Am i crazy for wanting to go otr instead of local ?

741 a week.....Not OTR money but a fair pay..
Also it is Hazmat and could get you some experience to possibly work into a bulk propane tanker driver down the road with the same company.

 

you're in Charlotte.. there must be LTL jobs there where you can get home a lot.
Like a local ABF or Old Dominion driver

 

Depends.....could be less than 700 a week with no experience and driving for these mega fleets.

 

Some are a little less, some are a little more depending on the company and your experience but generally around $1k a week

 

Yes...LTL pays pretty good but the good jobs get grabbed as soon as they are posted usually.
I drove for OD about 20 years ago....I got less sleep than regional or OTR.

 

True...I have talked to new drivers who are OTR....miserable and only getting 2000 miles a week at 32 to 36 cpm.....so not worth it.
Depends on the Company.
You figure 2500 miles a week at 40 cpm....1000 bucks.

 

I've done both. Ran local for almost ten years before going back OTR. The local stuff isn't always how you think it will be. $19.00 is only $760.00 weekly before taxes and other deductions. Hope they pay O/T.

 

You know I have mixed feelings about this topic. I've been local from day one and always wanted to go OTR or at least get out on the road a little bit. I work in the food service distribution game and sometimes I like it and sometimes it's a real drag. It's all city driving and backing up to strange docks that are docks, but aren't really and you know me personally I should really have worked for like a cartage or air freight company.

You know go to this factory in a tractor trailer or box truck pick up a few skids and then run them to Pittsburgh or somewhere like that drop them off and come back to the yard and you're done. I think in my heart of hearts I would like that better. However I work for a good company right now and here I am so that's kind of it. Local though once you get you're own route and start to figure it all out it's no big deal.

Really after this working in food service for however long I work in it for to me it's all a 10-15 year deal will see. This is no offense to the company I work for, but I don't think I'll be lumping food for them for the next 20-25 years that's probably not going to happen. For one my left eye isn't that great and I have to wear glasses to drive and if the doctors can't correct my left eye I'll have to get a K2 restriction or I'll lose my license and that will be it. Now maybe I can do something else for the company like work in the chemical or beverage division which isn't driving it's installing and servicing the dishwashers and beverage dispensing equipment you know drive a cargo van and all that good stuff.

So my plan is make the big bucks while I can save for retirement make the big bucks while I can and when that's over do something easier. I don't know I'll see how I feel about it all in 10 years ha-ha.

However I feel ya on the OTR/Local thing my next gig will probably be charter bus I have the endorsement and would like to use it. Charter bus gets a little slow in the winter, but that's fine, I could use the time off to relax ha-ha! Plus I would like to get out on the road a little bit rack up some miles. Also after a while it's like okay we shifted enough gears now and backed into enough places and rolled enough loads with the two wheel hand truck we've done and proved it all, and now there is nothing else to prove.

I'm sorry to make this all so long winded, but like you this is something I struggle with too so it hits home with me. I'm the kind of person who is like well lets do the hardest thing first and then go and do something easy. The thing about hard things though is there only hard in the beginning once you do something 10 times it's not as hard anymore and becomes like everything else. So I dunno know do what makes you happy. I'm okay where I'm at now, but do what makes you happy or what you're gut is telling you that's all I can say.

 

I did the Sysco thing in D.C and Baltimore. I know where you're coming from. The money was great, but I had no time for anything else. Not bad when you're young, but not good when you have a family. Now that I'm back OTR, the money isn't as great, but the time at home is much better.