Is A Truck Driving Career Suitable For You?

We have discussed in the past the attributes required to become a good truck driver. However, sometimes it’s worth turning things around. Today, we’ll discuss whether truck driving is suitable for you – and it’s not suited to a wide range of people. So what does truck driving offer people who decide to take it up as a career?

Truck driving can be a demanding job. There are schedules that must be met, sometimes crucial schedules. Manufacturers now work to a system known as ‘just-in-time deliveries’. This is a situation where little stock is held for long periods; rather, they rely on stock (or parts or raw materials) arriving ‘just in time’ for processing. If those materials are held up, production grinds to a halt. Meeting schedules is one of the major factors that measure whether or not a truck driver is very good, or just hum-hum satisfactory, or plain unreliable (a short career there).

Obviously, driving skills are important. Where arriving according to schedule is important, it goes without saying that arriving safely is equally if not more important. A manufacturer may excuse a load that is half a day late, but they’ll never excuse a situation where a load doesn’t arrive at all because of poor driving skills.

Truck driving careers are not about long days and weeks away from home, and poor work conditions. Truck drivers now have good working conditions, are well paid, and choose the type of work they wish to do – local, intrastate or interstate. A truck driver’s hours are now regulated so it is illegal to drive for long hours at a time – you must take breaks and you must spend time out of your truck.

So what does a truck driving career demand of its drivers? Good driving skills, the ability to think and plan ahead so that you can avoid problems and arrive on time, and a dedication to looking after both your truck, the load you are carrying, and yourself. Really, they’re not too demanding – all you need is a good truck driver training school and your set to go.