About time off

Two months is a tremendous amount of time. I have been with my current company six years and we get along great. My boss would have purple striped kittens if I told him I wanted two months off in the summer. Any seniority gained would be lost. Imagine being perpetually on the bottom rung of the ladder? A long weekend isn't difficult usually, a week a couple times a year is possible, but two full continuous months is asking a lot. Too much to be expected. An owner operator can more or less do as he pleases, but losing contact with your brokers, customers and income for a couple of months per year is hard to imagine.

I would encourage you to try to find a job in the hobby that you so obviously love rather than try to fit it into some job. I think in the long run you will be happier.

 

trucking is all hands on deck for the summer and slow hiring in the winter when miles are tight... so that would be harder to do than wanting all winter off.

next is keeping you as an employee and keeping your insurance going. they might if you paid your full premium while you were off but I'm betting it would be more than you'd want to pay. plus retesting you drugs ect on your return....

not hopeless but darned near.

 

Taking 2 months off in the winter for an O/O isn't difficult if he is specialized, IE hauls household or over size loads. But there is some risk involved. 60 days away from your customer base, is time for someone else to manuever themselves into your gravy train.

I don't know of any type of freight that lends itself to a driver taking off for extended periods during the summer. Unless you do the ice road thing.

Company drivers can take 2 months. But, it depends on the company. And the one company that I am aware of that would allow it, doesn't anymore. They only allowed 30 days at a time and they reissued your truck after 9 days.

Taking 2 months at a time will require you to work for a company that allows you to bank your days. In other words, you would not be taking ANY time off for 12 months. You get 1 or 1.5 days for every week out with the majority of companies. So 10 months would only allow you about 43 days off.

 

maybe you could move to somewhere like france. don't they get like, 4 months of paid vacation every year?

 

As a company driver, that is exactly what I am saying. You would get NO time off between weeks worked, if you want 2 months at the end. Even then, you would have to find a company willing to allow it.

You're best bet is going to be contract, casual, or temp slots. Even that is not "exactly" what you are looking for.

You'll get time off as a company driver throughout the year. The HOS will see to that. It just won't be where and when you want it.

I would love a job that allowed me to take 2 months a year. But, Ive never found one. But, I want 2 months during certian periods. So it's difficult at best. The months I want, are during high freight volume months