How do OTR drivers do it? Sitting for so long with no breaks?

The OP is not OTR and simply asked how we do it... and stopping for a quick 5 minute stretch on an off/on ramp for those that need to will not impact their income to a huge degree.

And yes, those who drive 11 on 10 off will make more money... and someone working 30 hours of overtime will make more than one working only 20 hours of overtime... it’s not a competition and one isn’t better than the other.

but hey, you do you... room for all out here.

 

True. However discussions turned to how make money running otr.

 

Most local idiots have no idea what it's like running the roads . Iv done 10,13,18 speed transmissions I'll take a auto any day. The day I put down my piss jug is the day it spills.

 

And yet most OTR guys I see can't back up to save their life....
And don't even think of detouring them onto a two lane road because something is bound to be broken

 

Its all about preference really whether a driver wants to drive OTR, Regional or local. After 25 years of driving mostly locally during that time I've been thinking lately as I told my wife the other day. Maybe, Otr is better because you are simply waking up at your job minus the rat race of communiting to work daily. After being on a Regional run for a couple months now I'm seeing the benefits of driving my car less to work oppose daily also. The only thing I could debate on that is the Op's point of sitting for over 6 hrs which is why I take a break no matter what after 2 to 3 hrs of driving. Its also good to see how your trailer is doing besides using the washroom and grabbing a snack to eat. I still think it much easier for otr drivers today oppose a decade ago before Google maps & Gps. 25% of the time when I drove otr was spent finding the right locations and mile marker exit. Even a basic Google map will let you know how many miles before your exit. Having to pull over and ask someone 'for directions' and they tell you to make a "right, then a left driver 7 miles until you see a billboard on your left then turn right" Always seemed to confuse me when you would pass it and see the wrong billboard.

 

They ain't been to hunts point, or some frozen bakery in chicago with a 70 foot long rig and piss poor directions. local boys run the same trips day in day out plus usually run or 48 shorter trailers. Most local guys get butt hurt and always use some dumb come back like that. I did local heavy haul moving machinery and it was so much easier because I was familiar with all the job sites . I make much more now that im back otr and I was worried my backing skills would have slipped while local and sure enough they did. It took . 3 weeks to get em back

 

Hey if it works for you, great! You may be right about some local drivers not being in Hunts Point or ####cago. But there's more than what meets the eye in local driving. Try hauling farm machinery from the dealer to the farms. Around here, ya better know what the hell you're doing when going in some of those driveways. One farm I frequented had a driveway just as wide as the truck with a bridge that your outside tires were hanging out in midair when you crossed. There were no rails to guide you. Now do that in reverse with a 16 foot wide load. Once across the bridge then you wiggle around the trees staggered along the driveway. In reverse, up a hill and around a few corners.

Got a buddy that drags a 48 footer in the five boroughs of NYC everyday. Wanna argue he can't drive?

Let's not forget logging operations. The get in some hairy situations. Milk haulers around here certainly earn every penny they make.

So is local easier? Maybe in some ways. Not so much in others. But usually pays better.

 

That's a issue here local doesn't "usually" pay better it's a myth made by drivers who didn't know how to run otr so they failed them selves. Sure you might make 140k a year being a food service driver in san Francisco where you spend 4k a month on rent . The same job pays 58k a year in jennings louisiana. The only time local drivers get ahead pay wise is if they work in a high cost living area or they are comparing themselves to first year mega carrier drivers . I'd be more than glad to show up pay checks with a local driver in my state .

 

Day cab or sleeper? If day cab, could that be done with a 230" wheelbase, or would it be suicide? Serious question. I've never been there, but I'm curious about truck capability.

 

LOL ... one of my favorite aspects of OTR is the 4’ commute between making my coffee at home and sitting in my Corner Office... lol ... or the equally long 4’ commute from work to my bed at night... LOL

and yes, I LOVE my truck tech... GPS for navigation, internet connected work environment, ... almost as nice as I prior home office... LOL