Truck Driving Jobs

headborg · Joined: 06 Nov 2007 Posts: 1218

What classifies as OTR?

10days out- 2 days in?

2 weeks out--2 days off?

3 weeks out--3 days off?

where is the line drawn between Regional? and OTR?

doesn't seem to be the miles anymore. Regional drivers frequently report being dispatched out of their regions.

other drivers report -- out & back so does this make them regional or OTR?

Uturn2001 · Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 11:44 pm Post subject:

There really is very little difference between OTR and regional, at least as far as counting towards OTR experience.

As far as when looking at job descriptions go, Regional is typically 3-7 state operation and OTR is 7 or more states. time out has little or nothing to do with it, with the exception of being out for several nights each week and having to run a log book.

As far as the "out and back" thing goes you could live in Bangor, Maine leave home, go to San Diego. CA and right back to Bangor and that would be "out and back". :wink:

YoungZ.W. · Joined: 06 Jan 2007 Posts: 356 Location: Coshocton, OH

I make the distinction between OTR and regional based upon the area traveled and the time away from home. To me regional is home weekley whereas OTR is 2 weeks+ out. Regional 3-6 or 7 states. Actually regional driving is a form of OTR driving when you really look at it so in a sense they can be one in the same. Either your a local driver or an OTR driver.

headborg · Joined: 06 Nov 2007 Posts: 1218

YoungZ.W. wrote: I make the distinction between OTR and regional based upon the area traveled and the time away from home. To me regional is home weekley whereas OTR is 2 weeks+ out. Regional 3-6 or 7 states. Actually regional driving is a form of OTR driving when you really look at it so in a sense they can be one in the same. Either your a local driver or an OTR driver.

this is the way I always looked at it too--same as you-- I always considered the guy home 2days a week--(the weekend-preferred) as Regional-- and anyone staying out the full week(7 days) as OTR-

Because basically-- if you're trucking away 500 miles a day-- you can't go too far AWAY from home-- If you want to be back by Friday Night.
But lately- I'm finding many drivers-- bending the definition and working the system Using the "regional" I will be home every weekend-- and demanding
a cross country run-- then straight back HOME----- I'd call this Heaven!

kc0iv · Joined: 03 Feb 2005 Posts: 1113 Location: Kansas City, MO

When I drove for Cummin's Tools I delivered to all 48 states and was home just about every weekend. The couple of times I didn't get home on Friday I was home early Saturday morning.

I would agree with Uturn2001 description.

kc0iv

golfhobo · Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 12:12 pm Post subject:

And THEN there's the viewpoint of a TEAM Driver! :roll:

You know, the FORGOTTEN sons? The whole world, and MOST of your minds are focused on the SOLO driver..... but, there IS another side of this story!

I go East coast to West coast and BACK every week (in 5 or 6 days) and then get 2 or 3 days off (if I want,) and can do it again the next week!

5000 -6000 miles divided by half the pay (and half the work,) and I STILL don't sit around crying about weeks of 2000 miles or less! I NEVER do laundry on the road! I don't waste my money on video machines, and my food budget is less that when I worked a local job (non trucking.)

OTR means OVER THE ROAD.... period! NOT LOCAL city delivery! Regional counts if out overnight, dedicated counts (but is boring!) and solo AND team counts if going out for more than a couple of days! THAT is OTR! I don't do Canada, or have to deal with NYC. But, Over the Road means OVER THE FRIGGIN ROAD! :lol:

If you can SEE your house, or GET there in one day, you are NOT OTR!

You drive a truck for a living. OTR drivers live to drive a truck! We go "where the loads go!" as our dispatchers are fond of saying, and we deal with the strange and unknown.

An OTR driver outruns a tornado one day, only to be faced with a snowstorm on the next! And unless you work for one of the "biggies," you deal with Truck Stops and Tire Service companies, and not TERMINALS!

There's no shame in getting a CDL and working for a DUMP TRUCK company or a delivery route and being home every night..... but don't confuse this with being an Over the Road Trucker!

OTR drivers know how to get around a scale (if need be) or an accident/road closure. They don't think TWICE about going through two states, that weren't on their route, to deliver a load "on time."

You have to make the choice of what you want, or what is right for you at this time. And then, when "the road" calls...You'll know what OTR means.

Stainless · Joined: 19 Jan 2006 Posts: 50

kc0iv wrote: When I drove for Cummin's Tools I delivered to all 48 states and was home just about every weekend.

kc0iv

Wow! How do you find the time to sleep?

:lol: :lol:

kc0iv · Joined: 03 Feb 2005 Posts: 1113 Location: Kansas City, MO

Stainless wrote: kc0iv wrote: When I drove for Cummin's Tools I delivered to all 48 states and was home just about every weekend.

kc0iv

Wow! How do you find the time to sleep?

:lol: :lol:

Wasn't a problem.

We normally made no more than two drop (took about 2.5 hrs per drop) and came back empty. In my case I normally did just one drop. It helped to be a friend with the dispatcher. :lol:

With one run per week.

Once in a great while the boss would ask me to pickup an order if I was in the general area.

If I had been smart I'd stayed with Cummin's.

kc0iv

mikey4069 · Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 560 Location: northern cali

Otr = not home every nite :lol:

LeBron James · Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 5:35 pm Post subject:

golfhobo wrote: There's no shame in getting a CDL and working for a DUMP TRUCK company or a delivery route and being home every night..... but don't confuse this with being a steering wheel holder!

You nailed that one, golf!

Quote: OTR drivers know how to get around a scale (if need be) or an accident/road closure.

Now why would you need to dodge scales?

"3 weeks on the road and I'm a gonna make it home tonite." No thanks, no how, no sir, no way, uh uh...been there done that. Let's leave the long-haulin' for the diehards. Nobody does it better.

golfhobo · Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 8:54 am Post subject:

LeBron James wrote: golfhobo wrote: There's no shame in getting a CDL and working for a DUMP TRUCK company or a delivery route and being home every night..... but don't confuse this with being a steering wheel holder!

You nailed that one, golf!

Quote: OTR drivers know how to get around a scale (if need be) or an accident/road closure.

Now why would you need to dodge scales?

"3 weeks on the road and I'm a gonna make it home tonite." No thanks, no how, no sir, no way, uh uh...been there done that. Let's leave the long-haulin' for the diehards. Nobody does it better.

Now, WHY did you change my words? Are you trying to say that we OTR drivers are nothing but steeringwheelholders?? That a guy who drives a beer route and humps product all day is the REAL 'trucker'?? Like I DID say.... there's no shame in gettig a CDL so that one can HAVE such a "local" job. Dump trucks, to me, are more like having a Heavy Equipment Operator job. Again.... no problem with that.... just don't want to DO it. (But, would LOVE to have the money they make!) :lol:

As for dodging scales..... I rarely need to. I don't haul more weight than I'm allowed, but there are reasons at times. I can't go into detail at the moment, but let's just say there are times when I don't want the "man" to stick a scope up my butt! :lol:

I WILL admit that the REAL OTR drivers are the Solos who stay out for weeks at a time. I'm not ready to do that just yet. I LIKE getting home weekly, but I DON'T want to stay in THIS "region." So..... I drive TEAM so I can enjoy the Western States, and still get home to B.S. with YOU guys! (Don't have a laptop yet!) :wink:

But, even so..... I'd say chaining up in Oregon one day, and then covering Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa (14 miles of it,) Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and back to North Carolina in two days.... qualifies me as OTR! The fact that I just left 5 days earlier, and am home for 2 days, doesn't make me "regional." :shock: :lol:

TruckerChris · Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 7:25 pm Post subject:

To me, OTR is running 48 states, from one coast to another and everywhere in between. Regional on the other hand is running 11 western, southeast, northeast, midwest, etc. I have been out for 5 weeks and don't know when I'm going to go home. I'll go home when I wake up one morning and want to be home more than I do out here. I'll probably take 5 days off and come back out after only 3. It's addicting and blows local out of the water...FOR ME!

YoungZ.W. · Joined: 06 Jan 2007 Posts: 356 Location: Coshocton, OH

[quote]It's addicting and blows local out of the water...FOR ME![/quote]

Amen to that!!!

Root · Joined: 31 Mar 2005 Posts: 87 Location: At the wheel

I drive for a "Regional" flatbed carrier - 4 states dispatched from my terminal/ FM in the 'Texas Division'... "Home every weekend." While I might spend 2.5 days 'out' pickin' up here and delivering it over there, and while Texas can be like crossing several other states miles-wise what I see is that I drive a "fairly closed Circuit."
IMHO, when a Company is looking for OTR Experience - they want a driver with the ability to Start here at loading and be able to calculate how to get that load there on time where there might be 700+ miles away, across several states, several kinds of terrain and weather, solo, and then repeat that process over and over without any Routine Route or Circuit and without seeing a Terminal or Family for a minimum of a week's time ... up to however long a driver will put up with it.
My driving in a 'closed circuit' despite no real routine runs now has me pretty comfortable - almost settled - with the Timing, various Routes, easily calculable Fuel Stops, with pretty well set terrain and weather knowledge and a growing 'comfort zone' with the reasonably limited types of commodities I haul around.
I'm sure that if you run OTR long enough over the lower 48 you could achieve the same sort o 'comfort zone', but getting back to a prospective Employer's idea of OTR - they're looking at how much Challenge you've already faced in order to determine how much Challenge you can or want to handle Out There for them...
No Whiners or 'Drivers needing a hand to hold', a 'ready and waiting Kleenex or roll o toilet tissue', or any Constant Supervision ... need apply.
There's a level of Maturity, of Confidence and Independence required for successful OTR operations where your Regionals and Locals will, uhhh, "expect less" where they have a little tighter control over your everyday movements and activities... where the Communications are more frequent because they have to be...
An OTR driver might sleep with a Load 2 or more nights in row where a Regional is more likely to have to deal with 2 or more loads In A Day... in, like I said, a more Closed Circuit where the Company can, uhh, get hold o your bad a$$ if you're in a jam or if you're a trouble maker......... :wink:
Which makes the Trust Level higher in OTR ops.. You don't really know what you're hauling or where it's goin', but unlike Regional - an OTR Company is looking at/ for a Driver that can tend to bidness all by his lonesome for a longer period of time stretched out for more miles in places like BFE that still want their JIT. :mrgreen:
All of which makes it a little harder to hire into OTR without prior experience unless you start out in vans with a MegaCarrier..... Flatbedding is a little more 'ouchy' about OTR from what I can tell.
But they have to be.. There's not that much climbing all over a load spreading tarps in a Box Van from what they tell me.
It's Different.

belpre122 · Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 3:16 am Post subject:

golfhobo wrote:
There's no shame in getting a CDL and working for a DUMP TRUCK company or a delivery route and being home every night..... but don't confuse this with being an Over the Road Trucker!

I couldn't agree more.

Hobo. You mean that some of you guys actually sleep in those trucks? :wink: I'm not sure that my Freightliner would know what to do if I accidentally left Indiana and wandered into one of those strange places with names like; Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois or Michigan! I enjoyed the entire post. Your point is well made. Sometimes I wonder if us locals are even in the same world as you OTR pros. My hat is off to all of you. Especially teams............

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