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Industry stuck on the letters OTR... but why?

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by DRTDEVL, Jun 13, 2015.

Page 1 of 5
  1. Jun 13, 2015 #1
    DRTDEVL

    DRTDEVL Road Train Member

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    Austin, MN
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    As the title says, why are those three letters so important to the industry. I browsed the jobs offered on this very site to see everyone saying "x years verifiable OTR experience."

    Why does this bother me?

    I drove for 19 years in the Army, hauling tankers, flatbeds and articulating goosenecks up to 250,000 lbs gross as well as driving motor coaches and school-bus style Blue Bird and Thomas buses.. I followed that up with 2 years of expediting and now a year of HAZMAT Tanker in the oil field (started in vacs, quickly moved up to crude oil). None of this experience is "OTR", yet I can guarantee the situations I experience off-road, on gavel or in the ND winters go beyond the average "OTR" experience over the same time frame and have likely made me a better driver than your average steering wheel holder.

    I am always looking for the next best thing, but I don't want to be confined to a standard OTR job. Concert tours, race haulers, fuel delivery, trade shows, motor coaches... all these pique my interest, but everyone looks at "OTR" only, not the cumulative value of the experience over 2+ decades behind the wheel. As you can see, I look for the odd job that offers something different, as I like trying new things all the time instead of the same daily grind, in and out. Crude oil has become just that... a grind.

    Anyone know of an odd job lead that doesn't care about those 3 letters and looks at the total experience?
     
    DRTDEVL, Jun 13, 2015
    DRTDEVL, Jun 13, 2015
    #1
    brian991219 Thanks this.
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  3. Jun 13, 2015 #2
    blairandgretchen

    blairandgretchen Road Train Member

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    The other one that gets me is "within x months "

    Like you drive for 5 years then forget EVERYTHING in 6 months!?
     
    blairandgretchen, Jun 13, 2015
    blairandgretchen, Jun 13, 2015
    #2
    chalupa, brian991219 and truckon Thank this.
  4. Jun 13, 2015 #3
    Grumppy

    Grumppy Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    Dec 11, 2010
    West Monroe, La
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    I think you're taking this a little too personal. There are differences. Just cause a guy says he is retired military with 20 years, doesn't make him a Marine if he was in the Navy. On the other hand it doesn't make a retired Marine a Navy guy. There are differences. With about 25 years experience, I was looking for a new job & a guy called me about a dry van position but needed to have 3 years dry van experience. I asked why? I mean with 25 years I can drive a truck (pulling flats, tankers & curtain sides). He asked, can you back a trailer in a tight dock between two long nosed Pete's? I immediately understood his point. I had no experience backing in docks. After all those years, I probably hadn't backed into a dock 20 times & that was with a curtain side.

    As well, like you, I had run, for the most part, local... some regional, but had never spend over 4 or 5 nights out away from home. In 2013, I got a job pulling a dry van regional & staying out a couple of nights a week with mostly local & home at night. I've never run west past TX, NM or Kansas Or Illinois. I've never run farther north than Virginia in the east. For the most part, I run 6 states... Al, Ms, La, Ar, Tx & Ok. I dont know about running Atlanta, Seattle, Los Angeles, NY or Boston. I dont know about crossing the mountains... especially in the winter. I dont know about running through the desert out west in Arizona. All these things plus about a million other things I dont realize because all I have run is deep south central regional short routes.

    I had never run toll roads... and still haven't. Until 2013, I had never scaled loads at a CAT scale but maybe 10 times. I never had to slide axles but maybe twice. I had no experience parking in truck stops. Until 2005, I had never filled out a log book.
    I could go on & on with things I had never done or done only a few times... inexperienced... after 25+ years driving a truck. I could shift, drive down the road... I could back up...just not precise in a dock & certainly not in a tight dock area between two long nosed Petes. I could pre-trip & do little things but had never even changed a marker light. We had mechanics to do that at the end of the day unless I just happen to drop by the yard during the day. I have learned a LOT in the past two years. I found out pretty quick I didn't know nearly as much as I thought I did. I am still learning... a LOT... Mostly thanks to the people here on TTR.

    Its not all the same.. its similar.. but there are differences between what you learn as a local driver, regional driver & what you learn out there as an OTR driver.

    I hope this helps...
     
    Grumppy, Jun 13, 2015
    Grumppy, Jun 13, 2015
    #3
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  5. Jun 13, 2015 #4
    DRTDEVL

    DRTDEVL Road Train Member

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    Yes, I can back in a tight dock... BTDT in Germany. Done DC, Atlanta, LA, etc. Done mountains in the winter... Not so much the Appalachians, more the Alps. 15-20% long grades in ice and snow at 250,000 lbs. Done lots of desert, as I live in El Paso permanently, also spent 15 month stints driving in the deserts of Iraq, Egypt, Kuwait, etc. Pulled long winters in ND, Korea and Europe. Thrown more chains than most. Expert in field expedient repairs to get off the highway or to a safe area.

    What am I *not* versed in? Driving new trucks. The newest I have driven is a 2013 Volvo VHD with an automatic, and I didn't like it. My favorite trucks have been early 2000's FLDs and Classic XLs with N14s or C15s, and 13 speeds. I like a challenge, and there is no challenge in an automatic.

    I do agree with "never stop learning." That is why I like doing odd and different things.
     
    DRTDEVL, Jun 13, 2015
    DRTDEVL, Jun 13, 2015
    #4
  7. Jun 13, 2015 #5
    NewbiusErectus

    NewbiusErectus Medium Load Member

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    This comes up quite a bit on here and I've seen plenty of suggestions as why road exp is required.

    The only one that makes sense to me is that when a potential employer knows you've been on the road , they know you can handle being away from home. They also know you've experienced and understand the BS that goes along with it.

    The hiring process is an expense, and they want to be relatively sure you're not going to quit when reality of it all smacks you across the chops.

    I've only been on the big roads and totally agree that you could probably back circles around me, or beat me in a baja run thru the mud. A potential employer would know that too. What they wouldn't know, is if you'd hang in there the first time something went wrong and you made very little money that day. Or if you suddenly find out that you don't trust your wife to leave her home alone for more than a day.
     
    NewbiusErectus, Jun 13, 2015
    NewbiusErectus, Jun 13, 2015
    #5
    striker, 77smartin, Big Don and 1 other person Thank this.
  8. Jun 13, 2015 #6
    Cranky Yankee

    Cranky Yankee Cranky old ######

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    the employers dont care they want a warm body
    the insurance company sets the standard
    even the big carriers that claim to be self insured aren't
    they just have say 2 mil deductible
     
    Cranky Yankee, Jun 13, 2015
    Cranky Yankee, Jun 13, 2015
    #6
    snowlauncher, Dinomite, truckon and 1 other person Thank this.
  9. Jun 13, 2015 #7
    LoneCowboy

    LoneCowboy Road Train Member

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    I don't buy it. I never drove for a mega (or anyone). I got my CDL and bought a truck and trailer (Hydraulic tail dropdeck) to move my equipment around for my business. I probably drove a total of 100,000 (maybe?) in 4 years. Shut down the business and sold everything off. Went to my current job interview (food service) after having not driven a semi in 18 months. Was honest and up front about it. Went for a road test, came right back and I did fine.

    I had never driven a reefer. I had never had anyone show me how to do things. Heck, I had never gone out of state or done IFTA and on the 2nd day they sent me to Utah. I had never bumped a dock, I had never adjusted tandems or put on chains or even knew what a comdata card was.

    BFD

    I get into UGLY places (think fast food and restaurants with a 48' and a sleeper cab) every day that most drivers won't even look at. I still haven't hit anything (knock on wood), I've driven in ice, snow, rain (days of it), even occasionally sunshine and nice weather. Sat in Seattle traffic for hours (ugh) and driven for hours with nobody around. I back in every day and I know exactly where to put my tandems for a given weight load.

    Oh, and I make bank. (food service pays unbelievably well).

    I don't see the issue. if you can drive, you can drive. A CDL and a clean record with at least some experience will get you employed pretty much anywhere.
     
    LoneCowboy, Jun 13, 2015
    LoneCowboy, Jun 13, 2015
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  10. Jun 13, 2015 #8
    RedWolf23

    RedWolf23 Light Load Member

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    The civilian sector of trucking is a different animal than trucking in the military for starters, plus if I recall correctly military operators don't need a cdl.
     
    RedWolf23, Jun 13, 2015
    RedWolf23, Jun 13, 2015
    #8
    91B20H8 Thanks this.
  11. Jun 13, 2015 #9
    poppapump1332

    poppapump1332 Road Train Member

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    They want recent otr experience cause too many people got hired then quit after realizing they didnt like sleeping out and being away from family also they usually cant verify much after 3 years.
     
    poppapump1332, Jun 13, 2015
    poppapump1332, Jun 13, 2015
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  12. Jun 13, 2015 #10
    Big Don

    Big Don "Old Fart"

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    As has already been said, the issue is the insurance companies. They go by actuarial tables rather than looking at the individual.
    And obviously, you happened to be in the right place at the right time. And having owned your own business didn't hurt either.
     
    Big Don, Jun 13, 2015
    Big Don, Jun 13, 2015
    #10
    striker and Dinomite Thank this.
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