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How much do UPS drivers make
We all have seen the brown trucks delivering packages and parcels as well as their tractor trailers on the highway. But, how much do UPS drivers make? In this article we will explore the various opportunities that are presented by this large company and try to help answer that very question.
UPS Company size
UPS is a parcel delivery service that was founded in 1907 in Seattle Washington. This company Grossed over 61 Billion Dollars last year And has more than 350,000 employees in the US. UPS has over 1800 operating facilities, over 200 jets, and over 108,000 delivery cars. Vans, tractors etc. UPS freight alone, has 5,629 vehicles; 21,282 trailers and over 200 service centers. There is a lot of opportunity within this company.
3 Major Divisions within UPS Truck Driving
In order to understand some of the Divisions within UPS, specifically on the Truck Driving side of the company watch this video made by a former driver
As you can see by the video, there are three major divisions within UPS for Tractor Trailer drivers. They are:
Truckload Division
LTL Division
P and D (Package and Delivery Drivers)
Each division has it’s own function as described in the video above. Highlights follow:
Truckload Division:
This division can usually be identified by the trucks that are driven. They are usually white in color and can be a mixture of Volvo and Freightliner Cascadia. They pull the following types of trailers: Flatbed, curtain side, or box van trailers. These are usually non-union positions. This division transports palleted freight and brokered freight.
The pay usually starts from: $16.50 to $22.90 per hour, or .38 to .52 cents per mile.
Home time is usually home three or so nights a week and also on the weekends. It can vary. There are a lot of night runs. You must have Hazmat endorsements, 2 years experience and a clean driving record.
UPS’s job description:
“This position involves the driving of a tractor-trailer for the over-the-road delivery of freight to two or more locations. Dedicated drivers are primarily assigned to run freight for one customer, and may be assigned to an operation based at a specific customer location. These drivers are normally on the road from three to five days at a time. The term “dedicated” refers to the customer, not a particular lane or destination.
Dedicated Drivers must pass a DOT physical and successfully pass a UPS Freight road test. Qualified applicants must have a valid Class A Commercial Drivers’ License.Dedicated Drivers are expected to comply with all appearance standards.
Applicants must be at least 21 years of age. Applicants must be able to read, write and speak the English language. Applicants must also meet the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Company mental and physical requirements; and must be physically and mentally able to safely perform the essential job functions without obvious risk of injury to the employee or co-workers. Applicants must receive satisfactory results from a background check, as conducted in accordance with applicable laws; and must pass a drug screening.”
LTL Division
LTL or Less than Truckload was formerly the company known as Overnight Freight before it was bought out by UPS in August of 2005. The freight is broken down into units, usually lighter loads and carried from Hub to Hub.
Drivers can be solo or team drivers. The Drivers participate in a ‘slip seat’ program where you utilize whatever equipment is available and do now generally have an assigned and permanent vehicle.
Pay is reported to be from $16.82 to $22.90 per hour with at least 5 years to top out. The per cent mileage is reported to be between .43 cents per mile to .70 cents per mile.
This division is unionized and you will be required to pay union dues (depending on your location). This division also has a pension plan for it’s members and all medical paid for the Driver.
UPS’s job description:
“ UPS Freight is hiring individuals to work as Full Time Road Drivers in a growing freight market. This position involves driving of a tractor-trailer over the road as a Linehaul driver. There are immediate openings for these positions including meet and return to domicile, travel to locations and perform dock functions and return home, as well as Sleeper opportunities.
UPS Freight is offering an industry leading compensation and benefit program with top rate mileage earning $.7042 per mile. UPS Freight has a fully funded pension plan paid for by the company and industry leading healthcare packages for full time Road Drivers.
Road Driver candidates are 21 years of age or older with one year experience holding a class A CDL issued by their resident state with the following endorsements: Haz-Mat, Twin Trailer, and Tanker. Candidates must be physically and mentally fit, able to read, write, and speak the English language, and pass DOT requirements. Successful candidates pass a background check and drug screening.”
P and D Division
This division deals with Airport Freight, and is similar to Fedex Ground. It is reported that you will usually start as a part-time worker loading and unloading trucks then work your way up to driver status. In addition this division has what is called the Feeder driver which is reported to be the highest paying Truck Driving position in the company. Most of the driving here is at night. Jobs are mostly advertised as seasonal/part-time. The top out pay is reported to be $33.00 per hour.
How much does each Division pay?
There is no easy answer to this question. Some information has been provided above, but there are so many variations that can affect what you are paid as a Driver.
For one, as you can see by the above - the division that you work in affects pay. Whether you are in the Union and covered by contract or not will affect what you earn.
Second, your seniority and time with the company also greatly affect what you will earn.
Third, a search on the internet and popular job forums like: indeed.com, careerbliss.com, and glassdoor.com all seem to provide conflicting information. You must understand that these websites aggregate the information by conducting surveys from participants. These participants can greatly affect the outcome by the following:
What job classification they put their information under
How long they have been with the company
Bonuses which can vary
And several more
LTL does have a chart on their website (http://ltl.upsfreight.com/aboutus/careers.aspx?id=tlmc) which shows the following:
All mileage rates are paid based on practical miles.
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Pay for experience:
Less than five (5) years equivalent experience will begin at the step corresponding to their years of verifiable equivalent experience.
Five (5) years of equivalent experience or more will begin at the five year rate.
| UPS Freight Truckload also offers additional accessorial pay (which includes, but is not limited to): | ||
| Customer downtime | Loading/Unloading | Tarping - Flatbed |
| Layover | Tail Gating of freight | Tires (chaining) |
| Stop-off | New York City | Short-haul |
What is reported on other career websites
Indeed.com
Indeed gives the company a rating of 3.9 Stars based out of 17,610 reviews. Please click this button to get more information on ratings, reviews, and salary surveys.
Careerbliss.com
Careerbliss.com can offer some reviews here
Glassdoor.com
Glassdoor.com was one of the more helpful sites. You can review by different job descriptions, work life balance, supervisors and other variables. The only difficulty is that the job classifications were numerous for driving jobs. Here are some that we found:
How to learn more and apply
The best thing to do is to go directly here https://www.jobs-ups.com/drivers
To apply and check the most up to date information for a job under consideration. Understand that CDL class A license , plus Hazmat endorsement and usually Doubles/Triples endorsement are required.
Conclusion
Hopefully this article will have provided you with more information on how much UPS driver make. Let us know if you have any further information to add, or any additional questions. Don’t forget to subscribe and check out one of our helpful guides to assist you in furthering your trucking career.