OTR Requirement Verification

OTR requirment never made much sense to me.

You can drive from el paso tx to beaumont tx and its over 800 miles while jacksonville fl to beaumont tx is only 750.

only one qualifies you for interstate experience

 

I think they're looking for drivers who are ok with the OTR "lifestyle". Local and OTR are two completely different animals in that respect. Having 2 years of OTR experience means that you likely can hack being away from home, sleeping in a closet sized space, and eating, showering, and generally living life out of public spaces.

 

Just creat your own llc and let a relative be your boss.
Instant super trucker with experience.

 

F this whole system, dot, the click, all this bs..you guys are nuts.
Im outta here..Ill take any local minimum wage job where I can have a life.

 

There are times I think like that...until I look at the monthly bills and realize that I can't.

 

I agree with you. However a good B driver will need a little time to adjust to a 3000 mile United States to work in instead of say a 30 mile county state of mind.

 

Good wisdom here.

I thought about this today as I was delivering a local run. I think part of the reason why OTR experience is valued is because you are frequently driving to places you have never been. This means you have to trip plan, navigate, and TCB with unknown curveballs coming your way. If you can do that for a year or two, THAT skill set translates well for someone doing regional work.

Two years ago I went from OTR dry van to flatbed to oil rigs based out of OKC. The majority of loads are to or from customers in the city to oil rigs in the state. A fair amount of loads go to anywhere there is oil activity (WY, ND, PA, LA, NM, TX, etc.). Often instead of an address you get GPS coordinates or "turn by turn" directions to an oil rig that's miles from pavement.

Being able to route yourself quickly and efficiently is a plus. Being able to spend night's on the road is a big plus. There are drivers in my terminal that have never been OTR and the thought of a long haul and spending days away from home is daunting to them. I get a large chunk of those long hauls because I am one of two drivers that LIKE them and have developed the skills to negotiate backhauls with brokers.

 

There is a lot more to driving OTR then just the driving part. The time away from home, route planing, knowing how the dot in different states works, etc.

I company that hires a person to go otr doesn't want that person to miss their mommies after a week and quit because they have never been away from home.

 

Recruiter will call the employer and ask or they'll call you.