How hard is it to get a set dedicated OTR route?

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by DC843, Feb 25, 2022.

  1. DC843

    DC843 Medium Load Member

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    Havent been on here in years. I'm not a new driver but I've been away from trucking for a bit, and kinda been mulling over the idea to get back into it.

    I was thinking about what I hated about trucking and why I stopped and it all came down the the unpredictability of OTR. Always a different shipper, they and I don't know where I'm supposed to be half the time, having to constantly switch sleeping schedule, never knowing if I'll be able to find parking at truck stops, not knowing if this exit ramp has a big enough shoulder where I can take a piss, etc.

    But you take all that away and I really enjoy the job, the travelling, the nomadic lifestyle.

    So I'm curious about finding something dedicated, but still over the road. Ideally like 2 ~1000 mile trips and I get the weekend for my 34....but really something where I know exactly what I'll be doing every week. Learning the route and the best places to stop, being able to sleep the same time every night more or less (none of this oh you slept all night but we booked you a load picking up 11pm tonight, all that matters to us is you had 10 hours off so just be a robot and somehow be ready for a full night shift after you're going to be up all day because you just woke up from a full night of sleeping.....but I digress)

    How hard is a gig like this to find in a very general sense? Like I said I have experience but it's not recent. How do I go about looking for something like this? Do I just have little chance of finding it without a year of recent exp? Any other thoughts?
     
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  3. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    Your post count of 666 has me worried.....lol
    ~
    You don't need a year of recent experience. You will be hired if your cdl is good, doesn't matter how long you've been off the road.
     
    Last edited: Feb 25, 2022
  4. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    You still in South Carolina?
    Do you want teams or solo?
     
  5. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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  6. ibcalm19

    ibcalm19 Road Train Member

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    Look at the companies that go otr advertising long haul runs. Call the companies explain exactly what you want. Let them know if they don't have what you want do waste your time. I hope you can spot the snake oil sales pitch & you can cut that conversation short.

    I'm pretty sure you can find that sweet spot in trucking. I have found mine as well as others. All the best on your journey
     
  7. Moosetek13

    Moosetek13 Road Train Member

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    I put a stop to that very early in my career.
    All it takes is saying "NO!".
     
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  8. MACK E-6

    MACK E-6 Moderator Staff Member

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    Linehaul with an LTL could be an option, like extraboard with Estes.
     
  9. wichris

    wichris Road Train Member

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    There are a lot of carriers that have dedicated runs, 4-5 days. Problem is many drivers don't know the meaning of dedicated. Too many think they can run a couple of weeks and take off, loosing the week and then it's their run again.
     
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  10. DC843

    DC843 Medium Load Member

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    @Chinatown lol here now its 667. Thanks ill check those out.

    Thanks for the other advice too, ill keep all that in mind.
     
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