On Tour Logistics (OTL)

It also takes a different personality to be an OTL driver. If it’s all about MONEY MONEY MONEY to you, if you’re used to clawing and scraping, jump the line, pass everyone, cheat on the logs, drive 70 on a 55, dog eat dog, etc., then OTL is not for you. There has been days in OTL where we are up all day and then asked to drive all night. So it is not easy work either.

At all times we work as a team. When asked to do something, we always do more than is requested. Helping each other. If an inexperienced driver has trouble backing into a tight space, they simply drop their trailer and a veteran driver backs it in as the new driver watches and learns. I’ve spent hours teaching young drivers advanced driving techniques When the ramp under each trailer is put into place, everyone works on one ramp at a time.

You have to want to work hard and play hard. There are long periods of downtime while the bands are playing or loads that won’t be ready for a week (this isn’t just paper or soda pop, it is highly technical equipment that is set up and custom built for each show. It is also very powerful. The subwoofers were vibrating my sleeper walls from two miles away during a sound check). There are also weeks of driving every day or night to the 70 hour limit. You just have to keep in mind that you are getting paid the same for all of it. Doesn’t matter if you have to drive across the entire country or sit in your sleeper for a week or even watch the bands perform and cheer with 50,000 fans. The money is always the same.

You won’t be sitting in a long line of trucks waiting to get offloaded. The team is offloaded at once and the 150+ stagehands are ready when you are.

It usually takes six months to transfer from one division to another at Averitt, but OTL has high priority loads and will transfer interested drivers in as little as 4-6 weeks after working in another company division. The policy of Averitt is, they promote from within. Even managerial staff may have once worked on the dock or been a driver in Truckload or LTL. Believe me, it was well worth the wait!

 

The speed was reduced to lower pollution. It is true that 99% of truckers ignore the limit and drive at 70 anyway. It is also true that they are rolling the dice. When they are pulled over for doing 70 in a 55 that is reckless driving and the fines are very high (up to $2500 for first offense) plus a $600 EPA fine. I’ve seen as many as six trucks on the side of the road getting tickets at one time. For those that follow the myth about going 5 over being allowed will get a $100.25 ticket and the $600 fine.

Even before I went to a salary, I never went over the limit. Whatever the sign says is what the cruise control is set at. It’s just not worth the fines and points. When the points go over 20, you no longer have a CDL. Then it’s back to flipping burgers for minimum wage.

 

lol

We aren’t allowed to approach the celebrities unless they invite us, but we do see them all the time backstage We can’t help it. We all eat at the caterers

 

Found out that you get top pay at OTL after doing 20 tours. That would take a few years. When I got back off my first tour I ran a few truckloads. The next Friday I got paid for those loads as well as the OTL salary!

You have to attend their class to be an official OTL driver and the next one won’t be until January 2019. I may get another tour before then if a spot opens up again. Hope so as truckload is boring to me. After class I get new OTL uniforms and will work with them year round.