Okay. I finallypulled the trigger

Is Boyd Bros hiring in Florida?
Boyd Bros
https://boydbros.com

 

Trimac Transportation has terminal in Pensacola. Tanker outfit.

 

This one is probably all local: Mondelēz International, Inc.
SVTN probably has quality home time also.

 

Understood.
I’m almost the same age as yourself, 58 here. Just decided last year to give up all construction completely, though physically, it’s still no problem.

I drove OTR for Conway Truckload back in 2011-2012 then I tried Schneider OTR for just a couple of months. Brother, I can’t tell you enough just how low paying these jobs were; many weeks the take home pay was as little as $250.00. Seldom did I ever break $800.00. What happens in OTR is this; you aren’t earning any money unless you’re moving. There is a thing called ‘detention pay’ and ‘breakdown pay’ but the rates for these aren’t much and they are structured to not even kick in unless several hours have passed. It is not uncommon for your assigned truck to be broken down in the shop several times a month; days at a time. That is a huge cut in your income. Huge. Then, many times when you get to your destination, you will sit and wait....and wait..and wait.. sometimes for days at a time, several times a month; another huge cut in income.

I’m sure that there are some guys doing well with OTR, but I will venture to say that they are not driving for the big mega carriers; including TMC. With the big megas, there are too many variables that will affect your income; you as a driver definitely don’t matter. Read as many posts on this forum as possible; guys that write negatively about a company are not motivated by a bad attitude, nor could they not ‘hack it’. Most of them have a legitimate gripe and don’t last much more than a couple of months. The driver retention rate in OTR is at a 98% loss rate ( meaning that 98% of all new drivers quit after their first year) and not because the drivers weren’t ‘cut out’ for the job; it’s because the pay is so incredibly low. That’s why TMC as well as all the others are always..always hiring.

Best advice would be to get your CDL with all your endorsements and then try to get on with a local delivery job, if they’ll take you with no experience. They tend to pay hourly and they have pretty good benefits to boot. Many places won’t take you with no experience but some places will; not sure about your area. If not, try a smaller ‘mom and pop’ OTR carrier if one is available. Sometimes, if you actually go to their shop in person and they like you, they’ll very likely take you on with a bit of their own training.

 

Bro I always remind people. First year can suck for most such as pay, home time, etc. Just remember it's a stepping stone to bigger and better things. I went to TDI, then I joined a starter company, got my year experience and now I yank tanks for decent money. Im on track to buying a new truck and moving into O/o territory by this summer. Trying to be "semi" retired within 2-3 years.

This is a great video if you have time.

 

Also, I've hear ppl say otr money sucks this that and the other. My first year I was averaging $5k-$6k w2 gross per month running reefer. Everyone knows the reefer division can suck because of wait times, and sucky attitudes with the customers, etc. I ran my cheeks off, kept the left door shut, and was a team player. Everybody has different work ethics and expectation. Everybody's experience will very.