Day Cab vs OTR....thoughts?

[mndriver]

I’ve had both.

They both suck.

I’ve also had non-driving jobs that had me home nightly as well as gone for the workweek and then home late Friday after a full days work and left Sunday’s.

they all suck.

Do what makes you happy.

And if you think the grass is greener somewhere else, try putting a little better fertilizer into the situation you’re currently in.

 

[quillcom]

I'm tossing around the idea of changing to day cab and be home every night.

Indeed.com often hits me up with some intriguing regional and otr gigs that I sometimes take an interest in.

But when I look closer and see the home time their offering vs what salary thier offering I say nah,
not enough to pull me away from some home cooking with all the amenities.

Yeah I get my fair share of 12-14 hour days toward the end of the month rush, but normally
my days are 9-10 hours.

And if you find the right local gig and are there long enough you can get some really laid back
easy days.

Case and point. This past Friday.

Just 69 miles for the day doing a doubled bounce hazardous run that was all of 14 miles round trip that lasted 8 hours.

Sweeeet!

 

[BlackBart]

well, in my earlier years, i had a day cab job.....from RI to VA. then sometimes from VA to Louisville, then back to RI. or from RI to Richmond, VA, then down to Greensboro, then to Winston-Salem, then back to RI.

i liked it, had a motel room or bunk house (VERY clean bunk house) so it was doable.

then the dang company got us sleepers. that's when i left.

Bunk house?

Sounds like Estes or maybe NEMF

 

[Hammer166]

Keep this in mind

Day cab drivers gotta deal with sump tin the OTR folks dont.. the commute. OTR folks can shut down and crawl in the sleeper wheresoever the hell they park.

With a day cab job tho, you gotta drag yer butt in the office and punch out, then drag yer butt to yer car and drive home, possibly fightin rush hour traffic... and the commute is part of your at least 10 hours off

That'll leave ya with just enough time to eat, hit the hay, shit shower shave and shine the next mornin, and drive to work and hit 'er again

You can make a damn good living runnin a local job, but it aint all its cracked up to be

This. I spent far more time with my kids being gone during the week and home weekends than I ever did running a local job.

 

[BlackBart]

This. I spent far more time with my kids being gone during the week and home weekends than I ever did running a local job.

The LTL biz made a good living for me over the years... but I aint got no kids either

It's tough as a peddle hand for a family man, bout near impossible for a linehaul vampire runnin the graveyard shift

 

[CharlieK]

More good points. I'm not sure how far the day cabs go but I'm like you and plan it out to see how much time I have.

Last Saturday, I had to go to Toronto to pick up two loads and then on to MN. The first pick up was fast but really tight for a sleeper. The second pick up was a nightmare. I waited almost 6 hours. I barely got to a service center before I ran out of hours. In Canada we can drive up to 13 hours.

I'll start talking to the day cabbers and see what their days are like.

Toronto to MN... You weren't in Cannon Falls, MN were you? I know there was some stuff going to Toronto from here...

 

[SueAnn]

Toronto to MN... You weren't in Cannon Falls, MN were you? I know there was some stuff going to Toronto from here...

No, I picked up in Lakeville.

 

[SueAnn]

The LTL biz made a good living for me over the years... but I aint got no kids either

It's tough as a peddle hand for a family man, bout near impossible for a linehaul vampire runnin the graveyard shift

No kids here either. Only my little Prince who goes everywhere with me.

 

[SueAnn]

This. I spent far more time with my kids being gone during the week and home weekends than I ever did running a local job.

I wish they would go for that.

 

[SueAnn]

Indeed.com often hits me up with some intriguing regional and otr gigs that I sometimes take an interest in.

But when I look closer and see the home time their offering vs what salary thier offering I say nah,
not enough to pull me away from some home cooking with all the amenities.

Yeah I get my fair share of 12-14 hour days toward the end of the month rush, but normally
my days are 9-10 hours.

And if you find the right local gig and are there long enough you can get some really laid back
easy days.

Case and point. This past Friday.

Just 69 miles for the day doing a doubled bounce hazardous run that was all of 14 miles round trip that lasted 8 hours.

Sweeeet!

Nice! How did you get 8 hours out of 14 miles?

 

[SueAnn]

I’ve had both.

They both suck.

I’ve also had non-driving jobs that had me home nightly as well as gone for the workweek and then home late Friday after a full days work and left Sunday’s.

they all suck.

Do what makes you happy.

And if you think the grass is greener somewhere else, try putting a little better fertilizer into the situation you’re currently in.

I want to stay where am. The first month is the worst. I have to learn how they like things done.

This makes me happy. I wouldn't do anything else. I gave up a 6 figure job to do this and have two degrees. All of that doesn't make me happy.

After the accident in the winter last year, I'm a little scared now. I'll get over it but it's a bit of a process.

 

[SueAnn]

Day cab!

I've done both and day cab is better.....so much better.

What? you wanna be 60 and still spending weeks away from home?

You never now. I see so many things, meet so many great people. I think it's the freedom that has me hooked.

Since moving to this new company in a new city, with a new house, I like to be away but I want to enjoy my new house too. This company really wants you to keep moving. Which is great, but waiting for the loads, then the tight, if not unachievable delivery times is giving me some stress. I can't even talk about what I did today.

 

[mndriver]

After the accident in the winter last year, I'm a little scared now. I'll get over it but it's a bit of a process.

It was two years after my accident before I stopped really having bad issues with mountains. When I travel US-20 in that part of Idaho, the memories still flood bad.

I finally deleted the news links to the accident last year finally four years later.

 

[SueAnn]

It was two years after my accident before I stopped really having bad issues with mountains. When I travel US-20 in that part of Idaho, the memories still flood bad.

I finally deleted the news links to the accident last year finally four years later.

I'm glad you're still here! I'm determined to get past it and not have it claim my license.

I've driven the US 20 in Idaho a lot with orders of glass.

 

[Fageol]

I'm glad you're still here! I'm determined to get past it and not have it claim my license.

I've driven the US 20 in Idaho a lot with orders of glass.

If you're on the road long enough, you're going to see or worse yet participate in some screw up. On 6/13/13 a Toyota pickup nailed me head on. I couldn't get off the road any further without rolling down a bank. In 1967 a good guy who I didn't know super well drove for Richfield Oil (that became ARCO, now part of BP). Somehow his truck and trailer rolled north of Vacaville, CA on I-80. It caught fire. I came by the place of that accident a day or two later and you could tell where he burned trying to the cyclone fence that separated the highway from the frontage road.

You've taken the time to contemplate your wreck. I'm sure you've looked at it from a thousand different angles and ran through an equal number of scenarios. And those activities don't satisfy.

The best approach to cure such crappy feelings, is driving. Regardless of the weather, that first trip is akin to taking off in super crappy weather. You just make that first mile and once that mile (or klick) is made, get that next one and so on. Distance isn't a cure but it helps.

 

[SueAnn]

If you're on the road long enough, you're going to see or worse yet participate in some screw up. On 6/13/13 a Toyota pickup nailed me head on. I couldn't get off the road any further without rolling down a bank. In 1967 a good guy who I didn't know super well drove for Richfield Oil (that became ARCO, now part of BP). Somehow his truck and trailer rolled north of Vacaville, CA on I-80. It caught fire. I came by the place of that accident a day or two later and you could tell where he burned trying to the cyclone fence that separated the highway from the frontage road.

You've taken the time to contemplate your wreck. I'm sure you've looked at it from a thousand different angles and ran through an equal number of scenarios. And those activities don't satisfy.

The best approach to cure such crappy feelings, is driving. Regardless of the weather, that first trip is akin to taking off in super crappy weather. You just make that first mile and once that mile (or klick) is made, get that next one and so on. Distance isn't a cure but it helps.

You're right as usual. I'm sorry to hear about your experiences. They're horribe.

 

[quillcom]

Nice! How did you get 8 hours out of 14 miles?

Hurry up and wait.

From the drops and hooks to the Friday rush freight waits, add in a new forklift driver learning the ropes and these are full loads, you can start seeing how time can fly.

 

[mndriver]

Hurry up and wait.

From the drops and hooks to the Friday rush freight waits, add in a new forklift driver learning the ropes and these are full loads, you can start seeing how time can fly.

$6/mile loads can become really unprofitable real quick.

 

[quillcom]

$6/mile loads can become really unprofitable real quick.

I hear ya.

Glad I don't have to crunch the numbers as an hourly employee as you o/o's do.

I'll let dispatch worry about all that and enjoy a few siesta days now and then.

 

[GAnthony]

Bunk house?

Sounds like Estes or maybe NEMF

neither. it was Highway Express, the former owner/founder of Overnite started when he got back in business after the 5 year waiting period from selling Overnite.

the Louisville bunk house was excellent.