Ok so i left otr a year ago,swore id never return.but financial may force me back out?any suggestion

[Jeff kidd]

I left otr a year ago,due to false promises of regular home time.(And missing children,grand children.)anyone know a reliable otr company,for pay and hometime?Finances may require me to return,despite my families wanting me home.Please advise?

 

[patriciajnsn]

I left otr a year ago,due to false promises of regular home time.(And missing children,grand children.)anyone know a reliable otr company,for pay and hometime?Finances may require me to return,despite my families wanting me home.Please advise?

You do know you'll probably have to take a refresher course don't you?I haven't drive for over a yr either.The companies want so many months of recent exp to be considered.OTR hasn't changed except more laws and more unhappy drivers.Only option you may have is getting that refresher done and going with a starter company.

 

[mndriver]

Find a smaller mom/pop operation and you won't have to take a refresher.

I came back after 12 years gone. Had a "trainer" ride with me for 4 days and went back that following Monday for my own truck.

 

[patriciajnsn]

You do know you'll probably have to take a refresher course don't you?I haven't drive for over a yr either.The companies want so many months of recent exp to be considered.OTR hasn't changed except more laws and more unhappy drivers.Only option you may have is getting that refresher done and going with a starter company.

Mom and pop outfits tend to have a bad safety record along with bad equipment so keep that in mind.Its really up to their insurance,anymore they make the call who the company can hire.Also why OTR you may be able to find something local or regjonal.At least your checks will be more consistent then OTR.But like I said I have found many companies small and large that require recent exp.I think tnays stupid because driving a trk is like riding a bycicle.Sure you might be a little rusty but if you was a good driver a year ago youll remember everything now.

 

[Mammoth Transport]

Are you currently running local. You might try researching better local companies instead of going back over the road. It sounds like home is important to you. I would consider something Ltl. I have no firsthand experience with overall respect of the various companies but hauling triple pups usually pays better than 53s.

 

[mndriver]

Mom and pop outfits tend to have a bad safety record along with bad equipment so keep that in mind.Its really up to their insurance,anymore they make the call who the company can hire.Also why OTR you may be able to find something local or regjonal.At least your checks will be more consistent then OTR.But like I said I have found many companies small and large that require recent exp.I think tnays stupid because driving a trk is like riding a bycicle.Sure you might be a little rusty but if you was a good driver a year ago youll remember everything now.

Wow........


Thanks for the vote of confidence.


And we wonder why we get such a negative picture of trucking.

Care to show the evidence for that statement that mom and pops are so renegade

 

[Electric Chicken]

You do know you'll probably have to take a refresher course don't you?I haven't drive for over a yr either.The companies want so many months of recent exp to be considered.OTR hasn't changed except more laws and more unhappy drivers.Only option you may have is getting that refresher done and going with a starter company.

New trucks are comfier. That's a change.

 

[ironpony]

I left otr a year ago,due to false promises of regular home time.(And missing children,grand children.)anyone know a reliable otr company,for pay and hometime?Finances may require me to return,despite my families wanting me home.Please advise?

Look into Prime. Good equipment, they will get you home, and pay was 43 CPM plus fuel bonus paid weekly on the company side.

@Injun can tell you about Swift.

 

[patriciajnsn]

Wow........


Thanks for the vote of confidence.


And we wonder why we get such a negative picture of trucking.

Care to show the evidence for that statement that mom and pops are so renegade

Don't wow me
I drove for one and all you have to do is look on the road.I'm not saying all but I know some do they can also look up their safety also.Quit looking for an argument.If you have problem with me and what I say the iggy button is only a click away,use It.

 

[Electric Chicken]

Don't wow me
I drove for one and all you have to do is look on the road.I'm not saying all but I know some do they can also look up their safety also.Quit looking for an argument.If you have problem with me and what I say the iggy button is only a click away,use It.

You slam a driver's company then get touchy when called out for it. That's nice. And you didn't say "all" but your words did imply "most."


There are a lot of extremely good small trucking operations out there. You don't notice them because they're safely doing their thing and/or don't have enough trucks to be much of a presence in this big ass world.

 

[patriciajnsn]

You slam a driver's company then get touchy when called out for it. That's nice. And you didn't say "all" but your words did imply "most."


There are a lot of extremely good small trucking operations out there. You don't notice them because they're safely doing their thing and/or don't have enough trucks to be much of a presence in this big ass world.

I only slam him.I'm sure there are some good small companies but there are also many bad ones with bad equipment compared to med to large size carriers.

 

[Electric Chicken]

I only slam him.I'm sure there are some good small companies but there are also many bad ones with bad equipment compared to med to large size carriers.

You only notice what stands out. All the nice trucks blend in.

 

[patriciajnsn]

You only notice what stands out. All the nice trucks blend in.

The small companies around here have bad rusted out equipment.I know two of them that have horrible safety rating but yet still operates on our roads.After three yrs with a bad company you're right I do notice the crap out there.The owner ops for a small company from what I've seen has better trks then the company drivers and well taken care of.What I'm saying is do some homework first like looking up their safety rating and and see what kind of equipment they have first before driving for them.The company I drove for I wish I would have done that.But a driver picked me up at a truckstop and took me to the company 4 hrs away he had a beautiful truck and so did another owner operator.But all the company trks looked and ran like they were ready for the scrap yard.

 

[Electric Chicken]

My ProStar drove like it was ready for the scrapyard until I had them fix it up. Now it only LOOKS like it's ready for the scrapyard.

I'll take a good running truck over a good looking truck any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

 

[patriciajnsn]

My ProStar drove like it was ready for the scrapyard until I had them fix it up. Now it only LOOKS like it's ready for the scrapyard.

I'll take a good running truck over a good looking truck any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Was the inside of the truck all dirty and stained?I've had to be towed a few times because my boss was too cheap to have anything fixed at a shop other then his.There's a huge difference between a good running truck and bad equipment.I'm not talking about a good running trk compared to a good looking truck.

 

[Jeff kidd]

When I started otr I was told theres 2 real rules of otr,#1.Take care of license,without it youve just wasted your time.#2.Drivers look after drivers,who they are doesnt matter,its what they do. Where,when and why did this change?

 

[mndriver]

When I started otr I was told theres 2 real rules of otr,#1.Take care of license,without it youve just wasted your time.#2.Drivers look after drivers,who they are doesnt matter,its what they do. Where,when and why did this change?

Back in the 80's and 90's. I saw it with the demise of the mom and pop truckstops. When things really went corporate.

Even some saying with deregulation.

 

[Jeff kidd]

As drivers,if we returned to those beliefs?Does anyone think we,(meaning drivers),we would all do better?

 

[mndriver]

News flash.

It's not just trucking that this problem exists. If anything, Trucking caused this problem

 

[patriciajnsn]

As drivers,if we returned to those beliefs?Does anyone think we,(meaning drivers),we would all do better?

Sure would be nice wouldn't it but I doubt it.There's alot of bitter and unhappy drivers.There are also drivers that believe in teamwork but that doesn't mean they're still happy.So much has changed over the last decade and getting worse.Once upon a time I called truck driving a career now it's nothing more then a job.I don't miss driving trk at all not even a little bit.Even on the net the way drivers speak to other drivers tells me they're not happy,I don't see this industry ever getting better but I do see it getting worse.