Never been in a Rig - yet ! But... ??

[smith356]

I'm scheduled to begin CDL classes at a local College in a couple of weeks. I'm curious as to how mileage / pay works. If you're paid so much a mile, do you purchase your own Diesel ? How does reimbursement work for that ? What do you do when you've reached maximum driving hours ? Pull over and sleep, till it's legal to drive again ? What if you want to detour to see something ? Lot of questions, I know.......... but, I'm clueless on what to expect. If anyone could share a typical day, or trip, I would really appreciate it ! Thanks , Jim

[Dirtball]

Originally Posted by smith356

I'm scheduled to begin CDL classes at a local College in a couple of weeks. I'm curious as to how mileage / pay works. If you're paid so much a mile, do you purchase your own Diesel ? How does reimbursement work for that ? What do you do when you've reached maximum driving hours ? Pull over and sleep, till it's legal to drive again ? What if you want to detour to see something ? Lot of questions, I know.......... but, I'm clueless on what to expect. If anyone could share a typical day, or trip, I would really appreciate it ! Thanks , Jim

smith356 welcome to the boards.You will probably find out just about anything connected with trucking here so read and post away and remember no Question you can ask about trucking is stupid.
Btw : Over the road truckers seem to lose out on family life. (part of the down side)
Mileage pay varies from company to company.
If you drive for someone else then they pay for fuel ( or they are supposed to anyway).
When you get close to your log time you hunt for a safe place to sleep.(Truck stops or Wal-Mart parking lots)..(Any place but along side the road).
Most of the time you really don't have time for sightseeing tours.
In order to get your experience with trucking you will more than likely have to pay your dues by driving for some company like Swift or JB Hunt.After you get your experience (usually two years) then do yourself a favor and look to companys like Yellow,Fed-X,Con-Way,ABF or any LtL (less than truckload) carrier..
The big thing to remember is never and I mean never let a dispatcher push you to run over your logs.The fines are yours reguardless of what they tell ya.
Good luck with what ever you decide.It sure isn't an easy life style but it can be rewarding.

[Roadie]

Here are a few of the schedules I have had while in trucking

Concert tours.....drive till the next venue, no matter how far it is. You are expected to be there in the morning for load in

OTR.......typically drove 11 hours, took 10 off back at it for 11. There were some breaks in between at times. Usually worked 10-12 hours per day (at least thats what my log showed) not much time for sight seeing unless it was at a shippers breakroom while waiting to unload

LTL....best job ever! Drive for 6-8 hours, go to the hotel and rest for 10, drive back to home terminal 6-8 hours. take 20 hours off at home

Hope this helps a bit

[smith356]

Everyone seems to favor this, can someone explain ? Thanks

[Dirtball]

Originally Posted by smith356

Everyone seems to favor this, can someone explain ? Thanks

LtL means Less than Truckload. Example is companys like ABF,Yellow,Roadway,NewPenn,Con-Way,DuiePyle,Fed -X Just to name a few while TL means companys like Swift,JB Hunt,Schneider,Werner

Most of the time LtL companys are harder to get on with but the money and home time and benefits are usually better..