Pitt-Ohio | Pitt Ohio Cleveland

MikeJ

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So I was looking today to see what the local Pitt-Ohio terminal had and the only position was for a mechanic. Any how I read there line haul requirements and it said they like you to have 1 year of OTR , which is something I don't have. I could get a year of OTR wouldn't be that hard to go to Schneider or Werner for a year, just wondering though if they ever bend that rule?
 
I would think that they might bend the rule for an otherwise qualified candidate. I don't see why OTR experience would matter that much since you won't be doing any trip planning and you would be going to the same places all the time and departing when they tell you. A driver that has a good driving record, the required experience (time-wise), can drive long distances without having to stop every hour, and can stay awake at night can do this job. They have had trouble in the past at my terminal finding both road and city drivers. One of our newer guys drove years ago and his most recent job was school bus driver. I would not hesitate to apply with all you have going for you and would certainly not go from your current position to an OTR truckload carrier to gain experience.
 
That's just it, why would I leave working for a local beer distributor to go to Schneider or Werner, people come from those companies to work where I currently work right now. We have a couple guys who used to work at US Xpress, Schneider and Rohel. Alot of the other guys we have the older guys have been in the beer business since day one which was 30+ years ago. I won't be where I am right now for 30 years I can tell you that right now, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. I can run from one terminal to another and right now I can drive from Cleveland to Lexington Kentucky without having to stop at all, I've done it a few times. Although usually on the way back home I stop to get something to eat, but that's a different story.

I'm just waiting to see what comes up I mean if I needed some road I can transfer to a charter bus company although this time of year is there slow season, but what ever I think what I have is good enough. My dad used to be a linehaul driver for Roadway Package Service he said it's no big deal it's the same places. Way better then OTR truck load where you go to these goofy places or even worse get on the Dollar General or Family Dollar account and have to get a 53' truck with a sleeper cab into some spot that a beer truck with a 14 bay side loader can barely make work. No thanks.

In fact one of the drivers we have at my work used to do Dollar General for US Xpress, he said he knocked over a light poll trying to get into some goofy Dollar General store.
 
You should be fine, qualifications-wise, without having to leave your current job to gain a different type of experience. Be sure to mention your occasional Cleveland-Lexington run when interviewing for any linehaul position.
 
That was in my Ford F-150 LOL, but I it's true, I'm not one to stop and use the restroom. Actually though I had to do one week of Great Lakes Brewing OTR runs at work and while it wasn't a far distance it was 10 drop and hooks a day carry truck loads of beer and kegs and bottles, stuff like that.
 
Okay, maybe we won't mention the CLV-LEX gig. :smile:

The next time I see the school bus driver I'll ask him how recent his truck driving experience was. When he first started I told him this was a smart move. "Good company to work for?" he asked. "No" I said. I then explained that I'd much rather haul HazMat than kids.

I would call HR and tell them what kind of experience you have and see what they say. Hopefully you'll speak to someone that can offer some insight without just quoting what it says in the job posting.
 
What I can say is, well I can drive from Cleveland to Lexington without using the bathroom, I really have to put my mind to it, but it can be done.
In the summer time when it's hot and I have a load of beer to deliver I can pretty much go all day without using the bathroom. Not so much though in the cooler weather.

If I had to rate my current job on a 1-10 scale I would give it a 6.5

I don't know if switching to a food company would be any better, I see other food drivers and frankly I really don't know how they do it, because there trucks look like a bomb has gone off in the trailer most of the time. At least my loads are usually nice and neat.
Here I'll show you what I mean. Everything in a side loader is compartmentalized and doesn't really have any place to go. Plus it really doesn't matter how the

stuff comes in as long as it all comes in.

This is one pallet for a single customer.
However that being said I would like to not have to worry about having 20+ stops to make and at the same time rushing against the clock to try and get it done, not that LTL line haul is a fiddle around and do what you want, because it's my job and your guys jobs are all the same pretty much it's a can do attitude no matter what. We fall behind and were late, oh well it happens. Like today I had 21 stops and 582 cases. Actually money wise I made almost $300 today, now they will take money out for taxes and stuff, but there's pros and cons to both.

My job one pro is that I don't drive anywhere, good weather, bad weather it really doesn't matter because so what if it's white out I have 3 sometimes 4 stops on my Friday that I literally don't have to move the truck for at all. However that being said I get beat up a lot taking the beer and kegs down stair cases and in the winter time I'm out side most of the day in slop and trying to get the kegs down the icey stairs and drag the two wheeler around, in the snow not good. Now that being said I'm in town and actually in an emergency situation what ever it maybe, zombie Apocalypse stuff like that I'm no more then 10 miles from my actual house. I'm 25-30 miles from the terminal, but where my route is I'm only 10 minutes from my house. Like I said the most driving I do all day is from the terminal and back to the terminal. I probably only drive maybe 15 miles on my actual route, because my stops are so close and the stop density is really high.
 
I know from working p&d how route density, or lack of, can really make a difference when trying to get everything done. Even a 5 minute average between stops will add up to 1 1/4 hours by the end of the day.
We deliver liquor to the PA state stores and it usually involves breaking down the skids on the truck and using rollers to get them in the door. We would try to send all of one item at a time to aid in the check-in process unless it involved excessive handling.
 
I used to deliver liquor to bars for the state liquor agencies here in Ohio. Talk about a regulated business. Here in Ohio the state uses some logistics company that owns the warehouse and the state has a big contract with them, because every bottle of booze in our state comes from the state liquor warehouse. Actually delivering booze in a van or pick up truck for the state liquor store to the bars was a pretty good job, I liked it, it's a great job for a retired person.

In Ohio it's the same way they send the boxes down on the rollers.

Route density is what they guys who have the rule routes complain about they have to drive sometimes a few miles between stops.

 
I went to CLV last night and when I exited the turnpike at exit 187 there was a set of double sideloaders behind me. I slowed a bit but he wasn't catching me. From what I could see in the mirrors I'd say it was hauling beer because it didn't look like any of the major soft drink logos.
 
I betcha 2:1 that was the company I work for if you saw a set of beer side loader doubles it was us. Were the only beer distributor that runs that kind of set up. It was our 14 bays. The sideloaders probably were either Bluemoon, Keystone Light or Coors Light. That was us probably coming from the main terminal/headquarters and going to a drop lot.
 
There's a drop lot in Austintown. We have drop lots in Canton, Austintown, Lexington, Twinsburg (although Twinsburg is some an odd ball one it has something to do with a company they bought that was union, because Twinsburg isn't far from the main terminal and really shouldn't exist) and Lorain, Ohio. We also have some guy who runs out in Lodi and they shuttle a trailer down to him, although that's not technically a drop lot, it's more of a trailer that gets parked at a truck stop.

We have our main terminal in Solon, Ohio that's where I work and then another warehouse in Columbus, Ohio. We do 33 counties in the state of Ohio. Were the second largest distributor in the state. The largest is Heidelberg were right behind them as far as area served.
 
Okay. There's a distributor across from the Giant Eagle warehouse in Austintown, but I'm pretty sure it's more than a drop lot.
 
That's R.L. Lipton, our trailers are parked on the other side of there lot. R.L. Lipton is a distributor of Anheiser Busch products in Mahoning and Ashtabula Counties. They also distribute in Cuyahoga and Lorain. I see them around quite a bit in Cleveland they do Rolling Rock, Corona, St.Paulie Girl, Red Dog, Stella Atorious,and much more Infact the international in my Avatar is an R.L. Lipton truck.

They are a pretty big distributor, because there Budweiser for the eastern half of Ohio. In Cleveland they are not as big House of LaRose is the big distributor in Cleveland there the 12th largest Budwesier distributor in the United States of America.
 
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