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Topic 3519 | Page 2
Thanks again, OS!! I have a big enough driveway for the tractor, and there's plenty of places I could park the whole thing or just the trailer in the area if I had to. I just wasn't sure what most of the bigger companies policy was on taking the truck home for home time. Even though I'm not going to be starting school until the fall (Oct/Nov) I'm still just trying to get as many of my ducks in a row as I can.
Thank you all again, for the warm welcome and the great advice!
Tarren
I think most OTR company's will let you take the truck home, but ask the recruiters to be sure. I was considering May trucking and they don't let you take the truck home.
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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Tarren, when you get ready for your home-time you will put in a request to your dispatcher something like this, "Good morning, say I haven't seen my lovely bride in about three weeks now, I'm thinking maybe next weekend would be a great time for me to catch up with her since it is our 25th anniversary! - see what you can do for me would ya?" All joking aside, I do try to give my dispatcher a message that will get his attention, even if it's just something comical, and he almost always pulls through for me. Don't be mean or demeaning in your messages to your dispatcher, and don't use the old logic that questions them about how many nights they've slept alone this past month. Their job is different than ours and it doesn't require them to be away from home, so there is no comparison or logic in trying to put the guilt trip on them.
Once you've proven yourself a dependable hard-working driver that is willing to go the extra mile to get things accomplished you shouldn't have any problems getting home when ever you are ready. My dispatcher has even gone against company policy at times to accommodate me when something came up that I needed to get home for. I'm fortunate in that I can park my truck at my house, but even if you can't you can park at a nearby truck stop and have someone come get you.
Being close to a terminal doesn't help you get home. What gets you home is freight that is being delivered in your area. If you live in the "hiring area" of a trucking company, that means they have regular amounts of freight moving in and out of that area.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Dispatcher:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.