Is the beverage side of trucking the only one that allows a "normal" work schedule??

Do you live near an automobile assembly plant? A lot of parts are manufactured within a few hundred mile radius and are trucked in daily. Park on the side of the road and watch the trucks going in and out then do some research. You might find some companies that run dedicated lanes that not only pay well but have you home every night and off at least one day on the weekend.

 

The thing I hate the most about trucking is having to get dressed immediately after a shower. I absolutely hate that. Best part of being home is getting out of the shower, throwing on a pair of boxers and a shirt and relaxing on the couch.

In all these years I have never been able to get use to it.

 

I'm kind of in the same boat... I'm slinging beer kegs around right now. I know my route like the back of my hand but I'm sick of dealing with ######## and going back to places to collect money/ they're not open. And on top of that slinging beer kegs around when it's 100 degrees outside really sucks big balls.

However I am off Saturday and Sunday and NEVER touch a weekend. I average about 50 hours per week... BUT I'm only making $44,000 per year. If I could find an LTL job strictly Monday through Friday with about same hours I work now I would do it. Sysco and US Foods is where you want to be... IF you like the beverage / food industry. Me personally I hate this #### I want to get in a truck bump a dock or drop the lift gate and roll pallets off with a pallet jack.

I'll tell you one thing, I'd be lying if I said I don't think about going back to school and getting a trade of some sort. This CDL stuff is hit or miss.

 

Practically all LTL City/P&D is M-F with weekends off. The work is nowhere near as difficult as what you are doing now, but does have it's moments, especially if you driving a straight truck, which means you'll do mostly residential deliveries. The freight IS palletized, but you'll have moments where you'll have to drag that pallet uphill, which can be labor intensive if it weighs over 2k. And if the pallet is jacked up from the forklift drivers who load the trailers, it's either hand unload or figure a way to slide that pallet in. If you're driving a pup trailer, you'll have moments where low hanging power lines will be in your way, which means you'll have have to park that truck at the bottom of the street and drag that pallet all the way up to your customer. Bumping docks is only half of what a P&D driver has to go through, because residentials are always more important than business pickups.

I'm not trying to discourage you one bit. You'll definitely make more than $44k at the same hours. But some barns may have you start off on call extra board, or the docks first. In my opinion, Linehaul is the way to go, but if you're not a night owl and only looking for day work, P&D is probably your best bet.

 

thanks for the info whether it be line-haul or local p&d in your opinion what are a few of the best companies to look into?

 

Mind you i only have 1.5 years experience so FedEx and UPS is out of the question for now because I think they require 3.

 

They both only require one year.
All your endorsements before applying though.

 

I got Hazmat & Tanker... need to get the doubles but thats simple.

 

Not quite sure what the requirements are. You can always check their website for more info. If it's one year, even better for you, but if it's 2 years, you can still apply to be a Dockworker or Dock/CDL driver and work your way up.

As far as which companies to look into, like it was mentioned in your other thread, ODFL and Estes seem to be at the top of the list. UPSF you would start off around $17.50 and have to wait 4 years to reach top rate. FXF you would start off around $23 for P&D.

You can also use that search box on the top to research which LTL companies you're interested in. Plenty of threads on practically every LTL company on TTR.

 

This 100%...

And the bathroom down the hall. I almost despise having to wake up, get fully dressed, and walk across a (cold, windy, rainy, snowy, etc) parking lot just to take a dump.

I've been on here before posting about the local/OTR differences, and while OTR can in many times be less stressful, the comforts of home every night have their advantages as well.