Profile For Deb R.

I drove OTR 4 years for a company who's yard was 3 hours from my house. On my home time, I dropped the trailer at a lot a mile from my house, then bobtailed into my own driveway. If my truck needed service, I sat around the yard while it got done. It worked out, I did not know any different.

The benefits of living near a terminal are few. One is you have a guaranteed & truly secure place to park your truck. If your tractor guess into the shop for a few days, you easily get to go home and that doesn't count towards Home Time. That's about it.

Turns out those were actually big things for me! Now I drive OTR for a company that is 6 miles from my house, and I LOVE it. I did not realize how much I worried about that darn trailer until I did not have to anymore. It will not be my (unpaid) job to dig it out of the snow and clear off the roof after a blizzard. No more wasted time sitting around for routine servicing; that used to totally drive me crazy, now I can just go home! If I need to talk to someone in the office, I have the option of doing it face to face, which is sometimes way better than using the phone.

I would not advise terminal location to be a deal breaker in picking a company, but it would tip the scales for me if choosing between two options.

I have been solo OTR for almost 5 years. Most times, women drivers I see are half of a team; when I do see another solo lady, it feels like we are part of a club. I restrict my out-of-truck time after dark, depending on location. I travel with a dog, so that makes me feel safer and the company is nice, but a dog is a fair piece of extra work. I have only seen a “night worker” one time, and no one has ever mistaken me for one, but I am 61 years old, so that may be a factor, ha ha! I just do my job, and gender has not been an issue for me. Occassionally you can play it in your favor though, by asking the office gals where the driver’s bathroom is, and they may say “oh, honey, you don’t want to use that nasty bathroom, come around here and use ours” and believe me, it is always soooo much better!

I just started hauling produce last week, and wondered the same thing about weights being "off". As it was explained to me, using watermelons as an example, the shipper has x number of melons per box, but the melons have varying moisture content, thus never the same weight. So I was instructed to ALWAYS scale.

I've been on here for more than 5 years, just don't post much in the "ladies" section. I just started with a different company last week, so I'm on a learning curve again!

I did a 10 week course at a Technical College, and it was excellent. I preferred being able to apply at different companies once I had the CDL; not being locked into one company gave me more options. I also found a company that had tuition reimbursement.

What does a dispatcher look like? Ha ha, I have had the same one for 4 years and had no idea until someone showed me a FB photo a few weeks ago. It's weird to not actually know the person you have to work with every day, we have never met.

I had a yard driver approach me and say “you must be new, I can see you are way oversteering”, that actaully helped me a lot - just relax, and don’t crank the wheel so hard. I also went to WalMart and got some small orange cones from the sports section, and set them out for visuals. It’s better when you get on your own and don’t have a trainer watching. Take as much time as you need. Rushing always seems to end badly.

I’ve been to the caves in Missouri, lucky me, my load was a drop and hook all set to go in the trailer lot outside. So I dropped my empty, then bobtailed into the caves to see what it’s like in there. Really something, and would likely be anxiety producing if a person were claustrophobic, and no doubt a challenge with a 53’ trailer! No cell service, that’s for sure. Then I got back outside, hooked to my load, and off I went.

Four years with Wolding, only had one time that I was in a spot where they required a TWIC, or pay an escort vehicle $50. Wolding reimbursed me the $50. That was in Philly shipyards.

I live about 2.5 hours from our terminal. When my truck needs service, it drives me crazy to sit around there all day. If I lived closer, I would keep my car there, leave the truck with them, and drive home. Then I could mow the lawn or something like that while they worked on my truck. That is the only time it really is an issue for me, and it does not happen often.

I don't totally trust a spotter; I will GOAL, and say something like "I really appreciate your help, but I just have to get my bearings so I know what I'm doing". It will get easier, really, it will.

There is a Wolding drivers FB page that is sort of a virtual watercooler. We can talk frankly about things, get advice on directions, places to park, quirks of customers, and we can get to know each other. I can honestly say that in 4 years I have never once felt lonely out on the road, and the ability to connect with the other drivers is no doubt part of that.

And of course, they are dog friendly!

I have been with Wolding for almost 4 years. There are quite a few drivers and office personnel who have been with Wolding for decades, and that says something right there. It’s a family company, and has a friendly atmosphere. Hometime is very flexible. I like the variety of freight that I get. They’ve always been willing to switch me between midwest regional and west coast when I’ve asked for a change. They take safety very seriously and equipment is well maintained so we often get the “green light” to pass scales. I have never had an issue with payroll or reimbursement for supplies.

My two cents - home ownership and OTR is not such a great combo if no one else is at the house to take care of things. Whenever you are home, your "break" will be filled with home maintenance projects, and you will never keep up. While you are gone, the mice will move in and think the place belongs to them. If you totally enjoy home projects, it's fine, but they can completely eat up your reset.

Best thing to do for your back is to keep your core muscles strong - i.e. situps for lower back, and get out of the truck, walk around and stretch.

Coffee! The stuff of life! A good cup of coffee is priority for me, therefore, the truck stop stuff = yuck. Also, I am often at a customer or rest area where the only option is to make my own. I have an inverter. I use a small, single serving size drip coffee maker. No pot, it goes directly into my mug. Uses size #2 (the little ones) filter. Put a scoop of good ground coffee in, a cup of water, and my mug gets filled up with awesomeness. Cheaper to use than the Keurig-type and I don't have to get special pods. The used grounds are no big deal, I just throw the little filter with the grounds into my trash bag. It helps to have a napkin handy to catch drips. My coffee maker has a mesh filter that TECHNICALLY means you don't have to use a paper filter, but I tried that once, and dealing with the used grounds was a mess. Use a paper filter! As for water, I always have multiple gallons on board. I am a little phobic about running out of water. I buy gallon jugs, and keep refilling them until the plastic gets brittle, then replace. You can fill up jugs at many rest areas.

I have the same set-up that Turtle does, only with a ratchet strap circling the fridge and the bunk to keep it from moving around. I can hear the compressor getting knocked around as I am driving, always hoping that it's not too much. Had it for 9 months so far, much better than the 12volt mini fridge I had from Loves, this keeps things cool enough when I am out for multiple weeks, and having a freezer is awesome. I have found, however, that as the weather gets warmer, it's pretty darn hot "upstairs" and the fridge has to work harder. I plan to come up with a way to direct the AC vent air onto the back of the fridge.

Regarding locking differentials, G-Town says:

I also use it when dropping a load at any Walmart with a pitched dock ramp (down towards the bay doors). Otherwise when spanning the crest of the "hump", after dropping the trailer, might be spinning your wheels.

Well, that enlightens me about the docks at Menards. I wondered why I could not escape their force field; I engaged the Diff Lock and drove right out of that hole but did not know why it happened.

Also,

Always, always, always turn this "on" or "off" only when completely stopped.

Why?

Load straps and trash. Not too exciting.

I can second Patrick's suggestion to look into H.O.Wolding. They are extremely accommodating about hometime. But, as others have mentioned, of course, if you are at home, you're not making any money.