Extended "home Time" After Being Out Long Periods Of Time?

I'll be attending Roadmasters driving school in May. This site has already been a great help, thank you guys. Most of my questions I have found answers too except this one. Can you stay out 7 weeks then take 7 days off or do most trucking companies cap you on your earned days off?

This depends a lot on your company, DM , work ethic, etc. I routinely take 5-7 days of hometime but I drive team. I believe it's not as common for solo drivers to take a week off unless they're on a special fleet. Anything is possible however, with the right attitude you can work out nearly anything with your DM. When I worked for Swift I knew a driver that would stay out for six months at a time and take a month off.

It was explained to us in orientation at Prime this way. (Which makes sense) As a company driver, the company is paying the note on that nice truck your driving. So the owner of the company doesn't want that truck just sitting. That's why they limit home time to 4 days at a time. But should you need more time off, you can turn the truck in, and when you come back they'll get you a new truck.

Chris, one thing you might take into consideration when deciding on a company to drive for, is that instead of leasing their trucks, some companies own all their equipment outright. Even if they have a standard cap of 4 to 5 days off, owning all their equipment would put them in a more flexible position to accommodate an extended time off request.

Also, if you are a driver who really gets after it, and runs good miles according to company standards, they are much more likely to accommodate you. I also agree with what C.S said. Having a good relationship with your DM always helps in situations such as this.

Most any company will allow any amount of time off, as long as you turn in your truck. However, if they issue you a nice new truck in good mechanical condition, it could be a mistake to turn in your truck, only to come back and be issued a lemon that costs you a lot of down time. In addition, most drivers get their rig set up just like they like it, with satellite radio, CB, externally mounted antenna's, etc., and really hate to switch trucks because of the additional labor involved.

Makes sense from a business stand point to cap. My wife and I will drive team though so maybe that will help. Thank y'all for the responses and stay safe out there.

Chris wrote:

I'll be attending Roadmasters driving school in May. This site has already been a great help, thank you guys. Most of my questions I have found answers too except this one. Can you stay out 7 weeks then take 7 days off or do most trucking companies cap you on your earned days off?

Hey Chris. My take on this is a bit different. The first 9 months to a year of truck driving is going to be very challenging with a large, variable, and steep learning curve. Not only from the standpoint of safe operation, but also conducting yourself professionally and working efficiently. Learning how to hustle without rushing is key to success and learning how to make good money at this. During my first year I was glad to be "out here" for extended periods of time, getting as many "reps" as possible so that it eventually it all became intrinsic to me, hardwired into my brain.

Granted there are driver plans (I think Schneider does this, perhaps others) that have creative on-duty and off-duty schedules like 7/7. Not to be redundant, during the first 9 months, my suggestion is take full advantage of all the available drive time and limit home-time until gaining a solid base of experience and fundamentals.

G Town. Great advice. I head to Swift in Phoenix on April 11th. That is exactly my plan. Im 56, No wife, no kids at home, nothing to keep me from running for weeks on end and absorbing all I can. Brett refers to Trucking as a Lifestyle rather than a job. Only one way to see how the LIFESTYLE fits. Go out and live it.

Tractor Man wrote:

G Town. Great advice. I head to Swift in Phoenix on April 11th. That is exactly my plan. Im 56, No wife, no kids at home, nothing to keep me from running for weeks on end and absorbing all I can. Brett refers to Trucking as a Lifestyle rather than a job. Only one way to see how the LIFESTYLE fits. Go out and live it.

Best of luck to you!

Chris, my wife and I just finished up our team training at Covenant Transport. At Covenant we earn one day of home time for every 6 days out on the road/available for dispatch. We were out on the road for 7 weeks so we have 7 days off. I did inquire about staying out for a few more weeks on our own and adding those earned days off to the 7 we have earned to this point but was told that the company probably would cap the time off at 7 days. We would have still earned time off for every six days out but we would have to take them at another time. As mentioned earlier in this thread, the company has money wrapped up in their equipment, and the company is losing money if their truck is sitting somewhere not moving the freight that earns them money. I was also advised that after proving ourselves (running hard, safe, no lates, etc.) maybe we could have some time off longer than 7 days (without having to turn the truck in and getting a different one when we came back) - but that would be a case by case basis and very subjective in evaluation.