One of the most important steps you must take if you’re thinking of starting a truck driving career is to choose whether to pursue long or short-haul trucking.

Both types of trucking play a critical role in driving economic growth and ensuring communities thrive. But each has its advantages and challenges that can affect your lifestyle significantly.

For you to make the right choice and align your career goals with the type of trucking that best suits your lifestyle preferences, understanding the differences between the two types of trucking is necessary. We’ve prepared a quick guide on long-haul vs. short-haul trucking to help you with this.

What is Long Haul Trucking?

Long-haul trucking, also known as over-the-road (OTR) trucking, involves driving large trucks over distances greater than 250 miles. Most long-haul truck drivers travel thousands of miles, transporting freight across cities, states, and even countries.

Because of the long distances, long-haul truckers spend extended periods on the road, often staying away from home for days, weeks, or even months. Success in this role requires a willingness to be away from friends and family for long stretches.

The job demands exceptional skills to handle ever-changing road and weather conditions safely while transporting cargo. Additionally, a CDL Class A driving license is required.

What is Short Haul Trucking?

In short-haul trucking, truck drivers transport goods over short distances, typically within a radius of 250 miles or fewer, from a central location. Most short-haul truckers drive smaller trucks and can make multiple short-distance deliveries throughout the day.

Common examples of short-haul trucking activities include truck drivers who deliver construction materials to sites or retail products to various stores.

Unlike long-haul trucking, this type of trucking lets drivers go back home at the end of each day. You won’t have to spend days alone on the road if you choose this route. Overall, there are two main types of short-haul truck drivers:

Local Short-haul Drivers

Local short-haul truck drivers make short trips of approximately 100 miles. They have regular routes and often visit the same customers. To succeed as a local short-haul trucker, you need good driving skills to maneuver narrow city streets and manage the challenges of driving in congested spaces.

Regional Short-haul Drivers

Regional short-haul truckers travel slightly longer distances (100 – 250 miles) than local short-haul drivers. They cover different routes, but their trips are more predictable than long-haul drivers.

Regional drivers also enjoy a better work-life balance than their long-haul counterparts because they don’t spend days in isolation while on the road.

The CDL class requirements for local and regional short-haul trucking vary, depending on the size of commercial vehicles driven.

Port Drivers

Although rarely mentioned, port driving is another lucrative and stable short-hauling career in the trucking industry. The job involves moving containers or freight over short distances, mostly between ships, trucks, and other vehicles. They pick up and drop cargo at various port stations, including shipping ports and rail yards.

Long-Haul vs. Short-Haul Truck Driving

Here’s a quick summary of the pros and cons of long-haul vs. short-haul truck driving to help you choose the most suitable career path.

Type of Truck

Long-haul trucking requires larger trucks, such as tractor-trailers, for transporting large amounts of cargo, whereas short-haul trucking requires smaller vehicles that can easily pass through narrow city roads. A few examples of short-haul trucks include box and garbage trucks.

Work Schedules and Time on the Road

One of the most essential differences you need to pay attention to when choosing your truck driving career is the work schedule and time you’ll spend on the road because these affect your work-life balance.

With short-haul trucking, you’ll have predictable work schedules with a clear idea of your daily or weekly commitments. You might make several deliveries during the day but will return home once your shift ends.

It differs from long-haul trucking, where the working schedule depends on the freight and delivery destination and you’ll spend long periods away from home.

Differences in Routes

In short-haul truck driving, drivers pass through complex routes, including small streets and tight corners. They make many trips – two to six (or more) stops daily, depending on the loads and assigned routes.  Long-haul drivers make fewer trips, maybe one or two every few days or even weeks.

Duties

Short and long-haul drivers share similar responsibilities, including monitoring loads for safety, obeying traffic laws, and performing data entry and vehicle maintenance. However, there’s a difference in how they’re required to perform their duties. Some key differences to note include:

• Obeying traffic laws: Long-haul truck drivers often operate on highways, whereas short-haul drivers operate on city streets. Both must follow traffic laws, but long-haulers must adhere to highway-specific laws that don’t apply to short-haul truck drivers.

• Service logging: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) provides strict hours of service regulations long-haul truckers must follow to ensure they get enough rest and are safe behind the wheel. They must record their hours of service to demonstrate adherence to these regulations. These regulations don’t apply to short-haul truck drivers.

 

• Truck maintenance: Both short and long-haul truckers monitor their equipment for maintenance.  But maintaining large trucks, like semi-trailers, is more hectic than smaller, short-haul vehicles.

 

• Loading and unloading: Both trucking opportunities require drivers to assist in loading and unloading their vehicles. However, short-haul drivers do this several times daily since they make multiple trips per shift. In contrast, long-haul truck drivers might only load and offload their trucks once weekly.

On-the-Road Expenses

On-the-road expenses are higher for long-haul drivers because they cover vast distances and spend more time on the road. They have extra expenses, like meals and showers. Most short-haul truckers don’t have these expenses because they stay at home.

Health Considerations

While both types of trucking can make it difficult for drivers to maintain a healthy lifestyle, long-haul trucking puts drivers at a higher risk of several physical and mental health issues.

First, sitting behind the wheel for prolonged periods might cause chronic back pain and other musculoskeletal problems. Second, irregular sleeping and eating habits might lead to sleep disorders and obesity. There are also higher chances of getting stressed, anxious, and depressed as a result of being away from home for too long.

Financial Considerations

Both short and long-haul trucking offer financial benefits. But the gains from long-haul trucking are higher. On average, a long-haul driver earns around $103,456 annually, whereas a short-haul truck driver earns about $71,196 in the same period.

Final Thoughts

As you can tell, both short and long-haul trucking are great opportunities to explore. However, their setup and limitations may make one a more fitting option for you.

When choosing your truck driving career path, consider several factors, such as lifestyle preferences, health considerations, and financial goals. Long-haul trucking is a good option if you’re adventure-driven and don’t mind spending several days on the open road. If you prefer working close to home, go for short-haul trucking.

Also, remember to factor in expenses when evaluating your financial goals to make an accurate decision. Long-haul trucking pays well, but you’ll spend more during trips than in short-haul trucking. If you plan to start your trucking journey as an owner-operator, call or email us. We offer customized commercial vehicle loans and can help finance your first truck purchase, so you get started smoothly.