Driver Lifestyles

Layovers: The Waiting is the Hardest Part

You've all been there before: in a strange (or maybe not-so-strange) city, having just completed a run, with no prospects for another in sight. Sure, there are things to be done, but what happens after you're caught up? You could call dispatch a time or twenty, but we all know that that probably isn't going to help anything move quicker than it otherwise would.

I put a question to the Expediters Online forum asking for their reactions and thoughts about their least favorite part of layovers. Here's what they had to say:

Nightcreacher: "Is there really anything good about waiting for that next load that may or may not come? I've been in this business for over 26 years,and you just don't get used to laying over.For the husband/wife teams it might be easier. I guess the worst part is the unknown... Will I get loaded today or tomorrow, short or long, or even will it pay enough? Or worse yet, what if there isn't a load? The waiting game has done many a newbie in."

ebsprintin: "The worst thing about being layed over is having to miss that million dollar run, because the vehicle is being used as a warehouse. Or having to live with eight boxes of lab mice. Technically the lab mice run wasn't a layover, but it's amazing how filthy freight can become when you have to sleep with it. I'm speaking of the vanner life here."

Greg334: "The worst thing? Being noticed. I mean, after a couple days sitting waiting, you are noticed and can become a target of sorts. It isn't about being robbed but other things like being asked for money or whatever.

Safety is something we have to be a little more vigilant about. We are not "truckers" who can get loads easy but rather have to wait because of our limitations. When you are noticed, it sets you up.

When I was doing regional work, I moved between three truck stops miles apart because I felt [I was] being watched. I would layover every Tuesday night so I could pick up first thing in the morning, get my 5 drops done and then park at another one to be ready for my Thursday load. Before I rotated truck stops, I was approached by the same people who asked for the same thing all the time. Awaken by the same ****** at the same time every night."

bluejaybee: "The worse thing for me is trying to juggle the sleep schedule. After having been off for 10 hours which included sleep time, I sit there thinking, "Do I need to sleep a little more in case I get a run tonight"? So I sleep several more hours and no run. Then it is night time and I am wide awake. Finally go to sleep at day break and then a load offer comes in. Now, I am tired from not enough sleep again. It is not like this every time, but, weighs on my mind if I am sitting and waiting. It does happen often though. Oh well, that's expediting I guess!"

cheri1122: "The worst thing about layovers is that they rarely occur at a time when you have a lot to do, [ie: oil change, laundry, truck wash, shopping], or in a place where all those things are close at hand. "

Jefferson 3000: "For me, the worst thing about a layover is not the not making money part. It's actually the sitting-but-not-sitting-at-home part."

ATeam: "The worst thing about layovers is you are not making money hauling freight. Layover days are zero-revenue days.

The most difficult thing about layovers for Diane and me is, as nightcreacher also mentioned, not knowing what will happen next. If you are laid over and waiting for freight, you can't get too far from the truck or deep into anything because dispatch may call with an immediate pickup and you need to be ready to roll.

If you are laid over a weekend but are already dispatched to pick up freight on Monday, layovers become opportunities for tourist fun, project work, truck care, R&R, or whatever else you want to do.

Layovers are not all bad. They are part of what makes expediters free."

As ATeam points out, rightfully so, layovers aren't all rough.  They can offer a breather from the grind, provided you've prepared for the uncertain amount of time there may be in whatever area you might be.  In sum, a layover, break, or whatever you might want to call it, can be something of a welcome thing, especially if you've got something else you'd like to do.

geo: "I always looked at layovers as a business oppurtunities.  I sold laptops, PCs, mason shoes, Mary Kay, heated mirrors, and heated windshield wiper blades, gensets, new and used trucks and a few other items.  [Trying other business opportunities means that] that way you won't get bored."

guido4475: "I look at a layover as an opportunity to get caught up on things.I actually welcomed not having a load after unloading on Saturday as it gave me time to catch up on sleep, grocery shopping, laundry, paying bills, having the tires rotated and balanced, cleaning the inside and outside of the van, waxing it, [putting] Armor-All on the tires, Rain-Xing the windows, and just going over it to make sure everything is okay to go.  Now when it gets in that 3-plus day wait, then I start to get bored and [try to] get creative as to what to do with the van.  I might put the air horns on tomorrow if no load appears.  But no matter how long I wait, I only call dispatch once a day,not several, to see what is going on, never bashing them or anything like that."

In the end, however, not being on the move means you're taking a loss.  Getting back behind the wheel with a load is the reason you're in the business in the first place, right?  It would stand to reason, then, that the most welcome contact you get during a layover is that call from the dispatcher, sending you off to pick up your next piece of cargo, so you can hopefully make use of what rest you've gotten.