My Jobs: SAIA

Saia Motor Freight
Fresno, CA
Saia is among the leading regional less-than-truckload (LTL) companies in the United States with revenue nearing $500 million annually.

Saia is a provider of regional one and two-day service from the southern coast, across the south and southwest to California, and northwest into Oregon and Washington with partner service to the rest of the United States. Saia also provides service to Puerto Rico, and complete North American partner coverage is offered including Canada and Mexico.

Pictures are on the way...

Getting the job
My friend Mike told me that Saia was hiring and that he was interested in the job. I told him to go in there and apply. He didn't. On my day off I went in there to get an application for him and maybe one for myself. At the time I was kind of happy with Knight and not really looking for a new job.

When I went into the Saia terminal in Fresno, to pick up a couple applications, one for him and one for me, I was told that I would have to fill it out here, and I could not take it with me. The manager asked me into the office and explained what the job description was. I was very interested after that and quickly filled out the application and ran to the DMV for a drivers license printout. I came right back and gave it to the manager and we continued the interview.

I gave 2 weeks notice to Knight and finished training my current student.

My Job Description
There are different divisions to Saia. City driver, Line driver, and dock worker.

I was hired as a Line Driver. When I started working at Saia Motor freight my route was, driving from the Fresno terminal to the Los Angeles terminal and back to Fresno. I worked Monday through Friday on the graveyard shift. With Saturday and Sunday nights off. [More info]

There were some changes made in May 2003 and some of us line drivers got switched around, and run different routes now. [More info]

My run now is a 3/2 laydown from Fresno to Grants Pass Oregon. The LA driver brings a set of two trailers from LA and drops them at the Fresno terminal. I hook onto those trailer with my tractor and pull then to Medford Oregon, 484 miles, then hook up a third trailer, then drive 31 miles to Grants Pass Oregon and get out of the truck, with all of the trailers still hooked up.

I check into the motel and go to sleep, while the Oregon driver takes my tractor and the trailers up to the Portland terminal and drops then. He then rehooks three new trailers and drives back to the motel and gets out. I then get back into the truck and drive back to Medford, 31 miles, and drop one of the trailers, then drive back to Fresno and unhook the trailers from the tractor.

Where does the 3/2 part come in? I make three trips one week and two trips the next. On one week I will start on Monday at 5am and get off for the week Saturday afternoon, and have Sunday - Monday off. The next week I start on Tuesday at 5am and get off for the week Friday afternoon.

That is it. No deliveries, no customers, just drive from terminal to terminal, weekends off. Can you get a better job than this? I don't think so.

The Good Points
I drive during the day instead of graveyard. I have the nicest tractor in the yard. The pay and benefit package is outstanding. 5 sick days paid, 2 weeks vacation the first year paid. I work about 12 hours a day, 6 days one week and 4 days the next, but have two days off every weekend.

The Bad Points
The only bad thing about this job is that you are always in a hurry. You are allowed a certain amount of time to complete your run. Most of the time that does not allow you to stop and have a sit down meal or visit with friends or other drivers in the course of your day. When I was OTR and had time I would stop along the way at toy stores, or motorcycle shops to look at stuff, or even take a nap if I got too tired.

When I started working here I found out what was required of me and I conformed to its demands. It is as simple as that. I did not want to drive OTR and this job was my ticket out of that mess. I make good money and I have quality home time. This is the job I have always been looking for.


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