Grocery Haulers Training Days 1 & 2
 

Day 1 = Lots of movies and joking around with the safety director and other office personnel, great lunch. Went over logging procedures and hos etc. Covered many company policies about drugs and alcohol etc.
I spoke to regular drivers, an older guy and a newer guy. The older guy says basically that the job is not as much fun as it used to be. I asked why not? He answers: "Well I've been here 23 years and when I first started we used to be able to have a few games of poker, have a few drinks in the locker room and then maybe we'd grab a run about 6 hours into the day when the buzz wore off, now we have to work." (apparently the company went from pay by hour to pay by load. The younger driver I spoke to says he loves it, he used to drive for Boyd doing flat beds and he could not take the time away from home, now he says he makes about the same or slightly better money and he's home every day (he works the night shift).

Day 2 = Back in the class room for 1/3 of the day, then they gave us a tour of the property which I must admit was pretty big. They showed us where the techs are, the fuel pumps, the reefer trailers, dry vans and where they put pallet&bale trailers and where they keep the empties and the full loads etc. Trainer's name is Harry, he warns us that he WILL be screaming and cursing as needed and warns us not to take it personally.
He takes us to what they call the "new yard" and he lets us take his chromed out assigned truck and start taking turns hooking, un-hooking, backing etc. He warns us that the training will be intense and we will be backing into the worst alleys in the tri-state area. Harry seems like a nice guy at heart. He tells us to forget everything we learned at the CDL mill and get ready to learn how to drive in the real world. So far all goes well.
They are at front with us in that they tell us the job is NOT easy, but is getting done everyday and that while drivers complain, we'll find that most of the time the ones that complain are here the longest. To wit the older gentleman I spoke to while on a smoke break.


So far it feels good, tomorrow we get assigned training trucks. 2005 Internationals with some new kind of Cummings Engine that sucks as far as fuel efficiency but is kind to the environment. They told us by the time we start soloing the fleet will be 2007 Internationals with a Cat Engine. :nervous: What all this means as far as engines?... I have no clue. But Harry seems like he knows all about it. Until next time, thanks for reading.

I chose OTR because miles are a factor in the linehaul rates in bedbugging. Shorter distances don't pay as well.

OTR for a number of reasons-First of all not seeing pretty much the same thing day in day out.
Easier, in my opinion, because YOU can determine your own schedule pretty much.

IF you have a family with young kids, or not, Local is good for being home every night.

......I don't understand the statement "IF you have a family with young kids, or not, Local is good for being home every night." What I mean is that I chose to go local because of the family with young kids and also because it seems to pay better at the start than going OTR right from school. BTW, I have a question along that vein. Would it be better to go local at first (better starting pay) and then go OTR for (better OTR starting pay)? What I mean is ... I at first considered going OTR but several things made me change my mind. Some of those things I've mentioned but one other very important factor is the cost of being OTR. If you factor in the cost of being OTR at first, with what companies are paying drivers fresh out of school..well it just seems like I'd be sending home less bacon. I really want to succeed in this career. At 38 years old this is my 3rd career track. So far I really enjoy pushing that beast down the street/hwy I'd also like to be able to eventually make a decent living at it. I respect and value the opinions of all of you. I admit it's sometimes hard to accept the hard realities of the advice and truths that I read. However I do take it all in. Thanks for reading and your suggestions.

The downside is that local experience will not count as OTR experience. You will start with a trainer if/when you go over the road, since you don't know about truckstops, timezones, life on the road etc. The right company might let you spend fewer hours/miles with a trainer/finisher if you do already know how to drive, but some may not. You will always start at the bottom of the OTR pay scale if you do not have at least one year of OTR experience within the past three years.

:oops: :oops: :oops: .......... Ummm, being new to the biz AND the lingo. Forgive me for saying... "Huh?!?!" Please explain I'm still wet behind the sideburns hehe.

Bandit is an owner/operator, so his situation is a bit different than yours.

Bedbugging = Hauling household goods. Also known as a Mover, or person willing to lug that big screen TV up three flights of stairs. :lol:

Linehaul rate = The amount that the job pays, based on number of miles and how many pounds of product.

Bandit gets better money if he has to move a person's posessions accross the country than accross the street.

Ahh sooo. My sincere gratitudes, oh wise one. *GONG* :lol:

Unfortunately the choice of whether to go OTR or local is a very personal choice. Since no one knows your goals, or personal/financial situation they can only suggest and give their personal opinion. I say, if you can make a decent living doing local why not? You will never have to explain to your children why you were not there for that special event. Only you can really make that decision. OTR will always be there, so perhaps when your children are grown you can make that leap for that is what my wife and I did. Either way best of wishes to you.

Thanks Mr. Move :) . Fact is I would like to OTR. My local will be in the TRI-STATE area. That means that I'll be driving in all of the wonderful *insert sarcasm here* boroughs of NY, Camden, Philly "The City of Brotherly Love" *insert yet more sarcasm here* and other hard to drive places. Granted, the experience may or may not make me a better driver in the short run, but I can't see myself living in "The Garden State" *see above asterisk(ed) areas" :lol: * for more than maybe a year or two at the most. I am planning to move to The South, I like it down there. Maybe North Carolina, possibly west to nort west of there. I know that OTR will give me more flexibility than local as far as my home base is concerned. The kids and the wife are a major factor but hey you guys... I live in an apartment paying 1300 a month with 2 bedrooms and we pay all utilities. I know I can do better than that. I'd like to own a home , I'd like to leave my kids a home of their own one day when The Lord calls me home to his mansion. I guess what I'm trying to say is OTR is on my agenda in the future. Primarily because I know it will make a smoother residencial relocation. Once I do it I'll find out if it's something the family can handle. If its not then I'll do it long enough to get a local gig. For now I'm going to finish what I started and put in a year or two at the local gig. I guess you're right. OTR will be there when I get ready for it. I was just curious about what would happen during the transition. Thanks for all the advice you guys, and thanks for reading. :)