thanks freightpimp...not trying to create animosity among my fellow drivers, not my intention at all! I am just wondering if rotation goes on everywhere...or anywhere. Apparently it is dependent on individual terminal needs or situations. I was a linehaul driver for 5 years for Fedex Freight and did P&D for 4 years there as well before coming aboard Southeastern...so I have been on both sides of the fence,so to speak. First chance I get, I want to go to linehaul, but for now, I am content where I am at...:-)

 

[tinabell902]

The freight at my barn has done well over the last several months, as a matter of fact, for almost a year now. One differance in linehaul, and someone hit on it earlier, is that there use to be contract carriers, and quite a few of them (tli, trucks inc., g&p, etc). Most of these have been cut out. That was done so that they could help with linehaul rotation, and it worked. Unfortunatly, that is not an option with p&d. Something else that has been done is that as a driver retires, in most cases he has not been replaced. If he has the job has been put through the bid process. First it is available to p&d at that barn, then to other terms. We had a driver retire at my barn in Aug., no p&d wanted it so a man transfered from GBO. He was p&d in gbo. Also due to my barn doing fairly well, there have been runs added on going through my barn, not originating there. That keeps drivers from other barns nearby from needing to rotate. Just a couple of points to ponder. I hope everyone has a prosperous new year.