Local Drving Experience

My thinking is any experience you have will help when you apply for an OTR job, Local usually means bumping lots of docks and driving around the city and if you can do that with no safety issues then I would think it would have no adverse affects when applying for an OTR job. Myself, I would rather hire someone with "x" ammount of years driving local than someone fresh out of school. Having said that I am biased because that is my situation, local for quite awhile.

 

Most of the time it is the local that takes exp. Some companies if you have a pulse you can get OTR as long as you have recent OTR or are a recent grad.

 

I'm with the Monkey, OTR company's will hire a monkey to drive if they could. ( no offense tarps) Local is tough to get sometimes, lot of drivers want local and local is rough but at least you go home every night. And if you get a local job you sure you wanna give that up for OTR....

 

What you can do is get 6 months exp OTR and then look for a company that can get you home a couple nights a week & weekends off. Then do that for another 6 months and start looking for that better paying local then what you would get as a greenhorn. There are some companies that will get you home more. This is one of them depending on where you live. www.wvtonline.com

 

Have you tried Roadway or Yellow? Some of the LTL's have combo dock worker/P & D positions

 

You can try places like Pesie or Coke, they have itty bitty trucks but I know up in Albany they take on newbies. I just think if you learn on their trucks, you may have a tough time driving a Pete or KW if you ever have to.