what if I live 100 miles from a drop point?

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by wheels4reelz, Dec 30, 2012.

  1. wheels4reelz

    wheels4reelz Light Load Member

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    Dec 30, 2012
    Fort Wayne, IN
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    I'm getting ready to enroll in a company driver school and I'm a little worried about hometime due to the fact that I seem to be fairly distant from big company drop locations. I'm convinced that I shouldn't expect more than 4 days off per month during the first year or so but when I do get off I'd like to have my buns on MY couch. I live in Fort Wayne, IN, which isn't a small city, but is not real close to any major players drop points.
    Can anyone tell me if this will be an issue? Do truckers typically park POV's at terminals and drive a hundred miles to home plate or is it common to be routed to hometown and park at the delivery point or home to sit out for 2-4 days?
    Any advice is appreciated (also on better midwest routed companies to work for as a newbee).
     
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  3. NewNashGuy

    NewNashGuy Road Train Member

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    US and Canada
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    Haha, I don't think you want to go that far out of route. 15 - 30 miles yeah but not 100. Remember that you do have home time requests. The best way to be successful as a trucker is to do as you are told and put in your time and later on you can be rewarded.
     
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  4. NavigatorWife

    NavigatorWife Road Train Member

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    Apr 30, 2012
    Cental West, AL
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    It is according to the company and what they allow, some it may only be 50 miles from drop point to home allowed, then you park the truck at a truckstop or secure location. I don't know if Fort Wayne area would let you park at your house., it is after all IN.

    Some companies do not allow you to leave when under a load even if in the area of your house, some will if parked in secure location. When husband was driving for USX a few years ago and if he had a load going in the general area of the house his DM would send te routed directions for the highway he would be on, we'd stop by the house and see grandkids and do laundry. Some may let you , some may not.

    Also don't know about the 4 days off a month at home either, you will not be making much money this way. It is hard to guarantee a load going to your area all the time. We most generally had a load to Walmart in Cullman, AL to go home on, then a pickup in Tuscaloosa, Montgomery, Mobile, AL to leave on.

    Hard choices esp if you have family and kids at home. We would go home every 3mo; our one grandson was born on Feb 14th so we would see him age by 3 each time. Lost a lot of his babyhood I am afraid. I am home now so have regained that with the twins.
     
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  5. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    Henderson, NV & Orient
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    How about NAVL in Ft. Wayne? Then again, they may be all 0/0's trucks, & may not have benefits.
     
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  6. pokerhound67

    pokerhound67 Heavy Load Member

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    Oct 30, 2012
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    it does vary from company to company. i live quite a bit further than you from any terminal or drop lot. one company only allowed parking at a "secure location". home was considered secure, but city did not allow vehicles parked there. in laws were only real option, but was soon enough after 9/11 that a neighbor called police worried about the oddity of seeing a big rig parked there. had to pay a local company to put my truck there. did that til they said i couldnt anymore, and then i started parking at the local t/s. no one ever said a word...i never offered up the info that i was leaving it at t/s....
    other companies i worked for allowed parking at t/s, so it was never an issue. but it IS on my list of questions to ask before hiring on....i dont want to be reprimanded or fired over something so minor, and dont want to lie to my company about where i leave their equipment. if parking at YOUR HOME is an issue, and t/s is your only real option, make sure the company you are considering will allow it. many will, but some (or at least one that i know of) will not.
     
  7. BossOutlaw88

    BossOutlaw88 Road Train Member

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    Cali
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    My company either gets me to my home location city, or a drop 100 miles or less away where I then bobtail or deadhead home. You should be fine.
     
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  8. socal

    socal Medium Load Member

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    Feb 18, 2008
    Los Angeles CA
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    You live in great area for swinging through the house with loads. Think about how far from route 6 or US 30 and you will be fine.

    A lot of these cheap companys don't want to pay for I 80/90 tolls anyway.
     
  9. CondoCruiser

    CondoCruiser The Legend

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    Tennessee
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    I think he is asking about hometime? Once scheduled to go home and after you are empty I have dead headed 150 miles many times.

    If you are loaded you expected not to go out of route for any unreasonable distance. If for some reason you have a little time in between drops ask your dispatcher if you are close like 20 miles. They won't approve 100 miles unless it's scheduled home time. That's over $50 in fuel just for a quickie.

    I can't count the times I drove within 20-50 miles of the house and didn't have time to stop. You just wave. :)
    Some times you can be sneaky and use a parallel route and not waste miles. Like socal said no company will complain about running east/west on 30 because you save money over the toll roads.
     
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  10. cadillacdude1975

    cadillacdude1975 Road Train Member

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    Mar 20, 2010
    Chattanooga, TN
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    if it were my truck and your asking about bobtailing 100 miles home? forget about that. fuel is way too expensive to have a company truck running bobtail to go to the house. i have heard that if a swift driver is out of the truck for more than 2 days, they have to clean it out and turn it in and be issued another truck when they return.
     
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  11. Wingnut1

    Wingnut1 Light Load Member

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    Jul 3, 2012
    The Mitten
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    I drive for FFE. When I go home, I stay with friends, since everything I own is in storage. I drop the trailer at my buddy's store, throw a padlock on the back and a king pin lock on, then bobtail over to their house. I live in West Michigan, so usually I get a load going to Detoilet and then deadhead home, about 2-1/2 to 3 hours, then either back there or to Chicago to pick-up the next load. I have however, deadheaded 300 miles because my DM screwed up on my hometime (He "forgot"), and when I called him out on it, he sent me home after delivering.
     
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