Local Truck Driver

After two years in the industry you won't need too much advice on what you should do. With that said, many inexperienced truckers hold local up as some sort of holy grail, the perfect trucking job. There is a chance you will actually see your kids less as local.

Think about it. If you run two weeks OTR and take four days off that is 96 hours not counting the day you came home. If you run local, 10 hours off plus Sunday is 84. Now, local does come out to more with two weeks factored in but the beauty of OTR time off is that when you come home, you are home for a while. Local, you will be tired and needing to sleep for the next day. If you are working nights, you might not see your family at all. The point of that little exercise was to show that the difference in time at home is not as stark as one might think and depending on the family and the schedule, OTR might actually win.

 

In the tanker world, on top of multiple pick ups and deliveries, local guys often get the worst loads. The pump offs that require full chemical suit and take hours. The loads at the plants on the opposite side of town just as traffic is hitting. The unloads at customers who hate truck drivers.

I ran local all of June and July last year when my kids came down and I won't be doing it again this year. As was stated above, 14 on 10 off equals no thanks.

 

14 on and 10 off? I used to think that.
I wAs wrong

 

Local work is harder than otr hands down, but if you want more consistent money I think LTL is the way to go. Unless you like sitting somewhere in a truck stop waiting on your next assignment.

 

There are many flavors of "local" work and what some of these guys are describing here would be the worst of what's available. I am a "local" driver.

1. It depends on where you live. If you live within a reasonable commute of a decent sized city then there are probably many local opportunities, even without experience.
2. I don't know any local drivers that work 14 on, 10 off on a regular basis. An occasional 14 hr shift, yes. My shifts average about 10 hrs, and rarely over 12. This is typical for local ltl guys that I know. OTOH, I've been told by drivers at some of the major OTR companies that they will hear about it if they take more than 10 hrs off and/or are not using all of their available hours as possible.
3. IMO, in the long run, local is easier and offers a better lifestyle for a family man. While you may have to deal with more traffic issues, you will be paid for all of your time, so you don't sweat it. Traffic is very stressful to the OTR guys b/c they're not getting paid for that time.
You might face more challenging driving as a local driver, tight city streets and backing situations, but those skills and confidence develop soon enough.
4. The standard for time off at the major OTR companies is 1 day off for every 7 out. So, if you go home after two weeks out on the road, you get 2 off at home.
Most local guys I know get 2 days off per week.

 

Preach it brother

 

An often over looked industry for local driving are Crane companies. They are always looking for drivers to support their cranes. Hauling counter weights and equipment. And this kind of opportunity can move you into heavy haul or to an operator position. I know a company in MD that would hire because of military preference but I'm sure there are plenty of companies around your area that could be a great start!

 

The question that is always debated is.... What is considered good money payed by the hr. Biggest factor is where do you live ? 17 an hr running local might be good in rural Oregon not so good in big citys as cost of living is much higher.

 

Actually I know a guy that is based out of Gainesville Georgia that told me something about OTR V Local. He told me he hired a driver that had 4 verifiable years experience as an OTR driver with NO preventable accidents. This driver lasted about 4 months. The driver simply had an issue with driving a daycab and all those stops and doing a lot of blind side backs into alleys. I forgot the amount but he had several preventable accidents and the owner had to let him go. This guy don't have many job openings, but when he does he rather take a green driver and train them. There is HUGE amount of hyperbole in this local v OTR topic!