Unpaid time off?

Thanks for that. That's the 2 companies I would first avoid. If I was looking to be OTR I personally would avoid all the "Megas". It is my opinion they are the biggest liars out there, and give trucking a bad name. Not saying the little guys won't lie to you either. I've been lied to and cheated by the best of them.

Start looking at what companies are offering new drivers. Narrow it down to like 5 companies that best fit you. Then come back here and ask about those 5 companies. You will find out what the b.s. is at those companies.

 

i would usually "book off" a day if i needed it. otherwise, holidays/vacations would suffice for me.

you either want to work, or not, this isn't a game out here. you are hired to work. you want lots of time off, this isn't the industry for you

 

Time off depends on you, and your dispatcher, company policy doesnt really matter. Thier are exceptions to every rule.

I happen to like my house. So every Time I get a load that delivers within 200 miles. I get a reload before i get close.

But when I decide to take time off. I take as much as I want. Matter of fact I'm home now, and have been since last Tuesday. Think unless something that pays really good comes up. I will stay here till next tue (2weeks)
My dispatch knows when I go to work. All they have to do is assign me a load and leave me alone. I pick up and deliver on time. If I have a problem I solve it myself.

 

It's going to come out one of two ways.

Get that truck to the yard is one. YOU get yourself home. And BACK right now. Yer late.

Or. Get the truck to the yard and find another job so you can be at home when off.

This industry is not like any other industry. You are tied to the truck which is itself tied to the needs of America and literally there is no time for you to up and go home. None. There are very few times where it turns out you are going home. One of them is because they fired you and you have all the time in the world to take care of it at home now. The other times might include illness on your part, your truck will be seen to work towards home in a certain specific pattern via satellite with a followup to your family to confirm you are indeed sick. You are allowed to be sick. No company worth staying with will fire you for being genuinely sick. One time I had been heat exhausted by a failed AC system in SC and lost about 48 hours hydrating to see if I either drop or get my body functioning again passing fluid. If it didnt it will have turned into a very serious hospital call. The AC would be a DOT item and will be fixed pretty much instantly. Appointment time would just have to be rescheduled. Which is why I advocate building some kind of savings with every load you run so that if something did come up you will be a time of no loads at all.

I have spent many years going to ER's for trauma after being hit, mashed or take a bad fall and tell the doctors no narcotics, I expect to be gone and three states away by morning ow and all. That truck does not stop because I took a hit So they patch me up and back on the road I go. The ER is thrilled because I intend to get back on the job once they fix whatever it is that ales me. Now if I busted a hip joint or some other serious bone then sure, I aint going anywhere. We will have that converstation with dispatch then. I was in surgery one time after being sick for two days and got home. The surgery saved my job it went from fixing to fire me to waiting for me to heal in three weeks, I had doctors orders to stay home 6 weeks but I was lumping butter in three which shows as additional damage below the scar tissue to this day in later scans but nothing serious. (Appendix removal)

If it is really serious you will have time off somehow. Someone else may be sent to take your truck for a few days. If they do so... EXPECT that truck to be back to you abused, out of order and something failing the pretrip inspection. I had that happen to me twice. The truck went to Jersey and when I got it back on the 4th day it was damaged in the alternator and a couple of other abusive problems inside the cab. So shop work took care of that.

But Trucking is something bigger than you are. Your minor need to go home is a liability and a REAL problem. It's the way it is.

 

If you’re interested in looking. My company always needs help in Ohio. Honestly... there must be a reason. I don’t know why? But pneumatic trailer is pretty much a company job. Which fits you.

 

I think it all depends on the relationship you have with your company middle management and the Dispatch office.

I work pretty steady year round, almost always picking up extra shifts serval times a month throughout the year. ( local 12 hour shift driver here )

Almost without fail two or three weeks of vacation per year are still not quite enough for me to do the extra activities I want to do outside of work.

However when these things do come up almost without exception if I give enough notice I can almost always have extra unpaid days off of work. I believe this is due to my work ethic while consistently being a good employee throughout the other 48-ish weeks a year.

Every day at your job you’re building your reputation my goal is to one day have reputation we’re all they have to do is look at my performance to know that I am a good driver because of consistency year in and year out.

 

Most companies don’t care what you need. Unfortunately. They want you to work all the time. Dispatchers dream having Trucks available when needed.There are a few Driver Leasing companies out there that place you on different Jobs working with their Truck. The pay is usually lower but usually flexible on schedule. Alowwing you to come and go as you desire.I started at a company that did this. Allowed to work at about 8 different Major Companies in a year. It was good experience. Although at time I was working all I could. I am considering it again in future as there’s more to life than work.

 

I agree with all of that!

 

It can depend my drivers will usually say I need this much time off. But usually average they stay home for 5 days before heading back out.
If the truck is not moving especially one that has a note on it and that truck works for its self that company is not going to get behind because of you..... sooo multiple weeks at a time all the time will not fly anywhere