going from otr to local

Your backing "incident" isn't anything to worry about just don't repeat it. they are all preventable .
I truly believe this new job will give you a wide array of knowledge in regards to the operation of other industrial equipment besides van and flatbed.
Making your marketability for future employment opportunity's even greater.
If it covers your expenses id take it and enjoy the learning experience .
Just to bad it's in Cali
Good luck to you

 

With a year experience you can get a good local or regional job. If you have tanker/hazmat & TWIC you can get a good fuel/chemical tanker job and make over $60K per year. Probably be home every night hauling gasoline or diesel to truck stops or rail yards. You can do about as good with food service with companies like US Food Service, Golden State Foods, Greatwide and several more.

 

Companies look first and foremost to what's on your HireRight for the last three years.

There is a roll-of-the-dice aspect to staying out a year when you have a year OTR experience. It will take longer to find someone to take you on OTR (which you're tired of) and what they'll soon see is you've been out of a truck longer than you drove--so they'll be telling you they want some recent OTR experience. And after a year out of a truck you'll be rusty in ways you can't anticipate now.

If you were able to get some weekend work heavy duty driving while on this farm, it would help to keep your CDL warm. Even a load a month. Knight has had weekend programs out of Indy, not sure about California. Certainly you'll mention any trucks and equipment you operate in your year away...

Some companies, like Averrit offer 'refresher' training. Have no idea how good.

For local work, though, your year's experience and then a year of farm experience should not hurt you as much (compared if you wanted to back to OTR). With a GOOD company, it's a better ticket $$ wise anyway.

After 10 months with a mail contractor hauling USPS 5 nights a week between Bloomington, IN and Cincy, I took 18 months off and my prior trucking experience fell off my three years. Oops!! So my time off exceeded the time on my HireRight. Companies that would have snapped me up started saying "we'd love to hire you with some additional recent experience." Catch-22.

Then I spent 5 months with GTI (Gordon). GTI was a company that hired 'drivers that can drive' and would accept gaps since last driving gig. Heartland (HTLD) just bought GTI so things will change there. Heartland requires one year experience but will keep many GTI programs and business units, lanes.

But the longer you're out, potentially the more difficult to get back in--until a little lightning strikes and an 'opportunity' opens up. And that can happen--or not--any time.