Where is the money at in OTR driving?

Finn Murphy was the truck driver. He dropped out of college, began driving for North American Van Lines moving household goods. Here is a radio interview from last year. He also wrote a book.

 

I am as skeptical as you are. I mean the guy was driving a rickety Freightliner flatnose and was on a mainstream media news show.

 

If you have a family they are not going to like you being gone with OTR.

Not having done OTR in the last 3-5 years means you are likely going to have to ride with a trainer for a few weeks to even begin doing OTR. I did 3 years OTR in the 1990s, drove dedicated regional just-in-time delivery for a manufacturer for almost 20 years. When I went back to OTR many of the companies I looked at were going to treat me like a new CDL graduate. I found a dedicated hazmat tanker position that whittled that "training period" down to 10 days. It's good money for me, about 40% more than the very easy, home everyday job moving car parts to a factory I had before. With bonuses and guaranteed weekly pay it pays in the low $70k. Deliver heavy chemical loads to customers and then drive home empty. I have a satellite TV/DVR and a new truck. I probably sleep in the truck 2 nights per week when it's slow and 5-6 nights per week when it's busy. I'm guaranteed $62k, bonuses and mileage over the guarantee boost that about $10k. The job for this customer is just out and back. Many tankers do OTR which means losing time getting trailers washed out. Tank wash facilities makes a crowded Pilot truck stop look like an empty football field by comparison. Tankers are nice because they are only 48 feet long and have no tail swing. It makes u-turns, parking, crowded customer locations so much easier than a 53ft box or reefer. Hazmat pays more, but it also means you cannot park on the ramps of shoulders and some states require you to ignore PrePass/Drivewyze transponders and enter weigh stations even if you get a bypass signal.

You make more in trucking if fewer truck driver/companies can/want to handle that particular freight. That also means more responsibilities for you.

 

He drove a conventional International TransStar when those were among the most common trucks on the road. He's now driving a Cascadia. The driver with the radio interview and book was college educated, possibly Ivy League, and his father was a famous cartoonist back in the day. Unlike some truck drivers, and me many days, he can speak for a sentence or two without dropping F-bombs. Lefty radio programmers love to find someone like them doing something they would be horrified to do. There is nothing controversial about the man or his story. Many cubicle slaves imagine what "being on the open road" is like. They found a guy who tells them without bringing the bad smells and rude behavior with him.

 

Here's some long haul outfits with good reputations:
Freymiller
Schuster
DOT Transportation - has local/regional/OTR
Trimac Transportation - has a coast to coast division and many of those drivers make over $100K

 

You have to be willing to do what other drivers are unwilling or unable to do. OTR van hauling gets alot of door slammers who just want to sit on their ### holding a steering wheel. Look around the truckstop next time: nearly everyone has a gut, lots of morbidly obese people walking around with 1/2 of last night's buffet on their shirts, high sugar/BP/edema of the legs, etc.

Basically, anything that involves WORK generally pays better: carhauling, moving companies, oversize, flatbeds, fueling gas stations, local city drivers, foodservice etc. Alot of guys don't like dealing with customers either, they want to just check in, swing open the doors, and hop in the sleeper.

 

Here's a decent outfit with 2 California terminals:
A&R Logistics - www.drivewithar.com
2 Jobs Found in California
CDL-A Full Time Out & Back Drivers
CDL-A Full Time Out & Back Drivers New Pay IncreaseHome Weekly * Avg $1200 per week * Full Benefits$5000 Financial Transition AssistancePaid Holidays, Training, Vacation & OrientationAssign. Equipment * No Endorsements Or Experience NeededCDL...
Location: California
CDL-A Drivers Full Time Out & Back Lanes
CDL-A Drivers Full Time Out & Back LanesHome Often New Pay IncreaseAvg $1200 per wk * Full Benefits$5000 Transition Assistance Paid Holidays & VacationsPaid Training * Assigned EquipmentNo Endorsements or Experience Req.CDL-A Requiredww...
Location: California

 

I did actually appreciate that no f-bombs were dropped during the interview.
But I did see Mr. Murphy driving a Freightliner flatnose. Here is video proof:



p.s. not trying to start a poop storm.

 

Do you have flatbed experience? Where in California are you located? Teresi Trucking pays 25% of gross revenue to the truck. They have two terminals, in Fontana and Lodi. Most of their runs are in the West, sometimes east of the Rockies. Most drivers get home every week or two.

You can work your way up to oversized and overweight loads, where the real money is. I understand their top drivers are grossing over $100K.

Apply in person if you are interested. Be prepared to take a road test on the spot or within a few days of application.