.....and for whoever else may want to comment. I was wondering where do I fall in the hiring process. Let me explain. I have been driving trucks for aprox. 25 years now. My first 10 years of driving was OTR. I then switched to local construction truck driving. I was considering going back into OTR cause I'm divorced now...kids are grown...etc. I have applied at a few companies and have talked to a few recruitors. But they all keep saying that I need 2-3 years of recent OTR in order to be considered for employment. Now I have been driving trucks for 25 years, in all kinds of weather conditions, hauling loads up 105, 500 gross weight. And although I havent been driving OTR for awhile...I don't think it has changed that drastically. I find it hard to believe that a company would rather hire a driver fresh out of driving school over a person, such as myself, who has numerous years of experience even though it isnt "recent" OTR

I would guess that you could have 2,000,000 accident and ticket free miles and won every safety award there is and a new compnay would say "We would like you to take a refresher course". It is just part of the business now. Everybody takes a CYA approach. It didn't used to be that way, but times have changed. The sooner you get out there with a "trainer" the sooner you could have your own truck.

The biggest changes in the last 25 years involve the hours of service regulations. There have also been changes made in regards to bridge laws and king pin settings due to longer trailers being allowed.

What you may very well have to do is contact companies that hire students. Some may be willing to take you on and have you go out with a trainer for a couple of weeks, while others are going to want you to take some kind of training course or refresher course first.

That's about the size of it,
It won't matter if you have 40 years and then took the last 4 years off, you will still have to start from square one with a new company.
You will have to work for "slave wages" for the duration of your training, 4 to 8 weeks depending on the company, (that way the company can haul their freight for a much lower cost, the training companies make mega$$$$'s by doing this).
Then you get your own truck, fulfill your obligations to the company who payed you "slave wages", if you like that company you can stay with them, or look for greener grass. once you have 6 months to a year (or more), many doors will open for you and BLAMMO!! your back on track.
But it will take at least 6 month's of commitment,....after your training period ends.

Or you can go into debt like some of us dumb-asses have and make a go at OO :wink:

Even then you still often run into the same obstacles. No recent OTR experience we are not going to lease you on.

I would check with some of the smaller to mid sized carriers. With that much experience, I would think someone would be able to work around the insurance companies. My insurance company wants to know how much experience a driver has during the last 3 years. I don't recall them specifically asking about otr experience. As long as you can prove 2 years experience during the last 3 years, I think you can find someone who can hire you without having to go through the training or refresher coarse. Frankly, I think it is a shame that some carriers or insurance companies would require someone with 25 years experience to go through a refresher coarse. The main difference you will find is the hours of service have changed. That and people's attitudes are different. Good luck.

I wouldn't want to lease to a company anyway.

So there are your new options.
1.Company driver
2.OO leased to a company
3.OO with your own authority

Thanks for pointing out that there are certain restrictions in every situations.

Companies are run behind the scenes by insurance companies, but it's very hypocritical the way things are run. Companies want good drivers who know what they are doing, but then turn around and give someone with only 60 hours in a truck the keys to a new rig. Then they go bitch about repair costs or something like that.


Even though this really annoys me, I'd still rather be in a truck all day then stuck in a cubicle all day long and have to commute back and forth to work every morning/evening.