From local to OTR. What a dilemma.

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by TheyCallMeDave, Oct 24, 2016.

  1. TheyCallMeDave

    TheyCallMeDave Heavy Load Member

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    So brief backstory, I'm 28 married with a 3 month old (our first child). I graduated trucking driving school back in may, immediately started running dump truck and straight truck flatbed for a local landscape company. Did that for 2 months before it got slow and driving was sparse, moved on to a construction company with 9 dump trucks and 7 drivers. Driving is somewhat steady but ridiculously monotonous and sometimes there is no driving at all.

    My original plan was to eventually do local LTL work or some type of tanker work however, due to my wife being pregnant while in school I chose to stay local which is what got me into the dump truck scene. I've realized lately that I'll never be anything more than a dump truck driver with low pay if I don't make a change and get back on track with my original goal. My question is: with my school, and my 5 months experience driving dump trucks local should I just suck it up and go OTR for a good 6 months then come back local and get a tractor trailer job in my area? Or stick it out with the dump truck gig and hope that I find a local tractor trailer job at some point? I feel that everyday I'm in that dump truck I'm losing out on experience I could be getting because I'm not hauling a trailer. If I were to go OTR I'd be very interested in flat bed work because I really enjoyed the flatbed work I did while working at the landscape company.

    But regardless of that, what companies pay remotely well that actually honor home time and frequently travel through my area? I'm on a major freight lane right off I-35 about 2 miles form the industrial park here in Temple Tx. Anyone know of any companies that frequent this area that could get me home on a regular basis flatbed or not? I'm only making about 14 bucks an hour currently so I obviously can't drive for a company that's only paying 30 cents a mile. Apologies for the long winded post.

    Dave
     
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  3. CrappieJunkie

    CrappieJunkie Wishin' I was fishin'

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    Food service delivery is back breaking work, but if you can handle it pays really well. I have friends that make 70k or more a year. They pull trailers too. Might check them out. Good luck.
     
  4. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    Sygma Network - food service. Foodservice jobs usually pay well and home often and in most cases home every day. Sygma Network has been hiring drivers with only a cdl permit because they need drivers.
    Drive United is a temp. service for truckers. Sometimes temp. services work out real well for locating a good company for full time work. Worth a call to see what's available.
    Maverick Transportation - flatbed can be home weekends and glass division home every other weekend.
    SVTN (Service Transport) svtn.com - hazmat/tanker and hires recent cdl grads.
    Paul Transportation - flatbed & I'm pretty sure you're in the hiring area.
    Armellini Express Lines - want 3 mos. experience OTR, but try anyway because they also recruit cdl school grads.
    Britton Transport - hires cdl grads - flatbed
    McLane Foodservice - as with Sygma Network, they've been hiring cdl permit drivers and cdl grads. Ask about their "Driver Training Program" for cdl permit or cdl-A with little experience.
    FFE (Frozen Food Express) - has refresher and a job.
    Freymiller - has refresher and a job.
    Magnum Ltd. - reefer outfit that will probably strongly consider you.
     
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  5. TheyCallMeDave

    TheyCallMeDave Heavy Load Member

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    Thanks a lot CT, you always provide quality information and I was hoping you'd chime in.
     
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  6. J. JETT

    J. JETT Medium Load Member

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    Magnum LTD has a thread under the good company thread. I work there. Great company. Recruiter won't bs you either. Only 1 person does all the hiring. He's a former driver.
     
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  7. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    Plenty of tanker outfits around your area and Austin will hire you if you can get a few months OTR experience driving any type Class-8 truck. Heniff Transportation is one of them.
    Loves Travel Center and also Pilot/Flying-J sometimes hire recent cdl grads to haul DEF to their truckstops. A few recent grads posted they were hired and one of them even posted a picture of the rig he drives. Check their websites and apply online and see what happens; might luck out.
     
  8. TheyCallMeDave

    TheyCallMeDave Heavy Load Member

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    Paul Transportation was looking interesting but they want atleast a year OTR and or 6 months verifiable flatbed experience. I appear to be in Mavericks hiring area for flatbed but I'm not real keen on the idea of driving an automatic. If I do go OTR I was hoping to find a company that had a terminal in Texas and a company that regularly traveled this freight lane so I could possibly get home at a decent rate. I know you can't have your cake and eat it too in most cases but I'm atleast hoping for those 2 things. I see maverick a lot on the highway around here but I also see a lot of the companies that you want to "stay away from".
     
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  9. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    Do the Paul online application anyway if you like the company. One guy in cdl school posted he received a pre-hire from Paul. Maybe they prefer experience, but can't always get what we want.
    FFE is Dallas based. FFE does general reefer freight and also LTL reefer freight. Ask if the LTL runs through Austin. Pretty sure they'll want you to do the refesher also.

    Western Dairy Transport might hire you if you live within 40 miles or so of a terminal. I don't know the terminal locations, but their school is in Abernathy,TX.

    Roehl Transport may have a terminal in central Texas. Maybe it's a flatbed terminal.
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2016
  10. Moose1958

    Moose1958 Road Train Member

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    OP be aware that your 5 months of dump truck experience = NONE with carriers. Having a job driving a dump keeps you from having a gap in your work record but otherwise is worthless in regard to driving a Class A vehicle. If I read your post correct I get the idea you want to get on with driving a Class A vehicle then bring that back to driving local. Get on with a training company ASAP. Put in that year. Then you will be in a better position.
     
  11. TheyCallMeDave

    TheyCallMeDave Heavy Load Member

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    Exrayman, you're receiving my apprehension about continuing to drive a dump truck loud and clear. I knew in the back of my mind that the experience I was receiving would mean squat to a class a company. My exact fears, which is exactly why I'm pondering this sudden switch in employment for the betterment of my future. Just want to make the right choice in a company regarding pay/home-time so I don't end up on the road not being able to pay my current bills and not see my family. From what I've seen a company can promise this and that all day but once you're out there, you're really at the mercy of your dispatcher. That worries me.
     
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