Originally Posted by Turbosina

I've learned the hard way that your bid results in one month usually have ZERO correlation to your bid results the next month.

Until you reach about 15% seniority, bid what you want in the first couple layers, but after that, bid defensively.

Ask yourself:

"What are the trips that I don't want, but could tolerate?"

"What are the trips that I can easily split up into locals, 2 days, and 3 days to make them easier to trade away?"

Then bid for these trips in your lower layers.

Another possibility, which I have used with some success, is this:

In your first 2 layers, put all the trips you want. But then also waive all the restrictive line properties. For example, keep the max work block at 6. Set the default days off between work blocks to 1 (instead of the default of 2.) Allow pairing-pairing on the same day (useful if you are bidding standups and locals or 2-days). Waive the max block in 7.

In other words, in the first 2 layers, remove all of the restrictions in PBS, so that you have a better chance of getting what you want.

Then in layer 3, do "Clear Award/Partial Lines." This reinstates all of the default PBS restrictions and clears your entire bid. In layers 3 and 4, put the same trips you put into 1 and 2, but don't waive the restrictions as you did in layers 1 and 2. In layers 5, 6, and 7, make sure your bid includes more and more trips in every layer (you should be nearly at 100% by Layer 7. I only ever use layer 7 to put in days off that I really want to have.)

The reason this can work is:

• By relaxing all the restrictions in Layers 1 and 2, you give yourself a better chance of getting the trips you want. You're willing to accept certain negatives (i.e. only 1 day off between work blocks, and a max work block of 6, which gives you the possibility of 5 standups in a row, followed by one day off, followed by 5 standups) if it means the software can complete your line. By making it easier for PBS to build your line, you're helping your chances.

•*By doing Clear Award/Partial Lines in Layer 3, you're un-waiving all of those restrictions. The reason here is that if you just add in a bunch of trips you don't want to layers 3-7, and you don't use Clear Award/Partial Lines, all of those waivers you put in Layers 1/2 will carry down to Layers 3-7. If you do this, you're just asking for a 6-day work block followed by a 31-hour break in Williston, followed by a 6-day work block, because you've told PBS that you'll accept 6 day workblocks, 1 day off between blocks, and a rest outside of base in lieu of the usual in-base 30-hours-off requirement.

Anyhow, this strategy helped me turn what I figured was going to be a completely disastrous June bid into a bid that's only half terrible. And I am far more senior to you...yet I still bid very defensively. Only when you're in the top 15% or so, can you start really getting what you want.

Finally, never, ever put TLCR in Layer 7. And when you're setting your TLCR, ensure that by Layer 6, the max TLCR value is well above the default average line value for your base. If the line value default is 88, ensure you're at least up to 98 or so by Layer 6. And at your seniority level, don't even bother setting TLCR below the average line value...it's not gonna do anything for you.