what its like otr

[Gonfercoffee]

Drive your car to a truckstop.
Now stay there 34 hours straight.
Eat there 3 times a day.
Sit at the counter and watch TV with no sound
But most of all look and listen to the truck drivers
look closely
that's who you are going to be.
after 34 hours drive 500 miles to another truckstop
repeat
that's your life
btw if you see a big fat guy with jogging pants made into shorts
with a tattoo on his leg....that's me....introduce yourself

[Skidmark]

Damn it Driver, your gonna have to more specific when describing yourself,because you just describe the Half of SWIFT's Drivers Roster.(The other half is Mexican!)

[sportacus]

all depends on the kind of trucking you do, i would get loaded get to my destination and if i had time in the evening, i would find a place to shop, or a school and play some hoops or just relax and take in my temporary environment. the only time i was at a truckstop was to fuel and shower.

i pulled flatbed in the central part of the U.S. again it all depends on how you want to run your business. for me otr was a great experience and enjoyed most all of it. home every weekend and would be doing it today had an even better opportunity with an ltl company came along.

i went into otr as green as they came. no family or friends in the business. just took a chance and found that it suited me to a t.

i started my career on perfect storm weekend, which is a whole other thread.
have been enjoying it ever sense.

good luck to all choose this line of work, gotta go hop in my day cab and make some miles.

[Mr. Down]

I enjoy it immensely, always traveling to different places, eating regional foods (Seafood in Maryland, Barbeque in Texas, mexican food in southern cali, I rarely eat at truckstops and don't even spend much time at them), I take in the sites like Graceland in Memphis, Meteor Crater in AZ, Mount Rushmore in SD, (some rental car places will pick you up and drop you off at the truckstop for FREE, if I am picking up a 34 hour restart on the road I will almost always rent a car).

[Gonfercoffee]

I stand corrected.
If you want to know what its like to be otr.
Visit Mt Rushmore for 34 hours
Hang out in Yosemite
Fly fish in the Catskills
If you see a big fat guy with jogging pant cut off shorts and a tattoo on his leg strolling through Mardi Gras....its me..introduce yourself.

[medic92]

I don't think even 10% of my time is spent at truck stops, and since I started driving for my current company I haven't had to take a single 34 hour restart on the road. This is a great life for me and I'm loving the ride!