LTL in Central PA wages?
Posted by Lm602@reddit | Truckers | View on Reddit | 17 comments
Any LTL drivers in central PA here? I'm thinking about a career change and wondering what you guys are earning.
Posted by Lm602@reddit | Truckers | View on Reddit | 17 comments
Any LTL drivers in central PA here? I'm thinking about a career change and wondering what you guys are earning.
Cfwydirk@reddit
Teamsters at ABF earn $30hr and overtime after 8 hours in a day for local work.
100% company paid family healthcare premiums (Blue Cross) value $500+ per week. A 100% company funded Teamster pension. Value $4000+ per month for 30 years service. Job security and workrules.
Night line haul pays $0.691 per mile, all on duty time is paid at $30hr.
https://careers.arcb.com/careersmarketplace/OpenPositions/?10509=%5B27942%2C27996%2C5113495%2C27837%2C27945%2C28007%2C27821%2C28012%2C36810%2C36845%2C36850%2C36870%5D&10509_format=3533&10514=%5B8302111%5D&10514_format=3540&10204=8395019&10204_format=3471&10508=8400047&10508_format=3532&10206=33058&10206_format=3473&listFilterMode=1&jobRecordsPerPage=6&
Thepopethroway@reddit
ABF is mid. They got some good benefits, like no driver facing cams, a pension, etc. But who in 2025 is really planning on staying at any company for 30 years?
The pay needs to come up, though. Unions need to set the standards for pay that other companies follow. They need to bargain strongly for that in the next contract.
Cfwydirk@reddit
Pay raises every November 1st.
2026 $32.50, 2027 $33.25, 2028 $34.25.
$0.75cpm $0.8125cpm. $0.8563cpm
The $500 per week ABF pays for Blue Cross family insurance premiums makes up a lot. Old Dominion drivers pay $101per week.
Drivers can decide if working in a Mon-Fri. seniority system is long term for them.
Non union companies have an average 401k match of 3-6%. A much lower contribution than what ABF pays into the Teamsters union pension.
According to the internet, a 401k fund would need to be $1.2 million to be able to pay out $4000 per month.
How many of us have the discipline to save that much? Specially when job hopping. It’s unlikely any non union company will have a better wage/fringe benefit package than ABF.
Thepopethroway@reddit
That is pretty sizeable. The pension is really good, roughly equal with UPS.
However, I will again say that Union jobs need to set the standards when it comes to pay. ABF used to have a better contract than UPS. The Teamsters put their foot down on the last contract, and showed they were serious after Yellow. The result is UPS drivers are now making $46/hr with $49 end-of-contract. This puts them in league of their own in terms of pay.
And this allowed other Teamster companies to negotiate massive pay raises. I'm in Food Service. We got a 15% raise with Sysco, with a $1.50 raise each year and employer-contributed healthcare fund. US Foods got a huge raise a month later, to $38/hr, plus double-time and AI language. Other companies are now having to increase their pay, offer sign-on bonuses, etc. to match or risk losing drivers.
Unions must be the shining example.
Cfwydirk@reddit
Pretty hard to set the standard after the Motor Carrier Act of 1980 killed the Teamsters in LTL freight. We used to set the standard.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_Carrier_Act_of_1980
We lost 422,000 jobs in LTL due to companies going out of business.
The last one was poorly managed YRC/Yellow Freight where we lost 22,000 Teamster jobs including USF Holland, New Penn Motor Express, and USF Reddaway.
The Teamsters have attempted to organize Conway/XPO and FedEx with little headway. The men would rather have the $5hr in the paycheck than a good pension when they retire.
No Teamster job security and work rules if you get a target on your back from some low level manager.
It is what it is.
Thepopethroway@reddit
And I think it would be a very uphill battle trying to unionize XPO. They are rabidly anti-Union and will shut entire warehouses down if they get even a hint of unionizing. They pay more than most LTL companies to try and dissuade it, too. And unfortunately, most drivers aren't smart enough to recognize how much more valuable those benefits you mentioned are compared to the base pay itself.
UPS pension -- for example, is worth roughly $13/hr. That is gigantic. But the pension is usually the last thing that comes up in discussions. People don't care about it as much nowadays, especially when you need to job hop to get competitive pay. If ABF's pension is roughly equal, that will just be ignored by most drivers. If they instead paid $43/hr without the pension, I guarantee you XPO drivers would be turning their heads. Because unfortunately, that's what most people look at.
FedEx might be a better target for unionizing, but it's always been known as a poor man's UPS. FedEx drivers are second-rate and get compensated as such. The smart ones leave for UPS, and generally speaking, those who are left behind are more likely to fall for anti-Union propaganda.
I agree with the current approach in unionizing Amazon. Amazon messed up by giving them slave-like work conditions and building a terrible image for itself. Pissing workers off usually leads to successful unionization attempts.
Cfwydirk@reddit
Well said
Lm602@reddit (OP)
I really appreciated all this info and discussion.
Lm602@reddit (OP)
I really appreciated all this info and discussion.
Thepopethroway@reddit
Did you read my post? I am agreeing with you, but UPS clearly set a shining standard with their latest contract, and my entire post was documenting how it's been reflecting in the huge gains other Teamsters companies are getting. Did you even read my post?
Cfwydirk@reddit
Yes brother, I know you are on our side. I get carried away sometimes.
If Sysco or US Foods had to pay UPS wages, they would lose business to non-union food warehouses over time.
The investor class nearly has us all where they want us.
UPS is unique. A truly profitable business. Even UPS Teamsters are not exempt from low pay. Drivers are very well paid. Part timers earn less than $25hr. with healthcare. Hoping they can hold on long enough to become drivers.
Have a good night.
AtmosphereWarm3452@reddit
Damn. How's is there so many ABF openings in Pennsylvania?
overpaidlazytrucker@reddit
Because Estes, Old dominion, Fed Ex, XPO pay in the mid 80 CPM range. 69 CPM for ltl is definitely nothing to brag about I made that 5 years ago.
socialrage@reddit
When you factor in the insurance and pension more than makes up for the slightly lower wages at ABF.
Thepopethroway@reddit
I agree, and being part of a strong union is huge too.
That said, union companies have traditionally set the standard when it comes to pay. ABF -- for all it's benefits, is lagging behind other LTL companies. It's understandable why, as those other companies usually have gutted benefits/retirement plans, but most people are going to be looking at pay first and foremost. ABF employees should bargain hard for their next contract. Look at what UPS got.
Cfwydirk@reddit
Because the drivers are retiring to collect their pension and Social Security. A Teamster wh retires at 62 with 30+ years can buy healthcare from the union for $100 per month each for himself and his wife, to get them to medicare age.
OSRSgamerkid@reddit
Central PA is definitely the place you wanna be.