Old Dominion Altoona( Duncansville)

I bet @wawtrucker can answer your questions. If I remember right he runs out of Harrisburg and should be familiar with the locations you mention.

 

@TDCPA I know you asked about OD, and I'd definitely try for them, but A. Duie Pyle has a barn in Altoona. I believe they hire newbies, I feel it would be a good option if Old Dominion isn't currently available. Just a heads up, good luck!

 

OD is tough to get on with the small terminals like Altoona, great company though.

 

Altoona terminal will probably be very tough to get into for linehaul, perhaps even for P&D, whether or not you have experience. I already know of a fella that's claiming he's first in line for a transfer to Altoona for linehaul once an expected retirement happens shortly. Having said that, you should definitely inquire and get an application in at Altoona, if that's the terminal you'd like to work from. You never know.

I don't know your circumstances, but if you don't mind being away from home a week at a time, you could always be a bag driver and make the commute to and from the terminal at the start and end of your work week. I know of a few drivers out of Harrisburg that live an hour or two away and just take bag driver schedules. They work 5 days a week, go home for their two days off, rinse and repeat.

I've even known guys that will work out of Harrisburg, get a bid schedule (not bagging out), and then just stay at the hotel in Carlisle at the discounted rate for Old Dominion employees. This way they get a regular run and basically have their own room at the same hotel for the whole week. Harrisburg has a lot of options for runs, and you can move up rather quickly in seniority, so it's worth compromising for some who live a distance away.

Depending on where you are in "central PA," you got terminals at Pittsburgh, Altoona, Scranton, and Harrisburg (Carlisle) to choose from. Pittsburgh and Harrisburg will probably give you your best chance for employment based on demand. Harrisburg terminal is your best choice.

 

And as others have mentioned, you've got other LTLs to look at. If I recall, Ward Trucking is based out of Altoona, so maybe they have a decent-sized barn that has enough demand for hiring rookie linehaul drivers.

 

Small terminals are almost impossible to get into. Most of the drivers have been there since trucks had wooden wheels and chain drive.

That said, I'm starting to hear rumors the company is going to open a small service center closer to my home than my current location. (My wife is besties with one of the salespeople). Better believe I'll try to get in there. I'd rather be 5 out of 16 than 149 of 160.

 

Maybe go by the terminal you are interested in...and speak with manager

 

Indy really only has about 160 L/h drivers? I thought you'd have more. You seem to be moving up kinda slowly. How long you been there now? This summer I'll have been at HAR for 3 years, and I've moved up a good 40 spots.

 

I've been there 2 years a week ago. The 160 isn't a firm number, but close. There were more, but they opened an end of line terminal (BBI) about 15 miles away and siphoned off some drivers for that location. My difficulty, if you can call it that, is that Indy went through a big expansion a few years ago. It's landlocked now with zero room left for more expansion. Around 2/3 of the drivers have been there 10 years or less with the bulk of those less than five, and they've all got a lot of working years ahead of them. Only 2-3 of the older drivers retire per year, and even if everyone with 20+ years left today, I'd still be in the bottom 1/3rd.

Sometimes I kick myself for not applying earlier. I originally intended to do so about 5 years ago which would have put me right in the sweet spot of that big expansion, but my boss at the time offered me a dedicated route and a new Western Star to stay. Didn't take long for that route to transform into something less desirable and the truck to get assigned to someone else, but I hung on a little longer than I should have.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. There are a lot worse places I could be than the extra board of a top tier carrier. I actually prefer it to a lot of the schedules because I like going somewhere different every night. I'll get that gravy 600 mile meet and turn eventually.