OTR Truck Driver?

[Come On Christmas]

I have always been a good driver. "Dude, let Tom drive, we will get home."

 

All kidding aside. I used to be a Driving Instructor. F-ing dangerous.

 

I have driven busses for 7 years and can parallel park one and drive backwards through a serpentine course. Had a fellow driver say, "I feel safe when Tom be driving." (Black guy) not that that matters.

 

Anyway. I have a B license. I looked into company paid driver training. One year commitment. Six days on one day oft . Akin to joining the French Foreign Legion for a year. Is there a more realistic route? I could do two weeks on and one week off for instance.

 

Crayfish

[Clay Mosby]

Unless you want to be an owner operator and set your own schedule, what you're looking for is very unlikely. Most company drivers are usually out 3-4 weeks, home 3-4 days.

If you're lucky and can get a dedicated route, usually determined by seniority, you might get a route where you're home every few days for a day or so, or maybe a 5 days on couple days off.

 

I did it for 7 months before a health issue took me out of the cab. It's not a life style for everyone, that's for sure!!

[Boulder Canyon Bob# 32052L]

My neighbor had a driving job for a couple of years, he was gone a week and home a week, he liked it. He didn't need the money, just wanted to be doing something. There are driving schools around and most have good results placing drivers. I looked at driving pretty hard for a while and looked at Schneider for training, but was turned off by the language in their contract. I ended up with a route sales/delivery job for a wholesale sign supply company. I was out 2 days a week.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

Held a class 'A', CDL for over 30+ yrs with a 'full' list of endorsements. OTR is not a good choice with a family back home.

What does your 'B' cover? Manual tranny or auto only, air brakes, any endorsements like passenger, tanker/HAZ-MAT, etc??

LG

[Come On Christmas]

I can drive standard. Don't think Texas has an endorsement for that. I had a P endorsement. They changed the law so you have to take another test and pay $25 thank you very much.

 

I can do the Air Brake dance and prefer them.

 

Think I keep my current Day Care Bus Driving Job. You don't quit a teaching job mid year. Children crave sameness even when they say they don't. I am a 59 year old retired teacher and get a retirement check each month as well.

 

Next academic year because of retirement rules I can drive again for Dallas County Bus and get overpaid due to my TRS good time. I will drive for them mornings and field trips under 20 hours a week.

 

Then drive/be a teacher for Children's Courtyard up to 30 hours a week. Always have weekends oft.

 

Due to the benefit Morass we all will have two 30 hour a weak jobs. Did you like how I dodged YoMama care?

 

I be too old to do the OTR thing. Needed to get talked out of it.

 

Crayfish

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

IF, you took your CDL driving test with an auto tranny then that's all you can use with your CDL.

IF, you took the test with a 'stick', then your good for both.

Get your 'tanker HAZ-MAT' endorsement, and you can deliver LPG or welding gases, water, etc.

LG

[Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life]

My son is a OTR driver/owner. He is gone ALL the time, basically lives in his truck. He hires a relief driver who goes with him. Both are single, so no family tie ups. He is under contract to a nationwide trucking company. He makes really good money, clears 100k+ a year. Just bought a new 2014 Kenworth, paid 140k for it! He can set his own schedule, but wants to stay on the road so in a couple of years he can buy another truck and hire a driver for it too.He says he thinks he can retire in 10 years.

[Come On Christmas]

If only I was 20, eh?

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

If only I was 20, eh?

No one would hire you at 20 as a OTR driver thanks to high insurance costs.

LG

[Wolfgang, SASS #53480]

I have always been a good driver. "Dude, let Tom drive, we will get home."

 

All kidding aside. I used to be a Driving Instructor. F-ing dangerous.

 

I have driven busses for 7 years and can parallel park one and drive backwards through a serpentine course. Had a fellow driver say, "I feel safe when Tom be driving." (Black guy) not that that matters.

 

Anyway. I have a B license. I looked into company paid driver training. One year commitment. Six days on one day oft . Akin to joining the French Foreign Legion for a year. Is there a more realistic route? I could do two weeks on and one week off for instance.

 

Crayfish

 

Retired from my pimary career . . . . ( early thank goodness ) . . . but in need of some income . . . . I looked around at whut wuz available . . . had occasionally driven big trucks . . . . . tried a couple of over the road jobs . . . . not for me . . . .did a couple of local area jobs . . . wuz Ok . but would get tired of working and quit. . .

 

Then I found a gig in Stockton Ca. just agricultural / seasonal hauling. I come up here in early July . . . move in the company's RV area . . . live here for FREE . . . run, run, run, . . . 6 and 7 days a week . . . . . tomatoes . . then grapes . . . .at end of October all DONE . . . everyone goes home. I play wild west for 8 months knowing that I have a job to go to the first week of next July.