Central Florida Options, not having much luck.

What's going on my fellow truckers. I'm coming here because I've been searching and applying and just not having any luck right now. This might be lengthy so bare with me. I just want you all to have all the info before responding. I'm currently live in the Orlando metropolitan area and I'm an OTR driver. My schedule is nice. Out 10 days home for 4 days. Will be switching to a local route position. Roughly about the same pay just more work. I'm fine with work. Me and my wife are expecting any day now and I want to be home more. Preferably daily but I'm open to regional work with getting home for the weekends. I have applied to FXF (was not selected), OD but only position they had was a part time dock worker. Estes, Saia, R+L Carriers, and YRC. Not having any luck with those positions. Recently was offered a job with Oakley in their dry/van reefer division and tanker but the home time is not agreeing with me and the benefits were about the same price. I was given another offer from Quality Carriers (subsidiary of Lanzar Tank Lines) but they want me to go to NC for orientation for 4 days. Dillon Logistics is about $800-$1100 gross with benefits around $1200 a month. Not a wise decision.

So I have tried everything and nothing is popping up. I know Florida sucks for trucking and finding a decent job is very difficult. So with that being said I currently make 60k and with me moving to this local route which is more work the pay is about the same. Benefits are around $600 a month. Just looking for decent companies that pay fair and benefits are cheaper than what I am paying now. 16 months experience and dry van only. I am open to tanker but they mostly want OTR or the local jobs or regional jobs are not paying that well at the places I've already applied to such as Dillon Logistics, AirGas(turned me down), and awaiting to every hear from Eagle Transport. Kind of don't want to do flat bed because I did that my whole army career and I done with that field. Tarping, strapping, and chaining gets tiring and old. Plus you do that in any weather.

Do you guys have any suggestions? I know Chinatown will chime in soon. Good driving record and no criminal background to worry about. Kind of looking for a job that pays $1,200 or more net. And benefits are either the same as to what I'm paying now or cheaper. Or should I just stay put where I am until I can get into a LTL company? I started leaning towards food service but I know that is back breaking work but the paychecks I heard are pretty nice. I did however apply to US Foods. Their company look good from the outside looking in of course and they have good benefits. McClane is out of the picture. My mother is the receiving clerk there and she forbids me to work there. They are not just all ate up right now. But not opposed to food delivery for a good paycheck and benefits. I was looking into SYSCO but all the horror stories I heard just turns me away lol.

Sorry for the long post but before I make a hasty or risky decision, I figured I would come on here and see if anyone else has some options in mind. As I stated before I need to be home daily for my wife and kids but am open to regional as long as I'm home on the weekends. I just want you guys to have full detail of my situation and what I'm looking for. Thank you guys for all your help and comments and suggestions. I look forward to them. If I missed anything please feel free to ask.

 

Yea I was going to do the same thing and just wait it out but wanted to see if I was missing out on anything else. For Sunstate carriers I talked to them awhile back and if I was starting out it would have been a good outfit. But their pay is no where near mines and I will not jump #### to another OTR carrier for the same pay or less. If it’s the same pay I might as well just stay where I’m at. Less than that I would be shooting myself in the foot.

 

They are night hiring drivers at the moment. Just a material handler in Lakeland. They seem like a really good outfit though.

 

Will do thanks for the responses. I did get called a few months with XPO and they emailed me to call a recruiter and I call the number and a lady picked up the phone and said “I don’t know why they have you guys call this number. I’m just a switch board operator” she did give me the number to their LTL but it rings and rings. No chance to leave voicemail. I let it ring for two hours before I gave up. Lol

 

That sucks if the terminal manager called you and said he doesn’t hire OTR guys because of that reason. That’s personal preference and not a company policy. I get it but at the same time that is discrimination. Is he saying that none of the local drivers he hired never quit on him not once? I would have been calling their HR department and headquarters about that statement. That’s just me. Cheney Bothers isn’t hiring in my area at the moment and MB doesn’t pay well. Not for me that is, to walk away from 60k. I appreciate the suggestions though.