A Question Regarding Experience To Qualify For OTR Positions
#1
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A Question Regarding Experience To Qualify For OTR Positions
Hello Fellow Truckers! I have almost 15 years exp w/ a class a and doubles endorsement. it is all local/ city driving mostly in chicago then down in ft myers fla the last 5 years. Here is my question Why do i not get credited with those years when being considered for an OTR position? I have had 1 accident in the 15 or so years i have driven and never and i mean never had a moving violation. the job market in sw flis just about non existant and i am really considering moving and doing something OTR but am reluctant to start at the bottom of a pay scale when i have over a million accident free miles under my belt. any comments would be appreciated. thanks,
rocky
#2
To me, experience is experience, regardless of where it originates. I think it has to do with time management and being away from home. Otr drivers need to be able to pick up and deliver on set schedules, often thousands of miles away. You need to know how to manage your time and pace yourself. Many local drivers are not subject to the same rigid schedules. Logs may also be another factor, depending on where the local driver runs. One other consideration is being away from home and your family. Otr drivers are accustomed to living in the truck, local drivers go home and sleep in their own bed every night. There are some recruiters on this forum you may be able to better answer your questions.
#3
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Re: A Question Regarding Experience To Qualify For OTR Posit
Originally Posted by rckfrd98
Hello Fellow Truckers! I have almost 15 years exp w/ a class a and doubles endorsement. it is all local/ city driving mostly in chicago then down in ft myers fla the last 5 years. Here is my question Why do i not get credited with those years when being considered for an OTR position? I have had 1 accident in the 15 or so years i have driven and never and i mean never had a moving violation. the job market in sw flis just about non existant and i am really considering moving and doing something OTR but am reluctant to start at the bottom of a pay scale when i have over a million accident free miles under my belt. any comments would be appreciated. thanks,
rocky
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#4
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Re: A Question Regarding Experience To Qualify For OTR Posit
Originally Posted by rckfrd98
Hello Fellow Truckers! I have almost 15 years exp w/ a class a and doubles endorsement. it is all local/ city driving mostly in chicago then down in ft myers fla the last 5 years. Here is my question Why do i not get credited with those years when being considered for an OTR position? I have had 1 accident in the 15 or so years i have driven and never and i mean never had a moving violation. the job market in sw flis just about non existant and i am really considering moving and doing something OTR but am reluctant to start at the bottom of a pay scale when i have over a million accident free miles under my belt. any comments would be appreciated. thanks,
rocky At the present time I am trying to switch to the otr division for the same company I have worked for, for 3+ years and am still having to deal with the obstacle of no otr exp for the past 3 years. :lol: The recruiter I am working with is trying to get this waived as I technically work for the same stockholders, errrr, I mean same boss. :roll: Keep us posted on your progress, and I wish you luck.
#5
Re: A Question Regarding Experience To Qualify For OTR Posit
Originally Posted by dcmilkwagon
Originally Posted by rckfrd98
Hello Fellow Truckers! I have almost 15 years exp w/ a class a and doubles endorsement. it is all local/ city driving mostly in chicago then down in ft myers fla the last 5 years. Here is my question Why do i not get credited with those years when being considered for an OTR position? I have had 1 accident in the 15 or so years i have driven and never and i mean never had a moving violation. the job market in sw flis just about non existant and i am really considering moving and doing something OTR but am reluctant to start at the bottom of a pay scale when i have over a million accident free miles under my belt. any comments would be appreciated. thanks,
rocky At the present time I am trying to switch to the otr division for the same company I have worked for, for 3+ years and am still having to deal with the obstacle of no otr exp for the past 3 years. :lol: The recruiter I am working with is trying to get this waived as I technically work for the same stockholders, errrr, I mean same boss. :roll: Keep us posted on your progress, and I wish you luck.
#6
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In many cases, it isn't the OTR companies making the descions but their insurance carriers. The way they see it, running local in a box truck or single-screw day-cab with pup or 48' is different than rolling with a dual-stacked StarCar and Constellation sleeper plus 53' trailer. And so they will force you to re-train if you go OTR.
It's basically a bunch of BS. Multi-stop local work is alot more challenging than holding a steering wheel for 11+ hours. Anyone who's done both jobs will tell you that. Hell, I bump more docks in a day than most OTR drivers do in 2 weeks. One nice thing about LTL is that you can jump into OTR and they will recognize your experience. That's because we run the road (linehaul) and local city (P&D) and have similar equipment to the OTR carriers.
#7
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Originally Posted by ColdFrostyMug
It's basically a bunch of BS. Multi-stop local work is alot more challenging than holding a steering wheel for 11+ hours. Anyone who's done both jobs will tell you that. Hell, I bump more docks in a day than most OTR drivers do in 2 weeks.
Originally Posted by ColdFrostyMug
One nice thing about LTL is that you can jump into OTR and they will recognize your experience. That's because we run the road (linehaul) and local city (P&D) and have similar equipment to the OTR carriers.
#8
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Location: East Central IL between the corn and the beans
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There is one big difference between local and OTR. With local you basically have one set of laws you have to deal with. With OTR you have about 48, (not counting city statutes dealing with big trucks and freight.)
Some of the other skills OTR drivers should be trained on and master that local drivers may not have to deal with: Trip planning and map reading/usage. OTR hours of service and logging Weight and length laws I can understand why an OTR company would not want to just put someone who has only local experience in the driver's seat and send them out. What I do not understand is why so many of the companies insist on telling the driver they need to go back to school or take a refresher course when that person does have years of recent driving experience. IMHO these companies should simply place the driver in a truck for a few weeks with an OTR experienced driver/trainer to work on the skills and knowledge needed and then turn them loose.
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#9
Some of the other skills OTR drivers should be trained on and master that local drivers may not have to deal with:
BULL!!!!!!!!! Trip planning and map reading/usage. They use city maps. Still need to be able to read one. Local drivers don't know where every business is OTR hours of service and logging Run over 12 hours and/or over 100 air miles you need to know how to do a log. And most do. Weight and length laws They apply to local trucks also. Can't take a day cab on a restricated route either I know of only one OTR company that would(and has) count all my local experience.
#10
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: SW Iowa
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Originally Posted by Double R
Some of the other skills OTR drivers should be trained on and master that local drivers may not have to deal with:
BULL!!!!!!!!! Trip planning and map reading/usage. [b]They use city maps. Still need to be able to read one. Local drivers don't know where every business is[b] OTR hours of service and logging Run over 12 hours and/or over 100 air miles you need to know how to do a log. And most do. Weight and length laws They apply to local trucks also. Can't take a day cab on a restricated route either I know of only one OTR company that would(and has) count all my local experience. I still have to run across the scales, which means I have to pay closer attention at each pickup, because we don't have sliding fifth wheels, nor do the axles on pups slide. So we have to know exactly where to load a companies freight to prevent an over-weight axle. once the freight is on and we are full there is little to nothing we can do to shift the weight from one axle to another. I still have to run a logbook when I run linehaul, the only day we have to worry about is friday, because we get our 34 hour reset each weekend. If anything P&D operations can be worst than OTR. I'm constantly exposed to morons in 4 wheelers on surface streets in the metro areas I run in. Harder to keep out of accidents in the city, especially when you consider we make residential deliveries, yes even with our 53' dry-vans. Try turning one of those around in a cul-de-sac 2-3 times a week with out running over a car or someones grass. Now that's a challenge. BTW, what company did you find that gave you full credit for your LTL experience? I'd like to know, in case my move to our OTR division falls through. |
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