Old dominion questions

I've been reading the forums about od because chinatown recommended them and they have a terminal near where I live now. I've noticed the phrase "linehaul", which I think means long runs, but does not mean the same as "otr". It also seems to say that I'd be handling the freight. So.. my question is - does od have team otr positions that I don't handle freight? We want to be otr, with no real home base, traveling the country, with drop and hook type loads. Hubby and I want to drive as a team.

If od doesn't have those kind of positions, is there another good company I should look at? The reviews on od are awesome and they seem to be a great company to work with.

Another thing I've noticed about od is that you need tanker, doubles and hazmat endorsements. I've read that the hazmat endorsement can take forever to get. Is there a faster way to get it? Like... take the written exam before school, and make the application for hazmat background check, so that when I get out of school, it should be cleared? (I asked why anyone would go to school at all if they could pass the test without school, and the answer is that most insurance companies want 120 to 160 hours of training before you can get in the company trucks, and od needs the 160, so skipping that part of the training would create issues. Not to mention the fact that they like hiring from accredited schools if you have no previous driving experience.)

One post said they have inward facing cameras... but another disputed that. Being female, I'm a bit creeped out by a camera that's looking at me without my control. I get it that there are good things about inward facing cameras too.

Do they reimburse for school? or offer bonuses for couples?

Yeah, I may sound like a glutton for punishment, but I've wanted to do this for decades. Parenthood and other things have kept me from it, but I have the chance to start now, and waiting much longer is a challenge, lol. If I have my ducks all lined up, all my paperwork ready, and my research done, I'm hoping to avoid more delays.

 

@blairandgretchen Yeah, I read that thread, which is why I'm asking the questions. It doesn't seem 100% clear if the linehaul drivers end up "touching" the freight.

 

Ok, so they are "no touch" loads for the most part... But overnight there and back doesn't sound like what I'm looking for. I don't mind the nights, but I want to travel all over, not run the same run every night.

 

Thanks for the info on the endorsement. 3 weeks after graduating school seems like forever right now...