So, here's a question I've asked myself and to other truckers. But before I ask I would like to ask is because most attractive jobs I've seen require at least 6 months of OTR.. Is it really necessary to do OTR or I could still get a better job down the road just by acquiring local-regional experience?? ~Jay from Rhode Island
Actually the experience that you can get running regionally or locally would be better , you would see more inside the city/rural driving conditions , more than likely bump more docks , and you would be able to interact with customers on a more regular basis than OTR. But opinions vary....others will say OTR is harder/more challenging...it's a trade off if you ask me. However some companies only consider you to be an OTR if you operate in a certain number of states though...not exactly sure of that number , BUT , driving is driving , OTR , and regional and local all have their different challenges.
That is very much my opinion in the matter but I dont get why most companies see OTR as the trucker-making-experience-builder...
I don't know myself hand. My guess would be that if you are an OTR driver , you are gone for an extended period , and doing regional or local you are home most every night or at least a couple times a week. Also let's say you live in the southeast...south Georgia , Alabama , Louisiana , Florida , and run only a couple of states. You will very rarely if ever see any snow or icy conditions , so I can see the reasons that companies cite that , to a point. Another example I could see would be running in an area where you really don't see that much big city traffic conditions like those in NYC or LA. But still....in my experience I only did OTR for around 3 years , then took a job delivering fast food for the next 33 years....only running 4 states. I'll tell you one thing , ( and tanker drivers that read this will agree ) try taking a 48' trailer around a McDonald's, going in the exit now, at 07:30 with every Tom , #### & Harry sitting in the drive-through having to be at work at 08:00. Now that's what I call character building.
