Starting Your Life as a Professional Driver?

Congratulations! If you are reading this, you are considering the possibility of joining a profession that can offer a lifetime of work that can be very rewarding. The trucking industry is not for everyone. It is, however, an industry where you can count on always having employment opportunities available to you, in virtually any part of the country. It is also an industry where your opportunities are not limited by a corporate pyramid where there are fewer and fewer jobs as your career advances. If you are willing to work hard, you will succeed and earn a very comfortable living.

Today's Trucking Industry

The trucking industry today is a widely diverse service industry on which the country's economy is built. The American Trucking Association says: "Without Trucks, America Stops !". Did you know that the average manufactured product in the United States involves five movements by truck before it reaches the final consumer? Over the past twenty years, the manufacturing sector has moved from massive warehouse facilities with large stockpiles of parts and materials toward a system of "just-in-time" production where trucks deliver directly to the assembly line. In some cases, if a truck is late by just a few hours, an entire factory can come to a grinding halt. Trucking is no longer a "low tech" job; rather it is an essential logistical service that keeps the rest of the economy running.

There are more than 3 million long distance truck drivers in the United States, and millions more drivers in local delivery operations ranging from fuel oil delivery to food distribution, to small package delivery services. Each part of the trucking industry has differing requirements, but each driver has to understand cargo security, customer relations, company communications and individual time management as well as the technical aspects of driving a truck. One of the most attractive parts of the profession is the freedom of "being your own boss" while you are on the road. To be sure, you must meet deadlines and get the job done, but most of the successful drivers are people that can work on their own with minimum supervision.

What Can I Expect?

In order to get started in the trucking industry, you must complete your entry-level training and obtain your Commercial Driver's License (CDL). While you are in training, your training institution will start working with you to select a motor carrier that will become your employer. There are many different types of employment situations available, and you should ask questions and make sure that the position that you accept is a "good fit" with your own goals and circumstances.

Generally, you can expect that over-the-road jobs in the trucking industry will pay you up to $36,000 during your first year. In addition, with most companies you will become eligible for insurance benefits and possibly retirement plans. In today's world, these benefits have become very important parts of yours, and your family's security. In addition to insurance benefits, many motor carriers offer tuition reimbursement assistance to help students from driver training schools repay any loans that they have used to pay for training. After the first 6 - 12 months with your new employer, additional career options will become available to you. Where you go from there is only determined by your own work habits and attitude.

If you are a good driver, with an established safety record, you are in an industry that will nearly always have a strong demand for your services. It is unlikely that you will ever have to relocate in order to find employment. On the other hand, job demand is such that you are likely to find job opportunities in any part of the country should you choose to move.

An important thing to remember is that chances are you will not be an "hourly" employee. Your pay is usually productivity based, and therefore limited only by how hard you are willing to work. Trucking is one of the few occupations where hard work pays off right away, and gets even better if you stick with it. If you have the self-discipline and are driven to succeed, you will have a great chance to succeed in your new profession.