LTL Freight
 

Can anyone tell me where I could possibly find out more about some LTL companies out there? I'm looking into getting into LTL freight here after I get some experience under my belt, so can anyone point me in the right direction? Thanks in advance.

Tom

What's your 20?

Best bet may be to try the company websites. All of the big companies should have one. Old Dominion, Estes, Saia, AAA Cooper, R&L, Wilson, etc.

Also try this site that has alot of LTL content.

www.truckingboards.com

Third, find out who has a terminal near you and go out and talk to them. See if you can find a driver or two and see how they like the company.

Just watch out for layoffs. LTL's like to layoff when freight is slow. Once you are not the low man on totem pole the layoff part kinda goes away.

I spoke to four companies up here about three weeks and they were waiting to bring back drivers due to the slow freight. So none of them were obviously hiring.

I spoke to Old Dominion, New Penn, NEMF, Yellow and oh I forgot I spoke to ABF also.

Good luck

Thank you all for your info. I'll look into everything as you suggested.

Re: LTL Freight
 

"What's your 20?" is CB-lingo for "where are you at?" or in this case where's your home-20?. If I knew about where you lived, I could point you in the right direction as far as local companies in Pennsylvania since it's a pretty large state.

LTL is definitely the way to go. Contrary to popular opinion, you don't always have to waste your time/life going OTR.

here goes frosty on another hell bender about otr vs. local. what a dick!

I do LTL and love it. :P So far this year. $27,550 on 6100 miles. Work half a day. I do regional Van freight on the side when I finish my LTL route to make extra. That figure is only my LTL gross and not side work.
I know a company hiring contrators in Edison, NJ You need 2 years exp.
Can get away with 1 year, maybe. If interested let me know.

why does everyone think LTL is local work, you can be OTR and doing LTL, man what has this world come too..... hehehehe

What about LTL Expedite. Expedite LTL is running your ass off and never stopping. Delivering all over the country.

jedfxg[/quote]here goes frosty on another hell bender about otr vs. local. what a dick!


I don't think he's being a dick at all. I ran OTR for 2.5 years and averaged $43k Maxing my hours out every week. I also worked on average 20- 30 hours unpaid, Looking for MT's, sitting at Shippers and receivers, fueling, waiting on loads ,,ect.

I finally got tired of giving my life to someone else and started at Dats Trucking in october of 06 and have been spent the past 6 months on the extra board learning the ropes and running all the different runs. I am home every night and I have weekends off. The real kicker is that I run less miles, I'm on duty an average of 10 hours, I make more money, and I Average 52 hours on duty a week.

I was also informed today that because of my work ethic and patience with being on the extra board so long, that I now have a dedicated run that pays $230 a run, 5 days a week, M-F. That's $59800 per year, home every night, weekends off, paid for everything I do. I'm sorry Jedfxg, But no OTR job I've had has been this good to me.

I understand and support the professional drivers that run OTR and love what they do, I still think about the arches in St. louis and Klamath Falls in Wa. But I cannot abide giving my precious free time to someone who has no intention of paying for it,regardless of how many times I've sacraficed a good run for a really crappy so I could save,"that hot load, we're about to lose the account" or spending 7 hours waiting for a service, and then expected to run 600 miles after that.

Sorry for the rant, but In my opinion There is no excuse for OTR drivers to be raked over the coals like that. You have every right to be paid fairly for ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO. And to be told that that's part of trucking is BS.

Well now that I'm all fired up, time to go to the gym and then see a movie. One of those things you can do when you're home every night :D

Have a safe trip

Chris

you get what you put into it ... I know owner ops that make 4 times what you make and there home half the time well almost, 4 months home in a year and gross over 200 grand, as a company driver OTR just makes the company richer, you can run for UPS and make 26 bucks an hour and be home every night and the sad part is those silly brown shorts you have to wear... I want my freedom so I plan on gettin own truck and if these old farts can gross 6 grand a week and bring home 2 grand a week after expenses, figure 2/3 goes out 1/3 yours then by golly i want to bring home the bacon..... The real money is going owner op and be your own boss, workin ltl or otr for a company your just a slave and told what to do... you get what you put into it...

I would like to go O/O, but am saving to buy my truck and trailer with cash and have at least $50k in the bank before I start. I want as little or no debt as possible when I haul my first load. The thought of being able to set my own rates and haul whatever I want and to be able to buy whatever truck I want(within reason :D ) Is very stimulating.

But in addtion to not having the funds, I also lack the confidence. I figure it will take me a few years to be financially where I want to be, so that will give me alot of time to do a crapload of research and to talk to other O/O's. I don't know, with the mexican trucks to be coming over and being able to haul in the US, who knows what the road will be like in 3 or 4 years. CAD might be in spanish by then. :sad:

wow, great local job good for you. but the sad part is the sitting in docks and other stuff is part of trucking. some people like it some do not. you did not so you left, but don't make everyone else feel like shit or that they are not worthy because that is what they do..you are not better than them. oh by the way i am not otr in the way you guys think.

I aopolgize if I sounded like I was being an a$$, I honestly wasn't. Iknow I'm not better than anyone(execpt maybe at video games :D ) I guess in my own mind I just can't understand why drivers will put up with all that crap. Just about every LTL carrier in SLC is Hiring drivers right now, yes you might get laid off in the winter, but if you're not a lazy butt, they'll call you back when it's busy and once you get your bids in then you're on your way and it only gets better.

I know alot of companies have detention pay now for loading and unloading but most have 2 hour time limits, and if you're like my old carrier(knight) then you're loading and unloading everyday. That adds up.
In my case it was 4 hours per day over the course of 5 days. 20 hours free work. I know some companies are a little better and some alittle worse.

I apologize again if I offended anyone. I just see so many people putting up with stuff they don't have to. My company used to pay crap(well they still do but they're getting alot better) but when then drivers began to walk out and word spread they stunk, they made the attempt to get better, and they are still trying to get better.

It does take a special driver to do OTR,and my hats off to them.

Have a safe trip

Chris

Actually to correct you, this would be a hell bender between LTL and TL. Make sure you know the differences. LTL companies make money while TL loses it.

Because they haven’t figured out it means less than a truckload...lol
They also haven’t figured out when you put several of these together you get a load. You would have thought Cold frosty would have told them by now....lol

here goes frosty on another hell bender about otr vs. local. what a dick!


I don't think he's being a dick at all. I ran OTR for 2.5 years and averaged $43k Maxing my hours out every week. I also worked on average 20- 30 hours unpaid, Looking for MT's, sitting at Shippers and receivers, fueling, waiting on loads ,,ect.

I finally got tired of giving my life to someone else and started at Dats Trucking in october of 06 and have been spent the past 6 months on the extra board learning the ropes and running all the different runs. I am home every night and I have weekends off. The real kicker is that I run less miles, I'm on duty an average of 10 hours, I make more money, and I Average 52 hours on duty a week.

I was also informed today that because of my work ethic and patience with being on the extra board so long, that I now have a dedicated run that pays $230 a run, 5 days a week, M-F. That's $59800 per year, home every night, weekends off, paid for everything I do. I'm sorry Jedfxg, But no OTR job I've had has been this good to me.

I understand and support the professional drivers that run OTR and love what they do, I still think about the arches in St. louis and Klamath Falls in Wa. But I cannot abide giving my precious free time to someone who has no intention of paying for it,regardless of how many times I've sacraficed a good run for a really crappy so I could save,"that hot load, we're about to lose the account" or spending 7 hours waiting for a service, and then expected to run 600 miles after that.

Sorry for the rant, but In my opinion There is no excuse for OTR drivers to be raked over the coals like that. You have every right to be paid fairly for ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO. And to be told that that's part of trucking is BS.

Well now that I'm all fired up, time to go to the gym and then see a movie. One of those things you can do when you're home every night :D

Have a safe trip




Sounds like you 2 pick the wrong companys to go OTR with, sucks to be YOU....lol

here goes frosty on another hell bender about otr vs. local. what a dick!


I don't think he's being a dick at all. I ran OTR for 2.5 years and averaged $43k Maxing my hours out every week. I also worked on average 20- 30 hours unpaid, Looking for MT's, sitting at Shippers and receivers, fueling, waiting on loads ,,ect.

I finally got tired of giving my life to someone else and started at Dats Trucking in october of 06 and have been spent the past 6 months on the extra board learning the ropes and running all the different runs. I am home every night and I have weekends off. The real kicker is that I run less miles, I'm on duty an average of 10 hours, I make more money, and I Average 52 hours on duty a week.

I was also informed today that because of my work ethic and patience with being on the extra board so long, that I now have a dedicated run that pays $230 a run, 5 days a week, M-F. That's $59800 per year, home every night, weekends off, paid for everything I do. I'm sorry Jedfxg, But no OTR job I've had has been this good to me.

I understand and support the professional drivers that run OTR and love what they do, I still think about the arches in St. louis and Klamath Falls in Wa. But I cannot abide giving my precious free time to someone who has no intention of paying for it,regardless of how many times I've sacraficed a good run for a really crappy so I could save,"that hot load, we're about to lose the account" or spending 7 hours waiting for a service, and then expected to run 600 miles after that.

Sorry for the rant, but In my opinion There is no excuse for OTR drivers to be raked over the coals like that. You have every right to be paid fairly for ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO. And to be told that that's part of trucking is BS.

Well now that I'm all fired up, time to go to the gym and then see a movie. One of those things you can do when you're home every night :D

Have a safe trip

Chris[/quote]

You need to go back OTR untill you know Klamith falls is in oregon and not washington....lol

uhm, i am not otr like you guys think, bonehead. or are you guys so dense that everyone who defends an otr driver is an otr driver. by the way when coldfrosty says ltl, he means local because he does not know any better.

Yep. Log 70, work 80-100+, paid for 55 (maybe). What a scam! I don't know why these guys enjoy working for free so much. Must have been dropped on their heads as kids, ate lead paint chips or something. :D

Congratulations on your new gig. Less hours on the job, more $$$$ in your pocket, and best of all a life outside of and away from the truck. Who but the truckdweller could argue with that? :wink:

That's a BIG 10-4!!! :D

Heh, I'm aware that klamath falls is in OR, But I couldn't remember what the area is called directly across the river from klamath on that little highway on the WA side, so I always called it klamath too. My Bad. Good catch tho' :D

You're right Ssoutlaw I guess I havn't worked for the right OTR company yet. Every one that I talked to seemed like it was smoke and mirrors. And I don't mean the ones that have adds in the papers and mags all the time. I was always talking to other drivers at the T/S and shippers and consignees and most of the time it was the same stuff. The ones that liked their company where the ones that didn't care about the free work.
I might not have minded it so much if it wasn't 20+ hours a week. I liked OTR, I had a great truck that never broke down and I got to spend a lot of time down in LA and along I15. For the most part I had a good.

The most common advise I got from other professionals was this,"Boy,the only company that is going to treat you right is going to be the one with your name on the side of the door" Heh, 34 years old and still called a boy :D Someday I hope to have my name on the door.

I know that LTL can be TL too. We have O/O who haul for us, they have gorgeous trucks, all long nose petes. They hate our yard cuz they can't back into the doors, it's too small here. I think we pay them $1.65 CPM.I'm not sure if that includes the fuel surcharge or not, and I don't know if we pay for base plates or anything