Question:
Hello everyone,
I have just discovered this message board and have found the messages to be very helpful. I have a lot of questions about truck driving, and I can see that there are many experienced and helpful people here so I think this forum will be a good place to ask.
A few words about myself: I have worked as a machinist and a programmer for over 20 years. I am currently self-employed, but the last year I have made almost no money.
For some reason that I cannot figure out, the folks in Washington have decided it is best to export all of our decent paying manufacturing jobs to China.
For this reason I am considering a career change, because I do not see a bright future in my current trade. Since trucking jobs cannot be exported to China, it seems to me that truckers, no matter how much complaining I have seen in this forum, can always find work.
But my knowlege of trucking is very limited. I have a friend who owns a newspaper delivery business, and I did a little bit of driving for him when I was starting my own machining business a few years ago. I was driving my own vehicle, hauling bundles of newspapers on about a 2 hour run. So it was a 4 hour round trip 6 days a week in my Ford Ranger.
My experience with that leads me to a couple of conclusions. First of all, I really enjoy driving. I also did not mind loading and unloading a truck, as long as the other people I have to deal with are reasonable and respectful.
What I did not like was being put under pressure to speed and get speeding tickets. I would rather drive the speed limit, get there a little later, and not have to pay the fines.
Ok I will start with my questions here, and see what kind of answers I get. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.
Question: Is it necessary to go to school and learn to drive a big tractor and trailor to get a CDL, even if you were looking for a job just driving a smaller truck locally?
Question: Do OTR drivers make more money than short local hauls? Are most local driver paid hourly?
Question: Since driving OTR would involve long hours basically just sitting, do any of the large trucking companies provide exercise facilities so the drivers can get some exercise between loads?
Question: Can a driver take time off when needed without hassles, or is it like a traditional job where they have something like 10 or 12 predefined holidays, and you have to earn vacation time?
Question: Do OTR drivers normally have benefits like holiday pay, vacation pay, health insurance, 401k plans (with company matching?)?
Question: I see pay estimates for first year drivers anywhere between 20,000 to 40,000. Why is there so much variation? Or is it that these numbers really vary that much?
I have a lot more questions, but i will stop here for now
John
John

Answer:
If truck is under 26,000 then no CDL is needed. No sense learning Tractor trailers if you don't have plans to drive one. Get a CDL for what you are going to drive.
I beleive most local drivers are paid by the hour
You might find a few companys with excersie equip but most won't. Try Joining the YMCA as they are all over.
Don't know about the time off as I am an owner-operator and we can do what we want.
I would say that the reason you see a wide gap in the numbers is it depends how hard you want to run. Figure a new driver starting about 30 CPM driving about 100,000 miles a year makes $30,000. But then add in any extras and it could go up. Besides people like to stretch the truth. If you tell someone they can make $40,000 vs $20,000 guess where the driver goes.
Hope this helps
Still in everyones way!!
_________________
Just adding my 2 cents worth of advice

Answer:
*** Most of the larger "mega" carriers that operate over-the-road give you one (1) day off for every seven (7)days out on the road. Some will give you two days off for every seven, but I can speak only to what my employer provides. As for my situation, we are required to be out a minimum of two (2) weeks before we can request to go home...then the company has seven (7) days to get us to our home locatation...timeframe depends greatly on where you live. I stay out for extended periods of time since I don't have much reason to be home...so this system works well for me, if you are a family man you may want something with less time away from home. Every company will not be able to meet every drivers particular needs.
*** The company that I drive for has exercise rooms at each of our five (5) terminals, but you will not be at those facilities on a regular basis...and truckstops or atleast the majority of them do not provide any such ammenities to the drivers.
*** Yeah most local companies pay by the mile...the rate varies depending on type of freight hauled, union/non-union, region, etc...When I was hauling glass (intrastate) I was payed by the mile, but also payed hourly when I was at the plant performing "non-driving" duties. OTR will pay you only by the mile (cpm)... and as we all know you will perform many "non-driving" duties that will go uncompensated. If unloading is necessary, most companies will pay for the use of a lumper ( a third-party individual who is payed to load/unload the trailer) as for my company we are payed hourly if the driver is required for some reason to assist in the loading/unloading.
You cpm rate will depend on the company, your experience, type of freight hauled, etc.. If you decide to get into the otr sector of this industry plan on settling for less money until you build up enough experience to be hired on by a better paying carrier. Many companies offer their own schooling, but they will then require you to drive for them for a set amount of time to pay for the school. Many community colleges and third-party driving schools offer classes on a regular basis. Although, I went to a company-sponsored school, I would reccomend a third-party operation due to the added flexibility that it provides, but it's all a matter of opinion.
*** I do receive holiday pay, insurance, 401K, etc... most companies provide those benefits for their company drivers.

Answer:
Before I "Attempt" --> to start answering your questions...
This is TruckNet's "Search" Feature(click here)

Answer:

Question: Is it necessary to go to school and learn to drive a big tractor and trailor to get a CDL, even if you were looking for a job just driving a smaller truck locally?
In my opinion yes. This is due mainly to the insurance companies either not insuring drivers/carriers if they have "untrained" drivers or charging such high rates as making it impossible for carriers to hire new drivers who did not go to school. Also it is a good idea from the stand point that a good school will offer you a low pressure environment to learn the basics of driving a truck without having to worry about deadlines, a whole lot of DOT regs, etc.
Question: Do OTR drivers make more money than short local hauls? Are most local driver paid hourly?
This really depends on the carrier. Some local carriers pay poorly and you could make more driving OTR and some pay quite well. However many of the local carriers often require 1 or more years OTR experience before hiring a driver. Also if you start local and then wanted to go OTR you will have trouble finding an OTR job that will honor any of your local driving experience.
Question: Since driving OTR would involve long hours basically just sitting, do any of the large trucking companies provide exercise facilities so the drivers can get some exercise between loads?
A few companies have small weight room at the terminals but most do not, and even if a company does have excercise facilites at the terminal you may not see that terminal for weeks at a time. The best way to get excercise on the road is by taking some of your down time and go for walks/runs or to carry a small weight set in the truck with you.
Question: Can a driver take time off when needed without hassles, or is it like a traditional job where they have something like 10 or 12 predefined holidays, and you have to earn vacation time?
Once again this depends on the carrier but on the whole, with most OTR carriers you earn on average 1 day off for every week on the road. Most OTR carriers also require that you stay out for at least 2 weeks at a time.
Question: Do OTR drivers normally have benefits like holiday pay, vacation pay, health insurance, 401k plans (with company matching?)?
Most companies offer vacation and insurance benifits, several have 401k plans, but very few offer any type of holiday pay or sick days.
Question: I see pay estimates for first year drivers anywhere between 20,000 to 40,000. Why is there so much variation? Or is it that these numbers really vary that much?
The pay or miles offerred by companies for the purpose of recruiting are a shell game of sorts. Companies typically give the high end of the average spectrum for their companies when talking about potential pay or miles per week or year. $25000 for the first year of employment is probably closer to a true average or expectation.
Only two things I know of are infinite. The universe and human stupidity, and I am not real sure about the universe.
_________________


Answer:
Wow, I was surprised to get so many responses so quickly, thank you all for taking the time to answer some of those questions.
Here are a couple more, and some that the comments raised::
Question: If I get a CDL, will the cost of my private auto insurance go up?
Question: Is it quiet enough in the typical CAB to listen to radio, or to listen to audio books without a problem?
Get a CDL for what you are going to drive.
/QUOTEQUOTE

Answer:
Your private insurance won't go up. In fact it could go down. If it is used for pleasure and under 7500 miles. That is the lowest rate.
Most trucks now a days are nice and quite.
As far as free labor for load and unload it just depends on the company. When looking at companys keep this in mind as the overall rate. When you are a trucker it is expected you will load /unload. Not saying this is right but a lot of companies veiw truckers as cheap labor.
Personaly I get paid extra if I have to work. You will just need to ask how each company handles it.
Still in everyones way!!
_________________
Just adding my 2 cents worth of advice

Answer:
So far you haven't convinced me that you really want to be a truck driver. Seems like something you are just thinking about trying. Unfortunately, there are just too many folks out here who are just trying trucking.
If you are serious, then you have much to learn. Yes, you should take some schooling. NOT the CDL mills that the big carriers operate. I would highly recommend a good community college. You will learn a lot more than at the companies.
Labor laws do not apply to truck drivers. Accept that before you go into it. If the company does not pay for unloading then you do it. You will do a lot of UNPAID sitting waiting for loading and unloading. We (with help from OOIDA) are trying to do something about that.
If you want home time, forget OTR. Do not fall for the lines that the companies feed you about getting you home. It won't happen. Yes you will spend a lot of days off out yonder somewhere because the company cannot get a load past your home in the time frame you want.
Living on the road is expensive. Factor this into the claims of pay. Pay will be very low and you will be expected to put in a lot of miles.
Now, after all this, you may wonder why anyone goes into trucking. I can only speak for myself. I drive a truck because I am a truck driver. I cannot do the 9 to 5 thing. I have been driving for many years and it is all I have ever wanted to do.
I went through all the things I stated. In trucking, it is called "paying your dues". You have to go out there and work for the gypos who will run you like a dog and treat you like a step-child. If you have the burning desire to drive a truck, you will put up with it until you have the experience and the connections to get a good job.
Good luck and remember to thouroughly investigate all options.
"We have met the enemy, and he is us." pogo

Answer:
Max, you paint a very bleak picture. I do not think you would be a good recruiter
So far you haven't convinced me that you really want to be a truck driver. Seems like something you are just thinking about trying. Unfortunately, there are just too many folks out here who are just trying trucking.
You are correct that I have not made a firm decision to go into trucking. I am in the information gathering stage. And I appreciate everyones posts here because you all have something that I do not have, and that is firsthand experience.
If you are serious, then you have much to learn. Yes, you should take some schooling. NOT the CDL mills that the big carriers operate. I would highly recommend a good community college. You will learn a lot more than at the companies.
This is probably very good advice from an educational standpoint, but from an economic standpoint, it sucks. Even if I wanted to take your advice here, I am not in a position financially to spend thousands of dollars on college classes.
If you want home time, forget OTR. Do not fall for the lines that the companies feed you about getting you home. It won't happen. Yes you will spend a lot of days off out yonder somewhere because the company cannot get a load past your home in the time frame you want.
I am beginning to see OTR as more of a lifestyle than a job. It seems to be quite a bit like being homeless, except you would not have to beg for food, and you would always have a place to sleep.
My guess is that an OTR driver making 30-35k with no house payments, no car payments, who knew how to handle his money wisely could bank up money pretty rapidly.
I am one of those people who could probably live with this. I would also make good use of my time off. I do a lot of reading and I also write books. So I would always have something to do when layed-over etc.
There are also college courses that a person can take online, which can be fit into a persons schedule. I think this would be possible for a trucker as well.
Living on the road is expensive. Factor this into the claims of pay. Pay will be very low and you will be expected to put in a lot of miles.
I would do most of my shopping at wal-mart, and attempt to eat at restaurants to once or twice a week, so I think my expenses would be below average.
Now, after all this, you may wonder why anyone goes into trucking.
Yes, I am wondering. But I am also wondering why anyone ever went into the trade I have worked in all my life. When I was in high school, they told me that if I became a machinist, I would always have a job. I think when it comes right down to it, people work for the paycheck. And they do not like unnecessary hassles.
I cannot do the 9 to 5 thing.
I see that a lot on the boards. It seems to be a common attitude. When you look at the hours a trucker puts in though, it does not make sense.
I cannot handle the 9-5 thing, so I will get a job where I work 16 hours straight and rarely get to go home? That makes no sense from a logical standpoint.
I think the people who say they cannot handle the 9-5 thing are in reality saying that they are anti-social in some respect, and cannot handle dealing with other people every day.
I understand this perfectly, as I have had jobs where the co-workers were absolutely insane and impossible to deal with.
There is definitely a positive in trucking because when you are on the road, there is no boss. But from what I have read on the boards, this must be harmonized with the hassles in dealing with dispatchers ... am I right?
I have seen posts that said your relationship with the dispatchers will either make or break the job with a particular company.
From reading CDL books I have gotten from the library, I see that there are bascially two routes I could go.
1) OTR - This would require a Class-A CDL, which is best obtained by going to school.
2) Local driver, possibly paid hourly, home every night. No school required, just study hard for the written test, and wing it on the driver test. Then look for a job in the paper requiring a Class-B CDL.
I do not know how well option 2 would work. I am guessing those advertising for drivers would also be looking for those with the most experience. I would have the CDL, but not the experience.
Sorry if I am rambling in this post a little. And once again, I want to thank all of those who responded and answered my questions in here.
John

Answer:
The type and/or quality of local work you will have available depends alot on your location, atleast here in Texas...naturally it seems like the closer you are to the city the better off you are, but here in Texas you can rack up quite a few miles bewtween major cities and never leave the state. Either way you go...make sure you are doing it because you enjoy it, not because of the money.

Answer:
In Indiana you have a better chance of finding something with regular home time,you are in the middle of the country.
Days off on road don't count against your days off at home.To many days off on the road,does limit your income and if you need money,you won't be able to afford to stay home if you don't keep busy while away from home.
""What I did not like was being put under pressure to speed and get speeding tickets. I would rather drive the speed limit, get there a little later, and not have to pay the fines.""
Most major companies don't require or want you to speed.
-----------------------
Question: Is it necessary to go to school and learn to drive a big tractor and trailor to get a CDL, even if you were looking for a job just driving a smaller truck locally?
------
answer
yes people hire from schools,not somebody that has no real training,not that schools give much,but borrowing somebodies truck is no training and with a big enough dump truck and heavy enough trailer you can get a tractor trailer truck type license and have never driven one.
Question: Do OTR drivers make more money than short local hauls? Are most local driver paid hourly?
------------------
Answer
OTR in many cases you do gross more money per year,but your comparing a 5 day a week local job to a 7 day and night a week job.
Local Hourly,got me 50/50 wild guess
Question: Since driving OTR would involve long hours basically just sitting, do any of the large trucking companies provide exercise facilities so the drivers can get some exercise between loads?
--------------------------
answer
rare to find companies with equipment or to be able to use it on a regular schedule if it does exsist
Question: Can a driver take time off when needed without hassles, or is it like a traditional job where they have something like 10 or 12 predefined holidays, and you have to earn vacation time?
----------------------------
Holiday is a day you hate,because you can't deliver your freight,paid not offen.
Time off can be arranged to meet your needs,dispatch coming through is another story.Depends on the company and the dispatcher.
Question: Do OTR drivers normally have benefits like holiday pay, vacation pay, health insurance, 401k plans (with company matching?)?
-----------------------
Holiday pay is lacking at many companies,the rest is there in general.
Question: I see pay estimates for first year drivers anywhere between 20,000 to 40,000. Why is there so much variation? Or is it that these numbers really vary that much?
--------------------------------
we had a post covering that subject,but it vanished -->
some people count their first year from after they complete training,but if you start counting from the day you start driving school,than your time with a trainer for the company you hire onto,the first few months you earn very little.
another reason is some companies haul lots of short loads 200 and 300 mile stuff,you pick them up one day and deliver them the next day,1500 miles a week and you don't make much money,other companies haul longer stuff and you get more miles a week,2500 to 3000 miles a week is more normal for OTR
Trucking is very varied,2 drivers at the same company with the same amount of experiance could be 20k apart in income.
You could study your choice to death and never get answers carved in stone,to many if's.One thing if you do give it a try and stay a few years,it is hard to get out because everyone thinks truckers make big bucks and they won't hire you for a 25k regular job thinking you won't be satisfied and will return to trucking.
Question: If I get a CDL, will the cost of my private auto insurance go up?
---------------------------
no,but you most likely won't be commuting,so your car insurance will be reduced if you notify them.
Question: Is it quiet enough in the typical CAB to listen to radio, or to listen to audio books without a problem?
-----------------------------------
yes,todays trucks are very nice compared to a 70's truck.You won't notice much more noise than a car.You don't have to yell to talk to somebody in the truck.
They enlisted the Teamsters’ help after the company decided that it would no longer pay them hourly wages but compensate them based on mileage, which would have cut their income in half
http://www.teamster.org/03news/hn_030110_1.htm
_________________
TruckNets Jobs.Truck.Net Online Application Click here

Answer:
http://roundtable.truck.net/6/ubb.x?q=Y&a=tpc&s=6456013822&f=6766031032&m=1106002532&p=1
click on the above and just read taxibobs posts and skip the replies,unless you want to read a 7 page book and also cyanides/shaffer post gives a good idea what trucking is about
http://roundtable.truck.net/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=6456013822&f=6766031032&m=4446002532
They enlisted the Teamsters’ help after the company decided that it would no longer pay them hourly wages but compensate them based on mileage, which would have cut their income in half
http://www.teamster.org/03news/hn_030110_1.htm
_________________
TruckNets Jobs.Truck.Net Online Application Click here

Answer:
Trucking is great if you like being away from home and the one's you love.
After a while you begin to wonder why are you working to pay for everything that you don't have because your always gone.
If your serious about driving, FIND A LOCAL JOB!
I make a comfortable living have a nice home and things a lot of people would love to have but sometimes I wonder why...I'm never home to enjoy it!!!!
You'll buy things you can't afford with any other job and be stuck driving or filing for bank ruptcy.
Think I'll put a rack on the truck and take my Harley with me.
[This message was edited by guitarnut on May 11, 2003 at 10:46.]

Answer:
Everyone did a good job of answering, so I'll just mention two things.
1. There is a good chance your private insurance will go up. Many insurance companies consider a truckdriver to be a high risk driver. Don't ask me why, I never could get a satisfactory answer out of them. Will probably not happen unless you try to change insurance companies. We were shopping for a different insurance co. when I found this out.
2. Remember that with a CDL, even tickets in your private vehicle count against you according to the rules governing driving your truck. This INCLUDES blood alcohol levels.

Answer:
Hi everyone,
I am learning a lot by reading posts on this site, it is unbelievable how much you can learn on here!
I found posts on here talking about blood pressure and DOT physicals, which was something I had been thinking about since my blood pressure is on the high end of the "normal" range.
I never expected to find anything about this on a trucker forum though!! some people have even posted a "remedy" which they claim brought their blood pressure down by by 30 points.
I will be looking further into the remedy further (with a skeptical mind).
I have also learned what "jake brakes" are. I understand how they work. Can someone in here tell me how they are applied? do you pull a lever, or flip a switch?
I know this porbably sounds like a stupid question ... but I have never even sat in a big tractor before.
ZIGZAG:
Thanks for the links, I read the entire thread. TAXIBOB is a good writer, and I enjoyed reading of his experiences. I assume from the "Teamsters Local 443" on all your posts you are in a union? Many years ago I was in the allied industrial workers union, when I worked at a large automotive supplier (before I was laid off, of course). Here are a couple of questions for you.
Question: What percentage of truckers are unionized?
Question: What benefits does a unionized driver have over a non-unionized driver?
Question: Do union driver make better pay?
guitarnut wrote:
If your serious about driving, FIND A LOCAL JOB!
I have already concluded that OTR is not a job, it is a lifestyle. You give up everything that most people consider normal.
I consider myself a person who could survive the lifestyle, and I would probably enjoy it. I am not married and have no children, so getting home would not be a major concern.
I think the LOCAL JOB route would be easier to go into. I have no doubt that I could study on my own and pass the written tests. The Driving test would be more difficult, but i think I could do it.
But what I am really considering is signing on with a large carrier, getting the training, and driving OTR. If I decide that I do not like the lifestyle, after a couple years I will find a local job.
Think I'll put a rack on the truck and take my Harley with me.
Can you do this if you are driving for one of the large carriers?
WUZZY wrote:
There is a good chance your private insurance will go up. Many insurance companies consider a truckdriver to be a high risk driver.
I have gotten conflicting information on this from different people. I suspect that you are correct. If I were to keep renewing my policy, it probably would not change, but if switching insurance companies, they would look at it.
Same thing seems to apply with speeding tickets. If you apply for a new policy, they count against you ... but they do not affect an existing policy. At least not with my company (State Farm).
I guess if it goes up, you just consider it another career expense.
I have seen in the threads a lot of discussion about CB Radios. I was thinking that one of the good things about trucking would be that I would be able to listen to all of my favorite radio programs every day. A friend of mine who just started driving was telling me about a sattelite radio called XM radio:
http://www.xmradio.com
He said his truck would be equipped with this, and he would be able to listen to high quality sound on the radio all day.
But I got to thinking, if you have to rely on the CD Radio so much, wouldn't you have to keep the volume down on the XM Radio so you could understand what was happing on the CB?
In some of the posts I saw, some had said they just turn the CB off when they get near a large city or a truck stop, because so much of what is broadcast is just trash. So here is another question:
Question: How important is the CB Radio to a trucker? Can you just turn it on when you have a need to know something about traffic conditions? Or do you have it on all the time?
And once again, I want to thank everyone who has responded to the questions
"The future is not what it used to be"
John