Swift, Prime, Or Roehl
Topic 12364 | Page 2
Just to be clear...
3-4 days of contiguous home time after being out for only 14 days, although policy, this will be very difficult to adhere to with regularity for a true OTR job. The planners/driver managers will favor a driver who wants to run, and not constantly worrying about getting an individual home every 2 weeks for 3-4 days. It’s just not realistic if you want to be a top performing driver and achieve the “unwritten” favored status.
The OP should look into regional and/or Dedicated if regular home time is an inportant requirement. Regularily scheduled home-time is more practical and possible on these type of jobs.
Swift arguably has the greatest number of Dedicated and Regional options available for a relatively new driver.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
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.
Driver Manager:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
Swift arguably has the greatest number of Dedicated and Regional options available for a relatively new driver.
I completely agree with this idea. It is smart to start with a company that's large enough to provide you with multiple options. Swift will have a lot of different positions you could transfer to once you've established yourself as a safe productive driver.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
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Roehl probably offers the best home time options, they have many different options to choose from, but remember, if you are home, you aren't getting paid.
As far as paying out of pocket, why? If you can get the company to pay, and both offer excellent training, why use your money? If the company is paying they have even more incentive to help you succeed.
Reefer you will likely be out longer, others will be able to offer more/better advice on that.
Flatbed is more work, but most seem to get you home every weekend.
Yes, home time is legit. Why would they tell you one thing, pay to train you, only to have you leave because they lied? It may not always happen without fail, breakdowns, etc. happen, but I think they will do their best to do what they promise.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
Dedicated Route:
A driver or carrier who transports cargo between regular, prescribed routes. Normally it means a driver will be dedicated to working for one particular customer like Walmart or Home Depot and they will only haul freight for that customer. You'll often hear drivers say something like, "I'm on the Walmart dedicated account."
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
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.
Dryvan:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.