No College Required: UPS Drivers Salaries and More

The route to financial success - I won't even attempt to say what it takes to have a successful life in general - does not have to pass through college. Billionaire media mogul David Geffen went from high school graduate to talent agent assistant, talent agent, owner of two record companies (Asylum and Geffen Records), and later, to co-founding Dreamworks movie studio with fellow non-college attendee Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Steven Spielberg, who dropped out of college.

While Geffen, Katzenberg and Spielberg are exceptions, there are options for young people who choose to skip college. One career choice would be working for UPS. If you enjoy driving, sitting and light lifting, UPS drivers’ salaries are typically are $24.69 an hour, per the UPS web site at pressroom.ups.com; which also states, "UPS drivers (and part-time employees) receive full health benefits including medical, dental and eye care."

Does your salary deliver as well as UPS drivers’ salaries? Check your financial engine with our salary calculator.

Average Salary of a Landscaper

For young people who would rather spend their days outside, instead of inside a college classroom, landscaping may be an option. Let’s take a look at the average salary of a landscaper in South Carolina. A landscaping worker with 5-9 years of experience earns an average hourly wage of $11.75, with a high-end of $13.75. A landscaping supervisor with 5-9 years of experience earns an average hourly wage of $13.50, with the potential of taking home $22.00 per hour or more, as they take on a more management role.

According to npr.org, the average salary of a landscaper can go up quite a bit if you own your business. Landscaping entrepreneur Joe Lamacchia of Holliston, Mass, started by cutting grass with a mower immediately following high school. Today, he owns a landscaping and paving company that earns $2 million per year. Lamacchia says that some skilled workers (electricians or welders) can earn up to $70K a year with overtime.

Average Salary Florida Electricians

Taking Joe Lamacchia’s advice, let’s say a young person in Florida works as an electrician. With 5-9 years of experience, he will earn an average hourly wage of $17.50 per hour, with a potential of $21.75. If we go north and take a look at electrician jobs in Maine, we find that an electrician with 5-9 years under his belt earns an average hourly wage of $21.50, with a high-end of $26.25.

Of course, Joe is from Massachusetts, so let’s see what the wage is there. For an electrician with 5-9 years of experience in Massachusetts, the average hourly wage is $23.50, but one could earn up to $30.00 per hour, which would mean an electrician salary in the $60,000/year range, assuming fulltime work and no overtime.

If that electrician had 10-19 years of experience, the average hourly wage is $27.00, up to $36.25 per hour, which would mean an electrician salary in the $70K per year range, as Joe mentioned. Keep in mind, though, that’s the high-end, not the average.

Wyoming Welder Jobs

Another job that Joe Lamacchia mentioned was welding. If we take a look at Wyoming welder jobs, what are the hourly wage rates or salaries? A welder in Wyoming with 1-4 years of experience earns an average hourly wage of $16.00, with a potential of $18.00. An acetylene welder in Wyoming with same amount of experience does a little better, with an average hourly wage of $16.75 and a high-end of $18.50.

Let’s go back to Massachusetts, Joe’s turf, and see how a welder fares there. With 1-4 years of experience, a welder in Mass. earns an average hourly wage of $16.50, with a high-end of $19.25. A welder with 10-19 years of experience in Massachusetts does much better, earning an hourly wage of $22.25 with the potential of $27.00. If you’re willing to put in the years, and learn your trade well, pay does go up.

Is your salary on the rise? Find out with our salary calculator.

Cheers,

Dr. Al Lee

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Comments

[Anne Grote]

Thank you for the article. It is a relief to me as a "never went to college" investment professional to know that each of my sons will have options to make a great living...not just the one who is college bound. Still, please be careful to tell the rest of the story. I believe it has taken me nearly 15 yrs of experience in financial services to accumulate the knowledge that a four year degree would have given me; including the acceptance that some doors will not open without the degree. When it comes to brain versus brawn, the trick is to choose which will be your pursuit. Short term investing in brawn brings the high paying for the young and subsequent medical bills when the aging body can no longer accomplish the chosen path. Long term investing in brains buys a softer life...the kind today's youth has become accustomed to. If you have the ability, GO TO COLLEGE...then if you want to drive for UPS, go for it.

[Mike]

I skipped college, and to this day, I still regret that decision.

[get an education]

The way you describe the UPS driving job is hilarious. UPS must do a great job at the smoke and mirrors when it comes to telling the public about their drivers. I suggest you follow a UPS guy around for an entire day before you think about "going pro". Sure a UPS guy makes around what I make a year, but I'm in an air conditioned office and I don't have to worry about double knee replacement at 35. The guy who delivers our stuff routinely brings in 110-149lb boxes for us, how is that considered light lifting?

[dave]

I have a college degree and i'm a UPS driver and my hourly wage is 28.42 an hour with generous benefits and a full pension plan. yes, the job can be somewhat physical but it keeps me in excellent shape. i worked an office job before and i got fat from sitting around all day. the UPS driver job isnt for anyone soft but i highly reccommend it for the hard working type. last year i almost made $70,000 not bad huh??

[Albert]

I am a UPS part time supervisor for all the loading done for the trucks. If you are the the strong worker type, this is an amazing job for those of you without a college degree. But be warned, in no way shape or form is the job EASY.

[Lou]

I was in cubicle hell for 16 years . I started driving full time for Brown in March 2004 at age of 40 . Almost 4 years later , I have never been happier going to work everyday . I never slept better or crapped better . I have never been in better shape and I have been a gym rat for 20 years.

I make 28.35 per hour , way more than working as long as i did in that lame office cubicle . 4 years of college
for what ??!! All you whiners out there complain about how "hard" , boohoo , "how physical" waaa !! , it's like
being in the gym 10 hours a day. WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR ME BABY !!!

[postgrad]

I have a Master's Degree. It was loads of fun & enriching in every way except my pocketbook. That took a direct hit. You can get the same level of education by dipping into your local library & bookstore.

[Wes]

I'm 21 and I've been trying to get a job at UPS for a little over a month as a "package handler" and I've been doing the online application. They finally made it active, now I'm waiting for them to schedule a appointment at Dalton,GA. or Chattanooga, TN. Am I on the right track? I would like to deliver on the truck ( not the freight truck ) how do I get on doing that? Do most people start out in part time seasonal package handling?

[Danielle]

I am a part time supervisor at UPS and have been with the company for five years. UPS is a great place to work if you don't mind sweating and getting a serious workout. I lost 25 lbs. within the first 4 months of loading the trucks, and wasn't trying to lose weight. This is definitely not a "kick back" type of job. You must have a good work ethic and positive attitude to be a successful employee at UPS.

[p-t-sup]

Peak season BABY!!! double my income!

[Vicky Smith]

Just wanted to throw in for the older ladies re-entering the work force that you can make a killer salary doing residential cleaning. I averaged $30.00 an hour within 6 months.

[Brett]

I am a pre-load guy who started with holiday help. I'm on my way to being a driver. I was asked by UPS to come work for them after the holiday help as they saw I busted my ass. The pay sucks in pre-load, and the hours suck for pre-load. But being a driver is well worth it! Gotta start somewhere, and they offer free benefits where I am. Yeah, so what if it's a little bit of work. Its not the job for the typical barbie-boy. The pay of a driver is 28.50 or so, and they also put $17.25 an hour in addition towards pension. Your in shape, and your outdoors as a driver. And the beautiful woman you see everyday? Enough said! UPS is a good job, and I went to college for Computer Networking. Booooorrrrrinnnnnng!

[Joe Vazquez]

I own a landscaping business in Houston. I never attended college. I started with a lawnmower knocking on peoples doors. Now I have a 10 full crews that service the Houston area and are providing pest control, landscaping service, etc. It took me 10 years to get there, but boy did it pay off. Im averaging 450k+ a year :) I guess I didn't need college after all.

[Jake dunn]

When it comes down to it though, on average the people who go to college are going to make more money over their lifetime than those who do not. I spent 7 years in college, but now I am pulling down $57/hour right out of school as a pharmacist with overtime available if I want it at 70/hr, with 401k matching and stock options, full health benefits.

College has allowed me a quality of life I do not think I personally could have had without a degree. I leave work at work, not breaking my back doing labor and have lots of free time. You should always strongly consider school, it opens a lot more doors or at least opens them faster. I have plenty of friends doing well without degrees but many of them are considering going back to school.

[mery]

Well, I know someone who is extremely smart, but life has dealt him many hardships, hence he has not finished college and has to hold down two jobs just to get by. He is up for promotion at UPS for a driving position, but they don't want to give it to him because he doesn't have a degree.

The ONLY way he'll have time to finish his degree is if he is promoted because he can quit his other job. He works more than 12 hours a day and is stuck. What is the deal? They want to promote him (from a part-time supervisor position) because he is such a dependable worker, but it seems that the degree is holding him back. Has UPS changed its policy?

[Joe]

I started at UPS in Oct., 2007 as a preloader for a 2nd income. I started as a driver in March of 2008 and have since quit my other job. I havn't reached top pay yet, I'm only at $15.75, but I'll be there in 2 short years. The wait is well worth it and the benefits can't be beat.

[Dave]

I'm just wondering if these great paying UPS driver jobs are available in Florida or are we just talking about unionized labor states?

[Devon]

our drivers make $38.00/ hr and $45.00/ hr for overtime, but they work 10 hours a day and hard. I dropped out of college to work at UPS i like it better.

[CorporateHump]

Devon.....question for you? What state do you live in? I am 38 years old working for a fortune 5 pharmaceutical company. I do not have a degree, but bust my hump each day.

I work in IT as what I call a IT general contractor (go between the IT vendors and my company). The corporate world these days for an IT guy is brutal. Top that with not having my degree...not good. I am on the verge of being outsourced and I just want out. I would like to talk to someone with UPS experience and can assist me with some questions. UPS sounds like a great place to work. I myself am a hard and dedicated worker. It is time to make a change.

BTW...for those who kick those who do not have a degree, think twice. I am dyslexic and have severe ADD. I have busted my ass all my life. I have spent many hours in college and was not successful due to my disabilities. Money does not mean success...remember that some of the most successful people in life are those who focus on life itself, and not the mighty old dollar.

I would give anything not to deal with people who look down on people without a degree. I know many corporate people who are respectable. Some are pompous money hounds who compare everything to the green.

Don't knock the worker bees as you would not be in the place you are without them. How many blue collar folks are knocking the white collar people....not many? They are some of the hardest working people I know. Electricians, carpenters, mechanics, and UPS drivers just to mention a few. College does not define a person and the work ethic. College does not give you the right to look down on those who don't have that paper.

What college should do is teach you how each facet of the workforce is dependent on each other. How a brain surgeon needs his landscaper, because without him he would have no lawn. How the Wall Street broker needs his limo driver, as he stumbles out of Scores having consumed ten drinks with some investors. No license to get to the train going to Manhattan...no job. Respect....that is all. We need you...and you need us. Ya never know....I just might be the one who delivers your package one day. Gotcha thinking....the next time you see a UPS driver you will think twice about judging.

CorporateHump (for now)

[Kristen]

Wow I love it how UPS turned this article into a job posting...lol anyways some of you guys and I really mean guys as in men, sure this job is fine for you because you can physically lift heavy things. A lot of women can't lift 100+ pounds - me for example.

Plus its harder to move up in the world when you don't have a college degree. My dad just got laid off from IBM after working there for 10 years, he doesn't have a college education and he's 50 years old so he can't do that hard labor, which you all will eventually figure out when you get old and your bodies start wearing out.

My dad now can't find a job that he can physically do other than working at a call center and trust me that sucks like hell (I've worked in 2 already and that's what made me go back to college), and all because he didn't go to college. So for you guys that THINK your getting a pretty sweet deal with not having to go to college and you'll just do heavy labor to make a living, your NOT.

Do you really think you will be able to lift those heavy boxes for 8+ hours per day, 5 days a week when you're in your 50's and up and don't have enough money to retire(and trust me you won't)? C'mon guys, seriously, if your not too lazy to lift boxes then why are you being too lazy to better yourself.

Another thing, you guys do lose weight and don't get me wrong that's really great and I'm happy for you on that, but do you really want to be the least educated person of your friends? Hell, from what I'm hearing you might as well just dropped out of High School, and just get a GED instead of a diploma, because it all works the same way and it sounds like you guys are too lazy to sit in a classroom and actually learn something valuable.

[Kenny]

This is my second peak season with UPS, loading package cars at the DFW hub. I take insult to anyone that looks down on a UPS driver. I wanted to find out what it is like to be a driver so on occasion I work as a driver helper. I've met some very interesting people from various backgrounds. Some drivers have been flight instructors, police officers, welders, entrepreneurs, computer engineers and more. People that work at UPS are a different bread of individuals. Many people could not make it at UPS. Like I tell my friends, working here will trim the fat off of your work ethics or you will be working somewhere else.

If you work at UPS it is because you love it. At the end of the day I am proud of where I work and the job that I do everyday.

But if you are ready to work for a company like no other then put in an application. This is by far the most efficient company I have ever worked for, we even did a case study on this fact in an economics course in college.

The number 1 priority should be finding a job/career that makes you happy, it took me awhile to figure this part out. If you are great at something you will make it to where you want to be regardless of education or current job title.

Ok...I'm done ranting...
What can Brown do for you?

[The Honest Guy on the Net]

UPS Reality Check. I just left an orientation at UPS 2 hours ago. So here is the real scoop and the bunk.
This job is for Seasonal driver helper. One would think this is a good first step in landing a full time driver job and a path to the big bucks. Let me clear the smoke.

First, If you fill out an application online it says the seasonals get $11 per hour. If your application is OK, you will be asked to come to an orientation. Please excuse the run on sentance coming up next.

Everyone is hired, if you pass the criminal background check, you show up for orientation, filled out the application, sign papers holding UPS harmless for anything that may happen to you or damages to property you get accused of making and are willing to work, not for $11 like it says online but for $8.50. There is NO interview.

You cannot have a beard, or hair touching your collar. Uniforms are provided and must be returned intact or it comes out of your pay. If a customer says you broke their screen door, it comes out of your pay. You bring a lunch of finger food only, since your driver may not stop for lunch; you must eat on the run.

Secondly, no one is going to notice you except the driver you work with.

Here is something that I thought was not even possible in the USA. They want you to show up for work at 4 am in the warehouse until 9 am, then you go home for one hour and the driver picks you up at an agreed upon location.

Then you will work from 10:00am to 8:00PM. All this with no lunch break, NO OVERTIME PAY, and only $8.50 per hour. How can this stuff even be legal? Well, I think I might have an idea. I signed a lot of papers, but not a W2 form, which means they don't withhold the taxes. That means you are a contractor and you don't have the protection of a regular worker.

Yes, you get all this, and then at Christmas Eve, you go home, tired, broke and no one even noticed.

If you want to be a driver, you better start out as one. If you think that letting them exploit the crap out of you, so you get noticed and land a job is a good plan, you will surely be disappointed.

So hoping to break you back in return for a full time high paying job is not in the cards.

This is at the Pittston, PA, UPS terminal. The orientation started at 9:10 and lasted about 30 minutes.

The above info is very fresh in my mind, so you can count on it being accurate. When that helper comes to your door with a package, remember, he is no better than a slave.

[upser]

This comment is for Kristen. I'm in my fifties and I've worked for UPS for 30 years. Yes, I can still handle my job and I have plenty of money to retire. You need to EDUCATE yourself on the facts.

Not only do we have a great savings plan, but also as a retired driver you receive $3,600 a month on top of social security and 401k. SO TRUST ME I HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO RETIRE.

It really irritates me when somone tries to add their opinion that has no freaking clue. UPS is a great company to work for. I'm proud to say I work there, and I've made over $80,000 the past 13 years.

Another added bonus is the Health Insurance I receive for my spouse and I until I die for FREE. SO LET'S THINK ABOUT YOUR DUMBFOUNDED STATEMENTS......don't have enough money to retire (and trust me you won't)? If you can't live on $45,000 plus (not including 401K, savings, and social security....plus free health care) then your an ABSOLUTE IDIOT when it comes to money management and maybe you should get a education in economics.

[upser]

This is for THE MOST HONEST GUY who posted above. FIRST OF ALL YOU GET A LUNCH BREAK. Its the drivers decision on when to take that break. You also get over time pay on anything over 5 1/2 hours. Your not a slave, so grow up or MAN UP.

Your statements are not accurate; you my friend are a liar. Secondarily, you can't just start out as a driver. Every Driver that UPS has started out as PART TIME. ITS IN THE UNION CONTRACT BOOK. You need to get your facts together.

You probably work at FEDEX and are choosing to bash a great company. Also only 6% percent of individuals are hired who go through orientation. Driver helper is what it is.....DRIVER HELPER. I HAVE ONE THAT HELPS ME EVERYDAY DURING PEAK SEASON>>FOR ONLY FOUR HOURS. It's not even a step to becoming a driver.

Driver Helpers and Part time employees are TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT THINGS. I GURANTEE NO PROMISE WAS MADE TO YOU. If you do good driver-helping during that month, then they will consider you for part time and then the process to becoming a driver or supervisor is started.

A process that can happen as soon as two years but not likely until 5 or 6 years. If your coming out of high school or college or whatever you have to like the prospects of a job you can make 33 dollars and hour after 6 or 7 years.

Where else can you go and increase your pay from 9.00 an hour to 33.00 an hour in 6 years? There's no other company that offers that potential with FREE HEALTH INSURANCE, which people don't seem to consider, but is actually the most important.

IT's FREE FOR YOU, YOUR SPOUSE, and KIDS. FREE PEOPLE FREE.....YOU PAY NOTHING. NOTHING IS DEDUCTED FROM YOUR CHECK AT ALL. ME AND MY WIFE HAD A HOSPITAL BILL OVER 70,000 DOLLARS AND THEY PAID EVERY DIME EXCEPT FOR A HUNDRED BUCKS. CANNOT AND WILL NOT BEAT THE COMPANY. THEY OFFER OPPORTUNITY TO EVERY TYPE OF PERSON FROM ANY WALKS OF LIFE.

[Tom]

if you really want to know where the big bucks are its in the trucking business, its around Chicago and US Steel. I know many guys that drive local and haul steel, and on average they gross about $120,000. Its hard work but big money. And sorry to ruin it to all the college educated guys, this is a blue collar job.