Challenges of Driving Jobs

The rewards of driving jobs are many, but there are also several risks. The appealing side of having a transportation job is getting to set your own hours, driving across the country with the opportunity of seeing beautiful sites, and getting paid a decent wage, often based on the number of miles you have clocked.

There are several different kinds of truck drivers. You can choose to be a freight hauler, construction hauler, hazardous hauler, tank hauler, flat bed hauler, local hauler, road driver, long haul driver, low boy hauler, small doubles, large doubles, triples small, straight trucks, or other specialized hauling. Drivers need special endorsements to drive these rigs legally.

No matter what transportation job you choose to get, all of them pose different kinds of hazards. You may injure yourself loading and unloading trucks. It's always important to wear special belts and to bend and lift the proper way to avoid injury.

Another hazard of transportation jobs is fatigue. Many truckers work long hours, often 12 hours or more a day. The lines of the road and the monotony can cause a hypnotic effect and can sedate drivers. They can swerve off the road or worse, hit another car and injure someone else. Falling asleep at the wheel is very dangerous for both the trucker and his travel companions sharing the road.

Another hazard is dangerous driving conditions. For example a trucker may be navigating steep hills and mountains and icy roads. They can lose control of the truck and swerve off the mountain. There may be falling rocks, dead animals, debris on the road, nails, and other hazards that can get in the way of the truck and cause damage and disaster.

Other accident hazards include slips, trips and falls from a tall cabin, cabin ladder or trailer, overturning of heavily loaded truck due to mechanical failure, difficult road conditions and/or excessive speed, head-on collisions, etc., with resulting life-threatening trapping of driver inside cabin or under the truck, injuries due to accidental bumping into unguarded rigid parts of truck or cargo, injuries while performing various functions of a heavy truck driver such as field repair-work, tire change, unfastening tight bands and ropes, and the danger of being crushed between tractor and trailer, or between trailers, while trying to disengage one from another.

                               

Other accidents are caused when a driver uncouples the locking device securing the tractor to the trailer.

Truckers can also be poisoned by too much exposure to exhaust gases, including carbon monoxide. The exposure of prolonged and loud engine noise of high amplitude can result in severe headaches, hearing loss, and delayed detrimental effects.

Truckers can also get sunburned driving for long periods of time in direct sun. They must take care to use lots of sunscreen and wear a protective hat.

Sitting for long periods of time and being inactive can also cause a lot of health problems. No exercise can lead to weak muscles and heart problems. Eating poorly also contributes to heart disease, clogged arteries, and high cholesterol.

Finding the Best Talent for Driver Jobs

There are a lot of talented truck drivers out there. It's not easy to become one, either. But the advantages are great. You'll get to travel, see the world, and sometimes set your own hours. You'll get to meet many people on the road as well. But it also has its cons. If you have a family, count on not seeing them for days or weeks out of the month. It's also a dangerous job, since you are constantly at risk for an accident.

To become a truck driver, first, you need a license to drive trucks which is called a "CDL"--Commercial Drivers License.  Check with your local college to see if they have a truck driver training program there.  You could qualify for a student loan or, if you are a veteran, the government will pay the cost.

You may consider going to local trucking schools so that you can stay in the area. Often if your trucking school is paid for in another geography you may need to sign a contract that mandates you work for at least a year for a company.

Once you have become a licensed truck driver, you'll need to decide what kind of truck driver you want to be. You can choose to be a freight hauler, construction hauler, hazardous hauler, tank hauler, flat bed hauler, local hauler, road driver, long haul driver, low boy hauler, small doubles, large doubles, triples small, straight trucks, or other specialized hauling. You may need different endorsements for these.

If you are looking to hire a truck driver and not become one, there are many different sites out there that can aide you in your search. Some sites have blogs where you can ask a truck driver all the pressing info you'd like to know. Others have sites that describe the life of a truck driver. And still others have plenty of resumes of truck drivers looking for jobs.

Swift Transportation is sure to have truck drivers looking for jobs. Another specialized carrier is Werner Enterprises. Werner Enterprises does not operate their own driving school. However, they work with over 800 driving schools nationwide. They will help get truckers started toward obtaining their class A CDL by referring them to one of the Werner approved driving schools in their area. In addition, Werner will provide tuition reimbursement of up to $6,000 upon completion of school.

There are three different types of truck driver training programs: public institutions, private schools, and motor carrier training. Private schools are owned and operated by private, for-profit entities. Their business is to provide training for students interested in the trucking industry. The advantage to going to a private school is that they are there for one purpose only: to train drivers for America's trucking companies.

Public institutions are schools that are chartered, owned, operated and funded by a state or local government. They are frequently called "publicly funded" truck driving schools for this reason.  Examples of these types of schools include local community colleges, vocational-technical schools (Vo-Techs) or state colleges.  At publicly funded truck driving schools, the truck driving program is only one of many courses that are taught at the school.

Motor carrier training schools are truck driving schools that are being run for one reason only: the company doing the training wants as many drivers as possible, usually in as short a period as they can.  The objective is simply to get drivers on the road hauling freight so the company can make more money.