Days off and vacation as a trucker

by Joe
(Duluth, GA)

How many days in a row do you work and then do you get two days off?

Are you always back home when you get days off?

Do truckers get any paid vacation time?

Thanks.

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Sep 06, 2016
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Hauling cars NEW
by: Juaquin Anonymous

I always wanted to be a trucker and now I'm still in school getting ready for truck driving and hauling cars and truck

Sep 06, 2016
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Hauling cars NEW
by: Juaquin Anonymous

I always wanted to be a trucker and now I'm still in school getting ready for truck driving and hauling cars and truck

Jun 11, 2009
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Joe says, "show me the home time".
by: Jimmy

Here's a slightly different take on home time. First off, every company works differently. There are so many variables in this biz, it is easy to get lost in the system. Where are your companies travel lanes and where do you live. If you live in Fargo, ND and your company rarely goes there, you ain't gettin' home much. On paper, all trucking companies have a game plan. But in reality, lots of things can happen to mess things up.

Most companies are running a business and not really concerned about driver wants. Business first, profit first, compliance first, customer first, way down on the bottom of the list is driver wants. Even if you are in for 3 days off starting Friday, don't count on it. You'll probably get home Saturday morning. And remember, if you are running hard, you will run out of hours and have to sit for 34 hours to refresh your log book. Will you be sitting in your easy chair in your living room for this 34 hours? It's possible, but highly unlikely. It's more like some far away exotic place such as the Pilot Truck stop in Amarillo.

Vacation pay? Depends on the company but it won't be much. Maybe $75 a day. Jimmy

Jun 11, 2009
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a break from trucking
by: Hervy

Hello Joe,

Trucking life would burn us all out without enough time off to relax.

The amount of time you have off will vary depending on the trucking company that you choose. Some of the big companies give you a certain amount of time off 2-4 days after a certain number of weeks out usually 2 to 3.

For those particular days off you will have been dispatched back in so that you take them off at the house.

In between those weeks out, you will also get time off. Say you run hard for 6 or 7 days straight, your going to need to reset so stay legal on your logs real soon. That time off, 34 hours to reset to zero on your logs, will be out on the road where ever you happen to be.

Some trucking companies will bring you end every weekend. Sometimes you may make it in on Friday night and leave Sunday morning. Sometimes you may get in on Saturday.

Most good trucking jobs will give a driver paid vacation of at least a week after a year. Some give a week sick time too. Other trucking companies will give a week vacation without pay.

These are some of the things that makes a company better to work for than others. The better driver record you have the better company you can go to. Of course what a drivers needs or want may vary from driver to driver.

The better driver will have more options and so be able to get the job most suitable to his or her needs.

That's what makes the difference between trucking being a career for a driver or just being a job.

The larger companies usually have pretty good benefits even for new drivers. May sure you ask about it and insurance when your calling around to compare and let that be part of your decision.

Let us know what you end up doing.
Check out driver recommended companies.

Good luck man,
Hervy

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