Are you considering driving trucks for a living? If you are, congratulations. You are about to embark on an adventurous and exhilarating career in one of the most significant economic sectors in the US. Your job will mainly involve operating regional or long-distance cargo-transporting heavy vehicles such as tractor-trailers as a commercial trucker.
Reasons to Consider Taking a Truck Driving Job
One of the best reasons to consider picking a truck driving career is demand. The demand for enough truckers to keep up with the momentum in supply chains is ever increasing. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects truck driving jobs will grow by 2% between 2019 and 2029.
Therefore, unlike other sectors, if you get a truck driving job, chances are high you will never be unemployed for any extended periods. That is unless you choose to take a break. Besides, as you are about to see in the section below, numerous truck driving options are available today. You get to pick either local, regional, or long-haul jobs depending on convenience and experience.
Trucking jobs are also quite challenging. If you have a craving for adventure and facing challenges, try these jobs. You get to battle snowy, rainy, and icy weather, visit new places, and hit the road, sometimes for weeks at a time. Furthermore, the trucks available today are sophisticated and comfier than before. They have state-of-the-art safety features and optimized navigation and communication systems.
Truck Driver Jobs Available Today
Some of the options you will find today include flatbed, tanker, dry van, freight hauler, refrigerated freight, and less than truckload (LTL) freight trucker jobs. Note, these are just but a few options available. And, most experienced truck drivers juggle numerous options. They get to experiment and diversify their knowledge, skills, and responsibilities as their careers progress.
Trucker Job Requirements
The law stipulates you have to be 21 or older to get a truck driving job. Although, currently, some statutes allow 18-year-olds to handle semi-trailers, as long as they do it within state borders. You will also need to avail a comprehensive driving history of not less than ten years. Your records should include road accidents and run-ins with the law.
Moreover, you must have a valid, or be capable of passing, a CDL exam before you get any CDLA jobs. A CDL exam has various portions, including backtesting, vehicular inspection, and road test. Once you have fulfilled these requirements and met specific medical qualifications, kick-starting your truck driving career should be a breeze. You'll just have to start looking for truck driving jobs.