Local Driving: New Trends

I heard it more than once, and I completely agree with a view of OTR driving as the best way to get experience. Companies are most flexible with their requirements when they hire OTR drivers, and for the vast majority of local positions applicants need 1-5 years (some say 6 months). And now comes my personal and very recent experience. I have a clean valid class A license, but only 5 months of combined (school, training, and solo driving) experience. After I was fired by my company for an incident at a customer's parking lot I had a choice: look for a regional position at some other company or try to get a local job with my very limited experience. After a few days of research, emailing and calling it became clear that any regional job means another month on the road with a trainer. I did it once, and to tell the truth, didn't like it very much - don't get me wrong, I had a good trainer, it was sharing the cab that I disliked most. So I started applying for local jobs, honestly stating that my experience is less than a year. And to my surprise, most of these companies were ready to schedule a road test for me! Today I passed such a test at one company and was offered a local M-F 10 hr job with benefits, and I have two more appointments this week to decide which company to work for. Probably there is indeed a shortage of drivers, at least in New Hempshire...

Way to land on your feet Andrey! Keep us updated!

I'm a local driver, and you're right, a brand new driver can get a local job with no experience. But there's a hierarchy in local work (not talking about seniority.) I'll bet I can guess what you'll be doing because it's the same few types of local outfits everywhere that will hire drivers with no experience (or brand new drivers with a preventable already)-they're frankly the bottom of the local barrel. Not that that's a horrible thing though, for example, my company requires two years experience, yet I'm the only one at my yard with over the road experience-so all these drivers got their experience with local jobs, then moved on. You're just going to need to be VERY, VERY careful. There's no room for error and you'll probably be doing more city driving and backing in a day than an otr guy will do in a month. And if it's the type of company that doesn't care if you knock off a mirror, then I'd be willing to bet their equipment is barely road legal and now you're dealing with violations. Honestly, most of the new drivers that make it out of these types of local jobs did so more with luck than skill. I wish you luck, and would probably look for a night driving local gig first, if you're determined to go this route.

That's great to hear Andrey. Positive vibes!

I wish you luck, and would probably look for a night driving local gig first, if you're determined to go this route.

Thank you. I am not a night person, otherwise I agree, it makes a lot of sense. And yes, I have no illusions about my entry level options, but that's OK, this is how things work in this life. And in general I am good at climbing up to the top of the barrel :-) It just takes some time...

Bumping this... totally agree. Well written statement andhe78.

I'm a local driver, and you're right, a brand new driver can get a local job with no experience. But there's a hierarchy in local work (not talking about seniority.) I'll bet I can guess what you'll be doing because it's the same few types of local outfits everywhere that will hire drivers with no experience (or brand new drivers with a preventable already)-they're frankly the bottom of the local barrel. Not that that's a horrible thing though, for example, my company requires two years experience, yet I'm the only one at my yard with over the road experience-so all these drivers got their experience with local jobs, then moved on. You're just going to need to be VERY, VERY careful. There's no room for error and you'll probably be doing more city driving and backing in a day than an otr guy will do in a month. And if it's the type of company that doesn't care if you knock off a mirror, then I'd be willing to bet their equipment is barely road legal and now you're dealing with violations. Honestly, most of the new drivers that make it out of these types of local jobs did so more with luck than skill. I wish you luck, and would probably look for a night driving local gig first, if you're determined to go this route.