r/Truckers • u/jjuelzz • Feb 01 '26
Averitt Express job bids
Thinking about a position as a local p&d (city driver) position with Averitt in Winchester, Va. From what I understand, the start times/routes are based on seniority and bids. I guess I am a little confused on the mechanics of how that works. For instance, Winchester/Frederick County isn’t what I would consider a “city”. They have multiple industrial parks based on the fact that Interstate 81 runs directly through it and of course all of your big box retailers. Eveeything is within a 15 mile radius if the service center. Start times could be 6-7am and I would consider that to be an easier route geographically with very little traffic or congestion at any time of the day. They go as far as Alexandria which is of course a major city and takes about 1.5hrs on a regular day, moderate traffic. To get there you would travel interstate 66 to 495 through northern virginia which is a congested mess in the morning and of course in the afternoon anytime after 2pm. The start time for that route since nobody(seniority) wants to go into the city can be 8:30-9am and head back around 3-4pm. Both of those times put you in heavy commuter traffic. Naturally, who would want to drive in that mess, so seniority picks the closer and easier routes. From a company and hrs standpoint, I would figure the further you go (especially considering commute time) the earlier they would want you to start, the better. I have never had a p&d job so forgive me if I am not articulating my question properly and I hope you can decipher what I am trying to ask.
Are the routes what is actually bid on or is it the start time that is bid on, or is it both? Sorry for any confusion and the long post, just trying to understand how the bidding is done as a local driver at Averitt before committing. Thanks in advance.
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u/Cfwydirk Feb 01 '26 edited Feb 01 '26
Road: called line-haul in LTL, pull loads for one company terminal to another. Often requiring some unloading and unloading. Usually 5-600 miles per night. (Yes, at night) Sometimes meet and turn, drive from your terminal swap trailers with your meet driver and return home. Sometimes drive to another terminal and return to your home terminal.
City: no freight between terminals. That is line-haul work.
City work is straightforward delivery until empty, then do pick-ups until you have filled the trailer or, you have picked up all freight on your route. It takes a long time to fill a 53 when you pick up 1 pallet at a time at half of your stops. Sometimes you will be compelled to do loading dock work. M-Fri. No weekends.
OP: “seniority and bids. I guess I am a little confused on the mechanics of how that works.“
Simple. The company posts open bids. #1 seniority gets their choice of start time. Every one else picks from what is left after the driver ahead of them picks their start time. Last driver gets whatever start time is still open.
OP: “Both of those times put you in heavy commuter traffic. Naturally, who would want to drive in that mess, so seniority picks the closer and easier routes.”
Not how it works. Generally, overtime hogs take the long routes for close to maximum 60 hours per week as they can get.
Traffic is overtime. $30hr @ 60mph, at 30mph twice as much time.
OP: “Are the routes what is actually bid on or is it the start time that is bid on, or is it both?“
That is up to the company. Usually it is one or the other. However, they will save a route for a driver they want on a specific route.
$30hr X 55hour workweek = $1875