Why Do Drivers Stay OTR Over LTL?

Definitely boring compared to the OTR jobs. And I do start at 9pm five days a week bouncing around terminals in big cities. But I don't really miss trying to find a place in Newark or NYC, sleeping in a truck, being away for weeks. And you guys are right about the extra expenses of being home. I have a family and a 250k house to pay for.

A lot of LTL require you to put in time to get the good equipment and good routes. It took me 13 years to get on a route that doesn’t require a hand cart.

Don't ...hmm... confuse LTL with being nothing but City driving.

LTL "IS" City but it is also Linehaul.

You can do LTL and drive nothing but Linehaul - going from center to center or from center to meet points and swap trailers.

You can also do City driving as part of LTL and do last mile deliveries with a 48 or 28 trailer or straight truck. Last mile is usually paid by the hour with Linehaul paid by mileage and hourly.

I’m contemplating the other side of this coin. Years ago I drove OTR for 6 months, then switched to driving tour buses (class A & B). Needless to say that hasn’t been paying well lately, and my personal circumstances have changed. I’m seriously considering going back to trucking, and one of the aspects I miss the most is getting paid to drive across the US and Canada in a 50 sq.ft. tricked out vehicle. I love driving. I love watching the world go by, seeing new things, going new places. I loved living in my truck, and will again. “Home Time” is irrelevant. As others have mentioned, driving the open road is far, far more appealing than city driving. Having control over my work hours means a lot.

But I keep hearing that LTL pays better. At least with my limited choices with a stale CDL. I could get out of debt faster. That’s tempting, but I’m concerned the trade-off would mean more of the things I didn’t like about trucking, and less of the things I did like. It’s helpful to hear this conversation from the other side.

If home time is no concern, go OTR. LTL pays more, but also has more expenses. You'll have to pay for somewhere to live, pay household expenses and have a car.

If you can live in a truck, do that and save all the money you can.

That’s an excellent point that I hadn’t considered properly. Once I’m in my truck, my expenses are minimal. At that point gross income isn’t the most import number. And I do love OTR.

I hate having debt. I’ve cleared it and racked it back up several times in the past few years, always mainly due to medical bills. Four months ago I was clear. Two months ago the medical bills started again. This time dental, which isn’t covered by my insurance. Clearing this is a huge motivation for me. As a tour driver I should be okay once summer arrives, but that’s a long way away and there are still so many unknowns. Did someone say Omnicrom?

I would lose my mind doing the same run every single night with no variation. The only route I’ve done like that that I’m ok with doing is the Grand Junction run I used to do where I’d take 70 from Denver to Grand Junction and back and end my shift. It still got boring but I liked the challenge of the mountain driving and winter conditions, and the scenery was beautiful and changed daily. Denver to Kansas and back every day? I guess I’d do it if I had to but my mind goes crazy thinking of all kinds of crazy nonsense if I’m just sitting there driving the same easy route every day. Literally I don’t know how you guys do it

I like local work and being home at night time an get paid $30 per hour and don't have to worry about log books because stay in a 400 mile radius of the office.

Let's not forget about regional driving - it doesn't take you away from home for weeks. Personally, I would have no issues driving the same route between terminals, but I like to sleep at night, and most line-haul jobs in my area require nights. And day jobs include pallet jacks and hand trucks which do not attract me at all. As for money, at 70 cpm I am making close to what my local $30/hr friends make, so it is also not a factor.

I’m contemplating the other side of this coin. Years ago I drove OTR for 6 months, then switched to driving tour buses (class A & B). Needless to say that hasn’t been paying well lately, and my personal circumstances have changed. I’m seriously considering going back to trucking, and one of the aspects I miss the most is getting paid to drive across the US and Canada in a 50 sq.ft. tricked out vehicle. I love driving. I love watching the world go by, seeing new things, going new places. I loved living in my truck, and will again. “Home Time” is irrelevant. As others have mentioned, driving the open road is far, far more appealing than city driving. Having control over my work hours means a lot.

But I keep hearing that LTL pays better. At least with my limited choices with a stale CDL. I could get out of debt faster. That’s tempting, but I’m concerned the trade-off would mean more of the things I didn’t like about trucking, and less of the things I did like. It’s helpful to hear this conversation from the other side.

If home time is no concern, go OTR. LTL pays more, but also has more expenses. You'll have to pay for somewhere to live, pay household expenses and have a car.

If you can live in a truck, do that and save all the money you can.

That’s an excellent point that I hadn’t considered properly. Once I’m in my truck, my expenses are minimal. At that point gross income isn’t the most import number. And I do love OTR.

I hate having debt. I’ve cleared it and racked it back up several times in the past few years, always mainly due to medical bills. Four months ago I was clear. Two months ago the medical bills started again. This time dental, which isn’t covered by my insurance. Clearing this is a huge motivation for me. As a tour driver I should be okay once summer arrives, but that’s a long way away and there are still so many unknowns. Did someone say Omnicrom?

AND .. the companies in between.

FAB Express . . . in my profile.

Don H. drives for them, as well . . . after CFI'ing ~!

(Last we knew!)

~ Anne ~

Andrey where do you work that you make 70 cpm? I’m regional flatbed and only make 70 cpm on the super short trips but I’m closer to 50 cpm on the longer hauls

A lot of LTL require you to put in time to get the good equipment and good routes. It took me 13 years to get on a route that doesn’t require a hand cart.

David W: Great to hear from truck driver in Alaska! One of the places I've imagined moving eventually.