Questions About Local Driving

Are local driving positions with carriers tougher to get than OTR positions?

Depends on where you live. If you are near a large city then there are probably lots of local jobs available. The hiring standards for local driving jobs are usually higher than for otr jobs (as they should be, since local driving tends to be more challenging than otr). They usually require one year of class A driving experience (driving a tractor-trailer). So in that sense, yes they are tougher to get. However, local companies are, more and more, hiring inexperienced CDL holders and training them "their way." I had multiple offers from local companies when I finished CDL school.

What is the typical work schedule of a LOCAL driver?

I work 5 days per week, and average 11 hours per shift. I know guys that do four 12 hour shifts per week with extra work available if wanted. I would say 5 days a week and 55-60 hours is about typical.

What is the greatest distance from home traveled on the job for a LOCAL driver?

As far as one can go and return before their clock runs out. About 300 miles or so.

I am now in my mid-50's and consider myself "too old" for that OTR s_hit. I consider life in a sleeper at my age to be a hardship. I would hope that some employers would be sympathetic to older people who might seek local driving due to age considerations and understand that the long-haul stuff/sleeper crap is generally for the young and the bold. Being a service Veteran I might get some slack there too. Yes, I would be willing to train the company's way to get preferential close-to-home employment.

Are local driving positions with carriers tougher to get than OTR positions? What is the typical work schedule of a LOCAL driver? What is the greatest distance from home traveled on the job for a LOCAL driver? Are there plenty of good Local Driving opportunities in Texas right now?

Maybe I can help, I drive local with a mid-sized company of about 90 drivers.

Yes, most carriers want 2+ years experience otr.

I work 3am until I get done. Sometimes i get done earlier and sometimes later but I have to be parked and off the clock by 5pm.

All depends on my schedule for that day, anywhere from 300 to 550 miles. I am in either Atlanta GA or Charlotte NC and sometimes I am in both on same day.

Don't know about Texas.. Don't live there.

What experience level do they want for entering a REGIONAL position vs OTR? Could REGIONAL be a good stepping stone to get to LOCAL for an old fart? I don't feel I have the stamina for OTR.

Are local driving positions with carriers tougher to get than OTR positions?

Depends on where you live. If you are near a large city then there are probably lots of local jobs available. The hiring standards for local driving jobs are usually higher than for otr jobs (as they should be, since local driving tends to be more challenging than otr). They usually require one year of class A driving experience (driving a tractor-trailer). So in that sense, yes they are tougher to get. However, local companies are, more and more, hiring inexperienced CDL holders and training them "their way." I had multiple offers from local companies when I finished CDL school.

What is the typical work schedule of a LOCAL driver?

I work 5 days per week, and average 11 hours per shift. I know guys that do four 12 hour shifts per week with extra work available if wanted. I would say 5 days a week and 55-60 hours is about typical.

What is the greatest distance from home traveled on the job for a LOCAL driver?

As far as one can go and return before their clock runs out. About 300 miles or so.

Some megas like Schneider offer local positions too, it's not just the local mom-and-pops. Some also offer dedicated routes. Not having to go all over the nation into unknown territory would seem more comforting to me. Sticking around southwestern states like Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Louisiana and Kansas doesn't seem to bad for regional. The weather is favorable most of the time. No serious mountain driving or severe winter driving usually. Being based in Texas and driving regional even would keep me out of the nastiest places in the Lower 48 to drive, Lalaland, CA and the Rust Belt. I gather regional usually doesn't extend beyond three state lines. There is still that nasty sleeper and those nasty choke-n-pukes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI9fq6XOkKM

Oops, i forgot...

I love that radio commercial I once heard for a freight carrier that stated "We have no sleepers in our fleet." I'm therefore a "Day Cab Dreamer".

Aren't log books only required for interstate commerce? I figure many local jobs will be intrastate only.

Where do you come up with this? It's not factual.

There is an exception to the ELD rule for a small number of local jobs. Drivers using this exception must be done working within 14 consecutive hours, must return to their original starting point, and must remain within a 150 air-mile radius from their starting point.

Another important thing to realize about most local jobs is that they aren't entry level jobs. They almost always require experience.

I would hope that some employers would be sympathetic to older people who might seek local driving due to age considerations and understand that the long-haul stuff/sleeper crap is generally for the young and the bold.

You are silly, and naive. Employers don't hire folks based on their sympathetic leanings. I guess I must be old and bold, but I am sure not lazy. I love the over the road lifestyle.

You will more than likely need some OTR experience to land a local driving job. Your career will benefit from that experience too. You better starve yourself for a couple of years before jumping into this career. That one year of OTR experience you are going to need is likely to ruin your health. That nasty food those toothless waitresses will be serving up at the truck stop is gonna cause you to balloon into a blimp and clog your arteries so bad that you won't be able to get any sympathy from those folks that are hiring for local jobs. I just don't know how you are going to do this. There are just too many barriers for you.

Are local driving positions with carriers tougher to get than OTR positions? What is the typical work schedule of a LOCAL driver? What is the greatest distance from home traveled on the job for a LOCAL driver? Are there plenty of good Local Driving opportunities in Texas right now?

Maybe I can help, I drive local with a mid-sized company of about 90 drivers.

Yes, most carriers want 2+ years experience otr.

I work 3am until I get done. Sometimes i get done earlier and sometimes later but I have to be parked and off the clock by 5pm.

All depends on my schedule for that day, anywhere from 300 to 550 miles. I am in either Atlanta GA or Charlotte NC and sometimes I am in both on same day.

Don't know about Texas.. Don't live there.

What experience level do they want for entering a REGIONAL position vs OTR? Could REGIONAL be a good stepping stone to get to LOCAL for an old fart? I don't feel I have the stamina for OTR.

Regional is not much different than OTR. Keeps you closer to your terminal , so better home time than OTR, but you're still sleeping in the truck. The hiring standards for regional and OTR are no different, generally speaking.

Aren't log books only required for interstate commerce? I figure many local jobs will be intrastate only.

Almost everyone uses an eld now. Why would you want to have to fill out a paper log? Eld is much easier.

Are local driving positions with carriers tougher to get than OTR positions?

Depends on where you live. If you are near a large city then there are probably lots of local jobs available. The hiring standards for local driving jobs are usually higher than for otr jobs (as they should be, since local driving tends to be more challenging than otr). They usually require one year of class A driving experience (driving a tractor-trailer). So in that sense, yes they are tougher to get. However, local companies are, more and more, hiring inexperienced CDL holders and training them "their way." I had multiple offers from local companies when I finished CDL school.

What is the typical work schedule of a LOCAL driver?

I work 5 days per week, and average 11 hours per shift. I know guys that do four 12 hour shifts per week with extra work available if wanted. I would say 5 days a week and 55-60 hours is about typical.

What is the greatest distance from home traveled on the job for a LOCAL driver?

As far as one can go and return before their clock runs out. About 300 miles or so.

I am now in my mid-50's and consider myself "too old" for that OTR s_hit. I consider life in a sleeper at my age to be a hardship. I would hope that some employers would be sympathetic to older people who might seek local driving due to age considerations and understand that the long-haul stuff/sleeper crap is generally for the young and the bold. Being a service Veteran I might get some slack there too. Yes, I would be willing to train the company's way to get preferential close-to-home employment.

You might get preferential treatment for you military servive, but not for your age!

Are local driving positions with carriers tougher to get than OTR positions?

Depends on where you live. If you are near a large city then there are probably lots of local jobs available. The hiring standards for local driving jobs are usually higher than for otr jobs (as they should be, since local driving tends to be more challenging than otr). They usually require one year of class A driving experience (driving a tractor-trailer). So in that sense, yes they are tougher to get. However, local companies are, more and more, hiring inexperienced CDL holders and training them "their way." I had multiple offers from local companies when I finished CDL school.

What is the typical work schedule of a LOCAL driver?

I work 5 days per week, and average 11 hours per shift. I know guys that do four 12 hour shifts per week with extra work available if wanted. I would say 5 days a week and 55-60 hours is about typical.

What is the greatest distance from home traveled on the job for a LOCAL driver?

As far as one can go and return before their clock runs out. About 300 miles or so.

Some megas like Schneider offer local positions too, it's not just the local mom-and-pops. Some also offer dedicated routes. Not having to go all over the nation into unknown territory would seem more comforting to me. Sticking around southwestern states like Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Louisiana and Kansas doesn't seem to bad for regional. The weather is favorable most of the time. No serious mountain driving or severe winter driving usually. Being based in Texas and driving regional even would keep me out of the nastiest places in the Lower 48 to drive, Lalaland, CA and the Rust Belt. I gather regional usually doesn't extend beyond three state lines. There is still that nasty sleeper and those nasty choke-n-pukes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI9fq6XOkKM

Those mega local jobs usually go to drivers with seniority that want to come off OTR. I wouldn't be looking at "local mom-and-pops" but the big LTL's like YRC, XPO, Saia, and whatever else they got in Austin.

You will more than likely need some OTR experience to land a local driving job. .

I was determined to land a local job when I returned to trucking after a 17 year hiatus and people told me just that - "you gotta have OTR experience to get one of those jobs." So I did some more research and found that none of the local companies I was interested (the big LTL's and food service companies) required OTR experience. Some will hire you with a CDL and graduate certificate from an approved school and some require 1 year of commercial driving experience (class A, tractor-trailer). No mention of over-the-road.

Of course, the lowest barrier route to getting that one year of experience is going OTR with one of the mega carriers, but that's not the only way, by any means.