Before beginning a career in the trucking sector, there are five important things you should know.
I have worked as a truck driver for 45 years personally.
Due to my trucking experience, I have gained much knowledge that new drivers and CDL candidates might use in this field.
This is a straightforward assessment of what to anticipate from a career as a truck driver.
1. Tension is a natural part of the job
An inherent aspect of a career in trucking is stress. Do not get me wrong; I always like the driving aspect of the work.
Yet a profession as a truck driver comes with stress.
There is tension associated with being stuck in traffic and stress associated with being lost and unable to reach a certain location in the city.
There is tension while attempting to reverse into a confined space when a tractor-trailer has nowhere to go.
The client does not give a damn. All he asks is that you show up at the pier.
Being away from home and thinking about your family while you are gone may be stressful.
Driving for a livelihood professionally involves a lot of stress.
Learn how to manage that stress and deal with it head-on as one of the first things you must do.
2. Good communication is Essential
The second skill you must learn is the ability to interact with and manage different types of people.
Contrary to common assumption, over-the-road trucking does not entail being left to your devices and the open road.
During the route, you will encounter individuals of different levels.
Your dispatcher is someone you must deal with.
To deliver his cargo on time effectively, you must first understand how to handle and manage him and explain what you require. The trucking company’s primary goal is to earn money. Thus this is how they do it.
To avoid being abandoned in the back forty while waiting to unload, you must learn how to interact with the clients and manage your connection with them.
You must make the most of that time. You want to get in and out of that dock as fast as possible to avoid being ignored by the shipper or receiver since you often do not get paid for waiting or very little for the time you wait.
You must have strong communication skills with the staff at the repair business. Shop time is often unpaid downtime, so you want to enter and exit as fast as possible and learn to manage that downtime effectively to reduce it.
3. You Will not Get Wealthy Driving Trucks
Another thing I have learned is that it is unlikely you will get wealthy from trucking.
Given how many hours you put in, you may believe you will.
You would think that would add up to a big paycheck, but that is not how it works, particularly now.
It is rare to get a significant return on your time investment. You must come to terms with this truth early on in your driving career.
The expense of traveling has significantly increased. It decreases your revenue.
There is no longer a $5 breakfast; instead, there is a $12 breakfast.
Nothing more than coffee is available for $2. Nowadays, it is particularly difficult to get wealthy if you are an owner-operator.
The price of servicing and repairing a vehicle has skyrocketed.
4. Relationships are difficult
The impact of the over-the-road trucker lifestyle on a relationship is among the most crucial things I have discovered.
Typically, you spend more time away from home than at home.
This, in turn, puts a lot of stress on your marriage and family.
In addition to managing and running the home, they have many additional responsibilities, including caring for the kids, paying the bills, working all the jobs, and mowing the grass.
Whatever it is, they must do it while you are away.
The spouse who stays at home finds these pressures difficult.
There is a decline in moral and emotional support. If you are gone for a long enough period, it cannot be found via phone calls and is often simply lost and never found.
I concluded that you are certainly doing something wrong, and it is time to change course when the next load takes precedence over your family.
5. Changes Are Sometimes Required
Eventually, I discovered that, despite the difficulty of change, there are instances when it is the best course of action.
Putting cash in your pocket is the goal of the game.
You must be dealing with a carrier that makes money for itself and enables you to do so.
It must be a mutually beneficial partnership.
Now particularly, the carrier makes money much too frequently at the driver’s expense.
You must get paid for all your time traveling and being away from home. After all, it is also a workday.
You can discover that you are in a situation where you are not producing money.
You have spoken with the carrier about your worries about being reimbursed for downtime, waiting time, or whatever else is bothering you.
Yet it does not appear as if you and your carrier can agree. It is time, in my opinion, to start seeking a better employer.
There are more reliable companies that will compensate you for your time.
Your time is valuable.
Although changing professions might be unpleasant, it is often for the best since you need to be able to support yourself in this pitch.
Do not stay at a trucking firm that is not paying you properly or treating you well because you are scared to leave.
Take action.
Throughout my tenure as a truck driver, I have had to do it a few times, and it was the proper thing to do each time.
You might think about changing jobs if you are not being paid adequately for your time.
Follow your best judgment
Finally, there are situations when the pay for the trucking jobs you might choose from may not be enough to please you.
In such a situation, quitting your employment as an over-the-road driver and looking for a regular job could be preferable.
You could discover that you are home at night and earning more money at the end of the day.
Consideration of one’s quality of life is crucial.
I would advise you to consider these five factors if you want to work in the trucking industry.
Balance your approach to dealing with them.
As long as you can handle the challenges that come with it, a career as a truck driver is unquestionably a terrific one.
