A long stretch of highway ahead, the setting sun illuminating the clouds, your favorite song playing on the radio . . . Sometimes working as a truck driver isn’t so different from a relaxing road trip. If you enjoy driving, consider a career in the transportation industry. Trucking offers great job security, flexible hours, excellent pay, and so much more. Explore the benefits of being a truck driver below to decide if you can picture yourself behind the wheel full-time.
Of all the benefits of being a truck driver, travel is perhaps the most well known and distinctive. Although your ability to stray off the highway and your amount of free time will depend largely on the trucking company for which you work, many truckers find that their jobs provide an opportunity to travel for free. If you time your drives right and research interesting places to stop ahead of time, you can make the most of the fact that your job allows you to travel around the country. Your routes may take you through gorgeous mountains, along ocean highways, and into unique urban landscapes. And wherever you go, you can appreciate the beautiful sunrises and sunsets you’re able to view while on the job.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates a job outlook of 5% for truck drivers from 2014 to 2024 (about as fast as the average growth rate for all occupations). In addition, the Bureau projects an employment change of 98,800 (source). With these solid numbers, you can feel confident in your job’s security. Companies always need drivers, and a shortage of drivers currently exists. As long as consumers demand goods, someone will need to transport and deliver those goods. If you remain responsible, dependable, and efficient, you won’t need to worry about losing your job. However, to increase your value as a truck driver, invest in your education through training and refresher courses.
As a truck driver, you won’t be held to a five-days-a-week, 9-to-5 schedule like most office dwellers. Instead, truck driving provides flexibility in regard to your location and your time off. For example, if you want to move to another part of the country, you can almost certainly find another trucking job in the place you wish to move. In addition, many companies offer flexibility regarding days off. So if you work for a specified amount of time, you can request a certain amount of time off. Typically, the longer you remain with a company, proving your loyalty and reliability, the more time off you will receive. As long as you give your company plenty of notice, follow their rules, and ask respectfully, you shouldn’t have trouble taking days off to relax.
Considering how little training and experience trucking jobs typically require, the pay is excellent. Of course, your salary will depend on the company for which you work, where that company operates, what that company hauls, and your experience in the field. As you explore job opportunities, be sure to consider the company’s compensation package, including benefits and other perks. For example, some companies offer a pay-for-performance plan to attract and reward great drivers, some offer health insurance, and some provide tuition reimbursement if you go to school to get a commercial driver’s license (CDL).
When you work as a truck driver, you won’t have to worry about your boss breathing down your neck or your coworkers pestering you with e-mails and memos. Trucking provides freedom, so long as you perform your job reliably and responsibly. In addition, if you don’t want your boss to micromanage your drives, you need to make all pick-ups and deliveries on time (and notify the recipient if you will be delayed due to traffic, weather, etc.) by choosing your routes and hours with care.
When navigating roads becomes second nature, you can spend your time behind the wheel as you wish. You might sing along to the radio, discover new podcasts, listen to educational audiobooks, or just sit and think. Appreciate the fact that you’re able to listen to whatever you like as you work, and take some time to explore your options – with iPods, audiobooks, and podcasts available, there’s no need to listen to the radio 24/7.
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Freedom, flexibility, travel time, the ability to blast your favorite album on the stereo – what’s not to love? Considering all the benefits of being a truck driver, do you think you would enjoy a career on the open road? If so, consider joining the transportation industry. A high demand currently exists for qualified and professional truck drivers.
You can learn everything you need to know at the Truck Dynasty Driving Academy, a professional truck driver training program that involves 120 clock hours and 3 weeks of professional driver training. In addition, current drivers can use the refresher course to sharpen and develop their skills. To get started, please give us a call at 417-831-8188, e-mail us at info@tddallc.com, or contact us online. We look forward to hearing from you!
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