Long haul trucking, also known as “over the road trucking” (OTR), is an intense job that many people take on for the pay and the experience to travel. Drivers get to drive across the state and even national borders, essentially getting paid to travel.
But, how does Long Haul trucking work? Long haul trucking consists of driving routes that can take up to several weeks to complete and operating large trucks and vans. A long haul truckers goal is to transport goods from one destination to another safely and timely. In order to be successful at long haul trucking, truckers have to possess self-discipline and patience.
While it can be a gruesome job for some, long haul trucking has some great benefits that come along with it.
How Does Long Haul Trucking Work?
The Job:
Long haul trucks specialize in transporting and delivering items that an average van couldn’t handle. For example, cars, mobile home, or things like food that have to be temperature controlled.
The different materials require drivers to use different trucks that are equipped to handle them properly. Compared to other truckers, long haul drivers drive their cargo for longer distances, typically several weeks.
Because the supplies that they are transporting can be so heavy, most drivers won’t touch their cargo. Companies often have whole crews or even machines to load and unload the trucks. The drivers only job is to make sure that the shipment gets to its destination safely and undamaged.
Long haul truckers can either be a company driver, consistently employed by a single company, or be a contractor, picking up jobs whenever companies need a driver. In short, company drivers have more stability, but contract drivers have more freedom.
Here are a few key differences between company drivers and contract drivers:
Company Drivers:
- Benefits: Company drivers are offered benefits like health and medical insurance and retirement plans.
- Trucks: Trucks are typically provided to company drivers to use and the
- Stability: Company drivers have a full time job with the company that they work for, meaning that there’s stable income.
Contract Drivers:
- No Benefits: Contract drivers aren’t offered any insurance benefits because they’re utilized on a need by need basis.
- Trucks: Contract drivers sometimes have to buy and maintain their own trucks to use in their jobs. Because they bounce around to different companies, they’ll typically have to bring their own trucks with them. Truck prices, depending on the size, year, and make and model, can cost up to and at least $180,000. But with owning their own trucks, drivers are more comfortable with their own trucks, making driving more easy for them.
- Maintenance: Maintaining the trucks can also be costly.
- Flexible Schedule. Because contract drivers are basically freelancers, they get to make their own schedule. They can pick which jobs they want to take and pick their routes.
The Trucks:
Long haul drivers use various kinds of trucks depending on the cargo they’re transporting. Here are a few of the most common long haul trucks and what they’re used for:
Flatbed trucks:
Flatbed trucks are open bed trucks without a roof or sides. These kinds of trucks are used for transporting and delivering bigger and heavier cargo, such as cars or heavy equipment. The open bed makes it much easier to load and unload this kind of cargo.
Refrigerated Trucks:
Refrigerated trucks, also known as reefer trucks, are used for transporting items that need to be temperature controlled, such as food or plants. The inside of the cargo cabin can be temperature controlled to meet the supplies needs.
Vented Vans:
Vented vans, also known as dry vans, are similar to refrigerated trucks but instead of being temperature controlled, they are ventilated and typically transport things like non-perishable food and plastic. Although items transported in these vans don’t need to be necessarily temperature controlled, they do need to be protected from certain environmental elements, so they don’t become damaged.
The Lifestyle:
Any kind of trucking, especially long haul trucking, doesn’t make for the most lavish lifestyles. While the pay is excellent, drivers spend the majority of their time living out of their trucks alone. Some drivers choose to have partners, but most drivers choose to travel solo. In fact, that’s one of the main factors as to why people want to become truck drivers. Many people enjoy the solidarity that comes with the job and see it as a huge benefit.
Truck drivers are accustomed to living with the bare minimum, living in and out of their trucks. Most drivers use the beds that are in their truck cabins to sleep in. However, sometimes they do sleep in motels to be a little more comfortable and to also be able to shower. Typically driving companies will pay for these expenses for the drivers.
Truck drivers also don’t eat the healthiest. Because they’re always trying to make delivery deadlines on time, most drivers opt for fast food because it’s cheap, quick, and easy to eat while driving. The time spent parking, waiting for the food, and sitting down and eating it cuts into driving time, which can affect the drivers pay.
While some people don’t mind this kind of lifestyle, others choose to be short haul truckers to avoid it.
The Drive:
Long haul truckers tend to drive the scenic routes. They drive for weeks at a time, so they’re mostly on the highways and seeing the nicer parts of the country. Most long haul truck drivers can drive anywhere between 2,000 and 3,000 miles a week, covering lots of ground. Some drivers even travel out of the country and to surrounding places like Canada or Mexico.
However, it’s not all sight-seeing. Although drivers get to travel from coast to coast, they don’t get to stop for tours- drivers have strict deadlines for deliveries that they must make. Missing a delivery or arriving late could not only affect the company, but the driver’s pay and career.
How to be a Long Haul Trucker:
Like any type of truck driver, long haul truckers have to have a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). To get a CDL, drivers have to go through truck driving school, which can take up to 10 weeks to complete and can cost up to $7,000. Truck driving school will not only prepare drivers to take the CDL test, but it will also teach them about how to drive and handle the big rigs.
With the current high demand for truck drivers, finding available jobs isn’t a difficult task. However, most companies will require a few years of experience for a new hire, so a driver fresh out of trucking school will have a hard time landing a job.
Making connections in driving school is essential for references, which can put you ahead in the job hunt. Aspiring drivers can also take up positions in warehouses to eventually be promoted to a driver, as most companies like to hire from within.
Most new OTR drivers will start out working on a team, meaning that they drive with a partner for the first few months in their career until they can do it on their own. Although most people look forward to the solidarity, driving with a partner has its benefits.
For instance, it cuts out the loneliness aspect of the job and more ground gets to be covered with two drivers, making trips easier and more efficient. However, there is the possibility that the two drivers don’t get along, making the trip more difficult. On the other hand, working with an experienced driver can make all the difference when learning about the lifestyle.
What Does It Take to be a Long Haul Trucker?
It takes a lot more to be a long haul trucker than just getting the correct license. It takes practice, self-discipline, and a certain set of skills to get safely through the long drives alone.
Practice:
Because long haul trucking requires the driver to operate bigger trucks for more extended hours usually, there’s specialized training, in addition to a traditional truck driving school, that prepares the driver for this. Long haul drivers have to park, unload and load, and maneuver within traffic in vehicles much larger than the average van. This takes skill and hours of practice.
Although truck driving schools teach their student drivers the basics of truck driving, the driver still has to practice on their own and with their companies rules. The driving school prepares drivers for their CDL, teaches them about different trucks, controls, and how to drive and park trucks. But they don’t prepare them for hours spent trying to back a big rig into a parking spot- that is something that the driver must take upon themselves to hone.
This is where driving with a partner comes in handy. Inexperienced drivers can learn a lot from partnering with a veteran trucker. They will act like a mentor to them. They can teach them tricks and tips on how to do things easier and more efficiently and to also help them practice in areas where they need it. Trucking is a constantly learning experience.
Self-Discipline:
Learning how to drive a big rig takes not only practice but patience. Most of the new drivers coming into truck driving schools have never touched a truck of that size before. Learning how to drive trucks is an entirely new skill set to be acquired that is much different than driving a pickup truck. In fact, most people who enroll in truck driving school drop out before even completing the program.
The amount of time spent alone and away from family can quickly get to the driver. Although most drivers take up this work to provide for their families, the time apart can be very hard. Most drivers call their families during their rests, but the distance is still difficult. It takes self-discipline and determination to be able to get through the weeks of travel.
Skills:
Although drivers don’t need a college degree to be a long haul driver, they do need the proper skills to be successful. First and foremost, they has to be a good driver. Long haul truckers have to know the rules of the road and have a deep understanding of how to maneuver the truck in traffic.
Because of the size and weight of a big rig, truck driving can be extremely dangerous for both the driver and the others on the road. Drivers will also encounter extreme weather conditions that they need to know how to drive in, such as snow and rain. Therefore, being a careful driver is extremely important in a driver’s success.
Drivers also have to have an understanding of basic mechanical skills. At any point during their route, the driver can run into a problem with their truck, such as a burnt out engine or a flat tire. Knowing the basic maintenance of a truck will help the driver make their deliveries more efficiently. Although there are some more complicated situations that only a mechanic could handle, knowing how to change a trucks tire is a plus.
Because making the delivery is the ultimate goal of a truck driving job, drivers need excellent time management skills. It’s easy to get caught up in the views of country or get tired from driving for hours straight, but making the delivery by the deadline is essential. Drivers need to be able to plan out their rest schedules so that they can make it to the destination on time.
Drivers also need to be able to keep themselves entertained on the long drives. Most drivers listen to audiobooks, particularly series, and podcasts. With the advancement of streaming platforms and Bluetooth, this has become a lot easier and cheaper for drivers to access.
Fortunately, some trucking companies even pay for cell phone plans for their drivers as a benefit, so they don’t have to pay for data to stream entertainment and talk to their families.
Short-Haul Trucking vs. Long Haul Trucking:
While both short-haul and long haul trucking require the same schooling and require similar training, the two are very different careers.
Short-haul truckers travel shorter distances than long haul truckers- hence the name. Short-haul truckers typically travel within a 150-mile radius whereas long haul truckers will travel at least 250 miles.
Short-haul and long haul truckers also live very different lifestyles. Since short-haul truckers only work in local areas, so they travel shorter distances, make a few stops every day, and are typically home every night.
Long haul truckers, on the other hand, live on the road and in their trucks. They travel for several days straight, typically sleeping in the beds inside of their trucks, and only stopping home for a few days before their next trip.
In addition to the work, the pay between the two different truckers is also very different. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, long haul truckers earn a yearly average of $43,680, whereas short-haul truckers get paid an annual average of $35,000.
However, in both jobs, there is always a chance of raises. Most companies give out raises based on the timeliness of deliveries, miles driven, seniority, and meeting company goals.
Pros and Cons to Long Haul Trucking:
Like any other job, there are pros and cons to long haul trucking. Here are a few to give some perspective on the career:
Pros:
- Travel: Long haul drivers get to drive across the country and even across borders.
- Great Pay: On average, drivers get paid $0.28 to $0.40 per mile, which can be up to about $43,680 a year. Most companies also offer frequent raises for hitting goals, making deliveries on time, and safe driving.
- Accommodations: Trucking companies will supply their drivers with accommodations for when they’re on the road like money for food and hotels.
- Benefits for Being a Company Driver: Most companies offer benefits like health and medical insurance, 401(k) retirement plans, and even paid time off.
- Time Alone: Some people really value the solidarity that comes with being a truck driver. Many drivers utilize audiobooks to keep them entertained while on the road.
Cons:
- Lack of Benefits for Independent Contractors: Drivers not employed full time by a specific company have to get and maintain their own trucks and also pay for their personal insurances.
- Time Alone: Long haul trucking requires drivers to be on the road for weeks at a time and can only be home for a couple of days with their families before they have to return to the road. Most drivers also travel along, making the long trips lonely.
- Health Issues: According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), truckers are more susceptible to smoking and becoming overweight because of their lifestyles on the road. With the stress and boredom that comes along with driving for weeks at a time, drivers are more inclined to smoke, which can lead to deadly lung diseases and cancers. Because of unhealthy food choices and the lack of exercise and physical activity, drivers are more likely to become overweight, which can lead to diseases like diabetes.
With all of this in mind, long haul trucking is definitely an interesting career. For those who are up to the challenge of learning and driving, long haul trucking is a rewarding experience.