Question:
How come every newbie that comes on here is asking about working for some OTR freight outfit. I never see any on the boards saying "I want to learn how to run a Mixer" or "What's it like hauling scrap metal in a rolloff" Do they all think OTR is the goal? They should know that OTR freight isn't one of the better areas of trucking to get into.
Answer:
Most likely because the above mentiomed are not "lifestyle" occupations. Who wants to drive a nasty old cement mixer when they can be the "Last American Cowboy, freedom of the road, no boss, office with a view.
There must be no glory in getting paid a decent wage for every hour worked.

Answer:
its because in most cases, those types of jobs want at least one year otr.would you like to make that sandwich a combo?.....no, just give me an order of fries and a drink with that.

Answer:
I ran local for 8 years before I ran OTR.
My first OTR job was a good one, drivers retired there. I ran 46 states...BUT...we all were laid off, it was a Union plant. The Company went out of Business.
I went back to local LTL, but, had the OTR bug bad.
Now, I prefer to run OTR. I enjoy it.
A lot depends on the Company you work for, if you have a family, etc.
I cannot stress the fact enough,,,OTR IS NOT FOR EVERYONE!!!!!!
Too many drivers out here today running OTR that have no business being out here. They hate it everyday, have nothing but problems everyday, they cannot handle the rig properly and do nothing but cause problems for us that enjoy being out here.

Answer:

I have never heard of a roll off/ dump/ mixer company requiring OTR experience.

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I used to work for an OTR mixer outfit,it didn't turn out very well.
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The mixer and roll off companies usually want at least some experiance, more so the mixers. Have you seen some of the $$it holes the driver is expected to get the truck into? The pay is so so, the hours feast or famine and the equipment?

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I never thought I did all that bad when I drove a mixer. Not only did I make a decent wage but lots of the small contractors used to tip me. I'll bet every week I brought home another $150 to $200 in tips. And as far as being a rolloff driver, if you are good and can change tires, do some minor repairs, burn with a torch, and do a little welding the scrap yards and demolition companies treat you like you are gold.
Answer:
I''ve been driving a mixer for two years. My take home pay runs from about $500 to $900 a week depending on what time of year, or major job we have. The trucks we drive range from 2006 Volvo's to as old as 1998 Mack's. The hours you work will age you fast. It is a dangerous job. I broke my leg, and now have a rod in my leg. It happened on a job site pouring concrete. I know many who have rolled over mixers because they were speeding, and fired. No company I know requires OTR experience to drive a mixer.

Answer:
I drove with an OTR trainer for 3 weeks at SRT. I went home and was driving a TT dump bucket a few days later. All the experience I had was 3 weeks. That job lasted 1.5 yrs and I would probably still be there if he the owner hadn't got hurt and lost his trucks. Home nights and weekends and a good weekly check. The most fun trucking job I've had. Was paid extra to do my own oil changes and light mantenance.
I did check into driving a mixer and was hired by one company with no experience. They don't usually require it. I would have taken it except the dump bucket job was a little better.
I think one of the reasons people don't ask about those types of jobs is because it takes a little effort to find them. Also because schools push the OTR ompanies. They do that because they make money everytime a company hires one of their students. Most newbies send off some applications while in school and get a load of prehires. It's simple and easy and requires very little thought. Where looking for a better local job means you actually have to get off your duff and make some calls and go see real people.

Answer:

Not everyone. One of my first posts asking for job info, I asked about local and even Dump opportunities. I even did searches trying to find info. I dont think this is the board for that. I think most everyone here is OTR so thats where the conversations end up. I see the draw of OTR but I would'nt want to do it, at least not right now. Truthis I cant see me sticking with driving as a main income in general. As someone said to me years ago "this would be a good job if it didnt take up so much time". I think that sums up driving, whether its OTR, mixer, local, dump etc.

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I am in the process of switching from dump trucks and transporting cat equipment localy. My biggist reason for going over the road and quiting that is I am sick of tryin to find work in the winter months. It is next to imposible. I spend all summer catching up bills that I know I am just going to fall behind on again next fall and winter.

Answer:
I have been trying to get a Dump job and they all ask how much experience I have. I can not catch a break.
Talked to one driver and he said he got hired and did not have 3 months verifialbe experience.
Talked to a Driver manager he said he could no longer hire people with out six months experience.

Answer:
I did dump truck, mixer and OTR. Some companies did require experience some didn't. I guess it depends on their insurance.
With a dump or mixer you get paid hourly which is nice but you're depending on the weather. A long period of bad weather can really hurt you financially.
They run you very hard in summer and starve you in winter.
Contractors can be very demanding. They will try to get you in bad spots just to save the money to hire a concrete pump or a backhoe. If you roll the truck they'll just say, he is the driver, it's his responsibility. Even though you might have told them it would be unsafe. They'll try anything including threatening you to file a complain against you.
You have to be a stand up guy to be safe.
I even had a guy threatening me to punch me. That was pretty funny, I'm 6.5 and 280 pounds. I called my boss (the other guy was listening) and asked him if I could punch back if he swings at me. My boss started laughing and said go ahaed, just make sure it's self defense. The guy backed off and never bothered me again.
As a mixer driver you're pretty much a construction worker with a CDL.
Both, mixer and rear dumps require experience. You have to know how much slope your truck can handle while unloading.
There is one very interesting part about mixer drivers. Every driver I talked to confirmed that there is a lot of back stabbing under the drivers. No matter what company you work for. They say : "That's just the mud business".
In my opinion, if you really want to become a dump truck or mixer driver, you have to take a low paying job with a usually small company for about a year. If you made it without accidents you won't have any trouble finding a good paying job in that area.

Answer:
Re: stuck mixers.
Around my neck of the woods, if a mixer gets stuck on the job site resulting in a wrecker being called in then the contractor foots the bill. If the contractor refuses it, he can forget about future deliveries.