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Hey all. Im recently graduated from NTI truck driving school in Maine and have had little to none luck in finding local work. Most(all) companies want 1 yr XP. I understand this and need to look elswhere now.

My only problem is that I am a single parent of a 7 yr old child. It kills me to be away from here for even one night. We have been thru a lot in the last few years and are really close.

Trouble is, i really need to get a year of road time under my belt in order to work these local jobs that will let me be home nights.

I have spoken with a few Roehl recruiters and have been thinking of NE Regional. I need to know what im getting into. Right now they have a basic 5-2 Flatbed or dryvan routes. Being home for 24-34 hours per week just isnt really going to make me very happy right now. I like the 7/3-7/4 thing ive read in this topic but I really havent heard any of that from recruiters just you guys....

What is this 7/3-7/4 that Roehl has in the NE Regional?? Im not looking to get rich. I only need one year and then Im out. MAYBE two years, but highly unlikely. Making $30k per year will actually be a raise for me, so thats fine.

Also, its been told to me that I bring my truck home with me(i can park at any Wal-Mart/Sams) and they have tuition re-embursment. So 2 +'s as well.

Are there any other companies that can offer me a NE Regionally with home time of 7 out/3 or 4 in???

Please any info......

Thank you.

If i can give you any advice, justg be patient for a while and something local will come around. I got my license when i was 19 with almost no hope of getting work, i got hired on by a local sod company 3 months after being out of school. I got the OTR itch and gave it a shot, but let me tell you bud, especially if you're a single parent, i don't care if you're only gone seven days at a time, it's gonna feel like a lifetime cause you're wanting to be home every minute of every day while you're on the road, and believe me you got a lot of time to think about that. For me, i've been driving for that same company that first hired me for 3 years ago, i'm not getting rich, but i regulary bring home 600 dollars a week, like i said not a fortune, but home every night and off weekends. Just something to think about, hopefully that helps a little.
Zach, Florida.

As far as Roehl's 7/4 7/3 program you need to live by a terminal because it's 3 drivers sharing 2 trucks . The closest to you is in Groverton,NH , so you will have a little bit of a drive .
Try www.fleetdirectory.com It has a list of all trucking companies in Maine , I'm sure a few may hire new drivers .
Or try www.fullfleet.com This has a list of private carriers and sometimes a few hire student drivers , most of these jobs on here are excellent

If you are a single parent of a young child or a younger teenager at that then I would not advise going into OTR. There are companies that will hire someone with no experience but it will be slim to none. I hope for you sake that you find something. BOL

My goal is to work at FedEx freight or UPS Freight...sumthing like that. I thought i could get some good time in this way and get a better shot at some of the local gigs here...

A lot like, Yellow, ABF, RC Moore, Roadway...etc etc wont even talk to me w/out that 1 yr. Then, Sysco will consider me this spring, but that is like driving 40 miles a day and lumping the rest...

Dont know really....I think I just need to do this year OTR and then thats it. I figured with a 7/4-7/3 i still am working essentially 2 weeks, then a week off...2 weeks, then a week off...just broken up into 4-3...

Man...decisions. I hate this.

Have you by any chance checked with area beer and pop distributers? It is har work but some of them have been known to hire newbies.

yes i have....but,

a)They only pay around here about $13/hr...coca-cola, pepsi...

b)You only drive maybe 30 miles/day. Thats not going to help me get to the 100k mark that most locals wanna see.

I did some figuring today and worked out how many hours per 3 week period I have off from work to spend with my daughter.

I then figured out on a 7/3-7/4 3 week period how many hours I would have with my daughter and it came out to almost the same....

So im thinking it may be worth it since I do have full custody of her, but my ex-wife still see's her for half the time. So its not a HUGE change in time of seeing her, just a little different in terms of when...I guess I could learn to deal with it for a year to get this under my belt and move on to somewhere local...

Also, the Tuition re-embursment is a big plus as well. Like i said, i will only be there only a year or so, so i realize the whole tuition wont be paid for, but at $200 or so a month it definetly helps put a dent in the $5595 bill.

The only thing Im not liking about the 7/3-7/4 is that I cant take the truck home. Id have to drop it off at the terminal and drive home. Its 126 miles, which equals about 3h16m drive time according to yahoo maps. Im pretty sure that after driving for 7 days this will become a major pain in the ass...

On the other hand...from what ive read the 5-2 fleet option is more like out 5 1/2 days home MAYBE 34 hours........if that. More like 24-30.

Im willing to drive the 3+hrs to the terminal if that means more home time.

ARRRRRRRRRHGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!! :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

This is only the BIGGEST decision of my life. No pressure.

Bite the bullet and go OTR for a year. Sacrifice now and it will pay off in the long run.

If you're in a position to have to go to work right now, then i guess there's nothing you can do and might just have to go OTR, but believe me man, i thought the same thing about OTR, just do it this one year and things will get better, believe me if your mind is back at the house and thinking about getting home to that daughter of yours then that week or two, or however long it is on the road is going to feel like a lifetime. If you're in a position to just hold out a while to find somethin local, why not just wait, you might not get hired right on by fedex, but someone will hire you. Like i said, i got hired at 19 years old, no experience by a local flatbed company in florida, 3 and half years later i'm still there, I take home 600 dollars or more a week, not a killing, but i'm also home every night and on the weekends. I know you think if you just pay your dues on the road then that's all it will take, but why not take the time to find something local, might not be the perfect job, but just pay your dues there for a year or so and then move on, atleast your home every night and don't have to dread the thought of going on the road for two weeks at a time.
Just my two cents.

believe me miller, it is going to be(if I do it) the MOST difficult thing i will ever have to do. Just to leave her for a few days is hard, and to leave her for 7 day stretches is really going to be tough.

$600/week is a great living. I currently make $400/week so to me $600/wk is a lot. But I have bigger goals for myself and would like to see at LEAST $1k/wk in the future. It may take me 5-10 years to get there, but I WILL get there. Im just weighing ALL options at this point.

But a big thanks for the words of wisdom. Everything helps.