OTR to Local... Do You Like It?

Either way if you are working 65 to 70 hours in 5 days, then have to work the weekend, how are you getting around the 60/7 or 70/8?

 

I have spend 20+ years being gone all the time, was running mostly from Quebec to DFW on a weekly basis, yes i was back home pretty much every weeks but after running 3.5-3.8K a week there wasn't much energy left to do any type of activities with the family.

I am now local running mostly the city, i am lucky i have found a super nice gig doing something highly specialized and working for a nice family who treat & pay me well.

But there is not a single day that i don't think about Texas the weather and the food and all the great peoples that i became friend with.

Even if i miss the life that i had before money alone is a good reason to stay local.

Also the time with the wife and the kids that is just priceless to me, my father had a fleet of trucks and even if the shop was right in our backyard i have not seen my father much....working countless hours a week to make everything works was his priority.

I guess when i get older i will go back being OTR but for now my life is running local and seeing my kids growing.

And my hat's off to each and everyones who sacrifice the company of their loves ones to make a living!

 

I'm a government driver myself, federal to be exact, and I was wondering if the rules are the same with you guys as it is for us? We don't have log books or elogs, no license plate or insurance, no registration, and don't have to abide by DOT rules. No 10 hours off, 36 hour reset, don't have to worry about weigh stations or being shut down. Just wondering if it's the same with you guys as it is over at the Post Office.

 

And from what I have seen a lot of your trucks and trailers are garbage that would never pass dot inspection. I love how the federal government makes laws and then exempts themselves from them. Everyone else has to be "safe" but they can be as reckless as they want.
I don't mean anything personal against you, just saying the system is messed up.

 

You still have federal laws and some of them are very close to DOT. I was active duty Navy in a Ryder rental pulling a 3 axle 60 ton lowboy all over the states. I had to have permits for my over size but did not have to pay for them. I went all through the regulations, mostly from the U.S.Army because they were tasked to be the main place all the shipping went though. It was a few years ago and I'm sure some of the requirements have change but I would protect myself by knowing. That's just because I was involved in an incident that was not my fault but had to show the legalities on why I was there. It involved the Navy Jag office out of Washington D.C. and got very deep very fast. If I could remember the regulations I would be more than happy to pass them on but it's been over 25 years ago. Just find out who right the rules for OTR operations by federal employees.

 

Nothing personal taken, and yeah I agree, the equipment we have would not pass inspection. I still do a proper pretrip though, because it's my ### if something does happen on the road. We recently had a driver get into an accident and he was ticketed for not having registration or insurance. It was obviously thrown out, but we are not so above the law that we can't get speeding tickets and such.

 

For us, we're pretty much exempt from everything. We still have to pass a DOT physical, but other then that, nothing. It's actually a federal offense to impede the flow of the US Postal Service, so if DOT ever did shut us down, they would be shooting themselves in the foot. And I know what you mean by complaining about equipment and nothing being done. Our trailers are pretty bad. I've refused to take many trailers out, knowing had bad they were, only to see it move to a different location and reloaded for someone else to take. Management takes advantage of the fact, knowing we won't ever get pulled over.

 

Started out driving for family ( hauling milk farm to market ). Then after the army a local dump truck operation , moved to a west coast operation ( OTR ) for 3 years or so , then got a job with GSF ( local ) stayed there for 33 years , so I guess local would be my choice between the 2.
Made much better money , had much better benefits retirement , insurance , vacation / paid sick leave / etc
Home every night , no problems with 200 mph dispatchers , great , well maintained equipment.

Would I go back to OTR , well , they say " never say never " , but , I sure wouldn't want to. If I came out of retirement , I would ask my former employer if they needed part time help before trying anything else first.

 

I'm not what you would call a local driver, but I am home daily. I drive a 450 mile line haul route at .56 a mile, but I do yearn for the otr life every so often due to the fact that running the same lane every day does get old even for excellent pay as does being neutered and running 65 all day.

All things being considered, not having to deal with lumpers, refrigerated warehouses, and finding a place to sleep at night are enough to keep me content at my job for now.