Questions About OTR Driver Home Time
Topic 13112 | Page 1
Home time options all depend on the company your working for. for me i start monday morning and get home early saturday morning. usually for about 36-48 hours. I know another guy who works for the same company who is out for 21 days then home for 6-7. It really all depends on what the company offers. As for as equipment goes, that also varies by the company. Some will assign you a tractor that your responsible for taking home and parking it somewhere safe. Others may want you to leave it at their terminal. Your best bet would be to talk to any companies your interested in and find out what their policy's are. Hope this helps.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Industry standard is 1 day home for every 5-7 days out, usually closer to 7. As Joseph mentioned, hometime policy in regard to equipment is company specific. You've been driving for 16 years, but seem like you are still learning the basics on OTR. You should start by reading this info for some general knowledge.
- Truck Driver's Career Guide
- Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
- High Road Training Program
Not sure how much you know about the OTR world, but for a lot of OTR companies (including the big ones), your local experience might not be applicable. As silly as it sounds, a lot of OTR companies still want OTR experience. However, this trend is changing. JB Hunt is one major truckload company that accepts "tractor trailer" experience, which would include your local driving - as long as you were driving a tractor trailer.
Each company will have it's prerequisites. You'll have to start making some phone calls.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
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.
New Reply:
New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features
Preview:
Why Join Trucking Truth?
- The High Road Training Program
- The High Road Article Series
- The Friendliest Trucker's Forum Ever!
- Email Updates When New Articles Are Posted
Apply For Paid CDL Training Through TruckingTruth
Did you know you can fill out one quick form here on TruckingTruth and apply to several companies at once for paid CDL training? Seriously! The application only takes one minute. You will speak with recruiters today. There is no obligation whatsoever. Learn more and apply here:
TT On Facebook
I am a driver that has been driving local for about 16 years. Presently I drive for a fuel transport company and go about 200 miles a day. I am interested in seeking employment with a bigger company and going OTR . Kids are grown and out of the house but the wife has no interest in this venture. I have been exploring craigslist and see many driver opportunities all of them say they provide great home time. Some say out 1-2 weeks, others do not say how long your out for before you get home time. My question about this is what can a driver expect for home time if they are out a week, two weeks or longer, or is there a rule of thumb , say your out 10 days do you get so many days at home before you go out again? Also I live about 40 miles from the I-5 in California and these ads say they hire along the I-5 corridor. When you get home time do you take the truck home or do you have to leave it at a terminal and drive your POV home. The answer to this question would be important to choosing a company to apply to. The closest big company terminal to where I reside is about a hour and a half drive from my house. Thank you for any information on these questions.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
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.
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.