OTR, Regional, Dedicated, Local, Linehaul

When I drive I like to be in silence and just think. Lately I was thinking what does the future hold for me and what would I like to do later on. I am set on doing a year of OTR before I consider anything but was wondering what it is like to do other types of driving.

I have a general idea of each, but was wondering why some people choose to do some type of driving over another. I honestly see myself becoming a road dog and not really going home, however things do change.

Anyways why do you guys run what you run? Whether it be otr, regional , dedicated, local, or linehaul? Why does it work for you? And for you guys that dont do otr what was it about otr you didn't like, besides the obvious reasons?

Devan, we have already met & chatted. Here I'll list the three assignments I've had & my impressions.

OTR : The Big Daddy job/most common/the one you probably get after you finish school. Good: see the country. Long drives by yourself Bad: Long time away from home, if you maintain a home/family. Living with recaps and/or 34 hour breaks.

Shuttle: Mostly delivering trailers from one location to another, on a daily basis. Good: Regular hours. Good miles. Same route every time. Home every day. Often a 4 drive/2 off schedule. Sometimes you get a "cancellation pay" if your load is canceled and you are sent home that day. Bad: Really long days, up to 12 hours of work. Same ol Same ol each and every day (boring for me!)

Dedicated: (Your company contracts with another company to move goods for them - you become the trucking division of that other company. I drive for Swift, but move freight for Georgia Pacific.) Often, but not always, a region of the USA (I'm in Southeast US). Good: Different destinations, but many times it's all part of a smaller group. I have a decent knowledge of roads and traffic in my area, and where the good truck stops & parking is. I am familiar with many warehouse rules & procedures for my area. In this account, per the contractor (GP), drivers go home every weekend for a 34 hour (or more) break, so each week we are not limited to the 70 hour rule. We get paid a bit more per mile, but don't get the other payments like detention and mileage bonuses. Bad: Often limited to a region. You don't get a variety of loads, mostly the same batch of things.

Devan, we have already met & chatted. Here I'll list the three assignments I've had & my impressions.

OTR : The Big Daddy job/most common/the one you probably get after you finish school. Good: see the country. Long drives by yourself Bad: Long time away from home, if you maintain a home/family. Living with recaps and/or 34 hour breaks.

Shuttle: Mostly delivering trailers from one location to another, on a daily basis. Good: Regular hours. Good miles. Same route every time. Home every day. Often a 4 drive/2 off schedule. Sometimes you get a "cancellation pay" if your load is canceled and you are sent home that day. Bad: Really long days, up to 12 hours of work. Same ol Same ol each and every day (boring for me!)

Dedicated: (Your company contracts with another company to move goods for them - you become the trucking division of that other company. I drive for Swift, but move freight for Georgia Pacific.) Often, but not always, a region of the USA (I'm in Southeast US). Good: Different destinations, but many times it's all part of a smaller group. I have a decent knowledge of roads and traffic in my area, and where the good truck stops & parking is. I am familiar with many warehouse rules & procedures for my area. In this account, per the contractor (GP), drivers go home every weekend for a 34 hour (or more) break, so each week we are not limited to the 70 hour rule. We get paid a bit more per mile, but don't get the other payments like detention and mileage bonuses. Bad: Often limited to a region. You don't get a variety of loads, mostly the same batch of things.

Thanks Errol. Would you say you get consistent miles with dedicated? Regional and shuttle sound appealing to me right now, but then again I don't like albquerque so I wouldn't want to to shuttle out of there.

The miles come from your DM. Like you, I did OTR right out of the chute, so I had those days "learning" the business, waiting for next loads. But the story goes, you know, that if you're good, your DM will keep you driving.

On a shuttle, What you are assigned are what you get, day in, day out. I had a run from Memphis to St Louis, 256 miles each way. 512 miles a day, 36CPM, ain't bad.

One "bad" thing about shuttle I forgot to list: it's slip seating. You get to the terminal , another driver will get in your truck for the second shift of the day.

Linehaul is typically a term used for LTL (less-than-truckload), as opposed to truckload. The shuttle runs Errol speaks of are basically like linehaul.

I was hired as a linehaul driver for an LTL company right out of trucking school. When I started researching trucking, I knew linehaul was what I wanted to do. What appealed to me the most was the scheduled runs, the routine of going to the same places, not dealing with shippers / receivers, the camaraderie of linehaul drivers (we're always talking to each other at terminals or on the headset / cb), the familiarity of the same people that you work with - whether that be a terminal dispatcher , planner, or fellow drivers, the practice of sleeping in hotels instead of a sleeper cab (if you're an overnight linehaul driver), the weekly (if not daily) hometime, and the big one - the pay.

I was fortunate enough, due to my location, that I didn't have to go OTR first in order to have any required experience. I was going to go with Crete if I needed to go OTR. Prime was also a top choice. Thankfully, I didn't have to go OTR. Every now and then I think about how I missed out on experiences of being OTR, but honestly, my time for 'experiences' has long passed since I got married and started a family. I traveled and had many experiences when I was a young man before I met my wife. My first and foremost priority in finding a trucking job was to maximize my hometime and my earning potential. It's tough to beat linehaul for those two prerequisites.

Some speak of OTR as a lifestyle and an adventure, and that's true. Being a linehaul driver demands a certain discipline which also can be looked at as a lifestyle. Depending on whatever scheduled run I bid on, I can work from 9-12 hours per shift. Currently I'm on a run that's a double-turn and takes me about 10.5 hours to complete - when it's running smoothly. I come home every night. I work Tues-Sat. I get 488 miles per day. I go to the same meet points, meet the same meet drivers, and drive the same roads. I know every pothole, curve, and how long it takes me to get to certain points along my route - down to the minute. Personally, I love the monotony. I love the steady paychecks. Boring is good.

Linehaul for me is a job, and one that I love. I really enjoy pulling doubles in my day cab.

Linehaul is typically a term used for LTL (less-than-truckload), as opposed to truckload. The shuttle runs Errol speaks of are basically like linehaul.

I was hired as a linehaul driver for an LTL company right out of trucking school. When I started researching trucking, I knew linehaul was what I wanted to do. What appealed to me the most was the scheduled runs, the routine of going to the same places, not dealing with shippers / receivers, the camaraderie of linehaul drivers (we're always talking to each other at terminals or on the headset / cb), the familiarity of the same people that you work with - whether that be a terminal dispatcher , planner, or fellow drivers, the practice of sleeping in hotels instead of a sleeper cab (if you're an overnight linehaul driver), the weekly (if not daily) hometime, and the big one - the pay.

I was fortunate enough, due to my location, that I didn't have to go OTR first in order to have any required experience. I was going to go with Crete if I needed to go OTR. Prime was also a top choice. Thankfully, I didn't have to go OTR. Every now and then I think about how I missed out on experiences of being OTR, but honestly, my time for 'experiences' has long passed since I got married and started a family. I traveled and had many experiences when I was a young man before I met my wife. My first and foremost priority in finding a trucking job was to maximize my hometime and my earning potential. It's tough to beat linehaul for those two prerequisites.

Some speak of OTR as a lifestyle and an adventure, and that's true. Being a linehaul driver demands a certain discipline which also can be looked at as a lifestyle. Depending on whatever scheduled run I bid on, I can work from 9-12 hours per shift. Currently I'm on a run that's a double-turn and takes me about 10.5 hours to complete - when it's running smoothly. I come home every night. I work Tues-Sat. I get 488 miles per day. I go to the same meet points, meet the same meet drivers, and drive the same roads. I know every pothole, curve, and how long it takes me to get to certain points along my route - down to the minute. Personally, I love the monotony. I love the steady paychecks. Boring is good.

Linehaul for me is a job, and one that I love. I really enjoy pulling doubles in my day cab.

Thanks for the input 6 string. Linehaul may be something I want to do in the future, but at the same time it's nice having less bills as a homeless trucker.

The awesome part though is all the opportunity within this industry and I can experiment with it all. Also giving me a chance to live wherever I want to.

Also how are doubles in wind? I get scared in certain situations and guys pulling doubles fly right by haha.

Doubles are actually not that bad, and in some cases easier. With doubles, you have an opening for the wind to rush through in between your trailers, rather than just one big 53' kite. But it all depends on how you're loaded. A set of empties will definitely move around on you, especially an empty tail trailer. It can swing.

Devan this is a really good set of questions. I chose Swift's Walmart Dedicated Account for several reasons:

A- The pay is very, very consistent. The smallest check I ever received (during my first year) was $650 gross (before taxes). Last year the smallest was $800 due to a mini-vacation. The key to making good money is getting in and out of the stores quickly and efficiently; knowing the territory and the routes, and making it back to the DC for the 10 hour break to start with a stopped clock the next day. It required about 6 months before I was completely comfortable and proficient on the account. Now I can knock out a 5 stop 400 mile run in less than 12 hours.

B- The freight is consistent. There is never a slow period; busy, very busy, and crushed. I have never sat because there was nothing running.

C- Never more than 3 hours from home. I have an aging mother and other responsibilities that require me to be closer to home than an OTR job would allow.

D- Family oriented. Yes, believe it or not the DC is like a second home, a truck driver's dorm complete with full sized kitchen with lots of refrigeration/storage, two outdoor grills, a living room with comfortable seating large flat screen TV, full shower area, DM and planners office, and access to the Walmart cafeteria in the DC. I park my car right behind the truck. I see my DMs and planners worst case, every other day, so they know me. Makes it far easier to build and maintain a solid professional relationship.

E- Never need to worry about parking. If I do not make it back to the DC, I can park overnight at most Walmart's, no questions asked. Although I always let the store manager know, I have never been refused. This is also true for the 30 minute break. Very convenient and makes clock management much easier.

F- I love the job. Enough variety to keep it interesting and challenging. It's arguably one of the more stable trucking jobs I have seen. Over time you build a rapport with the stores and this really helps to expedite the unloading process. If I want some adventure I can request a temporary transfer to one of the other Walmart DCs that Swift has a dedicated contract with (like wintering in Florida). I have run out of the Johnstown NY DC many times. I-87 is one of my favorite roads.

G- They do play favorites, and why not? We have said this repeatedly here; this job is highly competitive and performance oriented. Takes about 6 months, but solid performers are noticed and rewarded. Many times the planners ask me what I am looking for before committing me to a pre-plan or give me options. In return I constantly help them out of jams,...that's how it works. Give and take.

H- Upside potential. For all of you Swift bashers out there, this is for you. In the 3 years I have been there, Walmart has hired many Swift drivers from my assigned DC to work for their Private Fleet. If you perform safely and efficiently for 3 consecutive years on the WM Dedicated Account, no guarantees, but there is a far greater potential for consideration than the standard applicant. Very easy to slide right in because although the territory of the job is different (greater), procedurally and operationally it's virtually identical.

Hopefully adding something useful to the excellent replies you've already gotten, I recently took a regional job after driving OTR for a year and a half. I go to a lot of the same shippers and receivers, but I don't always know where I'm going before I get empty with the current load. I generally get home every weekend. Sometimes I run sort of OTR beyond the usual four-state region, but I am asked if I'm willing to do that before they send the load. At some point I might look for a local gig, but not right now. I love my current job.

Devan this is a really good set of questions. I chose Swift's Walmart Dedicated Account for several reasons:

A- The pay is very, very consistent. The smallest check I ever received (during my first year) was $650 gross (before taxes). Last year the smallest was $800 due to a mini-vacation. The key to making good money is getting in and out of the stores quickly and efficiently; knowing the territory and the routes, and making it back to the DC for the 10 hour break to start with a stopped clock the next day. It required about 6 months before I was completely comfortable and proficient on the account. Now I can knock out a 5 stop 400 mile run in less than 12 hours.

B- The freight is consistent. There is never a slow period; busy, very busy, and crushed. I have never sat because there was nothing running.

C- Never more than 3 hours from home. I have an aging mother and other responsibilities that require me to be closer to home than an OTR job would allow.

D- Family oriented. Yes, believe it or not the DC is like a second home, a truck driver's dorm complete with full sized kitchen with lots of refrigeration/storage, two outdoor grills, a living room with comfortable seating large flat screen TV, full shower area, DM and planners office, and access to the Walmart cafeteria in the DC. I park my car right behind the truck. I see my DMs and planners worst case, every other day, so they know me. Makes it far easier to build and maintain a solid professional relationship.

E- Never need to worry about parking. If I do not make it back to the DC, I can park overnight at most Walmart's, no questions asked. Although I always let the store manager know, I have never been refused. This is also true for the 30 minute break. Very convenient and makes clock management much easier.

F- I love the job. Enough variety to keep it interesting and challenging. It's arguably one of the more stable trucking jobs I have seen. Over time you build a rapport with the stores and this really helps to expedite the unloading process. If I want some adventure I can request a temporary transfer to one of the other Walmart DCs that Swift has a dedicated contract with (like wintering in Florida). I have run out of the Johnstown NY DC many times. I-87 is one of my favorite roads.

G- They do play favorites, and why not? We have said this repeatedly here; this job is highly competitive and performance oriented. Takes about 6 months, but solid performers are noticed and rewarded. Many times the planners ask me what I am looking for before committing me to a pre-plan or give me options. In return I constantly help them out of jams,...that's how it works. Give and take.

H- Upside potential. For all of you Swift bashers out there, this is for you. In the 3 years I have been there, Walmart has hired many Swift drivers from my assigned DC to work for their Private Fleet. If you perform safely and efficiently for 3 consecutive years on the WM Dedicated Account, no guarantees, but there is a far greater potential for consideration than the standard applicant. Very easy to slide right in because although the territory of the job is different (greater), procedurally and operationally it's virtually identical.

Thanks for the well put out answer g town. I know it is early in my career but sometimes I wonder what would work best for me. I guess that answer will come eventually because I don't even know where I want to live haha. One thing for sure it will be outside of New Mexico.