Looking For A Good Flatbed OTR Company
Topic 22731 | Page 1
I've ran a Prime flatbed OTR for over a year and a half now, and couldn't be happier with my choice. There's literally nothing bad I can say about my experience with them. I run my tail off, and get treated accordingly. Great miles with higher than average pay.
There was a discussion on another thread here on how most freight today is regionalized into short runs. Not so in my case. Flatbed freight is strong right now. Perhaps it's just my dispatcher taking good care of me, but my average runs are in the 1200-1800 mile range, with several 2k+ runs scattered in each month. Sure, there's the occasional next-day load, but that just comes with the territory.
Truth be told, I've talked to many happy drivers from alot of major flatbed companies, and they all speak highly of their respective companies. Whatever seat you park your butt in, you can be happy if you apply yourself. But as an experienced driver you already know that. Good luck.
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.
Dispatcher:
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.
Turtle makes a good point. While some of the flat bed companies focus on regional freight so they can advertise "home every weekend" jobs, there are several that will run you all over the place. I'm like Turtle, I have no problem getting consistently long runs. I was dispatched two loads this week totaling more than Five Thousand Miles.
When you look at flat bed companies you'll want to avoid the ones who offer to get their drivers home every weekend.
Have you looked into Central Oregon or Systems? Those are two great flat bed companies that hire from your area. If you're near Pueblo it will be easy to get an outbound load after hometime. I used to load at that Rocky Mountain Steel Warehouse quite a bit when I was on the Western Express flat bed fleet.
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
I can vouch for Systems Transport OTR division. Been with the company 9 months now and 8 of them on that fleet.
I started straight out of school, green as can be, but had no trouble hitting 3000-3200 miles/wk.
Rarely ever had to wait more than 10 mins for my next load, and never more than an hour.
They have plenty of freight and will give you as much as your willingto handle. Started at 43cpm, could be more with your exp.
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.
CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
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I am a fairly new driver with almost 3 years of OTR experience some flatbed some van/reefer. I am looking for a good flatbed company to really settle down with. I've been doing a lot of job searching online, but It's hard to base my decision on what company to go with sololy on the company s websites/reviews on glass door exc. I'm looking for some real advice from honest drivers so if you are a recruiter, or a driver trying to get a bonus from me on don't bother. I live in Colorado, and I love trucking just looking for the right company.
Any honest advice will be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!
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.
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.