Canadian otr home time

Discussion in 'Canadian Truckers Forum' started by yogi90, Sep 9, 2015.

  1. yogi90

    yogi90 Bobtail Member

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    Hey im researching different careers and have thought alot about trucking. The one problem i have is everything i see on the Internet is that your away from home for 3 weeks with 2 days off but alot of guys say they have been gone 6 weeks or even months at a time and are unable to get home. I knew long haul you would be away from home but i didn't imagine as much as there saying. But ive also heard that, that is American style otr and canadian isnt as bad.
     
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  3. nate980

    nate980 Road Train Member

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    I can't speak for all of Canada but I know lots of people who are gone mon-fri most of the time and usually back for atleast 2 days. Depends where you live I guess. And yea Americans seem to be mostly into the gone for weeks thing.
     
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  4. yogi90

    yogi90 Bobtail Member

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    I live in southern Ontario. And i would be ok with being gone mon to fri or for a few days but i just couldn't imagine being away for weeks+ to months at a time. Doing that i dont see the point what would i be working for if im never home to enjoy it
     
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  5. dutchieinquebec

    dutchieinquebec Road Train Member

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    i did drive Canada/Usa for over 14 years and was only 4-5 times not at home on the weekends.Ok sometimes weekend did start at saterdayafternoon but it was ot that bad.
     
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  6. yogi90

    yogi90 Bobtail Member

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    So its basically black and white between Canadian trucking and American at least when it comes to being at home?
    Its hard to find information on Canadian driving schedules it seems all you find on the Internet when you look up trucking is American truckers saying they've gone in extreme cases 6 months without being home. But almost all will say they've have otr runs that keep them away for 3-6weeks with very little time off after that. Reading that really made me rethink the career because i couldn't do that even if i could i wouldn't
     
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  7. rzl-dzl

    rzl-dzl Medium Load Member

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    its your choice.

    you choose which company to work for, knowing their schedules and where their runs are.

    you choose where you live, that is a factor on your home time...ie, distance from a company terminal.

    i live in north central bc...7hrs from vancouver, 9hrs from calgary....i usually went out 6wks, 1wk home...but had been out 3 mos if the miles were there, but then i didnt work may-oct

    couldve been home more, but i wanted lots of american miles, did nyc every trip for 3yrs, then laredo steady for 2yrs, then cali for a yr, etc...

    ive been offroad mining and oilfield paid by the hour the last 4yrs
     
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  8. yogi90

    yogi90 Bobtail Member

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    I have read places before that if your in southern Ontario on the 401 corridor that there is no reason why you would "have" to be gone for more than a few days is this true.
    Im interested in driving cause ive always enjoyed it and dont like going to the same building everyday i really enjoy seeing different places. But i dont think id be able to be away from home for long periods of time. But i would also like to make a good living.
     
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  9. gokiddogo

    gokiddogo Road Train Member

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    The cabotage law is what makes it easier for more home time for us. We also do not have the same geographic setup as the US does. And living in southern ontario, there is so much freight moving in and out of Ontario you should not have a problem. It might be different if you lived in say, Dryden, where there are few loads picking up and delivering. A local job would be more suitable for those people but now we aren't talking about sleeping in the truck anymore.
     
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  10. yogi90

    yogi90 Bobtail Member

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    So basically the US guys are gone for along time because they can be bounced around all over the country to find a load home. But Canadians cant deliver point to point in the US. So considering southern Ontario is probably the busiest spot in canada its more than likely they will find you a load back home. And the fact that canada is set up east to west basically but the US has population in every direction also makes it easier for Canadians to get home?
    Ive also heard some say canadians wouldn't put up with that as much as Americans would, like were hard workers but we enjoy some off time too.
     
  11. gokiddogo

    gokiddogo Road Train Member

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    Exactly right.

    The part about not putting up with it - is all individual drivers preferences. Trucking will eat you alive if you let it. If your dispatcher knows you will deliver that load every Friday afternoon and sit around the weekends in truck stops guess what your "dedicated run" is now? It's a give and take game. If you are a good runner and make your appointments and generally make his job easy, it should be returned with good loads that maximize your time and productivity which means good paychecks for you. If you produce and they still abuse you then you can work elsewhere. Good drivers are hard to find and hard to keep. Once you find a system that works for you, keep doing it.
     
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