Two Of The Greatest Benefits Of Being A Truck Driver

When I left my cushy office job 2 1/2 years ago to drive a truck, I carefully weighed the decision for quite a while. There were a couple of potential benefits of this career that really appealed to me:

1. There is always a high demand for experienced drivers with clean records; and

2. There are truck driving jobs pretty much anywhere you might live in this country.

I've just been cleared to work again after recovering from major surgery. I am looking for a job again. I'm living in a different city. I've been out of work for four months.

Before trucking, this would have been a terrifying situation. Jobs like I used to have took a lot of time and effort to find.

But since I have followed the advice (to the best of my ability) of the very fine folks right here at TruckingTruth, this is a time to consider carefully what it is I want to do more than what I have to do.

Am I saying that out of overconfidence or because I'm arrogant? No. I don't think I'm the greatest driver ever, not even close. I work hard and I try to do my best every day, but there's nothing really special about me. There are plenty of drivers with more experience, who can drive better, who can back a truck better, who can secure a load faster, who work harder, who are better looking, who are smarter, who have more money, who know more about trucking, and who are more fun to be around.

But I'm good enough to be in high demand by great employers at a salary comparable to my old cushy office job. I applied to some companies over the weekend, and today I got a bunch of calls from recruiters who are very interested in getting me to orientation next Monday. I have never in my forty years of working been in this position. I have a lot of great choices for work right now.

The only reason I get to be in this wonderful situation is because I have over two years of driving experience over the road , a steady work history, a clean record with no tickets or accidents, and no negative information on my DAC. That's it. I don't have to be the very best, I just have to be good enough.

So, what do you have to do to get yourself into this position?

1. Two years of driving experience over the road. (Really, one year is enough in a lot of cases, but three years is even better.)

* Get trained and get your CDL.

* Get hired and finish your driver training.

* Stay at that job at least one year.

It can be pretty daunting when starting out in this business. You may have false expectations of the industry. There's a lot to learn in a short time. And once you get a job, it's pretty common to feel overwhelmed during your first year. You should talk it over with someone, or several someones, when you feel like quitting for another job. This website is a great place to find help with all of this. (And no, Brett doesn't even pay me to say stuff like that.)

2. Steady work history.

* Get a job.

* Stay there.

You may be thinking, "Oh, what a smart***!!" The reality is that many, many people quit jobs when things don't go their way long before they've completed a year. This is so common in trucking that you will stand out if you stay at your first job for more than a year before looking for a new one. Sometimes you just have to grin and bear it. It's worth it in the long run. Remind yourself of that as often as you need to and you will not regret it.

3. A clean record with no tickets or accidents.

* Drive carefully all day, every day. Bring your "A" game every single time.

* PUT DOWN YOUR PHONE. Turn it off if necessary.

* Get as much defensive driving training as you can. Go to a Smith System class whenever your company offers it. Pay attention to it.

* Pray a lot. (Or for those who don't pray, be lucky.)

4. No negative information on your DAC.

* Be honest, even when it's embarrassing.

* Don't do drugs and then hope that you'll be able to pass a drug test.

* Do your very best to build a good relationship with the staff at your company, including dispatch, operations managers, training, safety, HR, payroll, the shop, logs, and anyone else you come across at the office. You never know who might be able to help you keep something off your DAC.

* If you get mad about something, find a constructive way to deal with it. Talk before acting, and think before talking. Then think some more before talking. (This one is pretty hard for me.)

Your DAC will follow you forever. Take care to make sure it stays clean. That's easier than trying to get negative stuff removed. The DAC isn't there for your benefit, it's there for the benefit of all the trucking companies who pay for it.

Of course, there's a lot more that could be said about this, and others have already said it better than I can right here on this site. But while I was talking to prospective employers today, I had a wonderful reminder of one of the main reasons I got into this business. Trucking is still a career where you can establish yourself in a pretty short time as a top performer. Once you have done that, you have a career where you can fairly easily find a job wherever you may find yourself living. Other fields may come close, but the pay usually varies a lot more with geography, and they're harder to break into. Trucking is still a great choice for good-paying, honorable work.

My good old friend, I had absolutely no idea you have been out of trucking. Hope all is well with you and my apologies for not checking up with you every now and then. I'll give you a call tomorrow in the PM to catch up.

As far as your post, I agree its a huge blessing to be able to be wanted by so many companies. The huge trucker shortage does benefit us in some ways.

You can pretty much pick and choose what type of freight you want to pull and without needing more education/schooling for it.

Now, Bud, when I met up with you at the 49er in Sacramento a few months ago and showed you my tanker truck you seemed fascinated. You've pulled a box, you've done flatbed, now what say you come to the tanker side next!?

Hey Daniel, thanks! I appreciate it.

Now, Bud, when I met up with you at the 49er in Sacramento a few months ago and showed you my tanker truck you seemed fascinated. You've pulled a box, you've done flatbed, now what say you come to the tanker side next!?

First, before I lose my flatbedder card, I want to point out that I have never pulled a box. The only time I have been in a truck that was hooked to a box was on Prime's backing pad when I was a student.

Second, it's funny you mention tankers. I applied for a few tanker jobs, since I have the endorsements.

I've talked to a couple of really good flatbed outfits, and they have very tempting offers. My only hesitation is hoisting 120-pound lumber tarps onto the deck after unloading. As much as I love flatbedding, and as tough as I like to think I am, I'm not sure I want to do that anymore after I had my chest cracked open. There are a couple where it's only 20% tarped loads, because most of their loads are farm equipment. And there's another that uses a curtainside for dedicated runs out of a factory near here, but they don't have any open positions at the moment.

My brother pulls a tanker, and I've been warming to the idea. You get to be outside, you still get a little physical exercise dragging hoses around, and pulling a tanker will develop some new driving skills. Plus the tanks are bright and shiny, like a gigantic chrome job. I kind of like the idea.

I am meeting with a guy from one of the bigger tanker companies this morning to discuss a job with them. From what he said on the phone yesterday, it's all food grade. It's a regional gig that is one of 6 String's "sort of local" jobs, because I'll be going past the house a couple times during the week while under a load and might be able to spend the night at home sometimes during the week, as well as having weekends off.

Another tanker company also called yesterday. They have a regional job that will get me home every weekend, mostly running in the middle of the country north to south and back. It's a mix of food grade and hazmat product. According to my brother, their trucks are either not governed or governed higher than 75, since he's had them following right along with him. (Everyone drives through South Dakota at 80 mph if they can.) That one is also interesting, although I'm not certain I want to haul stuff that's so nasty it requires a glass-lined tank so the product won't eat through the steel. On the other hand, that one would get me down to Texas sometimes so I could visit Old School.

So yes, Daniel, I might end up becoming a tanker yanker. Whatever I do, I want to find a job where I can stay for a few years at least, and ideally until retirement.

Like I said, it's great to have so many choices! When I started, a year or two seemed like a long time. Now that it has passed, it doesn't seem that long at all. Thanks again to you, Daniel, and to Brett, Pat M., Old School, Ernie, and some of the others who aren't as active now but who helped me when I was starting out. I owe a lot to you all, and I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions and help me understand what is required to succeed.

Thanks for the great post!

Bud this is an excellent post. Spot-on, totally agree, lived through much of what you wrote.

I especially like your paragraph about the first year,...so totally true. A concept that seems to elude so many, many new drivers, never realizing how great their job/company can be if they just give it a chance to percolate. Sign of the times I guess.

Awesome post! I need to print this out and carry it around, just so I can refer back to it. Thank you.

Bravo!!! And its funny what different people look for in jobs. I wasn't looking at demand or locale. I was looking to be left alone to do my job.

I hope this doesn't sound conceited, but I know that whatever job I decide on, I will plunge into it. Research. Learn. Immerse myself and I have always surpassed management in my knowledge of operations. I will succeed at whatever I do.

When I came to trucking, I was so aggravated with dealing with "stupidvisors" that had no clue and would order me to do redundant work, even if it meant creating overtime. The inefficiencies of government management was infuriating at first, then exhausting. One supervisor actually threatened to write me up if I processed the mail. Yep, do my job and get reprimanded lol

The major thing that brought me to trucking---- my trucker friend told me he rarely dealt with dispatch or supervisors. He got a message saying "show up at point A and take it to point B". How he did it was his own decision.

So for me, the best thing about trucking is basically being my own boss--- but none of the headaches of a boss.

Thanks Bud for this awesome post and glad your surgery and recovery went well :)

According to supposed experts, Truck Drivers only have about a decade left before they're replaced by technology. Personally, I think that might be a bit soon, but I certainly realize the truck driving profession isn't going to last my lifetime. Unless I die prematurely, of course.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/federicoguerrini/2015/01/31/technology-is-going-to-make-truck-drivers-obsolete-in-a-decade-report-says/#61bee66568d1

I've said it before, but I kinda like the idea of being one of the last truck drivers. It's just why i don't agree here. It'll be a struggle for me to even get a job in this industry, and it will be short lived... for us all.