Home time

When a company says they can get you home every 14 days what they really mean is once a month.With exp you'll learn to read between the lines.I never had much of a problem getting home on time but I would stay out 4 weeks or longer too.When you want home its best to request a hometime date ASAP and start reminding your dispatcher a week or so before hometime so hopefully they'll start routing you towards home.

 

Been with four companies, never had a problem getting home. If you have a problem getting home, then tough it out for 6 months or so and go to another company.

 

Or sign on with a company that has a too good to be true hometime policy. Then you can be sure that you'll get home more often than most. I'm home weekly.
Unless I want to stay out

 

When I was with roehl in the van division I got home pretty often and close to when I wanted to be. When I moved to flats it was hit or miss since flats hardly went into florida. Then when I worked for Lonestar it was like pulling teeth to get home. But in their defense they didn't do a lot of Florida freight

 

When I was with Swift I stayed out more than I went home. Was my decision though. I only remember 2 times in a two year period; where I didn't get home on time and one was based on a final being closed on Easter. I should have known, that could be blamed on them it could not. Depends on how you were to look at it I guess. The second was much like the same with Easter but it was either Labor Day or Memorial Day can't remember and the shipper didn't have the paperwork ready for me when I arrived for pickup. I was parked until the next day for their office to open.

I left Swift about 10 weeks ago and now I'm at a company that I have never missed a hometime. I'm home every other week and I don't have to fight for it or even remind or ask. This week is my hometime week and I can already tell that I'm being directed towards home for the weekend.

At 6 months guys with experience can come over to where I am and make more than at a starter company, have hometime, and be treated like a person. I am thankful for the time with Swift but I'm sure glad I made the move to the new company.

Do your research for a good "starter company" and be careful and take things slow and learn and study and doors will open to you. Good luck!

 

If home time is a big problem, then maybe OTR isn't for you. Not trying to be rude.... Just saying.

 

I was worried about hometime when I first went OTR. With my first company they had a sliding hometime scale. Id stay out 3 weeks and go home for a week. It was a great system I had going, that way I'm home long enough to see my friends and family, and out enough to make money.