Is it possible to take your reset at a planned location besides your home?

You can take your reset anywhere you like keep in mind they are freight dispatchers not travel agents..

 

Resets probably not so much, but you never know where you may end up. Taking home time not at home is possible if your company is flexible with it. I've heard some don't like to as much.

I've spent a few resets at the beach or in whatever city just by chance. We do a lot of produce so I've spent a few days at the beach getting detention/layover pay. It sucks waiting for produce but at least the coolers are good about telling you upfront that you're going to be waiting all day giving you the freedom to go out and about. Any DC or warehouse I go to it's always, "An hour or two." Yeah right.

 

Welcome to the TTR Forum. I'd say the chances are not likely and no. And I'd guess a dispatcher or load planner would laugh at your idea.

If you decide to be a professional driver, your job will be about moving freight to make the company money. Every thing else is second to that. When you are needing a reset you will take it where you are. You might be able to vary by a couple of hours.

You won't pick where you run or where you stop. Time and need will dictate that. You will not be allowed to go sightseeing in the company truck. Now if you end up getting a 34-hour reset a couple of hours from one of your must see locations, you could rent a car and make the trip. As for sightseeing as a truck driver, you can see as many sights as possible from the windshield on the Interstate.

You need to research and find out what the important questions are. You can make an above average living but you will make sacrifices that other jobs don't require. Read the "good companies" and "bad companies" section on this forum and get an idea of what company you want to work for and what kind of trailer you want to pull. Don't just go to school and then try to figure out where to go.

I don't know your financial situation. Don't take training from a company if you can afford it or get it with financial aid. You will be their slave for up to year. If you leave they will trash you DAC and credit record. Check out your local community colleges and employment office.

Just know that most training and trucking company recruiters will do nothing but lie to you. They will let you talk about what you want and then tell you what you want to hear. Trucking is about moving freight to make money for the company. Your home time, family, paycheck and everything else comes second.

It is not like any other job. Local is usually backbreaking delivery work 10+ hours a day, 6 days a week. Often you unload dozens of times a day or you are a salesman. In my area most dump truck jobs pay less than a good factory job. Regional is lots of loading and unloading time, fewer miles than OTR and not as hard as local but will wear on you and push your HOS limits. OTR is out 3 - 5 weeks with 3 - 4 days home, less manual labor and more miles.

You'll probably have to pay your dues before you get the gravy job. Weekends off, if you are lucky enough to get something like that starting out, may be home Thursday afternoon and leave Saturday night or home Friday night and leave Sunday afternoon. Loads deliver on Monday early and you leave in time to get them there. Often your home time will be in the middle of the week.

Regardless of your driving choice, after school you will go through company training. For OTR this can be six weeks to three months with little or no home time. The first phase is usually $400 a week and the second phase is $500-550 a week. Some pay less. One company pays 12 CPM for training.

You don't want to wait around too long after training or you'll have trouble finding a job. If you get out before you have a year in, when you try to come back a few months later you will find they want you to start over.

One last thing, if you have anything that makes you less desirable than your competing job applicants, a phone or in-person interview will often bring the best results. Even if I am the best candidate I will choose face-to-face if at all possible and phone if not. Sure you may have to fill out that online application but that isn't the best way to get a good job. You have to do something or be someone who stands out from the crowd. Do regular follow-ups by phone on the jobs you really want.

 

You need a good mountain bike and a laptop. You COULD make it happen, but you'll be limited to places you have to stop at, probably not the places you want. When you get ready for a 34 hr break, start Googling the local attractions. Once in awhile you might get lucky.

 

The trucking company I'm going with is a flatbed that always has a fork lift attached to it. A Smart car will fit on a shipping pallet. The Owner buys mini's for every truck in the fleet. That way drivers can go to restaurants further in town that don't cost as much, or are healthier. Go to more comfortable but cheaper motels. He has a long list of reasons why he does this for his drivers. It looks like something very expensive from the outsider looking in. But it saves him a lot of money in diesel fuel costs because truckers aren't circling trying to park in hard to park in lots.

 

It depends on your job. The produce job I had you run carpet our of GA to CA, did a restart and run produce back and did a restart. Only because you can't do the round trip in 70 hours. It worked out well. I would do my restart at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles and play poker, eat like a king and many times bring home extra money. Then do a restart at home and do it again.

Those jobs are hard to find. But they are out there. It has to be greater than say a 2300 mile run.

 

Yes it is possible,

especially after you get some roadtime in.


And working for a decent company will make all the difference in the world....

 

some companies will say NO WAY other will be ok with it and others say you can ONLY take hometime (not at your home) 1-2 times a year.

as for a 34hr reset you will take that as needed were ever you are at the time.

rmember to ask about it when you talk to the recruiters