Truck Driver Career Tips: A First-Hand, Realistic Look at the Trucking Industry

Like all business fields and positions, not every role in life is for everyone. There has to be a desire to drive, and endure the four seasons, to include the real time responsibilities of driving a twenty ton (when loaded) machine. It takes a discipline and routine to get up after the ten hour break, maintain a standard of hygiene, and continue on the road as a professional Driver. This only covers the "nearsighted" responsibility of working for any company. There has to be an understanding, or at least a concept, of your role as the Driver. From small companies, to large corporate carriers, your role is the foot soldier of a big organization, dealing with world economics (such as the cost of fuel), maintenance of the Company vehicles, and the cost of providing a service to the customer and their needs to get their product from point a to point b. And this only lists a small fraction of responsibility a company assumes when hiring you as a driver. The bottom line is it comes down to logistics.

With the cost of fuel, businesses are challenging you, the driver to only run the engine of the truck (tractor), only when the vehicle is in use to accomplish an assigned load. This means, the truck should be shut off while connecting/ disconnecting the lines of the tractor to the trailer, inspecting the equipment at the beginning of the day, and when hooking up, and whenever you go to break. This can be discomforting to the driver during the extreme cold of winter, and the extreme heat of summer. Some companies set guidelines to allow drivers to be able to have a certain comfort level when sleeping, but the goal is to cut the use of fuel, when not used "along the lines of business". For a company driver this may seem to be much to ask, but where an engine at idle can consume a gallon an hour, this becomes an unwanted expense, with today's prices. There are different levels of comfort for each driver that is understood, but to survive as a business, to make a profit, it becomes a responsibility of every person, from corporate, down to the driver, to make use of all materials toward the role of business, and waste nothing, or abuse the materials where it results in little or no value to make a profit. This isn't just in the truck driving field, but in all aspects of any business.

Another challenge to the driver is to pre-plan his/her route in the shortest distance, with regards to the roads that allow 13' 6" or higher, and +15 ton vehicles. Getting lost or out of the way is becoming a challenge that corporate is now taking into consideration. Speed limits at a company policy level has always been an issue, and many big companies have always "governed" the engines to a maximum standard for highway driving. Some companies also challenge you to skip gears in acceleration, based on the load, road, traffic, and all other conditions, to maximize the need to max out the RPM, and the fuel consumed to reach maximum RPM in each gear. Understandably, if a driver is staring out on level ground, with a light load, learns to start out in fourth or fifth gear, since first gear only gets the truck moving from zero- to- three miles per hour. With that same load, and much practice, drivers can start out in fourth gear, shift to sixth gear, and then eight gear, and so on. Driving around construction, accidents learned in advance through radio or CB, and learning to avoid city rush hours, are becoming the tools necessary to be a successful driver in the business sense. On top of everything else, there is the element of weather that includes knowing in advance of flooding areas from rain, and in winter the appending snow storms coming through your route of travel. For me, I usually wasted no time to head toward a storm in the most expedient , and responsible manner, because once caught in the storm, time would now be invested to complete the route. Adversely, staying ahead of the storm behind me also became a goal for me, until reaching my destination.

Corporate levels are learning the same rules of the road as the driver, to seek other ways of getting the maximum performance from their drivers. The know the driver can only drive eleven hours a day, in a fourteen hour period, after each ten hour break. They have to. It is their role to estimate how much time it takes the driver to get the load there, and with a "cushion" based on the drivers habits and abilities, along with their experience level. Many corporate policies are watching the seventy hour rule, and challenging their drivers to have or gain proficiency in working with recaps (the hours coming back from eight days ago), rather than taking a thirty four hour break, to start with a full seventy hour week. A day and a half down means the truck is not making money.

The policies in many companies are one of rewards and penalties, where a driver with the least amount of "over idle" percentage gets a bonus, as those who disregard the need to maintain the set level are terminated.

Logistics accounts for every aspect of any business, measuring the profits against the unwanted expenses of the business. To the driver, this means he/she needs to be accountable for the idling engine, the speed traveled, and the destination chosen, that may vary from where the dispatcher assumes is the most effective route of travel. Yes, they use map programs and other software to compete against the drivers who they are assigned to. Corporate and drivers may seem to be a broad line that separates the desk jockeys from the road jockeys, but the fact is, many levels of corporate are working on communication and teamwork from both the drivers, dispatchers, and load planners. To stay competitive with other companies, policies differ to find an edge over the other, where the bottom line is completing the delivery of the loads in a timely and efficient manner. And still, some companies are making the role of being a driver the most challenging and accountable reason for not meeting the goals of the business. And, while expressing the line between corporate and driver, companies are valuing the newest driver, who gets payed at bottom scale to travel the furthest, since the cost of paying the most experienced driver to do the same route makes a difference in what counts as a profitable load. And, based on the weather, and type of load, the most experienced driver is placed worthy of the most hazardous route over the newer driver, based on safety (why send an inexperienced driver into weather, risking the cost of accidents). But that line is not as broad, or at least not as broad as the executive staff desires, and communication, and teamwork is starting to take life to making a business successful, with regards to keeping a seniority, and the chain of staff in tact. No driver should or will ever debate with a vice president on the best course of action on any given load. Still, the respect to understanding the role of a driver is seriously considered from the executive staff, and investing the time to understand all aspects of the driver is carried out, before there is a form of managing that driver and challenging the driver to build a regiment of responsibility that will enhance the role as the truck driver.

Some consideration by many companies is the roles of each division, and one area is the "over the road" driver. Breaking up into more area of regional and smaller areas of travel has been considered. Having more locations, and drivers that travel only smaller distances would reflect on successful loads, and their time frames. One other area is how to add multiple loads to one delivery, and one shipment to multiple deliveries. I have not seen what company has actually made these considerations, but one might include seeing more double and triple trailer routes in the future. Considering that a 53' trailer may not be used to its fullest potential of space, by providing various shippers with a smaller 28' trailer to meet their needs, where this size trailer can be pulled with other trailers may offer the opportunity of getting the most out of the driver.

Sounds like the fun and freedom of driving is whithering. Not true. It only includes on being a team player, and understand what is required to continue employment as a career with any given business. Nothing will replace where you wake up, and the views of the horizon, city lights, and the different lifestyles of this nation. What needs to be impressed is that the driver's level of experience is considered, so no one is expected to be born with all the expectations of the company on the first day. It is expected that the driver will improve, and learn his/her value to the trucking industry over time. But as a new driver, while building road experience, the driver should also build a concept and perception of how the company works, to better understand, or at least fell their role that impacts the company as a successful business. There are companies that will seek to know what the new driver's capabilities are, but the driver needs to know this well in advance to prevent fatigue, and failure to be an asset. Knowing and expressing your limits does set up your own rules and level of work you can offer the company, as a knowing and reliable sense of performance. Being pushed beyond one's ability only leads to tragedy, and burnout, and serves no one over a period of a career.

So, here are some simple guidelines to any driver, in any field, and even in personal life, but directed to the professional drivers:

-First, avoid rush hours in the city and suburbs. Plan driving before or after those hours. You use up driving time sitting in traffic, where if you wait and plan breaks or none driving times around rush hour, you will get through those miles in a better rate of time.

-Second, include the weather and news in your Pre-Planning of a route and load. Knowing what the weather is going to be forecast in the next three to five days will also help you prepare your mind on what to expect as you work your way there. Also, watching the local news will let you know where construction and accidents are occurring before you head out and onto the road.

-Third, Include time to rest, eat well, and even sleep if the run is over more than a day. Know how long it will reasonably take, by doing everything in a constant but moderate manner, rather than pushing to get it done in one long stretch or period.

-Fourth, Keep the engine off. Only run the engine to move the load, or make the trip. When it comes to sleep, plan on sleeping at night in the summer, and daytime sleep in the winter. And learn of services such as Idle Aire provided at many truck stops.

-Fifth, Unless you are able to run months at a time, plan on provisions, such as warm, and even loose clothing, blankets, and even a sleeping bag, and what will keep your food provisions throughout the time you are riding the open road (shopping for food that won't perish will save money, than to eat every night at restaurants and buffets).

-Six, Equip yourself for the job. This includes the right attire, like work boots for the weather, and various gloves for the work and fueling; CB Radio, and most importantly, maps. Know the toll roads, as well as the restricted roadways, not for trucks. Also, learn where the scales are both on the interstates, and at the truck stops. Many truck stops have free brochures to scale locations.

-Seven, Drive deliberately, and safely. Don't get overconfident, or think you know everything. The roadways change with age, weather, wildlife, and other drivers. Each state has their own version of road rules, and every town can vary as well. Expect this, and drive slow enough to make the decision to change the route of travel, or safely continue down that road.

-Eight, Always make sure you and your vehicle are up to the challenge. Never driver a truck with deficiencies, and never drive tired or hungry.

-Nine, Know the load. Make sure you can handle the load, by driving at the right speeds on curves, intersections, traffic lights, and weather changes.

-Ten, Make time to learn what is expected of you through the company handbook and guidelines. Then, start picturing the roles of those you work with. Build a comfortable form of communication and teamwork with those directly involved in your day to day job assignments.

As far as the fun goes. Ignoring a sunset, a man made work of art and architecture, or just being surprised by the turn of the road, from wooded or city area to an open view will come naturally. How you appreciate what is in front of you, and around you will always be your responsibility to make the time to take in the view.