Comments By Rolling Thunder

Well Dave, he knows you are a grain hauler, so he was pretty sure you were over weight, or you are gonna be speeding. He was probably just waiting for you to start speeding so he could pull you over. You did good, you stayed within the speed limit. Great job man! You averted a disaster.

HA HA! Yep

Driving opportunities like this make me happy I have a husband who is fine with me being gone all the time and a daughter who is grown. It's really a lucky situation to be in.

Everything starts with the first step... Which is the hardest one. For the record, I did not get here by luck alone. I am literally just past two years of experience driving a big rig. My first year got me here.

Here is the key: I know what it takes to drive a big truck on this level of the industry. Have confidence in yourselves and always... Always drive with humility and care.

I drive for Averitt and after reading this I did some checking, Rolling Thunder is right on the money with his info and I was going to "apply" for this till I read the away time, I like truckload for my weekends off so it wasn't for me.

Thanks for the back up James. Stay safe out there.

A production run is for a single show or event. For example, award shows, special appearances etc.

Sorry, but, Averitt has a no pet policy.

I agree. Hireright is the place to go. For a driving record check with your DMV. You can usually get a copy for a small fee. If you will be going to Canada, it is a good idea to pull your FBI wrap sheet. That is what is checked by the border people. You can get one from FBI.gov. It is $18 and takes a couple months to come in.

I have a 97 Wrangler 4.0 with a straight six motor and a 5 speed manual transmission that I bought in 2009. It now has over 170,000 miles on it. The only things I have had to replace are a starter, shocks, tires, front bearings, tie rod, u joints and brakes. That's it except for normal tune ups.

I love it and will not part with it for anything.

Hmm sounds like a ploy to get some driver referrals especially the mandatory 4 months with averit without even a hint if you could even run the gig.

That said I always did want to be on tour. Seen several bands up close and in person at my cousins venue in Texas.

Just my gut is telling me sounds too good to be true. I mean that's my gut reaction.

Recruiters have said flat out lies to hire me on. Now I regret my decision.

I understand your skepticism, but, this is legit.

The ones who read this and sent me a PM can vouch that I, not once, asked them to give my name or driver number if they apply. I am a driver not a recruiter. I put the 4 month line in to let whomever is interested know right off that they will not be hired directly into this division. They, just like the rest of us did, have to prove themselves first.

The only reason I posted this is to help get some quality, willing drivers to become candidates because we (OTL) have had to turn down gigs because we did not have the number of drivers needed. We were all on tour or dedicated to production runs.

This is a cool way to earn money but getting and keeping high caliber drivers is difficult. They either mis understood the length of time out or was unaware that we drive hard from one venue to the next.

I hope this eased your concerns. As you can see I have posted many times here and gave myself a huge head start by utilizing the training materials. I am grateful for this site and am just trying to give back by dropping a little insider information.

Ok. The opportunity to work with OTL is really appealing to me, but I'm thinking I'll still have to go with company sponsored training to afford the CDL training. That means at least 1 year with Prime before my obligation is satisfied. However, it will give me enough time to really get a feel for driving a truck, and hopefully I can make a transfer sometime after that directly into OTL, if they are still looking at that time. So, unless I happen to have some sort of windfall, that's likely going to be the course of action I'll take.

Thank you so very much for being so forthcoming and answering all my questions. I really appreciate it!

Be safe and take care!

I strongly believe the opportunity will still be here. One thing though, no one goes directly into OTL from another company no matter how long they have been driving trucks. The min 4 months of driving with Averitt in another division is so they can "feel" you out and see if you fit.

My experience has taught me that a not so seasoned driver is a better candidate than a 20yr veteran because they haven't developed the wrong bad habits yet. Lol. Do your thing and if you decide take the leap I am sure we will catch you.

Thanks you take care and you be safe too.

Weird. I was on Averitt's site and they said that tattoos must be covered, you have to wear dress pants and will be issued a uniform, and hair must be a naturally occurring color (no green or purple, etc.) Is the appearance requirement only during the orientation/training phase and when you're driving for that side, and I'll be able to look "normal" (well, normal for me anyway) once I'm accepted into OTL?

This is actually important because I'll need to know how to be properly groomed when I'm there.

Don't read too much into that. They apparently haven't updated the site yet. Averitt has dropped many of their higher standards to fill seats. The uniform thing is true. We wear black and the type of clothing is up to you. T-shirts and Polo are the most common. Shorts are perfectly fine.

All other Averitt peeps wear red shirts and gray pants/shorts. I am not a fan of uniforms, except the black. Totally cool with these.

Thank you SO VERY MUCH for the information. I will research licensed CDL schools in my area and see what kinds of information I can gather. This is VERY exciting, and I'm really looking forward to the possibility of being able to tour again, just in a different capacity this time.

Stay safe, and if you have any other pearls of wisdom, please let me know. Also, I might take you up on the offer to PM you with specific questions off forum if I have anything else to ask.

Cool, PM me any time.