Need some info on commute times for a new job

[son of the revolution]

Ok everyone , I just had a phone interview that went well for a new job as a sales rep for a major irrigation company. Friend of mine thats a Regional Manager got me the " foot in the door" . Job pays 56k a year , plus year end commission and profit sharing , bennies and company car. Anyway , during the phone interview with the CFO , an issue came up about our pending future relocation to Lancaster County . Apparently the owner prefers sales reps to live close to the territories they serve. The opening is for covering the Norristown/Allentown/New Castle Area .

I tried to down play the commute time during the phone call, explaining how big a County Lancaster is . Looking at a map it seems like a half hour or so up 202 from the Lititz area to Norristown , maybe 45 mins to Allentown and about the same to New Castle Delaware. I have a face to face second interview scheduled for next week with the CFO and the President of the company . If some one can help me firm up my commute times to and from these areas I would appreciate it , as my sense from the phone call interview is that things went well with the exception of the concern over living to far away from my " territory "




Thanks in advance

[adymond]

Ok everyone , I just had a phone interview that went well for a new job as a sales rep for a major irrigation company. Friend of mine thats a Regional Manager got me the " foot in the door" . Job pays 56k a year , plus year end commission and profit sharing , bennies and company car. Anyway , during the phone interview with the CFO , an issue came up about our pending future relocation to Lancaster County . Apparently the owner prefers sales reps to live close to the territories they serve. The opening is for covering the Norristown/Allentown/New Castle Area .

I tried to down play the commute time during the phone call, explaining how big a County Lancaster is . Looking at a map it seems like a half hour or so up 202 from the Lititz area to Norristown , maybe 45 mins to Allentown and about the same to New Castle Delaware. I have a face to face second interview scheduled for next week with the CFO and the President of the company . If some one can help me firm up my commute times to and from these areas I would appreciate it , as my sense from the phone call interview is that things went well with the exception of the concern over living to far away from my " territory "




Thanks in advance

Here's a question. Are you 100% committed to Lancaster? I'm asking because it's more than just employee satisfaction that is a concern for the company. They are providing a car for your travel. That covers gas, ins., and maintenance. Any extra miles is more $ the company needs to pay. Would you potentiall be able to look for a place closer to the territory? Maybe like Delaware County?

[son of the revolution]

Here's a question. Are you 100% committed to Lancaster? I'm asking because it's more than just employee satisfaction that is a concern for the company. They are providing a car for your travel. That covers gas, ins., and maintenance. Any extra miles is more $ the company needs to pay. Would you potentiall be able to look for a place closer to the territory? Maybe like Delaware County?

TBH , Delco , Montco , Berks , etc were all actually first on the list . The problem with those areas is they arent noticeably cheaper then what we're trying to escape from in South Jersey . One of the things that was appealing about Lancaster was the relative availability of rental properties with land for a reasonable price, while still being a reasonable commute to see family stuck in Jersey. One of the draw backs was WaWa's are few and far between ( Im a WaWa Coffee addict).

That being said , if I could find a 4 bedroom rental , with a decent piece of property at a reasonable price then I would definetly consider being closer to the Delaware River. Im not a City/Suburbs kind of guy . I grew up on ten acres and live on five now and very much value the privacy and ability to do what I want. I would go nuts living in a " cookie cutter " suburban development where you can see in your neighbors house from yours . Therefore condos, townhomes , duplex's and the like are similarily out of the question

[Ronin]

The biggest problem you're going to have is traffic. Traffic up 202 in the morning is a bear and to get there from Lancaster county will depend on where you live. If you live near 222 you could always hop the turnpike to the Norristown exit. I had a customer that lived in Ephrata who commuted to King Of Prussia everyday. She just hopped on 222N at 322 and took it to the TP.

From Litiz you could drive up 501 to 322E to 222N, but that's a long drive with lots of lights, or take 322W to 72S and pickup the TP. But that's kinda going in the opposite direction. You could also go 501S to 30E and take it until you hit the 30E Bypass, but then you have to deal with the lights through Lancaster county and the traffic on the Bypass. The traffic on the Bypass alone in the morning will add half an hour to your commute. When you get to 202 you will have to do it all over again.

Again, it all depends on where you live and your access to major highways.

[Ronin]

You can find reasonably priced rentals just west of Coatesville. That would put you close to the RT30 Bypass. I would NOT recommend renting in Coatesville due to the crime and the 2.5% city wage tax that you pay on top of state and local taxes.

You could also look in the Morgantown area. That's very close to the TP and rental rates should be reasonable.

Another place to look is further north up the NE extension of the TP like Quakertown. That would put you above Norristown and south of Allentown.

[son of the revolution]

The biggest problem you're going to have is traffic. Traffic up 202 in the morning is a bear and to get there from Lancaster county will depend on where you live. If you live near 222 you could always hop the turnpike to the Norristown exit. I had a customer that lived in Ephrata who commuted to King Of Prussia everyday. She just hopped on 222N at 322 and took it to the TP.

From Litiz you could drive up 501 to 322E to 222N, but that's a long drive with lots of lights, or take 322W to 72S and pickup the TP. But that's kinda going in the opposite direction. You could also go 501S to 30E and take it until you hit the 30E Bypass, but then you have to deal with the lights through Lancaster county and the traffic on the Bypass. The traffic on the Bypass alone in the morning will add half an hour to your commute. When you get to 202 you will have to do it all over again.

Again, it all depends on where you live and your access to major highways.

Thanks Ronin , you say traffic is " a bear " and offered lots of ways to get around it , but what about average commute times ? As you said , I know it depends in large part on exactly where in Lancaster County we wind up , but right now Im just looking for averages so when I have my second interview next week I can try to minimize their concerns

[adymond]

Thanks Ronin , you say traffic is " a bear " and offered lots of ways to get around it , but what about average commute times ? As you said , I know it depends in large part on exactly where in Lancaster County we wind up , but right now Im just looking for averages so when I have my second interview next week I can try to minimize their concerns

Want the best idea on how to minimize their concerns?

Answer a few questions.

Is the job opening available right now?

Will they hire you even though you live in NJ right now?

Your move would happen AFTER you start the job right?

If the answers are yes, don't tell them you are definitely moving to Lancaster (don't lie, but you don't need to detail all the things you did in the post answering my questions). You can tell them that while covering the territory you will be learning the lay of the land and are open to finding a place within the territory that suites your needs. Who knows, you may actually find a place that fits your needs and is closer to your territory.

[Ronin]

From Coatesville, you're looking at about an hour to get to Norristown during rush hour.

From Ephrata figure about 40 minutes to an hour by way of 322-->222-->TP.

From Lititz you're looking at over an hour no matter which route you take.

Quakertown is about 20 minutes north of Norristown. With traffic figure about 30 to 45 minutes. The NE extension tends to back up and it's only two lanes so if there's an accident, you're screwed.

From Lancaster, it will take an hour to get to Norristown.

[son of the revolution]

Want the best idea on how to minimize their concerns?

Answer a few questions.

Is the job opening available right now?

Will they hire you even though you live in NJ right now?

Your move would happen AFTER you start the job right?

If the answers are yes, don't tell them you are definitely moving to Lancaster (don't lie, but you don't need to detail all the things you did in the post answering my questions). You can tell them that while covering the territory you will be learning the lay of the land and are open to finding a place within the territory that suites your needs. Who knows, you may actually find a place that fits your needs and is closer to your territory.

YES to all three Andy. They're looking to fill the slot ASAP and know from the Regional Manager thats my buddy that I live near him in NJ and would be relocating to PA in the next 6 months .

I do like your idea about explaining that I'll be using the next few months of covering the territory while Im still in Jersey to explore the region and may actually find something closer then Lancaster.

TBH I hadnt considered the fact that some of their concern might be the mileage and expenses related to the company car because they just gave my buddy a brand new Ford 500 Sedan and he probably drives 1k miles a week visting all the branches he's responsible for in NJ

[adymond]

YES to all three Andy. They're looking to fill the slot ASAP and know from the Regional Manager thats my buddy that I live near him in NJ and would be relocating to PA in the next 6 months .

I do like your idea about explaining that I'll be using the next few months of covering the territory while Im still in Jersey to explore the region and may actually find something closer then Lancaster.

TBH I hadnt considered the fact that some of their concern might be the mileage and expenses related to the company car because they just gave my buddy a brand new Ford 500 Sedan and he probably drives 1k miles a week visting all the branches he's responsible for in NJ

It's not the actual driving within the territory that would be a concern so much as it would be the driving just to get to and from the territory.