Looking To Get Into The Field As A New Driver
Topic 20995 | Page 2
Careful there, Pennsylvania mountain roads are deceptively unkind to unsuspecting truck drivers. Don't let them catch you off guard.
Old School wrote:
Careful there, Pennsylvania mountain roads are deceptively unkind to unsuspecting truck drivers. Don't let them catch you off guard.
I totally agree with Old School. Pennsylvania mountain roads (especially secondary roads) are steep, with tight curves and not always pitched in favor of the truck's center of gravity. Very easy to out pace your sight line because of the curvature. The same thing holds true for North Western New Jersey. Exercise care.
Dean wrote:
Amish country's post is almost identical to the one I was working on, except I "am" interested in OTR. I'm recently divorced and my kids are grown and on their own.
I've been watching numerous YouTube videos and reading the forums here on TT, but now seem more confused than ever. I guess the conflicting stories I'm seeing/reading are the following:
Lack of sleep Lack of proper diet Lack of hygiene Income for newcomer .. just to name a few.
I know "any" job is not for everyone and it seems that most post what they dislike most than what they like,
I appreciate any advice Many Thanks
Dean take a "grain-of-salt" approach when reading anything about trucking on the internet. Much of it is written be people who have failed miserably and have noting else better to do but disparage an industry they are no longer a part of.
That said, we have a primer, a starter kit of sort that can redirect your perspective and establish realistic expectations before you make this decision...
- Truck Driver's Career Guide
- Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
- High Road Training Program
Good luck!
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
Yea I've learned over the years to never underestimate, especially before doing it. I'm sure we all know what happens when you assume...
Thanks for all the info. I hadn't really looked into regional that much but think that's where I'm going to start. Talked to the wife about the options and what it would mean for the family that first 6 months.
At this point im liking schneider but still have a few months before I really get into it. I keep finding myself going toward intermodal and it looks like they have decent setup for it. 6 months of dedicated regional and then switch divisions if I want to.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
Intermodal:
Transporting freight using two or more transportation modes. An example would be freight that is moved by truck from the shipper's dock to the rail yard, then placed on a train to the next rail yard, and finally returned to a truck for delivery to the receiving customer.
In trucking when you hear someone refer to an intermodal job they're normally talking about hauling shipping containers to and from the shipyards and railyards.
I went to DCS. I hired on with Old Dominion as a linehaul driver when I graduated. 3+ years now and no regrets. I'm home every day. Average linehaul with OD is 65-85k a year while being home everyday with a real weekend off at home. If you wanna maximize your time at home and your earnings, it's really tough to beat LTL.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
- FedEx Freight
- Con-way
- YRC Freight
- UPS
- Old Dominion
- Estes
- Yellow-Roadway
- ABF Freight
- R+L Carrier
Linehaul:
Linehaul drivers will normally run loads from terminal to terminal for LTL (Less than Truckload) companies.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) carriers will have Linehaul drivers and P&D drivers. The P&D drivers will deliver loads locally from the terminal and pick up loads returning them to the terminal. Linehaul drivers will then run truckloads from terminal to terminal.
I went to DCS. I hired on with Old Dominion as a linehaul driver when I graduated. 3+ years now and no regrets. I'm home every day. Average linehaul with OD is 65-85k a year while being home everyday with a real weekend off at home. If you wanna maximize your time at home and your earnings, it's really tough to beat LTL.
Thanks 6 string. I hadn't found the local thread yet. I did read through your Line haul thread, great post. Somehow I found that when I had started researching and it introduced me to this site and opened up all the different options that comes with trucking. Also discovered DCS because of your post and your high recommendation. You've really helped me make decisions with your posts and feel more confident with the next steps, so thank you very much.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
- FedEx Freight
- Con-way
- YRC Freight
- UPS
- Old Dominion
- Estes
- Yellow-Roadway
- ABF Freight
- R+L Carrier
Linehaul:
Linehaul drivers will normally run loads from terminal to terminal for LTL (Less than Truckload) companies.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) carriers will have Linehaul drivers and P&D drivers. The P&D drivers will deliver loads locally from the terminal and pick up loads returning them to the terminal. Linehaul drivers will then run truckloads from terminal to terminal.Line Haul:
Linehaul drivers will normally run loads from terminal to terminal for LTL (Less than Truckload) companies.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) carriers will have Linehaul drivers and P&D drivers. The P&D drivers will deliver loads locally from the terminal and pick up loads returning them to the terminal. Linehaul drivers will then run truckloads from terminal to terminal.
Glad my posts helped. Always a blessing to pay it forward
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"Mountains" haha there are a couple around. I grew up in western mass so most of the mountains here are like hills compared those. I know it's a little different in a rig though. Used to ride with my step dad so have a basic idea on what to expect.
I am leaning towards schneider and their dedicated accounts. Anyone have a rough idea on the average home time there? Majority of what ive seen has been good and that their training is short but well done. Carlile OC is about an hour drive.
Thanks for all the info already from everyone!
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated