Truck Driving As a Career By Kyle Beack

So you are thinking about becoming a truck driver. Great! The world needs more hard working people like you to get things moving. But what exactly should you know before you start down that road? Well for one thing being a truck driver is less a job and more a lifestyle, especially if you’re going to be a long distance driver. These people are called OTR drivers. That stands for Over the Road, and it means you are going to be in your truck for days at a time. OTR drivers are the long haul drivers that drive their rigs thousands of miles to deliver everything from furniture to food, and can be gone for extended periods. There are other drivers who drive trucks and get paid for it. Box truck drivers, movers, and short haul delivery drivers carry loads large and small around an individual locale rather than crossing state lines. The difference between the two is an important one, that of being able to sleep in your own bed during work nights. OTR drivers can, like I said, be on the road for extended periods, weeks at a time. The OTR lifestyle is one of great freedom and solitude, just you and the road.

Financial

Most drivers can make upwards of forty thousand dollars during their first year, depending on where they drive and who they drive with, and can after a few years easily make between sixty and seventy thousand dollars per year. Veteran drivers, owner/operators who get their own trucks and are their own bosses can make well over one hundred thousand dollars a year doing this. Health and dental insurance is a given, and many companies have 401(k)’s as well, so financially this is a great career choice.

Freedom

You are in your truck, hauling freight thousands of miles, and then coming back and grabbing more and doing it again. Just you and your truck, riding across this great nation of ours. No boss out there, looking over your shoulder.

You do have some control over the days you drive as well. If you have a family and you want to be home every weekend or every other weekend to be home with your wife and kids, that can happen. Truck drivers are in demand and if you are good to the people who need their things delivered, they will be good to you as well.

On top of that, it’s just you and the road. The vistas you get to see, the grandeur that is America spread out before you every single time you make a run. Not everyone gets to have that, gets to explore the vastness that is this great land of ours. There is real freedom in truck driving.

Now it isn’t all peaches and cream. It’s still a job. You are hauling all hours of the day and night. You have to be a responsible intelligent person. There is cargo on that truck that has to get to its destination on time and in the condition that it left the house/warehouse/loading dock in.

Disqualifiers

There are things that can keep you from being a truck driver. A few of the more obvious things are a bad driving record and/or failing drug tests. Those two can keep you out of the truck driving business, as can a criminal history or health concerns, such as diabetes or seizure disorders. In some health cases a waiver can be obtained from the department of transportation.

Driving a truck can be a rewarding, fulfilling, and well-paying experience that is good for everyone. It’s good for you financially, and it’s good for the grateful people you meet at the end of the line when the things they need to do their jobs and live their lives come rolling into their lives.

Keep on truckin’!

About The Author: Kyle Beack is a retired owner operator and established expert in the transportation industry. For those interested in making truck driving a career, he recommends Landstar System, Inc.. He is impressed with their years of experience and how well they treat their drivers.

Online Article Marketing Specialist.