UPS offers good hourly pay and plenty of opportunities for people who want a secure future by working hard and becoming part of a team environment.
Here’s what you will see below:
- What the starting pay is
- Package delivery driver pay
- Driver’s helper hourly pay
- Salaries and hourly pay for all other jobs
- Seasonal jobs available
- When UPS pays his employees
- Pay raises
- Full-time hours, part-time, and shift hours
- Call out sick policy
- Break policy
- Dress code
UPS Starting Pay
The starting UPS hourly pay for entry-level workers getting hired for the most common warehouse job is $14.00 an hour for full-time warehouse associates and part-time package handlers. The only exception is Washington, D.C., where the minimum wage is $15.20 an hour, so that’s what you can expect to earn in that state.
Some locations will offer warehouse associates up to $17 an hour to start, without any experience at all. UPS plans on increasing the minimum wage for many entry-level jobs to $15.50 an hour by 2022.
When it comes to UPS stores, the retail associate job pays $11 an hour to start, on average. Keep in mind there are some states with much lower minimum state wages and you can expect to make approximately $9 to $10.75 per hour to start in these states.
Corporate, professional, and other salaried position starting salaries vary according to many different variables such as the position, education, and experience of the applicant. Salaries are always negotiable for these types of positions.
UPS Driver Salary
The UPS driver’s average salary is about $89,220 a year. This figure includes plenty of overtime work as these drivers make an average of $32.88 an hour.
The overtime pay for this type of hourly wage helps UPS drivers earn approximately $49.32 extra an hour on average for all overtime hours worked every year.
UPS Driver Helper Pay
A driver’s helper makes roughly $15.95 an hour to start. These jobs are almost always seasonal positions but they can lead to a permanent job if you’re able to impress your management staff while performing your work.
If you are offered a permanent full-time position after the holiday rush, sometime in January or early February of every year, you can expect to be offered a warehouse associate or part-time package handler position.
UPS Warehouse Worker Pay
The average warehouse worker at UPS makes approximately $17.85 an hour. This is a job where you will either work in one or two specific areas or have a hand in helping out your warehouse location in any area on any given day as assigned by your management team.
Based on the hourly wages, you should make approximately $714 a week while working full-time. This will amount to approximately $37,128 a year.
UPS Package Handler Pay
A package handler for UPS earns about $15.83 an hour. This is a part-time position that usually gives you about 17 to 20 hours of work every week.
Assuming an average workweek of only 20 hours, you can make approximately $16,463 a year at this position. Be aware that this job can be very exhausting because you will load, unload, and slide packages on a conveyor belt constantly.
Note: UPS recently announced the starting pay for some overnight package handlers would go up to $18.50 an hour on July 18, 2021!
UPS Personal Vehicle Driver Pay
A personal delivery driver makes about $21.75 an hour. For this seasonal job, which UPS offers to help out during the holidays, you can either get hired full-time or part-time.
This job has varying hours every week, based on the workload you are assigned by the company. Therefore, someone working 20 hours a week at this position can earn approximately $435 a week for 10 weeks, totaling $4,350.
If you work 40 hours a week for 10 weeks, you would make approximately $8,700 during a 10 week period.
UPS Tractor-Trailer Driver Salary
Tractor-trailer drivers at UPS make approximately $29.70 an hour, on average.
This equals about $1,188 a week in yearly salary, including occasional overtime, which amounts to approximately $67,000 a year.
UPS Store Associate Pay
If you would like to work at a UPS store as a sales associate, you will make approximately $11.27 an hour after a couple of years of experience.
A 40-hour workweek will net you $450.80, which brings the yearly salary to approximately $23,441.
UPS Administrative Assistant Salary
An administrative assistant at the UPS warehouse is an indispensable employee with many important responsibilities that ensure the success of his or her location.
A worker in this position makes approximately $26.45 an hour. This means the weekly pay would be approximately $1,058 and the yearly salary would be approximately $56,565.
UPS Supervisor Salary
An operations supervisor, also known as the UPS Manager, has a salary of approximately $84,250 a year.
There are many other management jobs available, such as:
- Build manager – yearly salary of $61,345
- Sort manager – earns a salary of approximately $86,450 a year
- Freight manager – $86,320 yearly
- Hub manager – makes about $73,200 per year
UPS Technician and Fleet jobs
When it comes to the maintenance of equipment as well as transportation, there are three main jobs you can find employment with UPS:
- Automotive mechanic – earns about $66,712 a year
- Plant engineer – $71,050 a year
- Aviation technician – approximately $68,410 a year
UPS Seasonal Jobs
Every year before the holiday season begins, UPS begins to actively recruit seasonal workers. Many applicants apply at this time to have a chance to possibly become full-time and permanent workers after the holiday season ends.
This could be a great opportunity for you and it’s interesting to know that UPS usually hires anywhere between 25% to 35% of the seasonal workers as permanent full-time employees after the holiday season is over.
The most common seasonal positions available are package handlers, driver’s helpers, and personal vehicle delivery drivers. However, it’s important to check the UPS Careers website for seasonal jobs available because you never know what type of position you can get in your area temporarily.
Does UPS pay weekly?
I’m happy to report UPS pays its employees every week. The advantage of being paid weekly is important for many hourly workers because it allows people to consistently have more cash readily available.
The pay period starts on a Sunday and ends on the following Saturday, then you get paid either on the following Thursday if you have direct deposit, or on a Friday.
Does UPS hold your first paycheck?
UPS does not hold your first paycheck. Your first check will contain only the amount of money for the hours worked during the previous pay period.
As an example, if you start working for UPS on a Thursday, you will only get credit for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and you’ll get paid for those three days of work on the following Friday.
How often does UPS give raises?
Many UPS workers seem to be very well represented by the Teamsters union. Therefore, with a job here, you can expect regular raises and improvement in working conditions continually.
What is considered full-time at UPS?
Full-time work at UPS is a 40-hour workweek. Keep in mind there are probably going to be many overtime hours available for some workers.
Part-time hours
Using the most common job at UPS as an example, a package handler is guaranteed to work 17 1/2 hours a week. However, most of them work at least 20 to 30 hours a week.
Shift hours
Shift hours vary, depending on the position you applied for at UPS.
Using the most common part-time job available, package handlers work the following hours:
- 4 AM to 8 AM
- 1 PM to 5 PM
- 6 PM to 10 PM
- 11 PM to 3 AM
UPS package delivery drivers begin their day at 9 AM and work eight hours or more per shift. This all depends on what time they finish their routes
UPS night shift hours
The night shift hours for UPS workers vary by location. For example, in one location, package handlers may work a part-time shift from 11 PM to 3 AM.
Others may work from 12 AM to 8 AM.
Employee Call Out Policy
If you’re going to call out sick at UPS, keep in mind if you are a seasonal worker, it will leave a negative impression on management.
If you do happen to be really ill or you can’t make it for some other reason, you can call the radio room or your immediate supervisor to properly notify the company at least 2 hours in advance. Try your best to give 24 hours’ notice so your shift can be adequate covered by someone else.
Break Policy
UPS honors state law when it comes to mandatory breaks. For example, California law says if you are an hourly employee and you work eight hours you’re entitled to two paid 10-minute breaks.
In other states, there are no such mandatory break laws. Therefore, it’s important to consult with your manager to take a break when you need it.
Lunch breaks at UPS are unpaid and you’re entitled to either a half-hour lunch or an hour lunch, depending on your location.
Dress Code
UPS package delivery drivers wear the brown uniform with black or brown steel or hard-toed boots.
Other UPS workers, such as those working in warehouses, have a very relaxed dress code. At some locations, employees are allowed to wear shorts and a T-shirt as long as they have protective boots.
Some jobs require you to wear khaki pants and company-issued shirts.
Managers are expected to dress professionally by wearing dress shirts and slacks.
UPS allows tattoos and piercings but make sure you consult with your managers to make sure the ones you are wearing are acceptable. Additionally, UPS now allows package delivery drivers to wear facial hair and it has eased up on hair restrictions.
If in doubt, make sure you consult with your management team so you know exactly what to wear on your first day of work.
Featured image courtesy of Atomic Taco from Seattle, WA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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