local or OTR for first trucking job

I have a variation on mbuck87's situation, and would also like some input.

I'm currently at a community college 9-week, 1,000 road miles CDL program, finishing it up soon. My ultimate goal is to drive team OTR. I already have a team mate in mind, but they are not yet able to start school, and thus won't be ready to start working for maybe 1-1.5 years.

I have a chance to do a part-time job now, that would be driving 18-wheelers (dry vans) locally 25-30 hours/week. This work could fit perfectly for me with some other current responsibilities I have at the moment. Fortunately, I'm not in a position that I need to get out there right away and make maximum dollars immediately after finishing CDL school. So this part-time gig would serve nicely in keeping me behind the wheel and current until the time that I'm ready to go OTR and drive team.

However, I am being discouraged from doing this by my school. They say companies want recent graduates to go straight to OTR driving, and that going local first, I would have trouble getting hired for OTR later. I'm trying to determine if this is really the situation in the current hiring environment? Or maybe it was just something that was true in the past? With all the signing bonuses and desperation to get qualified drivers I'm seeing these days, should I really have anything to fear about being rejected by an OTR company later, simply because I did not go straight into OTR upon finishing driving school?

 

The norm is, 12 months OTR and everything opens up for you. That doesn't hold true these days due to a shortage of "quality" applicants. You can make some good money OTR and you already know the names of a few of the companies. After 6 mos. OTR then start looking around for local if that's what you really want.

 

I see jobs that only want 3 months, or 6 months. I think you could get something at 6 months for sure. Of course if you go put in 1 year it will open up a lot of doors.

 

One thing I want to add is to make sure you discuss all these things with the family. Make sure you are all on the same page with regard to whether you go OTR, regional, or local.

 

Most companies won't recognize local work, but some do. Most will recognize work if you ran 5 states or 7 states. If you take the part time job, most OTR companies will require at the very least going through a refresher course. Some will require the whole training program again. The insurance companies make the rules. Some small 5-10 truck OTR companies probably would hire you without the extra training. Ideally, since you and the other person plan to run teams some day, it would be best for you to get the OTR experience running all weather/all terrain coast-to-coast, then be the trainer for your friend.

Put your location on your profile; some of these drivers can give you some good companies to look at.

 

Sorry to hijack, mbuck87! Our questions have a lot of similarity; I thought the replies might expand and add depth to the discussion.

Thanks for the reply Chinatown! That little six-word sentence The insurance companies make the rules makes everything else I've been told now make more sense. Still, I have to say it seems odd that companies/insurance companies consider CDL school + non-OTR driving work experience to detract from your qualifications, compared to hiring on straight out of CDL school with no driving experience.

 

Try Indian River Transport; they have local and OTR. They have recently been hiring a few new CDL grads. In fact a new CDL grad posted this week they were offered a job with Indian River for local. Don't know if they run teams.

CTL Transportation is a good one in Florida w/local and OTR. Can run teams with your friend there.

Sunstate Carriers; I understand if you hustle, you can be home weekends. They hire at 21 yrs. old, which means they probably hire new CDL grads.

 

Thanks for the suggestions Chinatown. I'll PM you with more as soon as I get my post count up to 7 and am allowed to do so.