Kami, From reading your post, it sounds like Plan A is also Plan B. Good luck out there. I just went Local from OTR!
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.
I guess your right. I will be fine with plan A. π How do you like the switch?
I love it. 5 on 2 off. Sleep in my own bed every night. Buy food at a Grocery Store, put it in a real refrigerator, cook it in a real kitchen, get out of bed every morning, with a bathroom and a shower 3 steps away. Kinda feels like a vacation every week!
I've been with Werner for two years now and their treated me pretty good. If you go to orientation with a positive attitude and you've been honest on your application and other paperwork you should be fine.
Well my plans changed big time. I called the company I drove OTR for back in the 90's. They wanted me back. They flew me to orientation and put me on a truck with a trainer for two weeks to practice backing, and learn all the Qualcomm and e-logs. I get my own truck next Wednesday. I think this was my best choice. I always loved this company. I'll let you guys know how I do on my own in this big old world. Thank you for all the support!
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.
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Hello. First, thank you for this site. It has helped me tremendously. I am a fifty year old woman who had been driving truck seasonally for almost 20 years. The problem with this is almost all of it has been in a day cab , hauling double belly dump loads locally. I hauled rock and sugar beets mostly. I was almost always home every night, unless a break down or closed road stopped me. I did drive team OTR in the 90's for a short time with my husband. Children soon killed that! We were in the reefer division and I enjoyed it. So, that's my uninteresting background. Now I have just been pre-hired for Werner and they are going to give me some time with a trainer to transition from local driving to OTR driving. I am going to Fontana, Ca April 6th, for orientation. I'm thankful they are giving me an opportunity. I plan on going team in their dry van division. I'm nervous only because I live 16 hours away, and I realize this is not being hired. I always have to have a backup plan for my mental health! π What happens if I'm in California and some unforeseen reason I'm not hired. How do I get home? I have no reason to believe this will happen. I have a clean record, never any drug or alcohol use, no tickets, etc. Good employment history... But..... I need a plan B. Just in case.... πππ I hope everything goes as planned and I can be out there again. Kids are all grown up now. Husband is supportive. So I think it will be fine.... π
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.
Day Cab:
A tractor which does not have a sleeper berth attached to it. Normally used for local routes where drivers go home every night.
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.Pre-hire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the companyβs expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.