Putting in OTR time to get local gig, realistic?

You probably want to spend as little time OTR as possible if you want to get a good local job. 1-2 years max and 6 mos minimum. This is why many companies like Pepsi, and others, like to train their drivers. They realize what OTR does to many people.

It sounds like you currently have a lot of experience in customer service or sales. That will be a huge plus in getting a good local job that involves driving a small tractor-trailer or box truck. Driving skills are important, but for local jobs your communication skills, customer service, and dealing with people in general is usually more important. So employers are looking for that.

I have been searching since the new year for local work and these are my observations. A stable work history is also big. So, aside from the 6mos-1yr otr, your other job history should not have much job-hopping.

 

Pmoney, it's not IMPOSSIBLE to get a local job right off the bat. It does happen occasionally. The folks that are telling you otherwise on this thread and forum aren't being negative but are trying to tell you it is highly unlikely. The reason I and the others tell you this is so that you won't waste $6000 going to school thinking you will be driving local when your done. If you are fully prepared to drive over the road and don't mind doing so then great, go for it! Now if you do land a local gig then that would be great! If not, then like I said, you won't mind going otr for some experience until you do get something local. Put yourself in the position of owning a (local) company with trucks and you need to hire someone. Bear in mind, in today's economy a lot of people are looking for jobs. Now you have invested a lot of your hard earned money in a semi and trailer. Your customers are important to you and your load is very valuable. Are you going to hire a driver who has a proven track record, clean drivers license, has a few years of experience, can drive your truck without tearing it up, wearing your tires, grinding your gears etc... Also local driving sometimes requires some backing and driving in very tight places. This guy also has some knowledge of the mechanics of the truck and can do light maintenance or fix small problems in a jam. Now your second option is a driver who just got out of trucking school, has no record, clean mvr, has only backed for a week in trucking school, vaguely knows how to shift (grinding every other gear) can do a pre-trip but doesn't really know how a truck works, basically knows nothing about the truck or trucking.

Who are you going to hire to drive your truck?

Now do you see what I mean, and kind of what the other drivers are talking about? It's not impossible, but is going to be very tough. I think if you are strongly interested in trucking and would like to pursue over the road until you have some experience to drive local then I say go for it. If you are 100% against over the road I would look into doing something else. If you do go over the road make sure that you are fully prepared to be out and away from the old lady for 4-6 weeks at a time. This is pretty much the standard across the board.

Good luck to you! Let us know if you have any questions.

 

I know that FedEx Freight hires apprentice drivers from time-to-time.
Check the website under "careers"....they're always updating the list of where they're hiring.
Texas seems to be a good spot as they have to compete with all the oil-service companies paying top-dollar down there.
They will train you and pay for your CDL + all your endorsements including hazmat and you will start as a city driver making local deliveries at about $18.00/hr plus overtime after 8/40.
Or, you can hire on as a full or part-time dockworker.
Not sure if Conway offers this program or not, you might want to shoot an e-mail to Jakebrake.
3 best LTL's to work for are Conway, FedEx Freight, and UPS Freight.
Foodservice companies like Sysco and US Foods will also hire you if you have a CDL right out of trucking school.
They pay good money too, and you will get the added benefit of a daily workout!

 

That's why I posted it. When I was in school everyone told me that no one hires local drivers right out of school so I shouldn't even bother looking for anything but OTR as a first job. If I had listened to them, then that would have been my reality and would have gone OTR out of school. And then I too would be one of those many people on this forum claiming that going OTR is your only option when you have no experience.

But as I said, I decided not to believe them. So while I was still in school, I found a job in the local paper driving regional 4 days a week, home every day. I applied and was given an offer before I finished school. If I had decided to believe what everyone was telling me about how going OTR was my only option, I would never have bothered applying for that job. The jobs are out there. Not a lot of them, but a few.

 

Hey Gremlin are you not reading the posts? That's what we are saying! ITS NOT IMPOSSIBLE TO GET A LOCAL JOB OUT OF SCHOOL! We are just trying to tell you not to pay $6000 to a school in the hopes of landing a local job! It usually does not happen! Great that you did land a local gig, but if you hadn't you would be crying and whining of how you wasted $6000, 3 months, and you can't handle over the road! This is what happens to most drivers! This is the reason for the high turnover rate!

NOW DO YOU SEE WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT? PLEASE READ THROUGH THE THREAD BEFORE JUMPING IN WITH COSMIC COMMENTS! THANK YOU!

 

I got in with pepsi 4 yrs ago 2 months after I got my licence so you do not have to go otr to get a local gig. I make around 65000 a year and i am home every night

 

Hey chompi are you not reading the name of the person I quoted in my post? I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to someone else.

With all due respect chompi (see, I'm talking to you now), that's not what 'we' are saying, it's what 'you' are saying. And I agree with you. But there are plenty of people on this forum who will often say it IS IMPOSSIBLE to go local right out of school. Maybe they're being inaccurate on purpose because they're just trying to help. Or maybe they just not very bright. Frankly there is no way for you or I or anyone else that reads this forum to know. Those who are reading this forum can only go on what we write. And what those guys write is inaccurate which is to say, it is wrong.

Again, you're being a little too general here. You're right that this is what often happens. But please don't make statements about what would make me cry or whine. Because when you do that, you're only talking out of your butt. You don't know me. You don't know what I would or would not have done. So if you would be so kind, please leave that sort of BS out of your posts when you're talking about me.

I saw what you were talking about all along and I agree with most of it. Now do you see that my post wasn't directed at you? Please take note of that before getting your panties in a bunch and jumping all over me for agreeing with you. Sheesh.