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So many individuals consider truck driving jobs since businesses and individuals continually send and receive products. Despite the duties being identical, each truck driven or duty carried out might differ based on the freight being transported or the hiring firm. You may choose which type of driving job you might pursue by learning about the variation and typical obligations in this sector.
Why Consider Truck Driving Jobs?
Many individuals are attracted to jobs like truck driving because they allow for independent work and flexible hours. The following are some advantages of this professional path:
Beginning a career quickly: Beginning a career as a truck driver doesn’t require much schooling. High school graduation and a certain license are frequently needed requirements, which you can often acquire in a year.
Working self satisfying hours: For their employers, truck drivers put through day and night shifts. You may look into driving jobs that provide unique hours, such as nights or weekends, that better fit your lifestyle than traditional working hours.
Traveling: Some truck drivers may have regular local routes they follow, while others are capable of making extensive journeys. Truck drivers have the chance to travel and visit new areas because they work longer hours and often take breaks in other locations.
Types of Truck Driving Jobs
If you are considering to take up a career in this field, there are quite a number of truck driving jobs you may want to look at in order to make a complete decision.
Less-than-truckload (LTL)
Less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments deal with smaller loads. Usually, this involves sending products in many parcels to various areas. Drivers usually pick up or transport items to terminals, where they load goods on predetermined routes and transfer parcels to other trucks.
Over-the-road (OTR)
Over-the-road (OTR) truck drivers transport heavier loads of goods in larger vehicles. OTR truckers regularly take different routes as they deliver goods across large distances. OTR drivers, in contrast to local or regional drivers, might consider traveling across the nation to deliver packages to one or more locations.
Hauling of freight – Truck Driving Jobs
Any kind of goods may be transported locally or across long distances with freight transportation. As they load and unload products for delivery, they could work for manufacturers, merchants, or delivery services.
When working as a freight carrier, you could also deal with specialized freight, such as liquid or hazardous chemicals. You will often handle larger items and equipment instead of little things.
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Refrigerated
Reefer drivers, also known as refrigerated freight drivers, move products that need to be kept at a certain temperature. You might need to stop in addition to your regular driving tasks to check that the temperature in your trailer is appropriate and the cargo is secure, or to organize maintenance if there are any refrigeration problems.
Truck drivers usually fulfill this duty in the food production sector by delivering food items to supermarket and restaurant service locations.
Tanker – Truck Driving Jobs
Transporting liquids or gas between places falls under the category of driving tanker trucks. Depending on the goods, you could operate both huge and small vehicles, and you can travel very long distances. In order to function excellently in this position, you may require special training where you’ll learn how to handle this kind of product and how you should manage situations, including spills.
Flatbed
Flatbed drivers usually transport automobiles or other machinery, equipment, and vehicles on their trucks. These items were on the truck’s bed rather than being contained in covered trailers. This calls for experience in properly securing products to guarantee safe delivery and special handling for special handling demands of the flatbed.
Dry van – Truck Driving Jobs
Traditional trucking involves driving a big truck, often carrying a trailer. This is known as dry van trucking. These deliveries may be local or long distance, and a full trailer of supplies must often be transported. You could handle the inventory and signatures to confirm delivery even if you don’t need to load and unload these trucks.
Qualifications needed for Truck Driving Jobs
A truck driver is in charge of the secure transportation of automobiles, construction supplies, and other commodities across both short and long distances. Due to the magnitude of the load, truckers must first meet the following requirements requirements in order to operate a truck:
- Education
- Licensing
- Background examination and physical demands
Education
A high school diploma or the GED equivalent is the very minimum requirement for prospective drivers who wish to go into truck driving jobs. The majority of states demand that applicants for commercial driver’s licenses attend truck driving school or finish field competence training. This guarantees industry-wide safe driving standards. Some job categories call for further training in certain load categories.
Licensing
By law, you must have a commercial driver’s license (CDL) in order to drive a tractor-trailer. The particular license requirements are set out by the business for which you work.
Three different CDLs are available:
The Class A: Required for the majority of tractor-trailers or semis weighing at least 26,001 pounds.
The Class B: Needed for attached vehicles weighing more than 26,000 pounds, such as box trucks and buses.
Class C: Needed for hazardous vehicles, dump trucks, and vehicles carrying more than 16 people, including the driver.
You can add endorsements once you have a CDL license. Your employer will be informed by these endorsements, which are shown on your license, that you are authorized to carry the following:
- Double trailers
- Triple trailers
- Hazardous substances
- Passengers
- Tank vehicles
Background examination and physical demands
In order to operate a commercial tractor-trailer, you must be at least 21 years old. Due to their lower insurance costs, truck driving jobs always require drivers to be above 23 years of age. After receiving your CDL, you must pass a drug test, background check, and physical examination. A clean driving record is also required.
The Department of Transportation demands the test. It guarantees that all drivers are in good enough physical condition to deliver potentially dangerous items over long distances. You may need to load and unload your own car for some jobs. Employers search for applicants who can lift at least 50 pounds in these circumstances.
How much can be Earned on a Truck Driving Jobs?
The income for a truck driver might vary based on your location, your level of expertise, and the organization you work for. Based on research, Truck drivers get an annual salary of about $74,417 on average across the country. The average annual wage for a tanker driver is $81,224, so you may make more money in that position.
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, truck drivers have a promising job outlook. They predict that until 2030, the number of jobs for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers will rise by 6%, in line with the national average.
Conclusion
Taking up a career in any of the Truck Driving Jobs carries associated risks due to the size and weight of the vehicle. As a result, the trucking business has many rules and regulations in place, as well as strict training requirements. Some vocations are riskier than others; for example, ice roads and hazardous materials routes are significantly more risky, with a greater accident fatality rate, hence the higher salary being paid to such workers.
