Leaving The Road & Going Home
Topic 17997 | Page 1
Hello all, First thank you all for the help along the way, I fully understood (or thought I did) what I was getting myself into. Make no mistake I absolutely love driving big rigs BUT I love my wife and kids more, with that being said I am giving up truck driving and going back to Master Fleet Services (the mechanic shop I used to work for) they made me an offer I could not refuse. Again thank you all. GOD bless and keep the dirty side down.
Hats off to you, Quinton! Many drivers really do put the open road ahead of family and don't realize how that affects their personal life. For you, you have made the right decision!
But as a mechanic with OTR experience, you'll have a way better understanding of where your "customers" are coming from.
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.
Quinton, now you will not be wondering if you should have been driving instead of turning wrenches. The other thing is you now have an asset by having your CDL. No need to wait on someone to test drive the truck. Never give up your CDL now that you have it. Keep up with you med card is all you have to do.
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.
Of course everyone does what they need to do to make a living and support their family, but if you can do it and be home every night it's hard to argue against that.
But as a mechanic with OTR experience, you'll have a way better understanding of where your "customers" are coming from.
Yeah, that is one thing that I've unfortunately noticed, that there seems to be a difference in attitude or respect to drivers from people who used to be drivers and are now mechanics, trainers and managers, than from those who have never been a driver.
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
I'm glad you got such a great offer to return and know you and your family will be happier.
Me? For the first time in my adult life, i am being absolutely unapologetically selfish. I dedicated decades to focusing on my kids while working in a career that I wasnt really happy in. I love them dearly, but it's "me time" now.
Thanks y'all, I do plan to keep my CDL and med card for no one knows what the future holds. And one day when the kids are grown I might just buy a truck and convert it into a homemade motorhome and take the wife to see the truly Majestic sights I have seen as a OTR truck driver. But until the may God bless you all. Be safe.
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.
Quinton, now you will not be wondering if you should have been driving instead of turning wrenches. The other thing is you now have an asset by having your CDL. No need to wait on someone to test drive the truck. Never give up your CDL now that you have it. Keep up with you med card is all you have to do.
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.
Thanks y'all, I do plan to keep my CDL and med card for no one knows what the future holds. And one day when the kids are grown I might just buy a truck and convert it into a homemade motorhome and take the wife to see the truly Majestic sights I have seen as a OTR truck driver. But until the may God bless you all. Be safe.
Best of luck to you in the future. Glad you found something that works for you.
An interesting side note - for folks who come off the road but plan on keeping their CDL.
If you are NEVER EVER EVER going to drive a CMV - you can tell the DMV that you are "Excepted IntraState Commerce" - and you don't have to maintain a DOT Med Certificate to keep your CDL. The minute you decide to drive again for COMMERCIAL PURPOSES - you need to get your med cert.
Technically - if you are a mechanic at a shop and you are "test driving" a truck you've worked on - you are not operating in "Commerce" (that being - hauling cargo for $$).
Folks that come off the road may (or may not) want to let their HM lapse. It restricts your renewal to every 4 years (where most CDL's are good for 6-8 years), and adds to the cost of your renewals for the BG check each time you renew (plus you have to take the written test each time).
Yeah - I hijacked.
Good Luck Again Quint...
Rick
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.
Commercial Motor Vehicle:
A commercial motor vehicle is any vehicle used in commerce to transport passengers or property with either:
- A gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more
- A gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more which includes a towed unit with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds
CSA:
Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)
The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle
FMCSA:
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
The FMCSA was established within the Department of Transportation on January 1, 2000. Their primary mission is to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries.
What Does The FMCSA Do?
- Commercial Drivers' Licenses
- Data and Analysis
- Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement
- Research and Technology
- Safety Assistance
- Support and Information Sharing
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
CMV:
Commercial Motor Vehicle
A CMV is a vehicle that is used as part of a business, is involved in interstate commerce, and may fit any of these descriptions:
- Weighs 10,001 pounds or more
- Has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more
- Is designed or used to transport 16 or more passengers (including the driver) not for compensation
- Is designed or used to transport 9 or more passengers (including the driver) for compensation
- Is transporting hazardous materials in a quantity requiring placards
Intrastate Commerce:
The act of purchasers and sellers transacting business while keeping all transactions in a single state, without crossing state lines to do so.
Intrastate:
The act of purchasers and sellers transacting business while keeping all transactions in a single state, without crossing state lines to do so.
Dm:
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.Fm:
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.DMV:
Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles
The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.
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Hello all, First thank you all for the help along the way, I fully understood (or thought I did) what I was getting myself into. Make no mistake I absolutely love driving big rigs BUT I love my wife and kids more, with that being said I am giving up truck driving and going back to Master Fleet Services (the mechanic shop I used to work for) they made me an offer I could not refuse. Again thank you all. GOD bless and keep the dirty side down.