Is LTL your first CDL job?

My first driving job was in 1977 For FFE out of Lancaster Tx. I drive OTR Teams for 4 years with the same team driver. Dont know how i lasted that long with the same A-Hole!

 

I only had 6 months otr befor ltl. Alot of ltl companies prefer experience due to some of the tight spots you get into. And props to you for not having to go otr, im glad I did tho got to see what its like.

 

Never driven a day of OTR in my life. My friend kept telling me to suck it up and do it for the year. He kept telling me that after him being OTR for 9 years cannot land a local job. I was just stubborn and think headed and didnt want to do that. Thats when I landed my first LTL job. Im on my 2nd now and was hired before I had a years experience. Most of the LTLs say they want this much experience but they will budge. When I applied to Estes they wanted two years... took them about 6 months to contact me but I was already working for YRC when they called. Thing is that yard was shut down. It was owned by UPS when they bought out Overnite and closed that terminal down. Estes rented it from them. Now they kicked Estes out and are making it their terminal again

 

I drove casual (P&D) for Yellow when I was 19 till I got a full time driving job at a grocery chain when I was 20. That was back when it was all finger print with like 30 stops with a GMC brigadier without power steering...Man that sucked!!

 

Hooked on with R&L fresh out of school.

 

My first job was sort of ltl. I went to work for a fleet owner and they pulled doubles cross country. We only went to about 5 different places and were home a lot. It was teams but I got to see the country. After a year of that I went to CF, then Watkins. Still was OTR but making a killing. After Watkins starting going bad I did a dedicated team run to NJ and back to CA every week. All my jobs have pretty much been line and drop n hook. To heck with that waiting in a truck stop crap.

 

I have not worked LTL but I'm not OTR either. I have worked local for my career so far and have been a tanker driver for the last 5 years. I plan on retiring from this company.

What I can't understand about OTR companies is how they keep employee's? Being paid less miles than they drive and sitting for free? I don't get it. I guess the world needs ditch diggers too.

 

That BS about needing a year OTR before you go local is a lie.

Who's spreading that lie? Trucking company recruiters, of course. If people knew they could start out local, running legal, making good money(a lot better than OTR once you count up all the hours and expenses involved) and sleep in a bed instead of a box in a truckstop...who the hell would fill the seats at these coolie carriers?

 

Most OTR companies can't keep drivers, That's why they are always hiring. It's also why you have these companies that will train people for free as long as you run with them for a year.