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There is more credit and satisfaction in being a first-rate truck driver than a tenth-rate executive.
~ B. C. Forbes

Truck Driving as a Career: Is the Highway Your Way?

Maybe you just feel the need to hit the open road. Maybe your current job feels like a dead end street. Maybe you just want to get out from behind a desk. Maybe you want to see this country of ours up close and personal – and get paid while you do it.

There are as many different reasons for becoming a truck driver as there are, well, truck drivers.

You should be aware that “truck driver” is an extremely broad title that encompasses dozens of very different jobs. The term can be used to describe an over-the-road, long-haul owner-operator. And that guy or gal that rings your bell and delivers your package is a truck driver, too. So is the one you see stocking the bread on the shelves of your local supermarket. So, you see, a “truck driver” means many different things to many different people.

We’ll try to give you a peek at some of the different types of truck driving jobs there are, and if one of them seems to be a good fit for you at this point in time, you are encouraged to do some research and get moving on that Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) you will need to get started.

Let’s break the general term “truck driver” into three basic types:

Local – involves loading, transporting, and unloading goods at local businesses. Often, the local driver is delivering product to the neighborhood supermarket, or dropping a load of gasoline at the corner service center. Usually, he or she is an hourly employee who puts in a long day, but does get home every night.

Short Haul – is the terminology used to describe carriers that haul less-than-truckload (LTL) freight from terminal to terminal, or hub-to-hub. Short-haul truck drivers are usually away from home no more than one or two nights, and pay may be based on mileage, or it may be hourly. Short-haul jobs like these are some of the best-paid in the industry, but the companies that run these LTL’s (like UPS) can be very selective in their choice of hires. Generally, over-the-road experience is preferred.

Over-the-Road – OTR truck drivers deliver freight all over the contiguous 48 states and throughout Canada. They are usually paid by the mile, and can reasonably expect to log 2,500 miles per week. OTR drivers, who are often owner-operators, can be away from home for weeks – maybe more than a month – at a time. Their time behind the wheel is regulated by law, and they must keep an accurate log book of their trip. They can drive – at the most – 10 hours at a time, followed by a minimum of 8 hours rest, and they cannot exceed 70 hours in 8 days.

OTR jobs can fall into three sub-sets: 1) Regional (limited to one region of the country, i.e. the southwestern states, 2) Dedicated (making the same run day after day, and 3) Irregular (a new delivery destination every day.

We should say a word here about home time. Long-haul drivers spend a great deal of time away from home, and so may not be the best choice for a family man. Since the OTR truck driver is absent so much of the time, it can be considered a lifestyle as much as a career.

On the plus side, the outlook for truck drivers, and the trucking industry in general, is excellent. There will be openings for hundreds of thousands of trucking jobs over the next ten years, and a skilled and experienced trucker can find work in any part of the country.

The trucking industry in the United States has a long and proud history, and the truck driver has been responsible for what is has become. It is a very important cog in the machinery of our country. If your situation makes for a good fit, you should seriously consider being a part of it.

Employment Resources
International Brotherhood of Teamsters, AFL-CIO
25 Louisiana Ave. NWc
Washington, DC 20001-2198
(202) 624-6800
http://www.teamster.org

Truckload Carriers Association
2200 Mill Rd.
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 838-1950
http://www.truckload.org