Profile For Thomas E.

Green horn here. I'm 5 months into my driving career. I'm both lucky and unlucky to have landed a local gig. Hear me out, please. I've been a heavy equipment operator for 5 years. I moved states for the same career, and my company was stoked to learn that I got my CDL before I moved. After I showed them I could operate, in our downtime they put me with a trainer for a few weeks. High blood pressure whilst training, but a really great teacher! Fast forward to today, I'm driving a lowboy! -Pulling oversized and 90k-132k permitted loads. It's great! I absolutely love it!! I get my experience, I go home every night, and I'm put in some really dumb situations. (Backing skills are SO necessary!!) Go, new guy, right?! Well, for one, my job title isn't driver, it's operator. So, that's my priority. On rain days or when they send everyone home, I still get to haul, so I'm very grateful for that! However, 5 months in I have maybe 3-4000 miles under my belt. It's going to take me so much longer to get my experience this way! Also, I'm beginning to learn that (after window shopping a couple regional jobs) they require OTR experience. **In my opinion, once I get my miles (30 years later at this rate), driving these loads local is helping me more than cruising down Sesame Street at 63mph and 79,000lbs. I'm constantly in tight spaces, having to back in off roads, playing the block traffic game so I have enough room to make that right turn... I know this experience is helping me more, but heavy haul isn't the only thing I want in my future. Say I'm 5 years in and I find a sweet regional gig... Will I have enough miles under my belt to be considered experienced? Will they even look at me because I never went OTR?

Experience isn't just handling the truck in tight places or going down "seasme street"

A successful experienced driver knows how to properly trip plan, manage their HOS, manage their sleep schedule (flipping from days to nights and back as needed) and get the job done every time safe and on time.

You may learn to drive the wheels off that truck and not hit anything, but did you learn all the other things you need to be a successful regional/OTR driver?

Very good point! These are things I need to know/never thought of. Thanks!

Green horn here. I'm 5 months into my driving career. I'm both lucky and unlucky to have landed a local gig. Hear me out, please. I've been a heavy equipment operator for 5 years. I moved states for the same career, and my company was stoked to learn that I got my CDL before I moved. After I showed them I could operate, in our downtime they put me with a trainer for a few weeks. High blood pressure whilst training, but a really great teacher! Fast forward to today, I'm driving a lowboy! -Pulling oversized and 90k-132k permitted loads. It's great! I absolutely love it!! I get my experience, I go home every night, and I'm put in some really dumb situations. (Backing skills are SO necessary!!) Go, new guy, right?! Well, for one, my job title isn't driver, it's operator. So, that's my priority. On rain days or when they send everyone home, I still get to haul, so I'm very grateful for that! However, 5 months in I have maybe 3-4000 miles under my belt. It's going to take me so much longer to get my experience this way! Also, I'm beginning to learn that (after window shopping a couple regional jobs) they require OTR experience. **In my opinion, once I get my miles (30 years later at this rate), driving these loads local is helping me more than cruising down Sesame Street at 63mph and 79,000lbs. I'm constantly in tight spaces, having to back in off roads, playing the block traffic game so I have enough room to make that right turn... I know this experience is helping me more, but heavy haul isn't the only thing I want in my future. Say I'm 5 years in and I find a sweet regional gig... Will I have enough miles under my belt to be considered experienced? Will they even look at me because I never went OTR?