Seriously Thinking about training to become OTR long-haul driver

Welcome to the site Eagle! I can't answer your questions from experience because I am a wannabe myself. I can tell you that you've asked good questions. About all I can say in response to your questions is that a lot depends on the carrier you work for, your dispatcher and how long you've been with the carrier, i.e. what's your track record. You'll probably get some answers from veteran drivers soon enough. If not, you might want to ask one question per post. There are a lot of members here, drivers and non-drivers alike, who will help you to make good decisions. Best of luck!

 

In order:

1. You are generally expected to drive 11 hours per day (legal limit) plus 3 hrs per day for other work-related things (fuel, load, unload, etc) for a legal max of 14 hours working followed by 10 hours sleeper berth or off-duty (if you're away from the truck, eg in a motel or at home overnight). After your 10 hr break you start over to a max of 70 hours for the week. Once you hit 70 hours you are required to take a 34 hour break (on the road or at home if circumstances permit) or "reset" and start all over. "Guaranteed home time" in OTR is an advertizing gimmick (read lie) and has little or no basis in reality. Think about it; if your unload is in Cali and your home is in NY and your reload is going to Texas whaddayathink?

2. There are basically no "days off" in OTR other than the 34 hr reset rule. If you want "days off at home" guaranteed every week go local delivery not OTR.

3. Flexibility for new drivers? Not much. You're looking at a good year with no "incidents" before you start to rate and 2 before you can start looking at the better jobs. As to the money, as a newbie you'll be alot nearer $20K than $30K and living on the road is expensive. If you have alot of big bills, forget it.

Honestly, forget about driving school for awhile; you're not ready because you don't have a clear enough understanding of the industry. Hang around here for awhile, ask questions and read. Frankly, your attitude as written here ( least amount of work and max bennies) needs biiig time adjustment or it just won't work. Trucking may very well be not for you. Get as much real info as you can and then think real hard about it. You might be alot happier with a 9-5 job.

 

Just about the only way thats going to work is local or a dedicated run. Both of them usually takes time and experience. Not many companies are going to give a new driver a nice dedicated run. Running OTR does not have any set hours, nothing can be guaranteed. Some days you may drive 5 hours, some days youll drive all you got and looking for more hours! Youll never get 2 days off every week, some weeks you may, some weeks you may get less than 24 hours at home. Then there will be the weeks you wont get home at all. Its tough the first year of trucking. Like Kittyfoot said, if you have big bills trucking may not be for you at this time. Ive known drivers that have gotten 2nd mortgages on their house to help cover their bills for the first year or two.( but I personally think it was a little extreme) I dont look at trucking as a job or a career, IT IS A LIFESTYLE. Everyday when I wake up, I am a truck driver. Even days when I am not in a truck. I have a load that has to be somewhere on monday morning, or I am waiting for a load. Some people think its "cool" to be driving the biggest vehicle on the highway. Anyone can learn to hold the wheel straight or even navigate turns thru cities. It takes special people to live on the road. Wake up in the morning, take 2 or 3 steps, turn the key and go to work. It takes nerves of steel to come down a mountain then realize your brakes are smoking and arent working. To keep pushing thru the snow and ice in the middle of a storm. Trying to out run the twisters as the hail is beating down on your windshield.
I am by no means trying to scare you or change your mind on trucking. Just keep reading this site, talk to professional drivers. It will be a major life change, just not for you, but for your family and friends. Your social life can go to hell too.

I salute all of you that keep America moving.
Keep the rubber side down and the shiny side up

 

Miles are going up, more work is becoming available. So I would say that 30k gross would not be much of an issue. After all costs on the road and everything else involved with trucking it may as well be 22k. Since life on the road is not cheap.
When freight is moving the large carriers will try and run you 3000+ miles per week at like .28 cpm.
So do the math. $30,000 / .28 = 107142 miles
If you can average 55 mph (wich is about the limit you will ever average over time) then it will take you 1948 hours of driving time. Normally with some sitting time you will average about 50 hours of actual driving time max.
So you can use that number also. and come up with basicly 39 weeks needed working just to get that.

I will add. For most OTR company's when freight is moving well those are short miles for the year. They will want you living in that truck. You will only get your 4 days a month off and will be running running running. I would put the average solo at a good 120k miles a year. Which would be 33,600 for the year gross. Plus any add ons, on time delivery money, detention, layover, safety bonus etc.

You will normally get at least 1 raise that first year and get to like .30 or .31 cpm. And year 2 may get you to .34 cpm at starter company's. But with a year exp you may be able to get on with a non starter company for more, or at 2 even more company's are available. Some starting at close to .40 cpm.

 

Great info from Chromedome there,

But keep in mind that althought you can legally drive 11 hrs a day, you can only *work* 70 hours in 8 days, if you're including driving in w/your working time.

It may seem complicated, but this means than you can only average slightly less than nine hours working a day, driving or unloading, if you still want to be able to drive the next day.

Yeah, it's slightly complicated, but over-the-road for more than two weeks at a time, don't expect to work more than 9 hours a day and still be legal. And $30K a year is reasonable to expect at first.

 

life on the road is hard or easy, (you make it). you said you wanted to pull reefers, how does 4 to 6 am deliveries sound to you. Than you have to get used to the bs that the dock forman dishes out, plus the lumpers. If there in a good mood you could get loaded or unloaded maybe 1 to 2 hrs. Can you sleep with all the noise around you. Not only your reefer running, but other drivers driving past, girls of the night knocking on your door asking for a date. AS for getting home, don't count on it. You'll get home when the dispatcher will let you. I drove east coast alot, got home for 2 days after being out 6 weeks. You will have to have a love/hate attitude about being a trucker. Like the other people said , life out here is expensive. If you still want to be a trucker, i would reccomend going to a community college for your training. I hope this helps you decide. Good luck in your endeavor.

 

just do what you can to stay away from the big companies.. I pulled reefer many years and most of the bad things you may here are true there is alot of bs to put up with pulling a refrigerated trailer getting loaded or unloaded once you are out on the road you are good...i very much prefer flat bed or step deck for many reasons...i would say stay away from the big trucking companies for training or employment use a community college or good school for the initial training or a smaller company then once you get your licence the real training begins...I wish you good luck..