[MidMO]

Hello All. Im looking for free advice from both veteran and first year drivers. Here goes. Im almost 30 and a family man. My weekends are devoted to my family and trying to catch up with mainenance needs of our home. I live in Central Missouri and currently work as a courier and warehouse assistant. Ive always enjoyed the courier aspect of my work, especially longer trips where I'm driving for hours at a time. I make OK money for what it is, but at times it seems like it's not enough, were barely paying the bills and unable to keep up with the expense of upkeep and general mainenance of our home. My wife and I both work full time.

Anyway, I've been giving alot of thought to OTR Truck Driving for the past couple of years now, and probably the only reason I havent just gone for it by now is the big fear of having to work on weekends. I have done alot of research online and have made several phone calls to trucking companies, and it seems like theres alot of empty promises in the industry. Most every company I call who advertise "home most weekends" end up telling me its more like "every other weekend", and that I would be on the road for anywhere from 12-14 days at a time. Other companies tell me that 24 hours makes up a weekend, so I would be on the road for 6 days and have one day off per week. I really believe I would enjoy a trucking career (and make good money doing it), but I need more time than that, as I do have a family to tend to. The only way I might consider working every other weekend is if I aquired a "7 and 7" run, whereas Id work 7 days and have the next 7 off, but to my knowledge, those opportunities are never available to new drivers.

Anyway, Id like to get some input from the trucking community on this. Should I just go for it, or is this not for me? Also, what companies do you recommend? What companies (and driving schools) should I avoid?

So far, If I decide to do this, my research is telling me that TMC is the best bet. They are willing to give me 46 weekends off (I guess working 8 of them is better than 26) and put it in writing (and their weekends are listed as 48 hours). They also have partial tuition reimbursement and they offer an option to get paid by the mile or by a percentage of each load (they really jazz this up on their website as a great money maker). I've seen their equipment on the road and I must say it certainly seems like they make maintenance and cleanliness a high priority, which is a plus in my opinion, but Ive also hear they are a bit too particular about the care of their equipment as well. Another company I thought about briefly is USA Truck, mainly because they advertise a decent pay scale and would pay most all of my tuition if I stay with them for a year. However theres never a mention of hometime and I have seen their trucks break down from time to time, so out of those two, I tend to lean more towards TMC.

Sorry for the long post, but Ive been thinking about this for too long, and I really need a shove one way or another, so Ive finally decided to see if the trucking community could give me some advice. I would appreciate it greatly!

Thanks!

[BIG JEEP on 44's]

I would give advice but i'm not a newbie but yet i'm not a veteran ,so that shuts me out. :wink: :lol:

[MidMO]

I guess I should have worded that better. Im looking for advice from ANYONE in the industry, whether your a newbie, a veteran, or anything in between. Im interested in hearing from anyone who would care to share their opinions and experiences.

Thanks!

[BIG JEEP on 44's]

If home on week ends is a must I would not consider OTR ...But maybe try Cfi/Con-Way Truck load they have a lot of relay drop/hook out m-f home sat sun...but unless local you do need to be good with giving up the sure-ness of weekends off

[GMAN]

Most carriers will not guarantee you home time every weekend. They will likely keep you out 2-3 weeks at a time. Once you get your own truck things might get a little better if you can manage to do more regional runs. The thing is that most carriers cannot guarantee to have you home by a certain date each week. That is the nature of this business. If you want to earn bigger paychecks you will more than likely need to work at least part of the weekend. Those carriers who do get you home on the weekend will likely do so either on Friday evening or Saturday morning and you will usually have to leave Sunday afternoon or evening in order to make a Monday morning delivery. I have found over the years that if I can get a load on the truck for Monday delivery that I will usually have a good week. If I wait until Monday morning to load, then I will not have as productive a week. If you don't want to work weekends, then this is probably not the business for you. There are a few carriers who will try to get you home on weekends, but most will not guarantee it. Most carriers seem to offer 1 day off for each week on the road. You will need to pay your dues by running hard for at least a few weeks to several months while you learn. Most carriers will put you with a trainer who will help you learn how to make money in this business. If you are looking for a 9-5 job, this isn't it. We mostly work irregular hours. No two days are alike. As a solo driver you will usually drive from 500-700 miles per day. You should average around 2,500-3,200 miles per week.

[MidMO]

BIG JEEP on 44's: Thanks for the advice. I did a search for CFI and ended up on Con-Way's site, so I'm guessing they are the same company? Anyway, I see they have a low turn-around rate, which is good, but it looks like they only hire experienced drivers. Beyond that, I cant get much information for some reason. Might be a good company to go with once I get some experience.

GMAN: I've noticed just about everything you talked about. What are your thoughts on TMC? Supposively, they will put "46 out of 52 weekends" in writing. And since I am in Missouri, they can put me on the "regional run" that you mentioned, with an average length of haul just under 600 miles. They also have what they call a "Dedicated Fleet" run, where you supposively get great home time, but "predictable" road time, but regional sounds more stable to me. I couldnt agree more with what you said about getting back on the road on Sunday nights, Id rather do that anyway than start Monday and end Saturday. My thought was to try it out for a year, and then if it got to be too much, try to take the experience I would have earned and find a daily type route with another company. Or, if I liked who I was with, I could just stay with the same company, either way, I get my CDL and some experience, which would open alot of doors for me.

Thats really where I'm torn. My family is important, and yes, if I do this, it would mean more time away from my family, but it would also mean more income, so I could better provide and care for my family. No matter what I decide to do, its tough.

By they way, I should mention to you drivers who are constantly working to deliver our goods, I'm very thankful. I know you probably go through the elements on a daily basis.

Keep the advice coming, I'm getting some great input.

Thanks!

[GMAN]

Originally Posted by MidMO

GMAN: I've noticed just about everything you talked about. What are your thoughts on TMC? Supposively, they will put "46 out of 52 weekends" in writing. And since I am in Missouri, they can put me on the "regional run" that you mentioned, with an average length of haul just under 600 miles. They also have what they call a "Dedicated Fleet" run, where you supposively get great home time, but "predictable" road time, but regional sounds more stable to me. I couldnt agree more with what you said about getting back on the road on Sunday nights, Id rather do that anyway than start Monday and end Saturday. My thought was to try it out for a year, and then if it got to be too much, try to take the experience I would have earned and find a daily type route with another company. Or, if I liked who I was with, I could just stay with the same company, either way, I get my CDL and some experience, which would open alot of doors for me.

Thats really where I'm torn. My family is important, and yes, if I do this, it would mean more time away from my family, but it would also mean more income, so I could better provide and care for my family. No matter what I decide to do, its tough.

By they way, I should mention to you drivers who are constantly working to deliver our goods, I'm very thankful. I know you probably go through the elements on a daily basis.

Keep the advice coming, I'm getting some great input.

Thanks!

I can't give you any personal experience about TMC, but most of what I recall that has been posted on this forum has been positive. There is no such thing as the perfect company. You simply need to find one that has more of what you are looking for and go for it. If they offer you most of what you want or need, then it may be a good fit. Business is about trade offs. If you want to earn more money in this business you will need to stay out more. If you need to be home more frequently, then your income will usually suffer. Missouri should be a good place to live for home time. It is important to be near major freight lanes if you want to get home frequently. I don't blame you for wanting to be home more often. If you want to drive and be home, you may consider going local after you get a year or two experience. This is the avenue many before you have taken. Some local jobs pay well, others do not. Life is a trade off. It comes down to what you are willing to give up for what you want.

[Colts Fan]

Originally Posted by MidMo

Thats really where I'm torn. My family is important, and yes, if I do this, it would mean more time away from my family, but it would also mean more income, so I could better provide and care for my family. No matter what I decide to do, its tough.

Don't do it. You'll miss your kids too much. And the income is not that great in the first few years. I would say go for it if you were single with no attachments. But, your kids need a father and your wife needs a husband. How could you fulfill those roles being gone 2-3 weeks at a time?

[Colts Fan]

I see GMAN just replied. He is right, many get a year or two of experience to find a good local job. I trained with an OTR carrier (Baylor Trucking) and went solo for a little less than 2 weeks before I called it quits. I got lucky and got a local gig a couple of weeks later and have been doing that since Jan. this year.

Right now I'm on a route doing 2 overnights a week with a team driver and that's it. Off Sat. morning to Wed. morning (nice hometime). I happen to prefer getting paid by the hour than the mile.

Double L, if you see this I get paid for EVERYTHING. Yes, I even get paid to sleep, eat and crap. :lol: Is that too greedy?

[VitoCorleone99]

Originally Posted by MidMO

BIG JEEP on 44's: Thanks for the advice. I did a search for CFI and ended up on Con-Way's site, so I'm guessing they are the same company? Anyway, I see they have a low turn-around rate, which is good, but it looks like they only hire experienced drivers. Beyond that, I cant get much information for some reason. Might be a good company to go with once I get some experience.

http://con-way.com/en/careers/the_co...y_and_benefits

That's some basic info. The recruiters can fill in whatever blanks you may still have from there. Honestly though, I don't think this company (nor any other OTR carrier) would be a good fit if you're looking to have weekends off. We have to stay out ten days before requesting home time and we get one day off for seven out. So, conceivably, you could request time after every ten days and have a couple days off by the time you got home. That puts you into a perpetual cycle of getting away from home and getting back home - not the best way to make money.

On the experience end, they do have an excellent training program for new drivers. Some of the older guys actually complain that the company pays too much attention to training new people. It costs somewhere around $1,200 to the driver, with the company subsidizing the rest, but doesn't come with all of the strings that "free CDL training" tends to involve. In your case, Crowder College in Neosho would be the best bet for the CDL course, after which you would have to spend a few weeks with a trainer before getting your own truck. Once you got your own truck, you would have to pull one load for Con-way Truckload. Beyond that you would have no obligation to the company.

In general terms, I am inclined to tell people with families at home to think twice and then three times about going OTR. Everybody is different and I make no assumptions, but I've known of quite a few people who just found it to be too much of a strain on their family lives. I should add that I also know some people who have been very happy making the move, but there's a reason for turnover rates being what they are.