Regional/Local/OTR

The reason why it takes more experience to get a local job is because there are guys lined up to take the good local jobs that open up so those companies can have higher hiring standards and still get drivers . Otr is a different story were the companies have a hard time filling their trucks most people do not want to be away from home weeks at a time so there will always be a shortage of otr drivers .

 

Yes and No..There are plenty of good ''local'' jobs in NY.Think about it.Who the hell wants that rat race with a 53' footer for 14 hours a day..

 

I think what shows your inexperience the most is the blanket statement that "OTR is harder". Let's say you tow a reefer, hauling produce all over the place. Back up to a dock, take the bills in, rattle around a bit while they're running the forklift in and out. After a few hours (or many), pull forward, swing the doors closed, and get the new bills. Versus a guy towing a reefer around town, locally, doing food distribution, hand-bombing hundreds of boxes in a day. Really think OTR is still harder? What about a guy who hauls machines. Over the road the biggest hassle is permits, but, once it's on the trailer, chained, etc. you roll. Versus, a guy towing a lowboy locally who, in the hot season, may move 5 different machines in a day, hooking and unhooking the neck (more fun if it's a mechanical!), flipping ramps, loading, dragging chains, on and off, multiple times in a day. Just because it's local doesn't mean it's any easier.

 

You really need to drop some of that attitude man.....look at it this way , would you rather have your by-pass surgery done by a seasoned Dr. with hundreds if not thousands of hours of surgery behind him , or a 1st year surgery resident...they both have the same level of education , the same logic applies to your situation...Experience in some high risk jobs always gets the nod...and you are gonna have to realize that or choose another career path. Ina days time a "local" guy has to do much more complicated driving than an OTR guy...you have enough experience to know that...keep plugging away and once you have the time in and have a really good safety and employment record , those skills will be in demand. You have to crawl before you can run....Its not insane , and once you do have some experience you'll agree with what I say.

 

No disrespect taken.

 

Then again i am not up to snuff on the pay wages these days.I have been O/O for a long time.These days it may be a great wage.

 

I did local for 4 months. Up at 2:30, leave the house at 3, 20 minute drive to work, work from 3:30am to 5pm, drive home, eat supper, relax for an hour and go to bed. It was killing me. OTR is so much easier and more efficient. You're not going to have a life either way, so why bother commuting to work every day, just sleep where you work. On a good OTR day your just crusin' down the highway hummin' a happy little tune.

 

You said a mouthful there.This is the big ''Illusion''..''Truckers are gonna have a life''...This illusion drives truckers into total madness....There is no such BEAST in trucking.Its all based on WORKOHOLISM and CRACK THE WHIP...

 

If one thinks about it, it is stressful on both sides of the fence. I believe it depends upon what is right for the individual truck driver, along with who the individual employer is. Not having been a truck driver, it appears that everything is a trade off, neither side is "ideal".

God bless every American and their families! God bless the U.S.A.!

 

My wife keeps begging me to go local but I just dont want it. The hustle of it all just doesnt sound appealing. Otr is easier, I dont see how you could argue otherwise.