Looking For Opinions From Experienced Drivers

The short of it is I have been researching trucking for awhile now and I am going to pull the trigger at some point. Currently I am working at an employee friendly job that will eventually disappear. At that point I will focus on trucking.

I Have two junior high kids and a busy wife with a full time job and working on her masters degree. I am trying to decide how to go about the transition. I want to have has many doors open to me for quality trucking jobs as possible and be conscientious to the impact on the family.

The big question I have is: How important is it to have OTR experience to widen or open up more opportunities in the industry? The max I could see me do is 1 year before I transition to a more family friendly schedule. Also, if for some reason trucking isn't panning out, does it make it easier to transition to dispatch with OTR trucking experience? That interests me as well.

I live in Boise, so I have been thinking companies with terminals near by would be a good place to focus on. Considerations I have are minimizing training expense; ease of scheduling me home time; and home daily possibilities. The OTR places that interest me in order are:

May Trucking Company.

Pluses: Western 11 is close to home and the Payette Terminal is an hour away. I could see me drive my car to the terminal(if allowed) and back home easing the burden to find truck parking at home. Being close to the terminal should make scheduling home time easier. The 90/90 program would get me a steady paycheck weekly.

Minuses: Though they offer tuition reimbursement, I don't plan on being there the 4 years plus it would take to pay it all off. I would go to a CC trucking school which would take 16-22 weeks to complete and cost about $5,000. No APU's on the trucks and idling restrictions/fines. Concerned about staying alive in the summer if I'm stuck in California or other No Idling areas.

Prime Inc.

Pluses: Schooling would be paid for after staying with them for a year. Short period without pay and guaranteed paycheck while in training. APU's.

Minuses: Limited time home.

I am sure other companies might peak my interest with more investigation. Those are the two that I have researched the most. Other companies with terminals/facilities in the Boise Area include: Gordon Trucking, SAIA, Con Way, Knight, Old Dominion, R&L, Estes, and DATS Trucking.

Thanks in advance for any input :)

Terminal:

A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.

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.

SAP:

Substance Abuse Professional

The Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is a person who evaluates employees who have violated a DOT drug and alcohol program regulation and makes recommendations concerning education, treatment, follow-up testing, and aftercare.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

APU's:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

Location can be more important than experience. Sounds like you're interested in local trucking jobs for the long-term of a potential trucking career. Depending on the company, you don't need OTR experience, let alone a year. There are different types of local jobs, or trucking opportunities that will get you home daily. Food and beverage service, LTL , fuel transport. Food / beverage service and LTL might be easier to get into w/o any experience at all.

You'll have to search around your area for local opportunities. Short answer, you don't need OTR experience.