I have been around trucks all my life. grew up on a huge farm in western Oklahoma, hauling grain to the mill in a tractor trailer starting at the ripe old age of 13 yrs. yes that is true. at age 18 I got my commercial chauffeur's license and grandfathered into my CDL when it came into effect in April of 92' I am now 34 yrs old. I have driven trucks for local farmers and for the past 8 years have driven a tractor trailer for a local lumber company. some regional runs but nothing over the road. never required to fill out a log book or make any trips that would put me gone a couple of days. all this is verifiable. my question is if I apply to a company for OTR does this count as experience or is this make me a newbie? I am thinking of going OTR and Hope this does count as experience.

 

In the OTR companys eyes you will be a newbie.

 

It's not "In the OTR company's eyes". It's "In the INSURANCE company's eyes[". They(The Insurance company) has final say so if one gets hired.

kb7274, I am in the same boat as you. Ten years experience but NONE of that is OTR, to the big OTR companies, I would be considered a newbie. Schneider told me a couple years ago that they would hire me(Wal-mart dedicated account) but I would have to go through their training and sign a one year(at the time) commitment, even tho I already had a CDL and five years experience. They said that the five years of local experience is like having zero experience:eek:.

 

I can understand that I guess. Just silly stuff to me... I would put my driving skills up against a newbie from a truck driving school, just because I didn't watch a video of blood flows red on the highway makes me a bad inexperianced driver. lol

 

It depends on the company... read the fine print. Some may require (for example) 2 years OTR, while some may only require 2 years tractor/trailer experience.

 

I had the same problem when I applied to Swift. I had my license since the age of 18 and drove local with my father. I really started driving when i was 17 in the fields and on back roads with my pops. I even crossed state lines a few times at night following my old man when I was 18. My old man was one of those guys that didn't really care about laws to much when it came to making money (he ran moonshine in the late 60s and early 70s). So when I applied to Swift I had at least 6 years of experience but I put 5 on the application, but I had to train with them because it was all local. I did train with them but it was only two weeks because I already knew how to upshift, downshift, and alley dock and blind side back just to name a few so they put me with a trainer to learn interstate driving. I was with him for a week or so before I tested for my own rig. I knew how to operate a tractor trailer but I guess to please the insurance company I had to go through their training. I am only 37 myself.

 

Actually, the driving skills are the smaller part of the equation. A lot of guys can drive a truck in a straight line, but companies want to know if you can back, log, pre-trip, stay away from home for extended periods of time, route yourself, etc. etc. etc.. If you're wanting to got OTR, you'll be considered a newbie and have to start from scratch.

 

And that very thing-- your skill at OPERATING the equipment is what makes you a trainer's -(driver finisher or Mentor, whatever term you prefer). WET-DREAM

But TF is totally right-- the operating the equipment is only a small part of the equation. You said, yourself, you've never filled out a log book, did routing, dealt with customers, lumpers, etc. All these skills & experience & knowledge is what being a truck driver is all about- especially- the being away from home for days & weeks on end. Companies look at years of experience in this Business- as an asset ( they know you've heard the phrase--"Sorry, Freight is Slow there's nothing we can do about it-- just set tight.. and wait." And they know an Experienced driver WILL, where as a Newbie might--Bolt." Not that I'm blaming them.

It's not that you're an inexperianced Driver. It's more-- you're inexperienced at putting up with OTR company B.S. and general B.S. in this Industry that's the "gamble" they face when hiring a "newbie".

 

An otr driver must know how to operate more independently than someone who has only ran local. You can drive a truck. but there is much more to running otr than driving. You need to be a good planner and know how to manage your time. Logs are also a big component of otr. It isn't all that complicated, but is different than running local. If this is something you really want to do then I would encourage you to find a carrier that will give you a little training without having to sign a one year contract. It isn't much of a transition to go from otr to local. Going from local to otr is different.

 

Agreed, OTR is quite different from local operations. Accustations of sweat-shop labor aside, it requires you to be very self-sufficient in areas of trucking a local operator doesn't use much if at all. Most important though is the logbook. Logbooks can make you or break you in OTR, and not just by being caught cooking the books.