Do I Have Any Say In Which Region I Haul?

If you are working for a large company that hauls all over the country do you have any say in where you go (general region)? For example if I wanted to spend spring and summer in the Western states could my dispatcher make that happen and still get me miles? Or do I just go wherever my dispatcher sends me?

Usually when you meet your dispatcher , they'll ask you where you want to run. You can throw in the conversation of hey, I don't mind running out west but would prefer to stay out of there come winter time and they'll generally do their best to accommodate.

if I wanted to spend spring and summer in the Western states

If you get some sort of regional that includes Western States, you'll get there in the spring and summer. Fall and winter, too! There's rarely any seasons in where you go in your truck.

The biggest factors will be where you live and where the company's best freight opportunities are. The company isn't going to run you in a region outside of your home area. Since you live in New York you wouldn't be able to request like a Western Regional run because it's outside your home area. They wouldn't be able to get you home in that division.

Another factor is the solo vs team thing. Most companies that run teams have them do the coast to coast stuff and solo drivers handle the shorter runs. For many companies that means you'll mostly be in the Midwest or on the East Coast most of the time and the teams will run to the West Coast.

So you can request anything you like but whether or not you'll get the opportunity is going to depend on a number of factors.

Welcome Tom. Something else to consider. I have offered this advice before, during your initial 3-6 months your learning curve will be steep and full of challenges unimaginable to the average person. In the beginning establish yourself as a driver who focuses on safety, maximizes available drive time, and delivers their freight on-time. Once you have surpassed the first 3-6 months with a solid performance and safety record, then you can start asking for more desirable runs or dedicated regional routes. Try to realize the driver managers/dispatchers usually favor the drivers getting the job done with the least amount of intervention.

Good luck.

Tom...have you read through the contents of the below links? Considering where you are in the process, I think the information contained in the links will provide a good base of knowledge, help set reasonable expectations and offer a solid training program designed to effectively prepare you to take and pass the CDL Class A permit tests.

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road Training Program

I believe we all could agree that you may be able to somewhat stay in an area. As Brett stated it really depends on the trucking lanes for that company and where they need freight moved to. Depending on the company you select you may be forced dispatched and have no say where the heck they send you.

If you are trying to cherry pick areas of the country that have more mild seasons, I believe that's drivers dream. Your best bet is to find a regional route located in the area you most likely want to be in most of the time. You probably will find you will get the occasional assignment out of that area.

Remember once you finish training you are the professional driver and are expected to drive in all kind of conditions. I have found to my benefit by taking every dispatch I am able to get my fare share of desirable runs. I was able to navigate some of the worst storms of the season with only a few occasions where the the weather was a factor in my productivity. Luckily I am not forced dispatched but that doesn't mean I won't make every effort to make every dispatch work.

My co driver and I were fortunate this season with only two dispatches we were weather condition related shut down for brief periods of time. To our credit we pre planed well enough to avoid the worst of it and were able to make every appointment time that was set.

If you try cherry picking to much you may find yourself going to the places you didn't want to be in the first place.

Thanks for the advice everyone,

I guess I was trying to cherry pick areas with good weather a little, snow doesn't bother me at all as I'm smack dab in the middle of Rochester and Buffalo, and rain doesn't bug me either, but Tornados just scare the hell out of me. I think the odds of actually being in one have to be pretty low but that doesn't make them any better. Have any of you guys ever had run-ins or close calls with them?

Also I get I won't be able to do a Western regional as I live in NY but if I'm solo will I not be able to get out there (West)? While a good paying job, and the ability to save a large portion of my income (no mortgage or rent) are the main things that attract me to OTR , there is defiantly an attraction to getting out of the northeast and seeing the rest of the country (especially the West/Southwest). If I drive solo for a larger company (i.e prime or roehl) will I be limited in loads that get out of the midwest/northeast?

If you drive otr , you will get to any parts of the country that your company hauls freight in. I love in Florida and I've been to almost every state you can drive a truck to.