Truths And Myths Of OTR

Curious to hear from drivers of what it's really like driving OTR and what are some things people think happen but rarely if ever do.

Example..... How much time do you typically spend driving a day?

How much time is spent on the highway and how much spent on country back roads through small towns.

Really just looking to read anything you are willing to add and talk about. Considering OTR but not sold its right for me.

Tyler, OTR life is spread throughout the forum. Do a quick search of "OTR" and read many different stories and impressions of OTR life.

Yes, current members will chip in here also.

OTR LIFE I love it

Of course, I love too drive, and I enjoy being by myself. Now I like talking to my wife and family I have spent hours on the phone and my home time after 3-4 weeks on the road is filled with goofin off and honey do's.

I tend to stay on the freeway and main routes. Most larger companies, 40+ trucks, prefer you use their suggested routes and fuel stops. I haven't wanted to get too adventuresome on the back roads,

pullin a 53 footer on a sleeper is no small thing and I've seen pictures and have actually had to rescue/recover a few drivers who wandered too far off the grid and got high centered on R.R. Tracks or dropped an axle or too into a culvert attempting turns on tiny roads. I used to operate 50 ton wreckers.

So it's the larger more traveled routes for me.

If u want numbers I'd have to say 95% of my routes are highways and major roads.

Now some of my delivery points have been nestled in the back of places quite far off the beaten path however.

We have two tags for conversations here in the forum that you'll like:

The Truck Driving Lifestyle

Life On The Road

There's a lot of interesting stuff there.

I also wrote a book about life in the trucking industry which has a ton of stories and descriptions of life on the road.

what it's really like driving OTR and what are some things people think happen but rarely if ever do.

The one thing that really surprised me about the OTR lifestyle was the amount of time you'll spend alone in your truck. I mean, it's like 21 hours a day you're in that truck by yourself. You'll definitely want something to surf the Web and some good reading materials.

The one thing that rarely happens but everyone used to ask about was, "Do you look down on cars and see a lot of crazy things like people naked or having sex or whatever?"

In a word, no. Almost never. Lots of texting, putting on makeup, singing out loud, and eating. That's mostly it.

Tyler, OTR life is spread throughout the forum. Do a quick search of "OTR" and read many different stories and impressions of OTR life.

Yes, current members will chip in here also.

I get that and have read a good bit but was just curious to hear more.

I am currently in private school and let's say 95-98% of the time I have been driving has been ALL back roads through tiny towns with tight streets and turns and the fun roundabouts. Very rare have I seen a highway and if I did it was on and right off to the next small town.

Example. Went to a city near us which normally takes 1 hour to get to on the highway max. It took me 4 hours to get to it as we did the entire route on back roads winding through towns and up and down hills.

It truly was exhausting and once I got the trip over I just wanted a break. This in itself has turned me away from driving truck as I thought to myself if this is what it is like driving for 10 hours a day I don't think I can do it. Occasional towns ok but the day was miserable.

I knew driving wouldn't be easy and it has proven not to be as 2/3 of our class has quit but I'm still going. I'm getting better at shifting and may miss a gear once or twice a day now compared to multiple when I started. Backing...... To me it's easy. Dock backing, parallel and jackknife backing I have nailed pretty good with just an occasions pull up needed.

But again I worry these small towns and instructor yelling have turned me off and have now lead me to pursue only class b jobs.

I just wanted to hear more stories this why I started this thread

And please don't blast me or claim in no way should I consider driving or I'm the type of person who shouldn't be a driver. Again I didn't mind it persay but spending 4 hours dealing with nothing but small towns honestly wore me out mentally. Yes I know as a driver you must deal with this. I just hope it's only on occasions. These guys who do this all day in small towns my hats off to them. That takes a special breed of driver with extreme patience.

I get it I need to learn it and glad I went through it as you experience different scenarios and different types of turns you must make. But damn I was happy to get out of the truck and take a break after 4 hours of it

And please don't blast me or claim in no way should I consider driving or I'm the type of person who shouldn't be a driver. Again I didn't mind it persay but spending 4 hours dealing with nothing but small towns honestly wore me out mentally. Yes I know as a driver you must deal with this. I just hope it's only on occasions. These guys who do this all day in small towns my hats off to them. That takes a special breed of driver with extreme patience.

I get it I need to learn it and glad I went through it as you experience different scenarios and different types of turns you must make. But damn I was happy to get out of the truck and take a break after 4 hours of it

The school might be putting you in those situations because thats the hardest part of driving. Its inevitable that you are going to have to take some back roads sometimes but id say that probably 85 to 90 percent of my driving is all highway. Now that being said there have been times where i spent 4 or 5 hours on state or county roads to get to a shipper or reciever. And there have been times where i was really thankful that my school put me in those situations because when your out on your own you already know how to handle those kinds of roads.

Hey Tyler, what you are experiencing happens to everyone when they first start driving a big rig. "Little Syster," one of our new rookies in here, just recently was saying how this very thing (the total exhaustion after driving) caught her by surprise. It is hard to understand just how mentally taxing it is when you first start driving one of these Big Rigs. There is so much to coordinate, and to be on the lookout for. I mean, think about it, you are maneuvering a vehicle that is longer than many people's houses.

The school you are at is doing you a big favor in taking you on those routes. They definitely have a purpose in mind - there is a method to their madness. I remember my trainer telling me that he could teach a monkey to drive a big truck down the highway! What he was trying to say is that the interstates are easy to do, it is all that other stuff is where you can easily get yourself in trouble.

I probably spend 98% of my over the road career on the Interstates, but when I pull into places like Hamden, CT (which I do very often on my dedicated account) I am on high alert. This town was built in the late 1600's, and it's streets are still set up for the horse and buggy days. It is a nightmare trying to get to my receiver in this little place. I can't tell you how many times people have shot the finger at me out of their car windows! I have got to take up all my space on the road and theirs just to get in and out of there safely. They want their goods delivered, but they do not appreciate what it takes to get them in there.

I think the school is trying to help you get the feel for all the multitasking that a truck driver does on a daily basis. By driving on those routes you are having to do a lot of shifting, both up and down, and you are having to pay a lot of attention to turns and learn how that trailer "off tracks." Basically you are having to coordinate a lot of things at once, and that is what we do. It sounds to me like you are getting some good training.

This in itself has turned me away from driving truck as I thought to myself if this is what it is like driving for 10 hours a day I don't think I can do it.

But again I worry these small towns and instructor yelling have turned me off and have now lead me to pursue only class b jobs.

Tyler, don't be so quick to give up your hopes or dreams of being an over the road driver - you will get accustomed to the stress of it. This stuff definitely gets easier as you progress and develop your skills.

If you don't like what you are experiencing now with all the back roads and town driving, then you will definitely not enjoy a class B job - that is what they are usually comprised of. You need to go for your class A license, and pursue at least one year of over the road. Trust me, you will get to where you find it almost relaxing. What you are going through right now is very typical for any new driver, we've all been there, and we all got through it - you will too! Hang in there, the best is yet to come.

Tyler Durden from Rainbow, Florida, make it a part of your Life Plan to continue hanging out at these Trucking Truth Forums. Good thinker, good writer, always has something meaningful to say.

Tyler, OTR life is spread throughout the forum. Do a quick search of "OTR" and read many different stories and impressions of OTR life.

Yes, current members will chip in here also.

Tyler asked:

I just wanted to hear more stories this why I started this thread

Tyler I drive about 75% on Interstate and State highways, 25% on secondary/back-roads assigned to a dedicated grocery account. Like many of the folks that responded to this, I love to drive and "heck-yeah" I love trucks. One of the benefits of being on a dedicated account is that my day is broken up with 3-5 Walmart store stops per day and a vendor backhaul 1-2 times per week. It's rare that I drive for more than 3-4 hours without getting to a store stop. I also enjoy the challenges presented with backing into the variety of Walmart docks. With about 200 stores in the territory, and about 50 vendors, daily routes are rarely repeated, thus boredom is not an issue.

Dedicated retail grocery delivery is not for everybody, but it suits me just fine.