My understanding is that if you take a job driving a class B vehicle that after "x" months (varies by carrier) you would have to take a refresher course at a school to get a job driving a class A. Plus, if you never did OTR or haven't done it for a while (even if you drive local class A) you would most likely be treated as "just out of school" - you'd have to go out with a "trainer" driving team for a few weeks.

 

Basically, the insurance and the trucking companies got into "cahoots" with the trucking schools and the feds to make it where if you do not LIVE in a truck, then you are no longer considered a truck driver after six months to a year. MOST of the larger companies are seeing the error in their ways and are now offering the drivers a way to come back as a "rookie".. most drivers tell them to go pound sand into their backsides and just keep their local jobs.

 

Anything is possible. I know guys who went straight to work for Coke or Pepsi or the local beer distributor. They don't make much money, but they're driving local.

If your idea of local is something more like Yellow or FedEx or food service distribution or something, then it's not very likely. I was out six weeks after getting laid off. Stack of recommendation letters, good driving record, etc., and none of that was enough to get a phone call with anybody. Around here 10 years OTR is not enough experience to get you a job like that. I'm back driving for an OTR outfit, though I have a dedicated run, and I'm not really OTR at all, because I have to take my breaks conveniently close to the house. It's the closest I could come up with.

Basically it all depends on your market. I don't know anything about your market. We have a million truck drivers around here, because trucking is the only thing you can do around here without a PhD if you don't want to get laid off every six months, and want to earn better than $8 an hour. Therefore there are tons of good candidates for all the best jobs, and it's a numbers game.
Not bloody likely. If you buy a truck, you're going to have to PAY for it. Most O/Os I know run hard miles starting out, and you aren't going to run hard miles driving local.

Probably the best of both worlds would be something like the job I had for 10 years. I was OTR, but I only slept in the truck three or four nights a week. Usually three, and then only two there for the last few years. I ran like a bat out of hell when I ran, but I got a lot of time at home in between. That was a perfect job for a family guy, but obviously if they were still in business, I'd still be driving for them. Sigh. This thing I've got now is about the next best thing I can possibly hope for. At least I'm not on the road all week, even if I'm pretty drag ass tired at the house every evening.

(Oh, and on the bright side, I make more money now. Hey, there is that!)

Anyway, the moral of the story is this: Know what you want, and get it. I knew I didn't want to do the big league OTR thing starting out, and I didn't, although I just barely avoided it. Going with the company I did was the right decision in the long run, because it paid my bills and bought me a house, and let me make a living driving a truck (even though everybody always laughed at my little paychecks.) If I had gone out with Great Coastal like I almost did (my old boss actually came out in one of their company trucks to hijack me away from Great Coastal in the middle of orientation) then it's hard to say where I'd be now. At Wal-Mart very likely.

Turning that around again, after I got laid off, I could have gone back to work for any big national OTR carrier instantly, by signing the line. I hung out for something I knew I could live with. I did go pour concrete for two weeks, and I thought that was a mistake going in, and it WAS a mistake. I can't do that crap. I don't think I can go run OTR like a real truck driver either. Staying with this stuff for a long time is all about knowing what you can do, and finding the way to do it. If you know you're going to hate something, don't do it, because you'll wind up walking out. I walked out from that concrete job sure as the world. Screw this #%@#%#@.

So I think the main thing is for you to figure out what you can and can't do, and be patient about finding the right opportunity. There are all kinds of different ways to make a class A CDL pay your bills.

Even though the vast majority of us are driving what I call "run of the mill OTR jobs," I'm not, and I haven't for my entire career so far. Never say never, but I'll say it's not too likely that I'll ever go do that. I got here VERY MUCH due to having the right personality, the right attitude. My old boss hired a green guy right out of school because that job involved a lot of customer service in the field, and he didn't care about scraping gears as long as I didn't piss off the accounts that signed all of our paychecks. I got my current job because my new boss and my old boss have known each other for years.

The way you conduct yourself in this business DOES matter, so don't set yourself up to be like one of the many "I can't get hired" posts where they list 20 jobs in 5 years.

 

My "happy medium" between the low-paying local work and being away from my family for weeks at a time is regional work. Many of those jobs are home every weekend and at least one or two days during the week and never really far from home.

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This "somebody" who told you about insurance is full of crap.

The real question (to you as well as the insurance co's) is how does your MVR look?

Clean? Or do you have tickets?


Look, i've been there and done that and am doing it today as we speak.

I got my licence and one month later i was working fulltime for overnite, now known as UPS freight. This means i was home in my bed everynite and no weekends. I did it, you can and will do it too.

FedEx freight is a company that will hire you "wet." But i'm not going to suggest them to you because i don't want to subject you to questionable conditions and atmosphere that they have.

But tell me more about yourself.

 

Thanks for your advice...What I am seeing is regional differences in oppurtunitys from the individual board members. I guess it makes sense living here near portland. That you have the I-5 corridor..I would not be objective against san fran or sac..1 once a week..But seattle to portland that would be more in line with what I desire. Money well My wife works full time at $14 a hour..So my desire would be to stay close to home and sacrifice some money...I have no idea what the pay is out there..I can sell myself and yes likely get jobs..Tickets ah yes...I was caught not wearing my seat belt..and recieved a ticket last summer...And about 30 months ago..I was nailed at 45 in a 35...and thats it..

Really appreciate your help Thanks