Why do people still drive for these big companies???

The larger companies want to sell me 2-3 weeks of training, and several weeks with a trainer running team. I've done that twice now, I know the drill. I don't want to do again.

I actually tried with several smaller companies, but I get the same spiel every time so far: "How much experience do you have? - Oh, we require at least 1 year (2 years etc) of OTR experience." - No further questions.

So now I'm unemployed for like 2 years, and now I don't even have "recent" experiece. Like I'm going to fly a space shuttle, or something.
Is it an insurance issue?

 

Yes.

You may have to suck it up and deal with a mega and its BS for a while.

 

Sorry my rant here is gonna be a lil off topic

I worked for a mega carrier made 43k gross in my second year, I stayed out 6 weeks at a time and drove in 48 states... I had a good manager. Not sure why I quit, other than I thought I didn't make enough for what I was doing.

I worked for a less than 25 truck company doing local/regional. They shorted my paycheck every week, and they had terrible equipment. So I quit.

I worked for an LTL carrier and made great money, was on pace to gross about 55k a year. For some reason if your local you don't really have to follow the 14 hour rule I guess. That's why the guy's at Conway, Saia, YRC, make so much, because you'll work more in 5 day's (paid by the hour, OT after 50-ish) then you might in 7 day's OTR. I made great money but I just didn't like all the hand unloading and liftgates and pulling 1500 pound pallets with a hand jack...

Now I drive a sprinter van, no log book, hardly ever work more than 8 hours in a day, I drive about 1100 miles a week, make about 70 stops a week, and home every day. I hardly ever work more than 40 in a week. I make just under $800 a week and it's salary, so if I work less I still get paid, and I get more vacation day's than I can use... I know my job is a rare find, I thank God for it!

BUT,

I would absolutely love to go back to OTR, because I enjoyed the independence and adventure. I enjoyed being in a new town every day...

How could someone like me go back to OTR when I would have to live in a truck that I cant idle for comfort, and can only drive 61mph and be under all the scrutiny with the rules, elogs, etc. better not have any out of route miles, better be able to park at the shipper or reciever every night or your gonna start that 14 hour clock, better not have a power converter so you can have some amentities in the truck...

NOBODY should be OTR for less than 52k a year... Drivers need to get together on this somehow!

Well I guess it dosn't matter anyway as the Mexican drivers will be doing the job for even less soon... Great politicians we have in office, and I mean all of them are just fantastic...

 

any driver that has nothing to say positve needs to park in the back row and just watch the others go by.everybody has to start somewhere

 

Mega carriers!!! Thier money is green and thats good with me.

 

Any driver who has screwd or ripped off can say what he/she wants.

 

you know what the real problem is, not enough parking at the truck stop

 

I was under the impression that drug testing, was going to do that, or was that the CDL, or the new hours of service, or the incoming Physical requirements, I know it,s all the cheap third world drivers who will do the jobs noone else will.

 

Never say "thank God" for something as blatantly unconstitutional as being deprived of liberty without due process of law. Points for WARNINGS?? Points for accidents when you are NOT AT FAULT??? Shutting down a trucking company not for violations but because another company in their "peer group" has slightly fewer points?

Any driver who LIKES CSA 2010 being imposed on the industry is like a fraternity pledge getting wacked in the ### with a paddle and saying "Please sir, can I have another?"