Local To OTR
Topic 7275 | Page 1
Depends on what company you're applying to. JB Hunt will accept 'tractor trailer' experience, doesn't have to be OTR experience. This has been a relatively recent trend.
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.
I've applied at Prime, US xpress, and a company called Raider Express thus far
BTW Miguel, unless you wanted to go OTR for other reasons, there are other local opportunities where you don't have to break your back. Food service is probably the most demanding local job you could've picked. I don't know your area, so you'll have to check, but you could look into LTL companies for a pickup & delivery job or linehaul job. Even a pickup & delivery gig would be much less strain on your body compared to food service. Some LTL companies to check out would be Old Dominion, Estes, Saia, Conway-Freight, ABF, YRC. You can go on their websites and do a terminal search by zip code to see if there are any terminals in your area. Then, apply at the terminals or give them a call. Linehaul would be like an OTR job with mainly drop and hooks and lots of road driving. But, you'll be paid more, and home more.
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.
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
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.
P & D:
Pickup & Delivery
Local drivers that stay around their area, usually within 100 mile radius of a terminal, picking up and delivering loads.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) carriers for instance will have Linehaul drivers and P&D drivers. The P&D drivers will deliver loads locally from the terminal and pick up loads returning to the terminal. Linehaul drivers will then run truckloads from terminal to terminal.
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.Drop And Hook:
Drop and hook means the driver will drop one trailer and hook to another one.
In order to speed up the pickup and delivery process a driver may be instructed to drop their empty trailer and hook to one that is already loaded, or drop their loaded trailer and hook to one that is already empty. That way the driver will not have to wait for a trailer to be loaded or unloaded.
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Choosing A Trucking Company
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I've been working local at a food distribution company for about 4 months and after a recent "injury" I decided I don't wanna do this anymore and was thinking about going over the road but I keep hearing I might have to go to a school despite already having a cdl. I've also heard that companies don't consider local as any type of experience. I deliver only in Texas and am home every night but unloading a 28 up to 53 foot trailer by hand dolly is pretty back breaking can anyone shed some light maybe advice for my situation? Might I add I did not go to a cdl school to get my license I learned at a past job
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
Over The Road:
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.