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Topic 13021 | Page 1
Welcome.
First off, you need to figure out what it is you wanna do, or at least let us know that so we can try to help you. There are many types of driving jobs depending on what kind of freight you wanna haul and how often you wanna be home.
You can break it down by looking at truckload vs LTL , or by what type of freight you wanna haul or trailer you wanna pull.
However, your options might be limited by your location, especially if you're looking for local work or regional. OTR jobs can pretty much be had no matter where you live.
Give us some specific info and we might be able to help more.
In the meantime, realize that some OTR gigs require previous OTR experience. But, some truckload companies (which have your OTR gigs) also accept "tractor trailer" experience, meaning your non-OTR experience would count. A lot of these requirements are company specific.
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.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
- FedEx Freight
- Con-way
- YRC Freight
- UPS
- Old Dominion
- Estes
- Yellow-Roadway
- ABF Freight
- R+L Carrier
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.
Jeremy, welcome to the forum.
To add to 6 String's recommendations, the following are hot links that hopefully provide relevant information as you consider your future employment options:
- Article Category: Finding The Right Truck Driving Job
- Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing Your First Truck Driving Job
- Forum Topics Tagged "Choosing A Trucking Company"
and
To search for a specific topic (like LTL) type the requested topic into the search bar found in the upper left hand corner and press the enter key. The search will return all of the archived topics and threads that match your request.
There are numerous experienced drivers who regularly contribute to the TT forum representing many companies and most aspects of the trucking industry.
Good luck!
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
- FedEx Freight
- Con-way
- YRC Freight
- UPS
- Old Dominion
- Estes
- Yellow-Roadway
- ABF Freight
- R+L Carrier
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
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.
Thank you for the info. I am looking at maverick. I like what they have to say. Seems like a good company to start with. But I want otr to start with. I am single so I want to make some money. Flatbed, dry van it makes no difference to me. I am sure there are pros and cons to both. I am used to chaining equipment down. So flat bed is just fine.
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.
Dry Van:
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.
Jeremy, welcome to the forum!
Maverick is a great place to get started in flat-bed. There are also quite a few others. Take a look at Melton, Central Oregon, and Jordan. All of these would be great places to make a start, and there are many others also. Probably most of them are going to require you to take some sort of a refresher course since you have no over the road experience, but you just need to start making some phone calls and speak with a recruiter to get that straight first. Many of the flat-bed companies try to get you home for the weekends. If that is important to you then Maverick, TMC, and McElroy is where you want to look. If you don't want to pay out of pocket for the refresher, some of the companies may be able to provide you with the refresher course if you sign on with them. They will probably require some sort of a commitment of a time period that you will agree to work for them so that they can offset the expense of the course/training.
Feel free to jump in here with all your questions and we will do our best to point you in the right direction.
Over The Road:
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.
Well I talked and looked and I am still leaning toward maverick. Something about them I just like. They have 6 weeks of training, 3 of them being with a trainer. I applied and let's see where it goes from there.
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Ok I have had my class a for a yr and a half. I am looking to leave where I am, but am unsure of where I need to go. I have no "otr" experience to speak of. I drive the company's trucks to move their equipment. But I travel the south east doing so. Not daily though. I just need to figure out where the best place to start is. I love the info here, but it is overwhelming.
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.