Yes, I know I'm spoiled. But I have a question about longer home-times.

yes, i totally understand that about the money and pay schedule. right now i'm just looking at several options. you are 100% correct that if you're not running you're not earning, but i am trying to decide how much less i'm willing to earn in order to have those days off. whereas to some people having weekends off is very important, to me it's not even something i want. i would like 21 days on and 7-10 days off even better, and that would give me more earning potential than the 14/7 schedule.

 

Another down fall about having any amount of time off longer than 3-4 days is that you will end up in a slip seat situation. You won't be assigned a permanent truck. Every time you take time off you will have to turn in your truck. Personally this is a big deal to me. I hate ending up with someone else's mess! Plus you never know what truck you will have to drive next! On top of this it takes hours to get all your stuff set up in your truck and is a pain in the ### taking it all out!

Just curious why you wouldn't just get a regular job and be home every night? You will make more money and get to sleep in your bed. These companies that you see offering 7/7, 7/14 etc.. is just a scam to get you into orientation. They know that you newbies don't know any better and that it sounds like a great schedule! Ever hear the phrase "to good to be true"?

 

If your OK with living off of $1200 a month and would like one week off each month.
This would be an ideal situation.
The typical scenerio is 4 to 5 weeks out, 3 to 4 days hometime, rinse and repeat.
The longer you can stay out the better chance to keep running.
Part-timers will get all the short runs to crappy areas.

 

Keyster....exactly! These offers by the mega-carriers are just ploys to get you in the door! Newbies don't know any better and once they find out what the real deal they are either forced to run 6-8 weeks to pay off their school loan or quit. When you mention to your DM about the 7/7 deal or 7/14 deal they have absolutely no clue what you are talking about!

 

A Roehl recruiter called me today. She wouldn't shut up about the homefleet options. I had to politely tell her a couple of times that I was only interested in nnational otr. Lol once she understood...I guess they get a lot of calls about the homefleet stuff...she gave me all the info and told me as long as everything checks out I should have a prehire by Monday.

I was almost shocked about how much she kept going on about the 7/7 and 7/3-7/4 options...lol...almost makes you think that's all they are hiring for.

Sent from SAMSUNG GALAXY SIII On the Sprint Network

 

4-5 wks out !!!!!!! never have I had to stay out more than 2wks in all my yrs driving. typical was ,home on weekends or 10 out 4 off and that was running Reno,NV from NC.
but , the mega companies do keep you out.

 

She's conditioned to sell applicants on the program, because that's all she does all day long.
Recruiting in the trucking industry is a constant, almost assembly line work activity.

 

i know about slip seat, and i don't think i would mind too much. yes, i agree a designated truck would be better, but i think i could deal with slip seating.

being home every night and sleeping in my own bed isn't a perk i care about. i'm used to being out for 10 to 20 days, sometimes more. i just don't want to go back out so quickly, that's all.

we've had recruiters visit our class and they all have different stories to tell. one this morning told us .30 cents a mile to start, a penny a year raise, and work 7 days, home one. then this afternoon another told us .40 cents a mile to start, (i forgot the scale for raises), home every weekend guaranteed. higher cpm because it's flatbed. home every weekend means sometime friday evening home, leave sometime sunday afternoon or night. that doesn't really sound like a weekend off to me.

now, i understand the reason for leaving sunday night -- so you can deliver monday 7am when the appointment is set. the truck driver's week starts before eveybody elses. of course the plus is by monday at 10am you've already made one run, and are ready to take your next load... making you more money.

the point is that there are different kinds of driving. everybody has to decide what's best for them. one person may love flatbed operations, while another may perfer reefer or van. i'll have to decide if the 14/7 schedule works for me -- if the advantages are worth the disadvantages.

another totally opposite thing i'm looking into is working for an LTL carrier that slip seats and drives daycabs OTR. of course i have no idea yet if they would even talk to me, but they do hire from my school, so there is a chance. of course i'd never be able to have that 14/7 schedule with them, but maybe the chance to work for them would be worth giving up on my schedule wants.

i'm still far too unexperienced to think i have all the answers. i'm just trying to ask the right questions.

 

when ever i have driven anything a car boat or truck that isnt dedicated to just my responsibility
it is a POS last driver just passes it on is my only thought on slip seating
drop and hook trailers are the same problem. I love not sitting and waiting
but I wonder why trailer i pick up has one flat and 2 tailights out

 

I work for roehl and did 14/7 out of Jacksonville FL. To me the pay fluctuated too much. The slip seating gets to you after a while also. I live outside of Orlando 2 1/2 hrs from Jacksonville. I didn't care about the drive BC when I came home I had 7 days off. It was nice at first and having my daughter the time I got to spend with her was great. But then the other 2 drivers were lazy and slobs. Trucks were higher mileage. Spent a lot in maintenance BC last driver would make notes of what needed fixed instead of doing it himself while out. You do a hometime fleet your out of the closest drop yard you don't take it home. So I went national and got my own truck. You can do 11/3, 14/4, or 21/5. Or stay out and accumulate days all the while taking the truck home that u only drive home. If you don't need your sole income to provide then yes do the hometime fleet, if not then say out 18/4 or 21/5 and still make a decent living starting out. For van its .30 after 90 days .32 and 6 months .33 and a year up to .3 com. Training is really good and support is great. People have gripes about any company and a lot are the same but I don't regret roehl at all and contimplating moving on from them to go to a different carrier BC I don't want or think it to be better or worse. Roehl has a good company thread, read and search then ask questions if it hasn't been covered. Good luck.