Trucking jobs with the most home time are local and dedicated routes, where drivers are often home every night or on a set schedule. Regional jobs usually bring drivers home weekly or every few days. Over-the-road (OTR) jobs can keep drivers out for days or weeks at a time. The words on a job ad aren't a promise, though. What matters is how the company defines home time and whether it puts it in writing.
Home time is part of your pay. Treat it that way when you compare offers.
Types of trucking jobs by home time
| Job type | Typical home time | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Local | Home daily | Shorter routes, more stops, often hourly pay. Fewer jobs available for 53-foot freight. |
| Dedicated | Set schedule, often weekly or better | Same customer and lanes, predictable miles. |
| Regional | Weekly or every few days | A defined region of several states. |
| OTR | Out for days or weeks | Long runs across the country, usually the most miles. |
The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that long-haul drivers can be away from home for days or weeks at a time (BLS). Regional drivers generally get home every few days or weekly, and local drivers daily.
Does more home time mean less pay?
Not always. ATA's latest driver compensation study, as reported in the trade press, found dedicated-route pay rose faster than irregular-route pay and is now higher. It put the median for LTL local drivers at about $72,942 at the fleets surveyed (CCJ). OTR jobs often run more miles, but the extra miles don't automatically mean more money once you count unpaid waiting and time away. See highest-paying trucking jobs for the full pay picture.
What "home weekly" can really mean
"Home weekly" on an ad can mean very different things. It could mean 34 hours at home every weekend. It could mean one night a week. It could mean home weekly unless a load runs late. Hours-of-service rules also shape your schedule: how long you can drive and when you have to reset (how many hours can a truck driver drive).
Questions to ask before you sign
- How do you define home time? How many hours or days, how often, and starting when?
- Where is "home"? Your driveway, a terminal, or a drop yard an hour away?
- Is it guaranteed? What happens when a load runs late or a customer changes the appointment?
- What has the last six months looked like for drivers on this account?
- How many miles will I run each week, and how am I paid for them?
- Is detention paid, and after how long? Waiting at a shipper eats into your home time.
- Can I request time off, and how far ahead?
- Will you put home time, pay and routes in writing?
If a company won't put home time on paper, take that as your answer.
Home time and owner-operators
Owner-operators control their own schedule, but the freight still decides. A one-truck company that wants to be home every weekend has to find lanes and customers that bring the truck home. That takes freight research and planning, and it's one more reason to know your lanes before you buy a truck.
Driving in the LFS network
LFS recruits and screens CDL-A drivers for the trucking companies in the LFS network, running 53-foot dry van and reefer freight. Pay, routes and home time are discussed directly with each driver and put in writing by the company you would drive for. We don't post pay or home time on the website, and we won't promise anything that can't be put on paper. See CDL-A driver jobs in the LFS network. We are a carrier-first company, and a carrier is only as good as the drivers who stay with it.
Sources
Questions and answers
Which trucking jobs have the most home time?
Local jobs usually bring drivers home daily, and dedicated routes often run on a set schedule. Regional jobs typically mean home weekly or every few days, while OTR jobs can keep drivers out for days or weeks.
What does home weekly mean in trucking?
It depends on the company. It can mean a 34-hour weekend at home, one night a week, or home weekly unless a load runs late. Ask how many hours, how often, where home is, and whether it's guaranteed in writing.
Do trucking jobs with home time pay less?
Not always. ATA's latest compensation study found dedicated-route pay is now higher than irregular-route pay. Compare the whole offer: pay, miles, detention, benefits and home time together.
What should I ask a trucking company about home time?
Ask how home time is defined, where home is, whether it's guaranteed, what the last six months looked like on that account, how many weekly miles you'll run, whether detention is paid, and whether they'll put it all in writing.
Logistical Forwarding Solutions. A carrier-first company.
