Truck Driving Careers | Truck Driving Schools

Truck Driving Careers | Truck Driving Schools | Our TOP Recommendations
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Drivers of heavy truck and tractor-trailers operate trucks or vans with a capacity of at least 26,000 pounds gross vehicle weight. Drivers of light or delivery services trucks operate vans and trucks weighing less than 26,000 pounds.

• Nature of the Work - Truck drivers are a consistent presence on our nation’s roads and highways. They deliver everything from food products to cars. Organizations of all kinds depend on trucks to pick up and deliver goods since no other type of transportation can provide door-to-door service like trucks. Although many goods complete part of their journey by train, airplane, or ship, nearly everything is delivered to its final destination by trucks.
• Truck Driving Schools and Training - Taking driver-training courses is an excellent way to get ready for truck driving jobs and to get a commercial drivers license (CDL). High school courses in driver training and automotive mechanics may also be beneficial. Several private and public vocational and technical schools provide tractor-trailer driver education programs.
• Licensing- State and Federal regulations govern the standards and qualifications for truck drivers. All drivers must adhere to Federal regulations and any State regulations that exceed Federal requirements. Truck drivers must have a valid driver’s license issued by the State where they live, and most employers require drivers to have a clean driving record.

Truck Driving Careers | Truck Driving Training

A driver’s duties and assignments change according to the type of goods hauled and their vehicle’s size. The length of runs relies on the kind of cargo and the destinations. Local drivers may provide daily service for a specified region or route, while others make longer, out-of-town and out-of-state deliveries. Interstate and intercity runs tend to differ from job to job more than local runs do.

The responsibilities of driver/sales workers differ by their industry, the regulations of their employers, and the weight placed on their sales responsibility. Many have wholesale routes that cater to stores and businesses as opposed to private residences. For instance, wholesale bakery driver/sales workers deliver and display cakes, bread, rolls, and other baked goods on racks in stores. They evaluate how many of each product to stock by noting what is selling. They may recommend changes in a store’s order or persuade the manager to stock new or different products. Laundries that rent towels, linens, work clothes, and other items hire driver/sales workers to go to businesses regularly to replace soiled laundry. Their responsibilities may also include signing up new customers along their route.


Truck Driving Careers - Schools - Graduate - Job Outlook

In 2006, truck drivers and driver/sales workers held about 3.4 million jobs. Of these individuals, 445,000 were driver/sales workers and 2.9 million were truck drivers. Many truck drivers find jobs in large metropolitan areas or along major interstates where retail, trucking, and wholesale companies tend to locate. Many drivers work in rural areas, offering specialized services such as newspaper delivery.

Overall job prospects should be good for truck drivers, although opportunities may vary greatly in terms of earnings, weekly work hours, number of nights spent over the road, and equipment quality. Competition is projected for jobs offering the highest wages or most best work schedules. Average growth is anticipated.

Job prospects should be good for truck drivers. In addition to growth in demand for truck drivers, various job openings will arise as experienced drivers leave the field to transfer to other fields of work, retire, or leave the labor force altogether. Jobs differ widely in terms of incomes, weekly work hours, the number of nights spent over the road, and equipment quality. There may be tough competition for the jobs with the highest wages and best work schedules. There will be more competition for jobs with local trucking companies than for those with long-distance companies due to the better working conditions of local carriers.


Truck Driving Careers - Earnings Statistics

In May 2006, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor reports average hourly earnings of heavy truck and tractor-trailer drivers were $16.85. The middle 50 percent made between $13.33 and $21.04 an hour. The bottom 10 percent made less than $10.80, and the top 10 percent made more than $25.39 an hour.

Average hourly earnings of light or delivery services truck drivers were $12.17 in May 2006. The middle 50 percent made between $9.31 and $16.16 an hour. The bottom 10 percent made less than $7.47, and the top 10 percent made more than $21.23 an hour.

Average hourly earnings of driver/sales workers, including commissions, were $9.99 in May 2006. The middle 50 percent made between $7.12 and $15.00 an hour. The bottom 10 percent made less than $6.19, and the top 10 percent made more than $20.30 an hour.

Related Occupations: Other driving careers include ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians; taxi drivers; bus drivers; and chauffeurs. Another career involving sales responsibilities is sales representatives, manufacturing and wholesale.

Truck Driving Careers - Truck Driving Schools - Colleges - Universities

There are an excellent number of choices for truck driving careers. Online colleges and universities now provide the same curriculum as the traditional education. Learning online provides you with so much more flexibility to suit your lifestyle and current employment. We include our top recommendations for truck driving schools.


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