[tbrown]

My fiance has been driving for 15 months now. His original plan was to stay "out" (otr) for two years and then come in local. He was 4 months with his first co and has been driving f/b for 11 months now with the second. For some crazy reason, he seems to love f/b, though it does sound like a lot more work!

What are the best type of companies to look for when considering coming in local? What are the advantages of LTL? We're in the San Diego area... As he wants his brother to move out here and stay with us initially, he may want to come in a little early.

I'd appreciate any constructive feedback I can get from folks who know the west coast area...

[Mackman]

I like my dump trucks. Tell him to try to get on with a union dump truck outfit. If he can i know where i live there are alot of union dump truck outfits but trying to get a job there is hard as hell. But even driving for a non union company where i live pays around 17-19hr.

[Cluggy619]

He couldn't go wrong hauling fuel in that area. I hear the pay is very good, and it's most companies have unions with good benefits over in CA. I live in Texas, and I'm doing alright.

You might want to look into it.

Good Luck. :wink:

[tbrown]

Originally Posted by Josborn

He couldn't go wrong hauling fuel in that area. I hear the pay is very good, and it's most companies have unions with good benefits over in CA. I live in Texas, and I'm doing alright.

You might want to look into it.

Good Luck. :wink:

How dangerous is it to haul fuel? :shock: Do you know what type of money they pay? I think we have some sort of depot very near us (Mission Valley, right off the 15) as I see tankers from different companies coming and going all the time...

[Templedawg]

you can't go wrong running local. I switched from OTR to LTL running P&D, I made more money, off weekends, punched a time clock, so i got paid for everything i did. No sitting at a dock for 12 hours for free!!!!!!!! I live in Ga and LTL is about the highest paying local type job around. Try to stay away from Coke or beer dist. they don't pay crap. We have alot of guys who did it then came to LTL to make $10 more per hour. I've heard hauling fuel pays pretty good too, but i have never done it yet. Get a local job and have a life and time for your family is the only way to go.

[Cluggy619]

Hauling fuel is not as dangerous as most people would have you believe. You just have to use a little common sense, and remember what you are hauling.

The pay is different in CA than TX. Here I make anywheres from 800 per week to 1300 per week, depending on time of the year. In CA, I have heard they get paid more.

The best way to find info is to ask a local fuel hauler.

Good luck.

[tbrown]

Originally Posted by Templedawg

you can't go wrong running local. I switched from OTR to LTL running P&D, I made more money, off weekends, punched a time clock, so i got paid for everything i did. No sitting at a dock for 12 hours for free!!!!!!!! I live in Ga and LTL is about the highest paying local type job around. Try to stay away from Coke or beer dist. they don't pay crap. We have alot of guys who did it then came to LTL to make $10 more per hour. I've heard hauling fuel pays pretty good too, but i have never done it yet. Get a local job and have a life and time for your family is the only way to go.

Okay, what the heck is P&D? :? Also, other than avoiding the beverage distributors, what kind of things should you look FOR in LTL? We live in San Diego so I'm sure a lot of runs are to LA, etc.

Originally Posted by tbrown

Okay, what the heck is P&D? :?

Pickup and Delivery. You punch-in at the local terminal in the morning/afternoon and start doing deliveries. Then sometime around noon or so (as you empty out your trailer), you then do pickups. Once your full, you bring your trailer back to the terminal where it gets unloaded. Depending on how the terminal is run, you may work the dock in the morning or in the evening or both. Or even run linehaul if needed.

We have alot of trailers staged at various customers around the area, so alot of times I'll finish my peddle run and come back and hook to an empty trailer and do a drop/hook at a customer.

Also, other than avoiding the beverage distributors, what kind of things should you look FOR in LTL?

Try to get on with either UPS Freight or FedEx Freight or FedEx National. ABF is good, too. I wouldn't do Conway. Right now, the big union companies (Yellow, Roadway, USF) are having some issues, but those companies have the best pay/bennies hands down. You pay $0 for your medical benefits and excellent company-paid pension. I know some guys getting $4k/month just from their Teamsters pension. Talk to FeederFred, he'll tell you.

The only issue with LTL is that being on the bottom of the totem pole kinda sucks. Starting out, you could be on-call (waiting on the phone for work), working the dock, crazy shifts, layoffs, etc. You're generally not gonna walk into a 9-5 run, but once you gain some seniority you'll never quit. I know guys who've put 10, 20, 30+ years in. How many OTR companies can say that?

We live in San Diego so I'm sure a lot of runs are to LA, etc.

That's a great spot to get on with just about any LTL carrier. I used to live in Oceanside for awhile after I got out of the Air Force.

Originally Posted by templedawg

Get a local job and have a life and time for your family is the only way to go.

Yeah, OTR is a complete hosejob. All those working/waiting/driving for free activities add up: log 70, work 80-100, paid for 50.

I'll never work for mileage pay again. Clock time beats mileage pay any way you slice it.

[tbrown]

Thanks for the info ColdFrostyMug... I see that you have your Patriot on! I was born in Mass myself and also have the USAF in common with you. I got out in '85 though...seems like a lifetime ago!

One issue that is on earlier posts re: my fiance is that he has an old criminal hx - 14 years ago to be exact. He has excellent references from all jobs, but that history leaves co's like UPS and FedEx out. Think he still has possibilities? In trying to research LTL in our area, I'm not seeming to get a list of any co's - just for potential customers.

[trans3]

Does he have a haz-mat license?