OTR or Local?

Nah. Wife won't allow that. Plus I get paid by the hour

 

It depends on what your you're looking for out of trucking. If you're the adventurous type, who likes to go to new places and experience new things, and don't mind being out weeks at a time and being alone, I would say go with OTR.

If you're the social type to who needs human interactions, and have kids or family obligations, go with local.

If money is your main goal, Local companies practically always pay WAAAY more than OTR. For the most part, your paid from the time you clock in to the time you clock out, and you get to interact with people on a daily basis, whether it's a repeat customers or interacting with your fellow drivers. But this is if you're social type, if you're more of the loner personality, OTR may be a better fit.

 

Correct me if I am wrong, but I was under the impression in CDL school that OTR was more stressful than a local or regional gig would be. Thoughts were from others that local/regional type of jobs would offer structure and a set schedule which might, for some but not all, be less of a hassle. But, in your opinion, which is the less stressful of the two would you say? OTR or Regional/Local?

 

OTR = less stress. If you have a spouse and/or kids left behind at home I don't know if I would still say that though, because that could create stress of its own. But if we're only comparing the work day conditions of one job versus the workday conditions of the other, in my opinion, OTR is less stressful and more relaxed. OTR gets in your blood.

 

Local...you'd have to pay me an enormous amount of money to live in a sardine can earning one day off per 70 hr clock.

 

You're usually there taking a 10 hour break anyway. Throw the clothes in, go eat in the restaurant, get them when you're done. Of course if you carry enough clothes it's something you only mess with once every 2 weeks or so. Sometimes you can find a laundry mat with drop off service that charges by the pound. Drop off, go eat, come back to folded (and starched if you want) clothes. I shower on my 10 hour breaks right before I get rolling. Different cities? Yeah you're definitely in different cities all the time. I don't call that stressful though.

 

Local isn't all 12-14 hour days. I've been local for almost 3 years now and very rarely work a 12+ hour day. Today I worked 8 hours. Last week my longest shift was 11.5. Local is not all high stress, doom and gloom.