IS ONE DAY PER WEEK OFF TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR IN THIS CAREER?

Reply Subscribe

Page 1 of 3

Thread Tools

10-25-2006, 01:07 AM

2fast4love

Rookie

Thread Starter

Join Date: Oct 2006

Posts: 11

IS ONE DAY PER WEEK OFF TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR IN THIS CAREER?

I think that it is too much to ask for, but my father does not. I believe that wanting one day per week off is being a little too "high maintenance" as a truck driver. However, my father insists that if we drive as a TEAM then we should find a company who will give us one day off per week. I am the kind of guy who is willing to stay out for 3-4 weeks driving before getting time off and he is the kind of guy who is only willing to stay out for 1 week before getting time off. He has mentioned to me that he would CONSIDER driving for 2 weeks before getting time off, but it would be the VERY MOST AT BEST. The only trouble with this is I think that IF THERE EVEN ARE ANY COMPANIES that allow their TEAM drivers to take a day off every week the TEAMS who get this much time off probably do not make very much money. So now I am trying to figure out if a solo guy like myself willing to stay out 3-4 weeks at a time can make more money than when on a TEAM staying out for just 1 week at a time. If anyone can help me out with this then that would be great, because as a new class A driver I am just not sure myself. :?:

10-25-2006, 01:44 AM

Guest

Posts: n/a

Re: IS ONE DAY PER WEEK OFF TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR IN THIS CARE

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2fast4love

I believe that wanting one day per week off is being a little too "high maintenance" as a truck driver.

Not me. I'm home everynight, off every weekend, don't work any holidays and still manage to bring home the bacon. Wouldn't have it any other way. :wink:

10-25-2006, 01:56 AM

Stainless

Member

Join Date: Jan 2006

Posts: 50

Re: IS ONE DAY PER WEEK OFF TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR IN THIS CARE

Quote:

Originally Posted by ColdFrostyMug

Not me. I'm home everynight, off every weekend, don't work any holidays and still manage to bring home the bacon. Wouldn't have it any other way. :wink:

Same here, plus i get time off just about whenever i ask for it.

10-25-2006, 01:57 AM

gemc1

Rookie

Join Date: Feb 2006

Location: ny

Posts: 29

it dependes on how long you have Ben doing it for you have your home and car no bills exe get the work while its there it wont last forever

10-25-2006, 02:05 AM

2fast4love

Rookie

Thread Starter

Join Date: Oct 2006

Posts: 11

Re: IS ONE DAY PER WEEK OFF TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR IN THIS CARE

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stainless

Quote:

Originally Posted by ColdFrostyMug

Not me. I'm home everynight, off every weekend, don't work any holidays and still manage to bring home the bacon. Wouldn't have it any other way. :wink:

Same here, plus i get time off just about whenever i ask for it.

That is nice and I am happy for you guys, but my father and I live in the county with the worst unemployment rate out of all of the counties in the entire USA and we have therefore not been fortunate enough to find ANY local driving jobs after 2 months of searching. We sent in applications (even to a garbage company), but I am guessing that this privledge is only reserved for the experienced truck drivers with CDL-A's and not the new guys like us who just got their CDL A's and are thus on the bottom of the totem pole, so to speak. So that only leaves OTR and we both have a lot of experience in expediting with a cargo van to multiple states. In this experience we have learned that I am willing to stay out for 3-4 weeks at a time and he is only willing to stay out for 1 week at a time before getting any days off, which we have had disagreements about throughout the entire day while discussing it. In OTR TEAM TRUCK DRIVING I have gotten the impression that the longer teams stay out on the road, the more money they make. But how much more money they make when 3 weeks out instead of just 1 week out before getting time off is something that I still do not know. :?:

10-25-2006, 02:16 AM

emerlin

Member

Join Date: Oct 2006

Posts: 181

I have zero experience, but that won't stop me from weighing in...

I could not work with my father. I would not be able to stay in a truck with him for two days, let alone two weeks. Don't get me wrong, I love my dad and would do just about anything for him, but if we are together more than about 5 days, the differences of opinion come out, and it's not pretty.

10-25-2006, 02:25 AM

emerlin

Member

Join Date: Oct 2006

Posts: 181

AND ANOTHER THING!

Well, I was going to have a bit of a rant regarding time out, but I'll start my own thread on that one.

10-25-2006, 02:30 AM

greg3564

Senior Board Member

Join Date: Aug 2006

Location: Leander, TX

Posts: 1,266

I would think that since Team drivers are so sought after that you would have some leverage to negotiate your time off.

10-25-2006, 02:39 AM

2fast4love

Rookie

Thread Starter

Join Date: Oct 2006

Posts: 11

Quote:

Originally Posted by gemc1

it dependes on how long you have Ben doing it for you have your home and car no bills exe get the work while its there it wont last forever

My philosophy regarding loads is also "get it while its there" and I am very ambitious and willing to do whatever it takes to succeed in OTR TEAM DRIVING. I am just a little discouraged that my father does not share that same level of ambition. Together I think that we could make so much more money if choosing to stay out longer than just 1 week at a time as a team. As an example, we were just offered positions to team-drive for a partner company of Fedex Custom Critical at 3 weeks out driving and then getting 1 week off with over $1,000 per driver every week. I was all for it and he basically turned it down, which lead to a dispute between us regarding home time vs. money and which is more important. Money is more important to me and home time is more important to him. BUT if there are actually companies out there where teams can make over $1,000 a week per driver as a team while getting 1 day off every week like he wants then I have no problem with this. I am just curious to know if there are actually OTR team drivers out there who do get this much time off while still getting at least $1,000 a week per team driver.

#10

10-25-2006, 03:03 AM

2fast4love

Rookie

Thread Starter

Join Date: Oct 2006

Posts: 11

Quote:

Originally Posted by emerlin

My father and I have already team drove in a 1 ton cargo van for an expediting company for 1 week out at a time before taking time off. It was strange at first sleeping on a cot in the cargo area of the tiny van after dropping off automotive loads with my father sleeping 6 feet behind me on his own cot, but we got used to it after a very short time. There were even several nights where we had to sleep before dropping off loads and therefore could not even sleep on our cots in the cargo area of the van. On those nights, we actually had to sleep upright in our chairs (which do not recline at all due to no space between the rear cargo cage). So we do get along really well, but I am concerned with our only difference, which is that as OTR team drivers he is only willing to stay out 1 week driving at a time before requiring at least one day off. Can team drivers still make at least $1,000 a week per team driver when driving for 1 week at a time or should we have to stay out longer before taking a day off to make that kind of money as a team?