Question:
Any Werner or ex Werner drivers out there that can tell me the average time out for OTR?I live 4 hours from the nearest terminal.Thanks.

Answer:
I was going to work with Werner until they told me that if I ran OTR I would have to be out a minimum 17 days and I could stay out longer if I wanted to and I don't live but about 2 hours from the terminal.Then I thought about Southeast Regional until they told me that I would have to unload insulation and would be paid 20.00 for the whole trailer.That is why I am not there.Good Luck

Answer:
They claim - and I believe from my own experience and talking to the many other drivers I see all the time - the average time out is 17 days. I think that's about the minimum they require for 48 state.
Regional drivers - at least western division - can stay out as little as 10 days. That's the whole purpose of regional - to retain drivers who want to stay closer to home and go home more often. Werner hopes regional opportunities will reduce the number of drivers who leave to pursue a local job. They're really beefing-up regional division right now...some new "opti-swap" system they've invented to better relay loads through several drivers. (my current load to Bakersfield CA had FIVE previous drivers before I picked it up in our Albuquerque drop yard)
Most drivers seen to stay out 2 or 3 weeks. Some live in their trucks and take their time off in places they want to visit, or where they have friends or relatives, etc. The location for your 'home time' can be anywhere you want - it doesn't have to be at your actual home. You can officially bobtail within a 20 mile radius of your 'home time' location on personal drive time, not logged, while you're off duty and unavailable for a load. (I sometimes drive more than 100 miles on personal time while I'm home, cheaper than driving my own vehicle, they haven't said anything yet)
The problem is, the more often you take time off, the harder it is to get miles, since your trip in and out of your requested location reduces their opportunities to match you with a productive load. Sometimes you load home is the least productive part of your time out on the road. They'd rather hold you one or two states away and wait for a load home that matches your requested date home, than risk sending you somewhere else and then end-up getting you home late, so the longer you stay out, the more productive your miles/time/etc.
I don't think you have much to wory about with the Werner recruiters bs'ing you. If anything, they tend to low-ball their promises. The only complaint I've ever heard about their recruiters is from a few drivers hired for a specific dedicated account, then Werner loses (or lets go of) that account shortly after they're hired. This happens.
Hooter: Good thing you didn't take that insulation account. That's exactly the kind of problem Werner DOES have in living up to their promises. Unless it's a very strong, long-term account, it might be gone tomorrow. But other than that, I'd be surprised if everything they tell you isn't pretty close to true. (example: They say the monthly mileage average is 10k miles, which is true when you factor-in the slugs who only do 8,000, or want to take lots of time off. But in fact, most drivers get 11,000 or 12,000 miles per month if they stay out about 17 days with three days off inbetween. Before I started training a couple months ago, I usually stayed out 17 days, took 4 off, and I always got over 12,000.
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[This message was edited by Shuffler on November 16, 2002 at 15:21.]