just curious....I was lookin' into it 
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ColdBeer, I drive a tractor trailer but not OTR. All I can suggest to you is that driving OTR blows. More often than not the trucking companies tell you what you want to hear while they recruit you and then you become a number once hired.
However, there are exceptions. If you speak English are polite and clean-cut (being in shape helps) and dress better than average, you can help separate yourself from the 80% or so that just don`t know any better. Being good at what you do helps also.
I have a great job without ever having to drive OTR or pay my dues really, and I think it has something to do with what I wrote above - I have separated myself from the low-class and the ignorant and oh yeah, I am good at what I do.
What part of the country are you in? That makes a diffence as well. Look in your area for what is call a "dedicated" account. You will generally be home every night or every other night and have weekends off.
Good luck with whatever decision you make.Comment -
hey PP....thanks for your response....I'm in the buffalo,ny area.....it might sound strange but I want to go OTR....i am ready to sell all my personal belongings, have no rent or mortgage....keep the bills to a minimum and go make some money.....my gf and i of 8 years just broke up and i have no kids.....at this point in my life this is something that i want to do.....i am basically willing to go drive and not come back for months on end.....i am hoping employers will like this about me.......
not to sound cocky or racist but i think i fit your description wrll...decent shape clean cut....college grad so i can speak well....only thing i have going against me is a violation....and its reckless driving....i know that severely limits me....im hoping just to get a start so i can prove myself....Comment -
I am a supervisor of a fleet of 19 auto haulers as well as a freight broker, so I work with OTR drivers all dayComment -
ColdBeer, I am a couple hours east of you on I-90. If the reckless driving is not on your drivers abstract (39 months or longer), don`t tell anyone. I read your reply and respect your wishes, but there are dedicated accounts in your area and you will make just as much or more than OTR.
Either way, best of luck, and if there is anything I can do to help, just ask.
Peace future driver!!Comment -
ColdBeer I've been OTR for 6 years and this is pretty much what I did. If you are willing to stay out for months at a time you will make money, but it's a lot harder than it sounds. 700 mile day after 700 mile day after 700 mile day starts taking it's toll on your mind and body after a while. If you wind up doing this my most important advice is to get a refrigerator in your truck. If you don't watch what you eat and do pushups regularly your body will literally turn into jello, and this is very hard to reverse once it starts. Much better to prevent it before it starts.
PP was correct about the trucking companies. The big "driver mills" treat the drivers like animals, but they will get your foot in the door and run you if you want to run.
He couldn't haven't been more incorrect about the rest of it though. Yes there are slovenly angry racist rednecks out here, but OTR has become a lot more "mainstream" in recent years and you will meet people from all walks of life out here driving now. I love being on the road and couldn't imagine doing anything else without bouncing off the walls. You have to be wired a certain way to be able to do this, but the things you see and characters you run across out here have to be seen to be believed. Almost every day I come across something that makes me think that people who aren't seeing what I'm seeing are missing out on something.Comment -
PP - I have had a NYS drivers license for about 8 months now, and have no tickets on it....I used to live in NH, and that's where I got the reckless - that was about one year ago I got convicted.....My mom works at NY DMV and told me it does not come up when she looks it up....I'm just not sure if employers will look my NH driving record....
Turd - I think I am one of those wired differently....I used to drive taxi - I was an independent so I could work whenever I wanted...I worked a lot of nights but I also let my sleeping pattern go around the clock....Like one day I would wake up at 2pm...later in week 4 pm....next week 6pm...then 10 pm....You get the idea it would keep going all the way around, lol.....I also once drove for 28 hours straight...12 hours driving was no problem at all and I did it regularly....One time I stayed up too long and slept for 24 hours straight ! I feel asleep and "The Price is Right" was on....when I woke up it was the on again only the next day....lol....I'm kind of a night owl anyways, lol......Comment -
PP - I think I want to go OTR for a while....maybe someday I would try a dedicated run
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Do you have a CDL.
IF so My wife is a recruiter for a national company.
IF not you will either have to OTR or You might be able to get into
a LTL company driver apprentice program- they train you.
I use to drive OTR then Got a dedicated run now I run LTL freight.
If you are just starting out and want to be gone do OTR.
Then once you get your life figured out go dedicated.
If you want to make real good money and be home every night and weekends
and holidays off go LTL. You need experience and a clean record usually
to be considered.
And you will have to do some dock work along with driving.
In case you dont know LTL is less then truckload freight
like FedEx freight, UPS freight, Con-way, Yellow, Old Dominion,
you see them pulling the double trailers.
But like they said you can get out of shape fast if you dont watch what you eat
and you can burn through money in those truckstops.Comment -
TurdMan, What was I wrong about? All I was getting at is that how a man presents himself makes a difference. I know that is true here in America where we base our opinions on looks. So write me Mange, what was I incorrect in writing?
ColdBeer, when you apply, the companies will want to know of all drivers licenses held for the last 5 years I believe it is. What you might consider is calling a few companies that you know that you do not want to work for and feel them out with your information to get an idea how they respond. Considering your education and the circumstances of the reckless driving conviction, you might still be accepted.
Back to you Turd, I will cut you off man as I know I was not incorrect about jack.
Bring it back Driver!!Comment -
I was just disagreeing with your 'OTR blows' comment.
It's definately not for everyone and the turnover rate is something like 90% but maybe I'm the exception, I started six years ago and have been at the same place with the same dispatcher this whole time. I like the lanes they keep me on and my dispatcher is a sports bettor, so if I get in hot water over something, we discuss it for a minute then spend the next half hour talking about lines.
You don't have to be polite and clean-cut unless you're chasing skirt in the cities you visit. There are a few slobs out here that have given up, look like hobos, throw out their trash and piss jugs in parking lots, kill hookers and give the rest of us a bad name. Like I said though it has become less outlawish and more mainstream these days, hell it's changed a lot just in the six years I've been out. Most of the guys who drove in the 70's and 80's are gone, and it's a new generation out here.
You do have to be kind of a maladjusted freak to enjoy this shit and do it for a long time though.
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TurdFerg, OK, I get it. Appreciate you thinking that I am full of shit and letting me know in a respectful manner. Stay safe and alive out there Bro`.
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