[golfhobo]

Originally Posted by LeBron James

You nailed that one, golf!

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]

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.]

It's addicting and blows local out of the water...FOR ME!

Amen to that!!!

[Root]

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]

Originally Posted by golfhobo

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............

[oldcodger]

Geez, I'm shakin in my boots with all of the big bad otr drivers responding to this topic. The next time, and there will be a next time, because I've lost count how many times that a big bad otr driver has asked me, me, a piddley little local day cab driver, where this road is, or where that place might be, I'll be sure and get down on one knee and thank the road gods for these guys to even recognize my presence in the truck driving universe.

Codger

[YoungZ.W.]

The next time an OTR driver hauls freight into your terminal so you can run around town all day a play mailman you should thank him to.

[Colts Fan]

Originally Posted by YoungZ.W.

The next time an OTR driver hauls freight into your terminal so you can run around town all day a play mailman you should thank him to.

I definitely will do just that. I will thank him for spending weeks on end out on the road so I can do my mailman job and be home every night. When I get punched in the face, I'll let you know how appreciative that OTR driver was when I expresed my gratitude.

[YoungZ.W.]

A jackass like you deserves to be punched in the face.

[YoungZ.W.]

This thread, as I interpreted it, was for the purpose of making just an argument for the distinction between OTR and regional. And once again someone needs to voice their dislike against OTR when there is no need for it. If you like local, fine. If you like OTR fine. It should not matter what type of driving you do. You local guys come on here and preach and preach and preach about how easy it is to get local gig. You tell them "well go around start knocking on some doors and kissing ass, etc, etc." Since it is so easy to get a local gig then obviously an OTR driver must do it by choice, so why is that of concern to you. CFM, or whatever screen name he uses now, argues the case consistenly. If thats his opinion then thats fine by me. But no one should be put down for the occupation they choose to do in life. I don't have to drive OTR but I enjoy it for now. If his gig is so spectacular then why is he so concern about OTR?? It all leads back to the old adage that those who are miserable try to make everyone else miserable.