Stratgeic, Money-making, Trucking How To : ????

I had an idea a while back, and I want to know if these things are worth considering. I've driven regionally in a sprinter. I do not hold a CDL , and have only done ''some reading and you tube watching''. Is it worth while to carefully plan what company you work for ? I live in North carolina, within 5-50 miles are several major trucking companies.

for a seasoned pro or a new student \ school graduate not bound by contract ?

* driving on the south east ( limited bad weather, limited winds that can affect trucks, few low bridges, or routes that forbid 18 wheeler traffic I assume the loads pay less here for companies \ drivers, but less down time for traffic and weather has to be a plus.

what good is PRIME at 49cpm, if your snowed into a truck stop, or sitting in a wreck out west, or being sent into densely populated cities ? ( prime pays there in house students 49cpm starting pay for a lightweight truck, I'd imagine they pay for it in miles or difficult driving. )

I've seen ads for heavy haul trucking, promising 90k per year ( asheville craigslist ) and other companies with a ''safety net'' of $1,300 per week. ( I know you cant believe everything you hear but if I was hired at the above stated rates, and the reality was 20% less I'd still be happy )

your job at the end of the day is to get from point A to B without harming cargo, causing injury, breaking the law, and without being late. If those are rules that apply across all companies.

Dose it make sense to plan your employment around non traditional means for the purpose of making money.

EX: no mountain driving, limited snow driving,no heavy traffic areas, speed at which you can get loaded\unloaded, reliability of next day ''easy'' miles, places to park. Any thought on this or is this even worth while to consider ? I realize some of this may seem like an idiots pipe dream.

Hayden dreams:

EX: no mountain driving, limited snow driving,no heavy traffic areas, speed at which you can get loaded\unloaded, reliability of next day ''easy'' miles, places to park. Any thought on this or is this even worth while to consider ? I realize some of this may seem like a pipe dream.

(Note I took the "idiot" part at the end out.) Hayden these are all PITAs for OTR divers. They come with the territory. Just do your best to maximize your daily miles, and sit through these as they come.

Last month (January) I got most of these problems dealt to me on one trip. Yes, a dispatch from hell. From Dublin VA (South of Roanoke) to Yakima WA. 1: snowy interstate from Sioux City on westward, 2: 2-day breakdown in Sioux Falls SD, 3: mountain driving on I-90 through SD to WA, 4: caught in a mountain pass blizzard for 3 hours till the snowplow got a path to us, 5: arrived in Yakima on a Saturday b/c of delays so had to wait till Monday for delivery, and top it off with all roads out of town closed for snow, 6: couldn't leave for another day.

I got breakdown pay for one day in Sioux Falls, but that's it as far as extra compensation. This is balanced with the many days I drove closer to 500-600 miles/day. It had taken me almost five years of truck driving to win this "prize", though, so I'm not complaining about my choice of career.

I would say try to drive regional then you would have less variety to have to contend with. As you gain experience dealing with conditions in your area becomes easier and you can roll with the punches so to speak and earn your maximum.

Yes it can make a difference in some ways, I know for me I have lost several days of driving to weather since January which is one reason I have looked into transferring into Arizona and Texas. But linehaul is a different animal than being OTR.

Remember you will have those problems you mentioned anywhere at some point.