I've been keeping my eyes open for awhile, and I'm curious to see what you guys think.

I've been driving OTR for almost a year now, and for the most part I like it. The problem is that being away from home for that long is starting to wear on me a bit, and it would be nice to get a job to be home every day without loosing too much pay doing it.

The catch is that I have a fused lower back, and I can NOT do ANY routine lifting, loading, unloading, etc. Right now, all I do is drive, strap loads, and open and close a curtainside trailer, which isn't that bad since I don't do it all day long. BUT every local gig I seem to find wants me to lump freight, which I'm not capable of...

What do you guys think? Anything come to mind?

 

Look for a line haul position with an LTL company. Most of those are terminal to terminal drop and hook. It may not get you home every night but should get you home at least weekly if not 2-3 times a week to start and then as you gain seniority you can work your way onto the routes that do get you home most if not every night.

 

Is it L5 S1 that is fused Tom?

 

Yup, that's the one. Been getting better since my surgery last year, but the level above it is already starting to give me problems when I do things I know I shouldn't, so lifting and bending are pretty much out of the question for me at the moment... :sad:

Doesn't hinder me in my current job, but kind of limits my options.

 

It's hard to hire-on to an LTL company and go straight to linehaul. The reason is that those jobs are offered to their local city drivers first and only if there's no takers will they hire off the street. And if they do hire from outside, they're looking for people with LTL experience.

I'm not saying it's impossible, but you usually have to be in the right place at the right time to land a steady, dedicated linehaul run. Some of the companies you see hiring are looking for "wild" drivers who stay out on the road running between different terminals and living out of hotel rooms. This would definitely be a step-up from OTR because it's just drop/hook and the money is way better...like around $75,000/year.

Or some companies are hiring for a team operation. Either that, or they're looking to fill their "extra board", which means you're basically on call and they call you when they need you. You could run steady for awhile then it could be sitting by the phone waiting for work. It all depends on freight levels.

I've got a buddy who pulls turnpike doubles (two 48' trailers) for USF Holland. He makes $110,000/year and home every day and weekends off. That's what you want to work toward...there's much better jobs away from the OTR c00lie carriers.

 

Go be a yard spotter. I love this job. From 9-12, we move trailers from the yard to the docks and back, and that's usually done by 11. Then from 12 - 4, we process outbound loads, which can be a pain in the ass, because we get a flood of trucks at 12, but it's usually pretty predictable, and there are fringe benefits. For example, we have a Roadway driver who is here every day, so, if he's in a hurry to get in and out, he'll page me on the Nextel, and say something like, "Well, I went to Wendy's, and, for some strange reason, I ended up buying an extra combo meal. Thought you might want it", etc., and I'll say to him, "Well, since I've got you on the line, go ahead and give me your trailer and converter dolly numbers". Now the cooletta carriers, who aren't here on such a regular basis, usually don't have the foresight to do this, but I do my best to get everyone in and out of there as quickly as possible. The Roadway driver who bribes me just happens to end up being the first one out of there, with his doubles already assembled for him (I have no actual obligation to do this, but he got me the Baconator, so I'd have felt guilty if I left him to assemble them on his own).
The pay's pretty good.. you just have to make sure you get on with the right company. Good benefits package.
It can be a bit monotonous at times, but it pays well, I work a fixed schedule, and the only real physical effort on my part is to attach/remove air lines, and apply seals to trailer doors. I'm definitely digging this gig.

 

HAHAHAHA...I love it!! :lol: Baconators make the world go round!!!

That's the advantage of being local. Alot of the guys and gals I deliver to, I hang out with on the weekend. So I never have to wait anywhere.

 

Sorry to hear that the other disc is giving you problems. I had the L5 S1 fused 2 years ago in August. It was so bad that I had to be taken in an ambulance from one hospital to another hospital with a Neurosurgeon on duty to perform immediate surgery. Cauda Equina Syndrome was what they called it. Can be nasty.

I was going to throw out the tanker/fuel hauling idea to you. Being in Columbus, I imagined that would be an option. After reading your post I see that you are experiencing further problems, I'm not sure that humping hoses around may be up your alley right now. Hope you find something though. Living in a metropolitan area like you do certainly is a plus.

The Oracle. :wink: :P

 

Mmmm...Payola for the yardman. One of the senior line drivers when I worked at Con-Way had back problems and needed help hooking his set. Almost every friday he would bring in In & Out.

 

Yard Tractors have little to no suspension.

When I had to cover for the regular guy I was fairly beat up after a full week.

Depending on the operation you could also have to play with con-gears and make/break sets of doubles.