Experiance - Local vs OTR

I know for me going local after 6 months definitely made me a better driver. The amount of backing and city driving you do everyday really helps hone all your skills. My shifting, backing and turning have all improved a lot.

I drive a sleeper with 53' local with a day here or there in a day cab. I'm glad it's in a sleeper as now I know what one can do. There are places I have taken it that a couple months ago I would of said there's no way. When I drive the day cab on rare occasion you don't even have to think twice about it. Sometimes it consists of getting turned around a few inches at a time in a small yard but it's doable. I'll take the day cab blindsiding any day though.

 

i dont know how much you all make OTR.. I make 19 a Hr. work from 50 to 60 hrs a week so thats a range of 1045-1338 i work mon-fri and home every night...

 

Where I was living at the time local work was only paying around $10-12/hr. Add in the need at that point to actually have a residence (I always just lived on the road OTR) and well.... yeah. Didn't make much sense. Like anything else, it's partially being in the right place at the right time to get the right job.

 

ya i just landed this job.. just left pepsi for it. with pepsi i was at 14.75 i have never ben OTR. drove class B for 10 years got my class A 2 years ago

 

I once had a gig where I was making a grand a week salary, came in at 6am, most days I was back at the house around 1pm. Sometimes I had to work late until 4pm...oh the humanity! Sweetest job I ever had, unfortunately the company relocated about 200 miles away, and the wife refused to make the move.

So, yeah, there are sweet local jobs out there if you look for them. I've always preferred OTR.

 

Local isn't for some guys that is for sure.... I mean the stress levels of a local driver tend to be higher then that of a OTR driver... Everyone deals with stress differently and some people don't get stressed as easily..... Still a local guy will probably in the end be more stressed.. Reasons for being more stressed are the same reasons why most companies want experience drivers for local..

For instance.. Traffic levels can be very stressful and not all local gigs are paid my the hour (by the load, by the %, mixture of km/miles plus percentage etc..).. Even for a hourly rate driver traffic can be stressful because your still contending with lots of idiot drivers that just are ignorant and impatient... You have a boss you might see everyday that could make for a stressful position unlike OTR where your on your own other then random messages for your dispatcher.... You have to worry more about pedestrian traffic due to driving more city street then highway... All these things and more contribute to high stress levels..

Now you learn to deal with it and try not to stress out as much.. Me for instance when I started local driving for the city in the big truck I use to get stressed out my traffic and morons pretty frequently.. Now I have sort of learned to deal with it and I don't get as stressed or pissed off with traffic or moron drivers.. I still get pissed off or stressed with some moves people make infront of my but for the most part I don't let it bug me as much now because your always gonna have the morons behind the wheels so you can't do anything about it other then just to deal with it..


I know this is a little off topic but it's just some views from a local guy to give some insight as to why a local guy is usually a experienced driver..

 

i have always local.. never OTR a tall my 1st 2.5 years i drove a trash truck in the city.. so i dont get streesed out anymore at all but was hard at 1st

 

Have you looked into doing Line-haul? Some local companies dont require you to have year plus experience for this....i know there are some that just require 6 mos.

 

A lot of it has to do with insurance. The mega-carrier training companies have insurance to carry new drivers. Most small local companies don't have the insurance that will cover you. Plus they don't usually have the trucks or man power to train you. Personally I believe local is harder when it comes to driving skills. Most of your local gigs are to little stores and such without loading docks or warehouse type parking lots. Think about delivering to little gas stations or restaurants or places like dollar general stores. You have to navigate not only little parking lots but 4-wheeler traffic coming and going too.

 

I work local doing LTL. I did regional for a couple of years hauling (gl)### but smartened up and turned to straight up LTL. Best move I ever made. I come in at 8:30 and go home at 5:30 and am making 19.53/hr. This is my career... I'm never switching jobs.