Best path for newbie: LTL or OTR?

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by mwehrle, Feb 24, 2018.

  1. mwehrle

    mwehrle Light Load Member

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    Feb 24, 2018
    Ogden, Utah
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    If one's end goal is to make as much money as possible in this business, would a newbies be better off getting his (2) years experience in LTL or OTR?

    I have a family and being home daily would be preferable to being away for a week at a time. But if in the long run I could make more as an O/O maybe OTR would be the way to go.

    Thoughts?
     
    cjbrents Thanks this.
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  3. Air Cooled

    Air Cooled Road Train Member

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    Ltl. You mention home daily and a family. As an O/O your not going to get benefits such as 401k match, pension, and health, medical, dental that you would as s company driver. Get that prescription at Target for 32 cents.

    If your end goal is local why go OTR? You don’t have to be OTR to get a local gig. I work with many O/O’s and they all are WAY good people. They run HARD. They make fantastic money but none of them have much in the way of home life. Just my 2 cents.
     
  4. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    Where is your location?
    Do you have a cdl?
    Do you have endorsements?
     
    Dan.S Thanks this.
  5. shogun

    shogun Road Train Member

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    @Chinatown

    If you had a dollar for every time you posted “where is your location”, you’d be a rich man.
     
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  6. Travisroland

    Travisroland Light Load Member

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    The best way to make money in trucking is to be willing to do jobs that others can’t or won’t do.A lot of divers want to be home every day,anyone can haul toilet paper and jello therefore it makes sense that that would pay less.I don’t no why people think that they have to be an o/o to make a lot of money.
     
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2018
    Radman and Texas_hwy_287 Thank this.
  7. Bob Dobalina

    Bob Dobalina Road Train Member

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    The flaw in the original question is that most LTLs won't hire inexperienced drivers (except in rare circumstances). The exeption being dockworkers who move up and train in a dock-to-driver program. And those guys will back more trailers as yard jockeys in a week than most OTR drivers do in a year.
     
    shogun and Texas_hwy_287 Thank this.
  8. Travisroland

    Travisroland Light Load Member

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    Yes and like I said the guys working on the dock put in the time doing the dirty work that some don’t want to do and then get a seat in the truck
     
    Texas_hwy_287 Thanks this.
  9. Bob Dobalina

    Bob Dobalina Road Train Member

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    Yep. They definitely earn that seat.
     
  10. smokey12

    smokey12 Road Train Member

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    Just sacrifice at least 6 months to a year otr then start applying with ltl companies..something will come up.
     
    Texas_hwy_287 Thanks this.
  11. Emgee

    Emgee Light Load Member

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    Rohnert Park, CA
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    Another question I would like to see is are you the sole provider to your family? If you're on a dual income you have way more flexibility on what you want to do.
     
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