OTR Can Be Your Key To Driving Locally

Once you go to school and complete your CDL training, starting as an Over-The-Road (OTR) truck driver can be the long-term key to getting a gig driving commercial trucks more locally in the future.

Starting As An OTR Trucker

As an Over-The-Road (OTR) Trucker, you will generally be hauling heavy loads over long distances, crisscrossing the country. These long-distance jobs usually pay a bit higher and are great for drivers who have just gotten their CDL and are starting out in their trucking careers. Many trucking companies start a driver at $40,000+ a year, which is pretty competitive pay compared to other jobs that one can get just out of trade school.

Generally, drivers are expected to spend at least one year as an OTR driver before they are hired for more local jobs. In other words, you have to put in the time and live the truck driver lifestyle to be able to enjoy the local work.

Transitioning to Local Driving

Local drivers are those usually have dedicated routes within a local region, city, or town. This means that these drivers are not required to travel as long of distances at OTR drivers are. Many can even go home each evening or even work traditional Monday – Friday hours with weekends off. While this is very convenient for those who have family responsibilities, it’s often a lower-paying position for those who do not have experience of OTR driving under their belts.

Those who have gotten their OTR experience are usually the ones who get “dibs” and are the drivers that are more preferred for the local trucking jobs. Having a few year’s experiences in OTR trucking is a great way to get your “foot in the door” to possibly get one of the local “preferred” jobs that don’t require excessive travel and time from home. While these jobs often do pay lower salaries than long-distance jobs, they also often offer a higher salary to those drivers with previous experience making it a more desirable position for those with experience who wish to work a more traditional schedule and stay closer to home.

In Conclusion

While OTR trucking might demand that you are on the road and away from family more than you would like to be, it often is a great path to take to get a more local job in the future. The higher salaries of OTR trucking are a nice bonus and the experience helps you get a higher salary when you are a more local job down the road.

For more information on how OTR trucking can help you get the local position, you want, give us a call! 303-848-8443