Hours In Truck, Miles, Home Time.

As I've said in another post I'm considering Schneider otr refer, but have not even gotten my cdl. A few more questions I have are this...

Realistically, how many hours a day on average should I expect to be driving?

Realistically, and assuming I'm performing well (not having accidents, arriving on time etc), how many miles per day will I drive on average?

I see on schnieder website that they advertise otr as home every 2 weeks. Is this true, or are they gonna fight me on the regular and try to keep me out more. Just want to know what I'm in for.

Thanks for all the help guys!

Question 1. You can drive up to 11 hours before taking a 10 hour break.

Question 2. A good average is 50 mph, so 5-600 miles would be great for a new driver. That doesn't mean you will only drive. There are shippers, receivers, etc.

Question 3. The more time home, the less you make.

Stephen this sounds like a Dedicated Account.

As far as I know, Schneider only runs Temperature Control in their Dedicated Lanes. Depending on the account; that will have a direct effect on CPM (pay), mileage and of course home time. I run NorthEast Regional Walmart Dedicated for Swift. My pay, mileage and home time is vastly different then my OTR brethren.

My suggestion is to contact your recruiter, inquire on the information you posted and find out what account you will be assigned to. Once you know these things we can better assist you.

Reviewing these links will also help you to build a stronger knowledge base, setting reasonable expectations.

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests

Good luck!

Hey Stephen, those are some good questions.

Truck driving is all about productivity. It's an asset based business. That means they make money by keeping their assets (trucks) busy. On the flipside of that is that you, the driver, make money that same way. Drivers who can get a lot done make a good solid income. That's why you're going to be paid "by the mile." You're actually going to be responsible for how much you make.

How many hours you work may or may not reflect how productive you are. I make great money doing this, but what I really enjoy about this career is the sense of adventure that comes with it. I've got to warn you - there's already a slight tendency in your question that sounds like the typical "never happy about their job" truck driver. There's hundreds of thousands of these people. They claim they're over worked, under paid, and seldom allowed to be at home. You are already wondering, "are they gonna fight me." That's not a good way to get started at this. What they both want and need is for you to be productive.

I can't tell you how many hours you'll be working, nor can I know how many miles you'll drive each day. I can tell you that you'll probably work longer hours than you ever have before, and you'll be exhausted at the end of each day. It's not unusual for me to work the equivalent of two full time jobs each week (80 hours). It's not unusual for me to drive 600+ miles on any given day. It's also not unusual for me to be loving every minute of it. All the challenges, the planning, the execution of the tasks, and the consequences of my efforts are both energizing and rewarding. This job has instant gratification for me. Every day is another battle ground victory - it's pure pleasure.

Get it settled ahead of getting started. Make a Commitment to being the best truck driver on the face of the earth. Don't get started with that "us against them" mentality that you've already started nourishing by reading all the nonsense on the internet. Your research is poisoning you. That's why you're asking if you're going to be fighting with the company to go home every two weeks. I can promise you this - when you can consistently knock out 3,000 miles each week, you'll have no problem getting home.

The way you get respected and rewarded in this career is to be productive. Let me warn you - rookies are not consistently productive. Therefore you might not be going home every other weekend like you want, or if you do you might not be making very good money. Either way you aren't very valuable to the company like that. What makes you valuable and gives you leverage is that you develop yourself into a Top Tier Driver. Always focus on improving your results. Stay focused on being the best. Forget about there being some kind of war between the company and it's drivers. Great drivers get great results and great treatment. You give them the results they need and they give you the treatment you want. It's so simple that a fourth grader could figure it out. Yet many drivers are continually banging their heads up against this problem regularly. My dispatcher once told me that One Out Of Five Drivers Does A Great Job. Be that one unusual driver and you'll be scratching your head at how all those other drivers are so miserable doing this job.

I can vouch for Schneider. I was on a two week driving schedule and they were very conscientious about getting me home for 3 days after two weeks out. One time they got me home 1/2 day late, but your can't expect split second timing in this profession. I tried to drive 500 miles a day, but sometimes I could only get 300-400 because of delays at customers. Most drivers I know try to drive reasonably close to 11 hours a day. It really depends on where you plan to park for your 10 hour break. If you can't get to a good parking spot within 11 hours, much better to shut it down at 10 hours, just to be safe.

The other route to take is to drive for 8:45 hours a day, every day, and get your hours back after 8 days. Then you never have to take a 34 hour reset.

Realistically, how many hours a day on average should I expect to be driving?

Expect 9 hours a day on average. I have had days that I ran only 3 to 5 hours and days I have run my full 11. Most are 9 to 10 hours. However, because of the 14 hour clock, you can stop several times during the day, take an hour to shower and eat in the middle of your shift or even get a nap. It really helps break up the monotony.

Realistically, and assuming I'm performing well (not having accidents, arriving on time etc), how many miles per day will I drive on average?

OTR about 500 or so. Think about it. 2800 miles per week is only 400 miles a day. And it doesnt feel like killing yourself. Your endurance builds over time as does your understanding of your body's needs.

I see on schnieder website that they advertise otr as home every 2 weeks. Is this true, or are they gonna fight me

I don't work for Schneider, but believe it or not, large companies usually do what they put in writing. Companies understand hometime is important.

Hey Stephen, those are some good questions.

Truck driving is all about productivity. It's an asset based business. That means they make money by keeping their assets (trucks) busy. On the flipside of that is that you, the driver, make money that same way. Drivers who can get a lot done make a good solid income. That's why you're going to be paid "by the mile." You're actually going to be responsible for how much you make.

How many hours you work may or may not reflect how productive you are. I make great money doing this, but what I really enjoy about this career is the sense of adventure that comes with it. I've got to warn you - there's already a slight tendency in your question that sounds like the typical "never happy about their job" truck driver. There's hundreds of thousands of these people. They claim they're over worked, under paid, and seldom allowed to be at home. You are already wondering, "are they gonna fight me." That's not a good way to get started at this. What they both want and need is for you to be productive.

I can't tell you how many hours you'll be working, nor can I know how many miles you'll drive each day. I can tell you that you'll probably work longer hours than you ever have before, and you'll be exhausted at the end of each day. It's not unusual for me to work the equivalent of two full time jobs each week (80 hours). It's not unusual for me to drive 600+ miles on any given day. It's also not unusual for me to be loving every minute of it. All the challenges, the planning, the execution of the tasks, and the consequences of my efforts are both energizing and rewarding. This job has instant gratification for me. Every day is another battle ground victory - it's pure pleasure.

Get it settled ahead of getting started. Make a Commitment to being the best truck driver on the face of the earth. Don't get started with that "us against them" mentality that you've already started nourishing by reading all the nonsense on the internet. Your research is poisoning you. That's why you're asking if you're going to be fighting with the company to go home every two weeks. I can promise you this - when you can consistently knock out 3,000 miles each week, you'll have no problem getting home.

The way you get respected and rewarded in this career is to be productive. Let me warn you - rookies are not consistently productive. Therefore you might not be going home every other weekend like you want, or if you do you might not be making very good money. Either way you aren't very valuable to the company like that. What makes you valuable and gives you leverage is that you develop yourself into a Top Tier Driver. Always focus on improving your results. Stay focused on being the best. Forget about there being some kind of war between the company and it's drivers. Great drivers get great results and great treatment. You give them the results they need and they give you the treatment you want. It's so simple that a fourth grader could figure it out. Yet many drivers are continually banging their heads up against this problem regularly. My dispatcher once told me that One Out Of Five Drivers Does A Great Job. Be that one unusual driver and you'll be scratching your head at how all those other drivers are so miserable doing this job.

You read into the question I think. I'm actually the complete opposite in terms of how I look at things. I've always been a team player and a leader anywhere I've worked. I just read somewhere that I shouldn't believe everything the recruiters say so I want to know if I should be telling my wife and kids to expect me home every two weeks for sure or every two weeks ish. This will be a lifestyle change that is absolutely doable but I want them to also prepared mentally. I'm very excited about trucking and have never and will never be a complainer.

Good for you - I'm glad to hear it!

Stephen, I drove dry van for Schneider for two years and they were awesome on hometime. I drove out of the Lebanon, TN Operation Center and everything the recruiter (Leanne) promised was what I experienced.

As G-Town said, your gig may be dedicated and that’s very different from OTR.

Follow Old School’s and Rainy’s direction and you should have great success!

Good luck!

There are alot of factors involved on hours in the truck, but here are a few examples of my experience... routinely I would start a typical day early 4 or 5 am drive roughly 8 hrs which turned into approximately 500 miles ... deliveries, and loading will usually play a big role on how much driving you will be able to do because shippers, and receivers are not all the same. HOS (Hours of Service) regulations will determine the how much you can drive, but line 4 (on duty not driving) on your logs is basically unlimited, and once you burn up your 70 hours of driving avaliable you will not be able to drive until you have hours avaliable which could take a day or two to get back. This is one of the biggest challenges for new drivers to get their head around. If you don't get this under control you will have a very difficult time making money. Good news is when you do conquer this you can become very successful in this career.

The committment to all of these factors will determine how successful you become as a truck driver.