First Year Drivers
Topic 3018 | Page 1
Is regional or OTR pretty much compulsory for first year drivers, like paying you dues?
It is possible to get local or dedicated routes if that is what you are interested in. Sometimes it takes a little more effort and digging to find those positions. There is no harm in trying and applying. If you get turned down there will always be OTR positions available. It is most common to go OTR though.
Dedicated Route:
A driver or carrier who transports cargo between regular, prescribed routes. Normally it means a driver will be dedicated to working for one particular customer like Walmart or Home Depot and they will only haul freight for that customer. You'll often hear drivers say something like, "I'm on the Walmart dedicated account."
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.
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.
Is regional or OTR pretty much compulsory for first year drivers, like paying you dues?
Hey BuckB...I am looking to go into driving myself at age 57, after being in business positions for over 30 years, getting let go from my last company for being too old and expensive. Nevertheless, I have questions similar to yours and this site and the people on it are a Godsend. It is the most helpful site I have found during my research. Anyway, ThinksTooMuch replied to my first question on Feb.27 as follows, hope it helps:
"Our area (Alletown, PA) has A LOT of driving jobs. You could get something local/regional straight away. You could get something OTR straight away. All types of freight, anything you can think of."
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.
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.
One thing to be careful of going straight to local right out of school is if they ever elimanate that position and you cant find another local job you will have to take a refresher course to get back to driving.
Why would they need a refresher course if they have local driving experience? I'm not trying to argue I think I'm just confused. Thanks.
One thing to be careful of going straight to local right out of school is if they ever elimanate that position and you cant find another local job you will have to take a refresher course to get back to driving.
I think it may depend on what "local" driving job you have. I currently drive local but I am in the NYC Metro area, so I drive PA, NJ, NY, CT, MA, MD, DE. So I drive interstate still. I keep logs just like an OTR driver and I work for U.S. Xpress a company that has OTR drivers. Not sure if my experience would be differentiated from a US Xpress OTR driver if someone did an employment verification on me.
If you are in Texas and drive only within Texas... maybe a different story.
Not sure though.
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.
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
I think it may depend on what "local" driving job you have. I currently drive local but I am in the NYC Metro area, so I drive PA, NJ, NY, CT, MA, MD, DE. So I drive interstate still. I keep logs just like an OTR driver and I work for U.S. Xpress a company that has OTR drivers. Not sure if my experience would be differentiated from a US Xpress OTR driver if someone did an employment verification on me.
If you are in Texas and drive only within Texas... maybe a different story.
Not sure though.
That is more of a regional position than local. Local means you stay with in 4 -5 hour radius. Correct me if I am wrong. There are local jobs for new drivers. Just be careful on where you choose to work.
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.
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.
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
Farthest trip I take is a 5 hour drive one way (250 miles). I get home every night so it is local. Only reason I go into multiple States is because NYC Metro Area is made up of small States.
I will say that what I do now is different than OTR. I think I had an easier job OTR lol.
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.
Why would they need a refresher course if they have local driving experience? I'm not trying to argue I think I'm just confused. Thanks.
There's this very odd stipulation that most OTR companies have when it comes to driving experience. A lot of companies only consider class A interstate driving as OTR experience. If you stay within your home state, that is not considered OTR experience by a lot of companies.
So if you come out of school and happen to land a job right off the bat where you stay within your state, even if it's a class A rig, a lot of companies will not count that as experience toward your pay grade. Many companies will require you to take some sort of a refresher course, and most companies would require you to go on the road with a trainer for at least a short time.
So we always recommend getting a job straight out of school that at least has you leave your home state. Honestly, people coming straight out of school rarely have any options anyhow. You normally need some OTR driving experience to get jobs that keep you close to home anyhow so it's often times not a concern.
But that strange way of deciding what counts as driving experience is something to be aware of.
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.
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
You can get a local job just after getting you license but it's hard to do and isn't guaranteed. If that's what you're looking for then go for it! Just apply to every and all ad's you see posted. Be prepared though that most local jobs involve delivering product so there will definitely be some grunt work involved. So normal procedure would be to go OTR first but not always. I myself am one of the exceptions because I got a local job fresh from school. I'm home most nights and every weekend. But it's certainly not typical. Good Luck
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.
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Is regional or OTR pretty much compulsory for first year drivers, like paying you dues?
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.
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.