So you went to truck driving school and learned enough to get your CDL license.  Now you are a new truck driver in your first truck drivers wanted position.  What is next?  This article will take a look at the initial training period for a new driver.  We will take a look at typically what to expect in regards to schedule, pay, and critical things to learn during the training period.

Schedule

In an earlier blog, http://www.driverswantedhq.com/truck-driving-jobs-teams/, I described the schedule of a team driver.  The daily routine for many new drivers can be similar to that of a team driver after a short time.  Generally a new truck driver is sent out with a driver trainer for a 3-6 week period or until the trainer is satisfied that the trainee is prepared to function in a truck drivers wanted position.  It is very important that in the beginning, the trainee get as much instruction as possible.   A good trainer will focus on getting the new driver up to speed and not use the trainee to get maximum miles and a bigger paycheck at least at first.  As the trainee gets more comfortable, they can gradually start to function more as a true team member.  Some companies set training up so that the trainee does nearly all of the driving and training is not set up like a team at all.  Regardless of how the schedule is set up, the most important attribute of a good trainee during this period is his/her attitude.  It is important to keep an open mind and be a good listener.  Be respectful but ask questions as needed.  During this initial training period a trainee should be prepared to be a road warrior and stay out with a trainer and not get back home more than once during that period if at all. 

Pay

For most trainees the pay is not very good during their training period.  Many times this pay will cover expenses but not very much else.  Trainees generally do not get paid by the mile.  They will get a flat weekly paycheck.  This pay will vary but typically is around $200-300 per week.  The trainer, in many cases, gets paid for all of the miles driven.  This can be a good deal for the trainer.  There are two drivers with hours, but the trainee is driving a majority of the miles, doing all of the paperwork and the trainer gets paid for them.  Unfortunately, this is part of the job and something trainees must endure.  It is important for the trainee to make sure that they learn the ropes during this demanding period.

Critical Learning Objectives While in Training

There is quite a bit of information to learn during training.  Most CDL schools teach just enough to pass the written and road portions of the test.  CDL schools may teach backing and parking between cones.  There is a whole lot more too really getting out on the road and being successful in a truck drivers wanted position.  The first thing that a trainee is learning is how to be out on the road for weeks at a time.  Learning to sleep while someone else drives can be a major adjustment.  Spending 20+ hours per day in a truck, eating and showering in a truck-stop is a major change in lifestyle.  Besides these lifestyle changes there are some specific driving related lessons that need to be learned.   Below are some things that a driver needs to be focused on learning during their training period:

• Shifting gears (double clutching etc)
• Backing into tight places
• Keeping logs
• Making turns on crowded narrow roads
• Merging into traffic
• Proper speed on exit ramps
• Driving  in bad weather
• Reading a map / finding your way around
• Keeping on schedule
• Keeping weight legal
• Keeping the truck tidy

Last Word on Being a Trainee

The period spent as a trainee can be one of the most trying times in your career.  Some companies have very lax standards for qualifications of their trainers.  Some allow drivers with only a few months experience to train new drivers.  An inexperienced trainer may have little more knowledge than the trainee.  Also, since team driving positions are hard to fill, some companies use trainees prematurely to fill the role of a team driver.  The focus may be more about getting miles and moving freight instead of training a new driver.  If possible, it is a good idea to talk to some drivers at a prospective company and find out what the training period is like.  In a future article we will look at some effective ways to investigate companies before you choose a job.

There are many truck drivers wanted positions available.  Truck driving is one job that seems to be in constant demand even with a slow economy.  It is estimated that over a million new drivers will be needed over the next 15 years.  If an individual is over 21 years of age, has a clean driving record, a clean criminal history, and can pass a drug test and physical, a good-paying job is within reach as a truck driver.  The only other item that you will need is a CDL (Commercial Drivers License) from your state.  This article will focus on the three types of truck driver training available to obtain a CDL.  As with other posts on this site, we do not recommend any of these training methods over the others and simply give you information so that you can decide what works best for your needs.

Company Sponsored CDL Training

One of the most common ways that new drivers obtain a CDL is through a company sponsored training program.  There are some distinct advantages to company sponsored training.  Depending on the situation, this can be the most convenient and least expensive way to get licensed.  With company sponsored training a trucking company will either pay for (or reimburse) a new driver or train them at a company sponsored school at no charge.  The new truck driver will not only get CDL training paid by the company but will also be assured of a job after training.  After completing training, the driver must then agree to work for the company for a period of time.  The time that a driver is obligated to stay with the company that trains them varies but is generally at least a year.   After working the prescribed amount of time for the initial company, the driver can change jobs if they desire, with not only a CDL but also with at least a years experience and hopefully a good driving record under their belt.  The obvious disadvantage to this type of training is that the individual has only one truck drivers wanted opportunity after graduation and it is with the company that paid for their training.  If the driver does not like the company it is still in their best interest to stick with the company for the agreed upon time.  Depending on the contract with the carrier the cost of the CDL training that you repay should you break the contract may be more than the cost of a normal CDL training school so it is important to ask questions and find out what you agree to before committing.  It is also important to find out if you will be responsible for expenses such as food and lodging during CDL training.  Also there will be a training period after a driver has obtained a CDL.  It is important to find out about pay during that time as well.  But for a prospective new driver with a limited training budget who is willing to stick it out with a new company for at least one year, this option can be a great way to break into the trucking industry.  If this sounds like you, it may be beneficial to research carriers before you research schools to find a reputable company that either pays tuition for CDL school or that has its own trucking school. 

Private CDL Schools

In addition to company sponsored CDL schools there are also private CDL schools.  In this scenario the new driver pays the tuition for a private CDL school.  There are a couple of advantages to private CDL schools.  Private schools can be the quickest way to get a CDL with no need to wait for the next opening with a company.  Because of the demand for drivers, getting financing for private CDL school is typically easy and does not require a credit check.  Also upon completion of the CDL, the driver can get a job with any company that he or she desires.  The biggest disadvantage is the cost.  These schools can range from $3,000-$6,000.  Also, with private CDL schools, there is no job guaranteed after graduation.  Most of the better schools, however, do have a placement program.  Sometimes through these placement programs a new driver can get a pre-hire agreement so that they are assured of a job.   Finally, the quality of training can vary.  It is important to do some research on a particular school and make sure that it is licensed and accredited.  Accreditation is the highest standard that a truck driving school can have.  There are a very few private schools that are accredited.  Accreditation can only be given by agencies that are authorized by the US Department of Education to accredit schools.  Once a school has been accredited its students may also be eligible for federal student loans and Pell grants.  It is important to take the quality of a school into consideration and do your homework.

Public CDL Schools

Public CDL schools offer training usually at community colleges or vocational/technical schools.  These institutions are publicly funded.  The advantages are that since they are publicly funded they are usually cheaper than private schools.  In many cases federal student loans or Pell grants are readily available for tuition costs.  Because public CDL schools are given at a state funded (and accredited) institution the quality of training can usually be trusted.  There are also some disadvantages with publicly funded CDL schools.  Public CDL schools are generally much less flexible than private schools.  If you are looking for a more customized program or if you need a flexible class schedule, private schools may be more willing to work with you.  Public schools have a set number of classes with a specific start date that is not negotiable.  If you miss the first class it may be 15 weeks before the next start date.  Finally, the length of the CDL program at a public school may be much longer than at private schools.  This can be because of more instruction by the public school or it can simply be because the private school focuses an equal or more information in a shorter time period.  For someone out of work, this longer program can mean a longer period without a paycheck. 

Getting CDL training is one path to a secure, good paying truck drivers wanted job in a relatively short time.  But it is important to have a good grasp of the different types of training available.  You can then consider what is most important to you and make an informed decision.

There are many diseases that arise from the inactive lifestyle associated with truck drivers wanted positions.  Poor diets, sitting for long periods, lack of exercise, and irregular sleep patterns can cause obesity and many related health problems.  One of the most serious diseases that truckers face is sleep apnea.  We are going to take a look at sleep apnea, the symptoms, causes, and what can be done to combat this disease while on the road. 

What is Sleep Apnea

The Mayo Clinic describes Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) as a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep.  This is usually caused by the throat muscles relaxing during sleep and intermittently blocking the airway.  A study conducted by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) at http://www.atri-online.org/research/results/sleep_apnea_white_paper.pdf, found that about 28% of truck drivers randomly studied had mild to severe sleep apnea.  The study also found that moderate to severe sleep apnea is twice as high among CDL holders who are no longer employed as drivers.  This would suggest that the disease may be the cause of the shortening of many truck driving careers. 

Symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

The symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea include:

• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Loud snoring
• Observed periods of interrupted breathing during sleep
• Abrupt awakening with shortness of breath
• Awakening with a dry mouth or sore throat
• Morning Headache
• Difficulty staying asleep
• Difficult to control high blood pressure

Causes of Sleep Apnea

OSA can also result in a reduction in motor skills which can increase the risk of a traffic accident.  Shorter average sleep duration which can be common among truck drivers makes sleep apnea more likely.  Short sleep duration can itself degrade alertness on performance tests.  One of the most common contributors of sleep apnea is obesity.  More than half of those with OSA are overweight.  Men are twice as likely to have sleep apnea.  People with diabetes are three times as likely to have sleep apnea.  Other links include high blood pressure, age, smoking, drinking /sedatives, family history of OSA, chronic nasal congestion, neck size, and having a narrow airway.  But the good news is that OSA can be treated. 

Treatments for Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is treatable.  For truck drivers who are diagnosed with OSA it is not necessary to get off the road.  The most common treatment for sleep apnea is a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine.  These machines are small and portable and can be taken with you in the truck.  This machine keeps the airways open and provides restful sleep.  Other remedies include losing weight, quitting smoking, and avoiding sedatives or alcohol. 

Sleep apnea is just one of the many health problems faced with truck drivers wanted positions.  Sleep apnea and how it is associated with  fatigue of truckers is still being studied.  The FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) has suggested testing based on the driver’s BMI (Body Mass Index). This means that truck drivers face the possibility of yet another safety related test in the future.

At some point many truck drivers contemplate becoming an owner operator.  For many new and experienced drivers the lure of owning a business can lead them to buy a truck.  But before taking the leap there are some things that all drivers should know about being an owner operator.  This article will take a look at some of the risks associated with owner operator truck drivers wanted positions.

Why Truck Drivers Decide to Become Owner Operators

There are many reasons why truck drivers want to buy a truck and become owner operators.  Here is a list of some of the most common reasons:

• They believe they will have more control over how much time they are home
• They believe the money will be better as an O/O
• They want better equipment
• They do not want to run certain regions of the US
• They want to be able to refuse any load that they do not wish to haul
• They want to make decisions for themselves instead of having a dispatcher make decisions for them.

Ultimately what these truck drivers seek is more control.  They believe that calling their own shots will make them happier and more successful.  But, unfortunately, this is not always the case.

Risks Associated with Becoming an Owner Operator

There are quite a few risks to consider when deciding to become an owner operator.  Buying a truck is a large investment.  The cost can be upwards of $100,000.  Along with the truck comes the cost of fuel, insurance, and maintenance.  It can be hard to break even with all of these expenses.  And if you add in the cost of a freight claim, or a breakdown it can cause the numbers to not add up.  Another consideration is the commitment that this requires.  When a driver buys a truck they lose flexibility.  Company drivers can simply quit their company or quit driving altogether.  If a company drivers quits and wants to get back into trucking there are always companies that will take them back.  An owner operator with all of the expenses does not have this option.   In some ways they become trapped and must keep the wheels rolling in many cases just to break even. 

Keeping Freight

There is also the problem of competing with large trucking companies for freight.  In many ways the freight industry is a commodity.  Often shippers go with whoever can haul their freight the cheapest.  Large companies have services and resources that individual owner operators do not.  Large companies can drop a trailer, move freight faster by employing a team, and get discounts on things like fuel, tires, parts, and maintenance due to buying large volumes.  They also may use a lane as a backhaul, which means that they got paid well on one leg of the move and simply need to get their driver back home and can charge less for the backhaul.  Another consideration is the cyclical nature of the freight industry.  In a normal year, freight levels change according to the time of the year.  Generally freight is strong through the spring and summer and then tapers off in the late fall.  The months of December through March can be very slow.  In the recent recession, even the normally busy months were unpredictable.  Large trucking companies have financial resources to keep them going during the tough times.  Large pools of financing and investment allow these companies to operate at a loss during recessions.  This means that they can price their services below cost to keep freight on their trucks.  Owner operators do not have this luxury. 

Ambitious drivers will always consider going into business for themselves and many will succeed.  But there are several issues to take into account before obligating yourself to years of the lifestyle of an owner operator.   Increased expenses, less flexibility, and competing with large trucking companies are a few of these concerns.  For a company driver it is important to do some research before buying a truck.

I recently wrote an article on this site that focused on the advantages and disadvantages of team driving.  The first article looked at team driving in general.  This particular article will focus specifically on husband/wife team truck drivers wanted positions.  We will look at the advantages & disadvantages of husband and wife teams and the pay for these positions.

Advantages of Husband / Wife Teams

Many companies put out advertisements searching for husband and wife teams.  This is because under the right circumstances, husband and wife teams can work out very well.  In my article on team driving, http://www.driverswantedhq.com/truck-driving-jobs-teams/, I pointed out some disadvantages for teams in general.  One of the biggest challenges to being an OTR truck driver is being away from home for extended periods of time.  This is probably the number one cause of marital problems, and general discontent among drivers.  But husband and wife teams get to spend quite a bit of time with each other.  Many drivers enjoy getting to see the country with their significant other.  When drivers are happy, they stay out on the road longer and can be more productive.  As you will see, when both members of a husband and wife team are productive the pay can also be quite good.

Disadvantages of Husband / Wife Teams

There are also some disadvantages of husband and wife teams.  For this type of arrangement to be successful, a couple must be able to quickly forgive and forget.  Husband and Wife teams are confined to a small area and live together 24hrs a day.  This can test even the strongest relationship.  When tempers flare, there is nowhere to go and cool off so being able to get past differences is even more important in these truck drivers wanted positions.  Another possible concern is that both drivers need to be competent.  As with conventional team driving, one person drives while the other sleeps.  If one member of the team is not comfortable and cannot be trusted driving in traffic jams and bad weather, the other team member can find themselves getting less sleep.  Finally, husband and wife teams are often isolated from other family members.  Team driving means being away from home most of the time.  This limits the amount of time spent with other family and friends. 

Pay

As with conventional team drivers, each member splits a certain amount per mile.  Teams generally split a higher amount per mile.  Team drivers should be able to adhere to DOT guidelines and never run out of hours.  Companies advertise 5,000 miles per week for husband and wife team drivers.  If you could get 5,000 miles per week every week this would be a very high paying job.  If the mileage is for 5,000 and the pay is .40 cents per mile (which is average but could be higher for a team), this would mean that the team would split $2,000 per week.  The big advantage to husband and wife teams is that the couple is getting to be together and should be able to run more weeks out of the year.  If the team runs 50 weeks per year, both drivers would get $50,000 and the team would make $100,000 together.  But just as with regular teams, it does not always work this way.  The amount of miles depends on how the runs are designed.  Longer runs mean more time driving and less time loading / unloading and waiting for the next load.  As we have stated before, drivers do not get paid for time spent when they are not driving.  This is also true of Husband and Wife teams.  For this reason it is important to investigate a company and find one that will give you maximum miles per week. 

 Husband and wife teams are some of the most effective teams on the road.  Increased pay, ability to run more weeks out of the year, and getting to be with your spouse make these truck drivers wanted positions desirable.  It works especially well for spouses that can get along.  Could you spend 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with your spouse in a truck?

There are many issues to consider when looking for a new truck drivers wanted job.  Whether you are a new or experienced driver, issues such as how much a company pays, how many miles do drivers get, condition of equipment, and the amount of home time are some of the considerations that must be addressed when looking at a new company.  But where can you find good information?  There is certainly quite a bit of information available on the internet.  This article will examine the internet as a source of information.

Forums

There are many trucking forums that have sprang up on the internet.  For most of these forums, all that is required is a username, password, and an email to begin posting on the forum.  Many of these posts are from well-meaning truck drivers who want to vent about the conditions of a particular company.  But the problem with forums is that you never really know who is doing the post.  As with any job, the attitude of a truck driver is the biggest determiner of success or failure.  We have all spoke with drivers who never have anything positive to say about the company that they work for.  But many times, if the driver has problems with every company that they work for, the problem may not be the company.  Conversely, when a poster on a forum has only flattering remarks, it is hard to know if that person is a recruiter or is somehow affiliated with the company.  Without knowing the background of the person who is posting, it is hard to make an informed decision about the validity of the information. 

Blogs

Trucking blogs are now common on the internet.  There are some good ones out there.  Modern technology has made it possible for today’s trucker to share their experiences.  Nowadays, drivers can keep a laptop with them in the truck and blog about their experiences on the road while they are at a truck stop or on the side of the road.   But again, when it comes to choosing a new company to work for it is hard to know if the information on a blog is accurate.  Even a blogger with integrity may find it difficult to be objective when discussing a company that is paying them an advertising fee or commission.  It is important to follow a blog for awhile before taking any of the advice provided.  Read several posts and see if it looks like the blogger is objective.  Post comments and see if your questions are answered with accurate information.  Most legitimate bloggers are “approachable” through the comment section and will be happy to answer a question.  As you begin to get a relationship with the people who run these sites, you will get a feel for the quality of information provided.  While internet marketing is getting bigger by the day and can be a source of income, there are conscientious bloggers who understand that if they post good helpful content and concentrate on being useful to their readers, traffic and revenue will take care of itself.   Make sure that the owner of the site is focused on genuinely helping truck drivers and improving the industry as a whole and is not just in it solely to make money. 

The internet can be a useful place to find information on truck drivers wanted positions.  But with so much information out there on the web it is hard to know which information is the most accurate.  Doing your homework not only on the companies, but also your sources of information is important.  In a future post, we take a look at other tried and true methods for doing research on a new company.

We have started to delve into the different types of truck driving jobs.  In this article, I will focus on team truck driving jobs.  We will look at the schedule, pay, and pros & cons of being a team driver.  Many team drivers decide to team with a spouse.  I will have a later post dedicated solely to husband and wife teams but for the purposes of this post, we will look at general characteristics of team driving jobs. 

Schedule

In an earlier blog http://www.driverswantedhq.com/driverswanted-jobs/, I briefly mentioned team drivers and pointed out that carriers hire team drivers to maximize the amount of time that the truck is moving and to get loads moved faster.  For this reason, team drivers, generally spend more time in the truck with the wheels rolling than solo drivers.  Team drivers are subject to the same FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) rules concerning hours of service that solo drivers are subject too.  This means a truck driver can be on duty for 14hrs a day and can drive 11hrs.  Drivers can drive 70hrs in 8 days.  Two drivers have 22hrs of drive time available in a day.  This along with stops for food, fuel, and getting loaded should mean that a team never runs out of hours if managed correctly. 

Pay

Team drivers are paid by the mile.  They are typically paid a few cents more per mile than a solo driver.    Just like solo drivers, they are not paid for non-driving activities like waiting for a load.  For this reason, as a general rule, long runs work better for teams.  Short runs without a lot of miles between (more frequent) loading and unloading can drastically reduce what a team driver makes.  It is vital to do some investigation before taking a team position.  Find out from other drivers at the prospective company how many miles the drivers average.  Some companies do not design team runs with the driver’s benefit in mind.  They may have a team pulling their best paying freight, so that it gets delivered in a timely manner, without considering whether the run is set up so that the drivers can make a good living.  Many team drivers decide to go back to being solo drivers after they discover that because of the way the runs are set up by the company, they can make more as a solo driver. 

Pros of Being a Team Driver

In the right kind of situation, team drivers wanted positions can have some definite advantages.  If two drivers can get along it can cut down on the isolation and loneliness associated with being a long-haul truck driver.  Also if the runs are set up so that there is more time driving and less time being unproductive, the pay can be good.  As mentioned earlier, the pay per mile is slightly better than for solo drivers so there is more money to be made while the wheels are rolling.  Being a team driver also can work well for training purposes.  Some companies will get a less experienced driver some time with a more experienced driver above and beyond the initial time spent with a trainer. Some companies give the experienced driver more pay while the less experienced driver gets valuable over the road training. 

Cons of Being a Team Driver

All too often, team drivers figure out that they are better off as a solo driver.  As I mentioned on my earlier post on regional truck driving jobs, http://www.driverswantedhq.com/driverswanted-regional/, there are more regional runs than ever before in the trucking industry.  With longer shipments being shipped either intermodal or totally by rail, along with companies having more regional distribution centers trucking lanes have gotten shorter.  Shorter lanes mean less miles between loading / unloading.  This means less money for two drivers who both need miles.   Another problem can be living in a truck with another person.  Team drivers are confined to a small area that for 20+ hours a day they must share with another person.  Team drivers learn quickly about the tidiness, hygiene, and driving safety of their team partner.  In a situation where an experienced driver is paired with a non-experienced driver it can be taxing for the experienced driver.  If both drivers do not feel comfortable driving in urban areas and in bad weather, it can mean little rest for the more experienced driver. 

Team truck driving jobs have both advantages and disadvantages.  The ability for both drivers to get adequate miles is a good indicator of the success of the team.  Even more so than in a solo driving position, for a team,  it is important to thoroughly research a company before starting a new job.  We will go into detail on how to do this in a future post.

With a career in truck driving, comes time spent away from home.  But the amount of time away from home varies with different type of jobs and with different companies.  One way to get home more often is by getting a regional truck driving job.  This article will focus on this type of truck drivers wanted position. 

Regional Jobs

A regional job simply means that a driver stays in a particular region of the US composed of several states.  Examples would include states in the  the southeast, midwest, northeast, northwest, and southwestern United States.  In this job a driver can stay in the same region where they are domiciled.  This makes it easier for them to get home.   Generally regional drivers get home weekly if not more frequently.  These drivers are paid by the mile with the amount depending on the company and on the type of trailer that they pull.  Generally drivers of dry vans make 30-40 cents per mile on average while drivers of flatbeds, containers, tankers and other specialized trailers make a little more.  With specialized trailers there can be more responsibility and more training required.  There can also be a tradeoff with regional positions of home time versus the amount of weekly miles.  Shorter runs can but do not always mean less miles.  It is important to talk to drivers at a particular company, before starting a regional job to make sure that they get plenty of miles. 

Why Regional Jobs are Common

There are now more regional truck driving jobs than ever before.  There are many factors that contribute to this trend.  Shippers increasingly have more centralized regional distribution centers to cut down on transportation costs.  This means shorter runs for drivers.   Another factor is that shippers, in an effort to save money, increasingly use rail for cross country shipments.  Rail is much cheaper per pound than truck.  With shippers utilizing rail, either totally or intermodal (truck and rail combined) long haul shipments have been reduced and regional trucking has increased.  Finally, it is easier for trucking companies to keep good drivers by offering regional instead of long haul positions.

Requirements / Qualifications

The requirements are the same as they are for any other drivers wanted position.  A driver must be 21yrs of age, have a clean driving record, a CDL (Commercial Drivers License), and pass a drug and background check.   Most drivers start out OTR and later move into a regional position after a few months.  But with the increased number of these jobs, there are many regional carriers that take students right out of school or who even have company sponsored truck driving schools.  Many of these companies offer dedicated accounts after a short period of time.  Dedicated accounts offer the driver a regular run hauling freight for one customer. 

For many truck drivers, regional positions offer a more family friendly job option.   Economic factors have made these types of jobs more common.  They are often available to new or less experienced truck drivers.

In this blog I will focus on over the road truck driving jobs.  Discussing the life of an OTR-Over the Road Driver and all of the many unique characteristics of this job are too extensive for one blog.  For that reason we will examine three aspects of this job first.  We will look at the schedule, pay, and pros & cons for the over the road truck drivers.  For the purpose of this article, when I refer to OTR drivers, I mean company drivers.  Owner operators will be a separate segment that we will touch on later.

Schedule

In my earlier blog http://www.driverswantedhq.com/driverswanted-jobs/, I briefly mentioned the different types of truck drivers wanted positions.  Over the road jobs are the most common type of drivers wanted position.  Most new truck drivers start out in one of these positions.  To be a successful over the road truck driver it takes a willingness to be away from home.  Schedules vary by company, but in most over the road positions, a driver can expect to be away from home for 2-4 weeks and then home for two or three days and back at it again.  As a general rule of thumb, long haul OTR drivers average one day home for every week worked.  While on the road a driver may spend 18-23 hours a day in the truck.  The schedule can be a monotonous routine of driving, getting loaded / unloaded, waiting on a load, and occasionally stopping at a truck stop.  Not everyone can adapt to a lifestyle like this and for someone thinking of becoming  a truck driver this should be taken into account.

Pay

Salaries for over the road truck drivers vary by company.  Over the road truck drivers are paid by the mile.  Average pay for an experienced driver is around 35 cents per mile with new drivers making a little less.  But the amount of pay per mile is only part of the story.  Hours of service regulations are published by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration at http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/topics/hos/index.htm.  There are several regulations but drivers can get about 70hrs driving in a week (actually in 8 days).  In a perfect world a driver could conservatively average 50 miles per hr for 70hrs, he could get 3500 miles a week.  3500 miles times 35 cents would be $1225 per week before tax.  But we know that life on the road is far from a perfect world.  Time spent getting through traffic, getting loaded / unloaded, and waiting for another load seriously cuts into the amount of money a driver can make.  One of the unfortunate facts of driving over the road is that drivers do not get paid for time spent on the road when they are not driving.  By rule, drivers can drive for 11hrs in a day.  If the driver gets held up for 6hrs, he only gets paid for 5hrs.  As you can see there are many other variables related to the pay of an OTR driver.  It is very important to do some research when looking at starting a new job.  In a future post, we will look at the best way to do research on a specific company, but for now we will look at some of the pros & cons of OTR driving.

Pros & Cons

Pros of Over the Road Driving

• Lots of Opportunities
• Get to see the Country
• Independence
• Decent Pay without a Degree

Cons of Over the Road Driving

• Being Away from Home
• Dealing with Unsafe Drivers
• Navigating an 18-Wheeler in Traffic
• Bad Weather
• Isolation /  Loneliness
• Non-Driving Activities in Which There is No Pay
• Equipment Breakdowns
• Keeping Healthy / Weight Control

It has been said of careers, find something that you love to do and you will never work a day in your life.  Many of the drivers that make their living in OTR drivers wanted positions, love their jobs and get addicted to the road.  But due to the conditions of this job, it takes a certain type of person to succeed.  Are you one of those people?

In a recent post I defined LTL and described  in detail, LTL Pickup & Dedlivery  jobs.  This is one of the two types of LTL truck driver jobs.  The other type is the LTL linehaul driver.  In this post I will describe this job and show why these are some of the most desirable jobs.

LTL Linehaul Driver Pulling Doubles

Linehaul Drivers

Many drivers choose to become a linehaul driver for an LTL company.  These drivers move  freight from terminal to terminal.  Linehaul drivers typically leave the terminal in the evening.  Experienced drivers usually have a regular run.  Each linehaul driver does either a turn or a meet.  On a turn the driver takes outbound freight from his home terminal to another terminal.  When he gets to the destination terminal he is unloaded.  After getting unloaded the driver gets loaded with inbound freight for the home terminal.  When loaded again the driver is sent back to the home terminal in time for the terminal to break and sort the freight and get it out on the P&D trucks the next morning.  When the linehaul run is too far to do a turn, the driver may do a meet.  In a meet, the driver will leave his home terminal with outbound freight.  He will meet a driver from another terminal who has his inbound freight.  The two drivers will meet somewhere between the two terminals and swap trailers or may swap the tractor as well.  Each driver takes the inbound freight to their home terminal in time for the freight to be broken and sorted. 

Pros & Cons

There are many pros to this job.  LTL linehaul drivers make good money.  The average yearly salary for a linehaul driver is in the neighborhood of 60k per year.  This is totally dependent on the company and the run.  With some of the better paying LTL companies it is not unheard of for a linehaul driver to make 90-100k.  But since linehaul drivers are mostly paid by the mile, it is important to get a route that gets a lot of miles.  These jobs are competitive and can take a while to get.  New linehaul drivers sometimes take whatever runs they can get until they get enough seniority to get a regular run.  Another drawback of this job is that most linehaul drivers work at night and sleep during the day.  Some drivers have a hard time adjusting. 

Good pay and a regular schedule make LTL jobs desirable.  Most drivers start out over the road and get some experience before transitioning to LTL.  Unlike many other truck driving jobs, LTL companies do not use recruiters to find drivers.  LTL carriers do not have nearly the turnover that truckload carriers do.  These truck driver jobs are competitive but can be had.  In a future post I will give step-by-step proven techniques for landing one of these jobs.