Becoming A Truck Driver - Step By Step Guide

It's Going To Be A Long Downhill Slide For The Economy

There is no chance of avoiding recession - we are already in one. There is no chance that things are going to get better any time soon. Why? Because the core of our financial system, and the world's financial system for that matter, has been crushed and it's going to take a long time for these problems to work their way through the system and allow the economy to move forward again. How will this affect the trucking industry? The same way it affects the rest of the country - it's going to put a hurtin on it.

Becoming A Truck Driver Part 4: Trucking In A Bad Economy

When the economy slows and companies cut back, many people are either laid-off, lose their jobs, or are forced into pay cuts. Changing careers is a common consideration when times get tough. What about becoming a truck driver during a bad economy? Is it a good idea? Will it be tough finding a job? What about everything you hear on TV about trucker’s strikes and trucking companies going bankrupt from the high fuel prices? Wouldn’t this be a terrible time to get into trucking? Absolutely not! Now is as good a time as any.

Signs Show Improving Economy And Strength In Trucking Industry

A number of recent data sources, along with quotes from economic analysts and trucking industry leaders, all point to an improving economy and clear signs of an improved outlook for the trucking industry.

Comparing Career Paths: Truck Driving Versus A College Degree

I decided to hypothetically put two people seeking professional careers, one a prospective college student, the other a truck driving school candidate, up against each other in a comparison of job training, annual salary, debt accumulation, and investment capability throughout their careers. The results are quite interesting.

Is The "Perfect Storm" Looming For Truck Driver Demand?

The slow economy has really dampened demand for truck drivers in the past year or two, and now there are several factors that seem to be converging to create the "perfect storm" for truck driving demand in the decade ahead. Let's take a look at an article on our sister site BigRigDriving and see what we could be facing.

Becoming A Truck Driver: How It All Started For Me

I don't believe there is anyone in America, or a multitude of other countries for that matter, who hasn’t considered becoming a truck driver. We’ve all wondered from time to time what life would be like traveling the highways day in and day out …I give an intro to my series on becoming a truck driver.

Becoming A Truck Driver Part 3: How Do I Know If Trucking Is For Me?

For somebody considering a career in the trucking industry, this is the million dollar question. I mean, how many people have ever experienced being a truck driver? Pretty much nobody. So how are you supposed to know if it’s for you? In the third part of this series I’ll talk a little bit about life on the road and try to help you decide if it would be right for you

Becoming A Truck Driver Part 2: Time Alone Away From Family And Friends

There is no doubt that life on the road is truly an adventure. But every choice we make in our lives is a compromise and traveling for a living is no exception. There are a lot of things to consider when trying to decide if truck driving is right for you and none of them are more important than the harsh reality of leaving behind our family and friends. In the second part of this series I'll cover the difficult decision of leaving your loved ones behind.

My First Year as a Truck Driver

This is a blog post by our most popular blogger, TruckerMike. He came to us looking for information about becoming a truck driver, and wound up doing it! Now, a year later he writes: "Wow, it's hard to believe, but I've been at my current employer for 1 year as of today. I began Truck Driving School in January of 2009, completed that in February of 2009, and was hired on in March of 2009. This post will simply serve as some observations that I've made as my first year of a truck driver."

Trucking Questions: Do Truck Drivers Enjoy Their Job?

I often get question like this: "Do truck drivers like their jobs? My son will soon be finishing his truck training and will enter the job market so I have been cruising the web looking at different truck sites, (yours, thus far, is the most interesting). I find lots of information on how bad truck driving is, (e.g. health issues, dangerous, bad companies, loads of complaints, and more). What I cannot find are stories or comments from drivers who actually like what they do." Well, here's my take on it...

Becoming A Truck Driver Part 6: Free Truck Driving Schools

Everybody wants something for free. But as we all know, nothing is free. So does "nothing" apply to free truck driving schools also? I'm afraid so. However, if you change the idea of "free truck driving schools" to "no money up front truck driving schools" - then you're on to something! There are a lot of options when it comes to attending truck driving school and I'll cover a couple of ideas here for you. We'll also cover some of the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Free Truck Driving Schools and Company Sponsored CDL Training

We have an entire section of TruckingTruth dedicated to trucking companies that offer CDL training themselves. Some of the schools wind up being free, and most wind up being very inexpensive and require little money down. Read through this section for some great information on many of the companies that offer this type of training.

Choosing The Right Truck Driving School

Our truck driving blog section has hundreds of articles full of great information, and this page is our "Choosing The Right Truck Driving School" category with a series of articles that will help you understand how to choose the right truck driving school for you. Every article has something unique to offer so check em out!

Choosing A Truck Driving School: The First Challenge

This is a great article written by TruckerMike that outlines his research into choosing the best truck driving school. It's very thorough and full of great tips that will help you understand exactly what you should be looking for in a CDL training facility.

Find Independent Truck Driving Schools Near You

We have a good size database full of independent truck driving schools (not owned by trucking companies) organized by state, mapped out, and their contact information is included. Take a look here to find private CDL training in your area.

Free Truck Driving Schools and Company Sponsored CDL Training

We have an entire section of TruckingTruth dedicated to trucking companies that offer CDL training themselves. Some of the schools wind up being free in the end, and most of the rest wind up being very inexpensive and require very little money up front. Read through this section for some great information on many of the companies that offer this type of training.

Trucking Jobs: A Story About Trucking In New York City

As a young lad of 21 years old, and only a few months into my first trucking job of my career, only 3 months out of trucking school, you would assume that your first company would take it easy on you, right? Well, that's what I thought. Until I got the call - you're going into the Bronx.

Truck Driving Jobs In Chicago, IL: Stories Of The Road

Trucking jobs in Chicago, IL can be brutal, unless you absolutely love the traffic. A career in truck driving wouldn't be complete without a lot of time sitting in traffic in the windy city. Actually, I never felt getting around Chicago was all that bad.

Truck Driving Jobs In Phoenix, AZ: Crazy Stories From The Road

A truck driving job in Phoenix, AZ wouldn't be too bad by most standards. Driving truck through the mountains can get a little hairy at times, but overall the weather is great, the DOT won't bother you, and the scenery is great. But a city is a city and trucking in Phoenix is still trucking in a city.

Truck Driving Experience And Enjoyment Of The Job

This is an interesting article that covers several different aspects of life on the road for a new driver and talks about the effect it has on a person.

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