Many people are interested in beginning careers as a truck driver, but having families to provide for and bills to pay, it’s understandable that they have some questions about getting into a new career or industry. You might happen to be one of those individuals. In this post, we will answer 5 of the most common questions that we find potential new truck drivers asking in the market today as they decide if truck driving is a career that they might wish to pursue in the future.
Question #1: What is the Job Market?
Answer: The job market for truck drivers right now is continually and steadily growing. There is quite a demand for truck drivers at present with ~60,000+job openings throughout the US right now; the industry is expected to grow a further 6% between the years of 2016 and 2026. Truck drivers are in high demand, and one of those drivers could very well be you!
Question #2: What Types of Jobs Are Out There?
Answer: There are a variety of different options for truck drivers. Jobs generally fall into three categories as follows:
- Over-the-Road (OTR): These are long-distance truck drivers that drive throughout the entire country and generally work several weeks at a time. After those several weeks, the driver might get several days to a week off to spend at home. Most drivers start with this kind of work and move to more regional or local driving after they get a couple of years of experience.
- Regional: Regional truck drivers usually drive throughout one segment of the country such as the Northeast or Southwest. At this level, driving will entail driving throughout several states or often between large metropolitan areas. An example of a regional route may see you drive between two cities such as Phoenix and Los Angeles or Dallas and Oklahoma City. Most of these drivers work during the week and have weekends off, but some jobs may require weekend or holiday hours.
- Local: Local drivers are those that drive throughout a local city or town. Most of these drivers have 7 am to 3 pm, or 8 am to 4 pm “standard” work days and go home each night and have weekends off.
Question #3: How Much Do They Pay?
Answers: The average truck driver’s salary when they are hired to run at about $40,000. Veterans can find that they can make up to $71,000 as a truck driver. A few management positions in the industry can get in the pay range of up over $100,000. Most truck driver jobs also provide a variety of other benefits such as healthcare, retirement benefits, and opportunities to potentially have some of your tuition paid back.
Question #4: How Can I Get Started?
Answers: You can get started by contacting us and we will be happy to help you get enrolled in the DriveCo CDL Learning Center so that you can earn your CDL. If you want to talk about your options, we are also happy to do that. Our staff is happy to help you with that as well as you ensure that truck driving is the right career choice for you.
Question #5: What’s An Average Day Like?
Answers: An average day for a truck driver really depends on what type of driving job the truck driver has. For those that do the OTR trucking, you can expect to drive 8 to 10 hours per day, but you can be on duty up to 14 hours per workday, then you will have to take a minimum of 10 hours of rest time before you may drive again. Drive time during that shift may not exceed 11 hours. During your downtime, you will generally do whatever you choose. Getting plenty of rest is important so that you are refreshed to safely drive the next day. Other activities that many drivers enjoy participating in can vary from reading a good book to going to a local gym while they’re on the road or even watching movies on their laptop or tablet at the rest stop.
