On Tour Logistics (OTL)

I started with Averitt Express in their Truckload division hauling commodity freight @ $0.46 a mile, but I signed up for OTL during orientation. Three OTL employees came into the room to say a few words and show a short video. When I saw this I wanted to sign up immediately. Of the 75 people in the room, I was the only one (unlike other companies, they weren't all truck drivers and not only truckload. There's a lot more opportunities at Averitt (dedicated, LTL, local shuttle drivers (high hourly pay), sleeper shuttle @ $0.65/mile (terminal to terminal), dock workers, etc.).

After about five weeks OTL called and asked if I was ready to join their division and I told them that I was ready. After my current load was delivered to Ohio, I picked up another load nearby and brought that as a relay in our Nashville, Tennessee service center. Then I was assigned an OTL trailer. This is a special 53' dry van with OTL graphics, a long ramp locked underneath and there are several large LED lights inside the trailer (for the loading and offloading crews). Met another new OTL driver who was going with me on tour.

Our tractors were brought into the shop so they could turn up the maximum speed from 65 to 68. Then we were given tire chains. The next day we left for Denver, Colorado. Five other OTL drivers would be joining us and were coming from all over the country. Everyone came together at a production company warehouse. This is where our trailers were loaded with audio, video and lighting equipment.

Now for the first time in years I met other company drivers that I would see again. We know each other's names. We all have become friends and work together as a team. A lead driver that has been with OTL for four years guided us every step of the way. I throughly enjoyed this. Although we will sometimes ride together as a convoy, it isn't always like that, but we do communicate with each other while driving via cellular. The staring salary for the production drivers is about $1,200 a week. There are two types of OTL teams (Production and Touring). Touring drivers are more involved and get a higher salary. I can choose to go there or stay in production. Getting a guaranteed salary of $62,000 a year is twice as much as I every got paid working on commission. There are three salary tiers based on your time with OTL and the management opportunity.

We drove from Denver to Louisville, Kentucy.at the festival grounds. About fifty rock and heavy metal bands would be there. We backed up to the backstage outside dock and the next morning about a hundred stagehands arrived to offload us. The trailers were carefully offloaded by hand in about 25 minutes. Then we went to a parking area about two miles away. We dropped our trailers and could bobtail to the concert (we got free passes to the concert), to the caterers behind the stage or wherever we wanted to go (store, laundry, etc.. The caterers have great chefs and all the food is free (breakfast, lunch and dinner). One of the drivers brought his tractor to a service center for a PM and he rented a car to drive home for a few days. We would be here for the next two weekends and all the days between. Didn't have to drive hundreds of miles every day. Nope, we just enjoyed ourselves and got paid our salary to be there.

After the festivals were complete, four of the drivers went to another concert in New Jersey and three of us headed back to Denver. Now it is a two day drive, but we had about a week to get there. I was there in four days Once we got there our trailers were offloaded and then moved to the staging area. We took off with our tractors to a local truck stop for four days of R&R. Then we'll meet up at the production company to get loaded and get a week to get to Sacramento, California for the next concert (it's only a two day drive so we can take in the sights along the way). After that, we'll go back to Denver, get new equipment and head to Florida. Then back to Denver again to offload and that will be the end of this tour.

Until the next tour we have a choice, We can go home for a week or so, or haul freight for Averitt. If we go home, we still paid our salary. If we want to earn more money, we can haul freight. We would get our normal salary as well as the $0.46 a mile (double dipping). There are a lot of benefits working with OTL, but the reason most drivers don't work with us is the limited home time. OTL drivers only get home time between tours ((2 to 3 months). This is the trade off. My lifestyle allows me to stay out as the other OTL drivers. Some of our drivers may transfer back to their other divisions

 

Can't back up a trailer? In 1987 I backed up a 45' drop deck trailer around a 4 mile obstacle course at a truck rodeo at a constant speed of 42 MPH (won a $1,000 prize and a nice trophy). Backed up a straight truck down a curvy country road at 58 in neutral. I'd like to see you do the same.

 

When I spoke to the lead driver about the salary tiers, you won’t get paid at tier 2 until your second year with them. Only lead drivers get tier 1. No idea what the higher amounts are, but that doesn’t really matter as by the time you are in your second year, they will be higher. Management is already talking about raising tier 3 to $1,300 to attract more drivers.

Since you are paid whether you work or not with OTL, you just can’t complain. Since you are not with Truckload full time, I doubt you would see any raises with that unless it is company wide.

At the moment there are about 100 OTL drivers. With that many and the lower rates, you got to know they have a lot of work.

 

The first 38 years of my career was hauling oversized loads on salary and didn’t get CPM until Jan/2015 with Schneider. Even then, I never thought about “miles” once. I drove like I was on salary. Maintained max speed limit on highways, but did not speed or cut corners anywhere. If I-40 in Tennessee says 70 MPH for cars and 55 for trucks, I set the cruise control for 55. I’m never in a hurry.

So working on salary with OTL is more normal for me. It also allows me to travel to great locations. You don’t just see a warehouse all the time. You get to see huge stages and concerts that people pay up to $400 a ticket for It’s a completely different lifestyle. One that I thoroughly enjoy. While I was sitting in my tractor a limo pulls up and Sherl Crow steps out. She was full of smiles and so was I !

 

The lead driver worked in OTL for 3.5 years before becoming a lead driver. Part of this in the Touring division of OTL. So they have a lot of hands on experience. He also said that it takes between two to three years with OTL to reach Tier 2 salary. Less if you are in the Touring side.