If I only requested one specific day home in a year...

A lot depends on the company that you are with.

 

The thing that is hard for most newbies to understand is the logistics of the industry.. there are a lot of veriables to a question like that..

For example.. I live in Omaha Ne.. right between I80 and I29... So, thy can help in a company getting me home.. the thing to understand in trucking is it isn't just a matter of saying I want to be home on this date.. like requesting a day off... If, I took a load to Oregon and want to get home.. the company has to get me a load coming to or near Omaha, or at least through so another driver could finish it..

If my company has a lot of loads to and from Omaha then it will be no big deal.. if not, it will be a bigger deal.. a lot of companies if you can give them plenty of time to get you a load home may very well do so...

Jewel in mind though, that a company needs to have drivers moving loads.. so, if like a smaller fleet they are already down a couple trucks or drivers then May not...

Although as a driver you need to be flexible.. being a driver doesn't offer you much If any flexibility to be home when you want... Especially new drivers..

 

If you really need to get to the house, aim early.

If I needed to be home Friday, Oct 11th, I would be aiming towards the house on Monday, the 7th. I've had dispatchers that I'd you told them that you wanted to be him Friday, they would try to run you til Thursday.

So Monday would come, and I would say that I need to go home. Suddenly, there would be no loads going to that section of the continent (well, it seems that way). Late Monday, I would see a decent load going in that general direction. Loads Tuesday. You grab that load and run hard. Delivers Thursday. 600 miles from the house. Some guys would wait until they would get a load going to the house, and if such load came up, it would pick up Friday. Dispatch would say to pick that up and take it home. You think," Hot Dawg! Got a load to the house, I will be there Friday night (Friday night is NOT FriDAY, IMHO)". Something goes wrong, anything at all...and you're stuck for the weekend. If I really needed to be home on a specific date, I would bounce to the house, and eat that 600 miles.

If you're a company driver, aim to the house 5 days early and give your dispatcher hell if he/she tries to send you a load away from the house within that time period.

Adios.

 

I have never had trouble getting home on the day I requested.But it's important that you request hometime at least 2 weeks ahead of time and remind your dispatcher every day.

 

I do think that if you give your company time to get you a load home.. most of the time they Will.... There is a possibility that it will be Sunday or Monday when you wanted Saturday...

I think for anyone considering becoming a truck driver with concerns about home time.. should really think it through... For new drivers especially, we don't have a pic of companies to work for.. we have to work for someone willing to train us.. and, for many to provide us schooling to get our CDL so we can even train..

If, you go through and pay for a private school so you are not under contract with a company willing to train you, then in about 4months you can get on with some good companies.. but, really, you need to just try Anne Sri k it out for a good year to be qualified for better companies.. and some of the best companies want 2 to 3 years experience and do not like job hoppers..


If you go in with the mind set that you wont have much home time and only a small chance you will. Get It on the day or weekend you want.. then be over joyed when you do.. you wont have the stress and upset as those who go In expecting it..

 

EVERY DAY, isn't that going a little overboard?

 

Nope! They will send you home just so you wont call in and bug them. Mission accomplished.

 

I've never had an issue getting home when I've needed to be, I live near Chicago though, and let my dispatcher know two weeks in advance that I want home time, although if he has me running near or close to home I may ask for it on short notice