I agree with CFM 100%. He is just tryin to give a newbie a heads up of what it is really like. Drivin OTR.

but it is not really as bad as CFM paints it to be. maybe it was for him...probably not, but maybe. i understand informing some of the negatives but to say it the way he does and as often is not necessary. i have done it, and i did not like it, but it was not near what he makes it...not even close.

I can run local about 10 -12 hours a day and take home 4 to 500 a week or I can run on the road and be home every weekend and a couple times during the week( with the same company) and take home 800 to 1000 a week, guess which one I chose

Same here - local drivers make AT BEST $10/hour. That's $400/week. I drink that much Coca-Cola in a weeks time - LOL

well fredog sounds like you didnt have a good local job.
It really depends on where you live. I know there is alot of union outfits by me that pay 21-23/hr for a tri axle dump truck driver. Non-union out fits pay around 17-20/hr. OT over 40. To me ytou cant beat gettin paid by the hour. I think my time is worth something. But i forgot when you drive OTR its part of the job.

there arent any good jobs around here period. I thought I was done with driving altogether, But I got screwed by Sears, that's another story, we have local work pulling a dump and road work pulling a tanker, the tanker is easier on the body and pays a lot better and is steadier. so I decided to stay with it.
I live in the boonies ( 40 miles from the nearest Walmart) so the choices are few, this company is 8 miles from home and very informal. we have all pete 379's and the owner does all the dispatching. for a truck driving job, it's pretty good

Don't get me wrong - I'd LOVE to have a local job - sleep in my bed every night, not having people yelling at me because I'm running the truck while I sleep when it's 20f outside, etc. But where I live I just can't afford to drive local.

Ditto....here in N. Michigan, local jobs are at a premium. You have to marry the Boss' ugly sister to even submit an application. :? ...and that's only if you beat her cousin to the alter. :evil:

I've been trying for a local job for ? good three years or so.
I apply maybe 10+ jobs every year...when they come up, and some places I rattle their door regular.

I know that doesn't sound like a lot of applications, but it is for where I live!

I was finally on the top of the hire list for our County Road Commission. I sat on top for 4 years,,, and soon as someone quit, died, or retired...I'd be in....then last year they cut the budget....laid off almost 1/2 the crew.
If any jobs will be available...they all are on the list above me....hahahahaha

...F^%$!~ ME. :evil:

one time a jb recruiter called and said he had a dedicated run from my area that would get me home every night, then he asked me where I lived.

:?:
It all depends on the area you live in. Some local jobs to pay far less then OTR and some pay alot more.