Being a trucker can come with its benefits.
You can get out there on the open road, and you get to travel across the country every single day.
This can give you the chance to see things you never thought you would, and it is ideal for those who don’t want to be stuck sat a desk all day.
There are a few things that you need to know before you start a career in trucking however, some of which can be found below.
Stress
Stress is part of any career.
It doesn’t matter whether you have a simple desk job or whether you are a construction worker with a long list of contracts lined up.
It’s inevitable, and trucking is no different.
You may experience stress when you are stuck in traffic, or when you can’t find a location. You may even find that you can’t reverse your truck because someone is blocking the road as well.
If you believe that you can handle this without losing your cool, then there is no reason at all why you shouldn’t consider a career in trucking. Just take everything in your stride, and one day at a time.
Communication
Another thing that you have to think about when starting a career in trucking is communication.
You have to know the people who you are dealing with, and one of them is your dispatcher.
Some will require more, or less communication than others and you also need to learn how to deal with them effectively. You need to know how to communicate with your customers so that they are not kept waiting while you organise your deliveries accordingly.
The secret here is time management.
You won’t be getting paid for waiting around, so you need to get in and out of the dock as quickly as you can.
When you do this, your dispatcher will be happy, your customers will be getting their delivery on time and everyone will be on the same page.
Long Days
Some employers will pay you more than others.
You shouldn’t base your job on this alone however. Some people may have you out on the road 12-14 hours a day, and this could have an impact on your family and on your relationships.
Another provider may only have you on the road for 8 hours a day, so if there isn’t a huge difference in the salary then it is well worth you trying to weigh up the benefits of each position.
You may even find that some employers include lunch expenses for you as well, and this can work wonders for your budget when you are on the road every day.
Most trucking employers are very understanding, and they are usually more than happy to work with you to make sure that you get the best driving experience possible.
Training
A bonus of trucking is that it gives you the chance to take up new training.
You can easily get your HGV license or even take an air brake practice test as well. When you do this, you can then open up brand new career opportunities that you never knew existed.
Remember that the more you invest in your career, the more you will get out of it and this is one of the many things that makes trucking so rewarding.
Your skills can easily be applied to a huge range of other industries and if you did ever want to change careers then you certainly wouldn’t be limited to trucking.
This is why so many people choose to start their trucking career every year, and a lot of them go on to love what they do as well.
So if you want a career with a high level of satisfaction, trucking could be the career for you.
Freedom
Sure, being a trucker can be stressful and you may even find that you work long days as well.
It can also give you a remarkable degree of freedom. You never know where the next route is going to take you and you may even get to drive down the open road with your music on, just enjoying life in general.
For a lot of people, this alone makes trucking worth it. It can also help you to earn a lot of money in a short space of time as well. You can see it’s well worth getting your trucking authority.
When you become efficient with your routes and when you are able to understand the maps you are given, you can then make more deliveries a day and this can work wonders for your bank account.
