Types of Tractor Trailer Job Opportunities

There are many types of truck drivers out there on America's highways and byways. Now, I am not referring to the mean ones or fat ones, or trashy talking ones. I am referring to the kinds of work various truck drivers do. To begin a dissection of the various work configurations, one must first look at the various types of work drivers do.

There are four basic types of work: Local, Regional, Dedicated, and One-way (also called Over The Road, or OTR for short). I will briefly describe each of these:

Typically a local driver uses a day cab tractor (a shorter tractor without a sleeping compartment). His work involves several very short work assignments that he can complete in the course of his work day. Typically, these types of drivers pull loads out of rail yards, for grocery stores, or other short haul city work. This type of driver enjoys being home just about every day of the week.

A regional driver typically is out on the road for five to six days at a time. He or she will work in a geographical area (such as New England or the Mid-Atlantic states). He or she will pull loads that are very short in length, up to five hundred miles, from origin to destination. His freight will vary. One load may be paper goods going to a grocery warehouse, and the next might be construction materials going to a job site. This kind of driver almost always drives a tractor with a sleeper compartment.

A dedicated driver either delivers freight for a specific shipper (such as Proctor and Gamble, Wal-Mart, or Georgia Pacific). This kind of driver enjoys familiarity with the shipper and type of freight. His work can cover a geographical area, the 48 states, or even be a dedicated run between one shipper and one consignee (delivery site). This driver may or may not have a sleeper compartment on his tractor. It depends on the type of run he typically enjoys. Most dedicated drivers enjoy having time at home at least a couple times a week.

One-way, or Over The Road (OTR), drivers get to enjoy the country. They pull freight for many different shippers and delivery to many different consignees. They never quite know where they are headed to next, except when it is time to go home. They pull all different kinds of freight. The load length for an OTR driver typically is in excess of 500 miles. This driver always has a sleeper compartment on his tractor. This driver will be on the road for at least two weeks, while some never come "home". The ones who never come "home" are typically single people who live in their tractor.

So, now that the types of work are defined, next thing is the vehicle configuration. There are four basic vehicle configurations: Van (dry and refrigerated), flatbed, tanker, multiple trailer.

Van drivers are the ones that are pulling the large hard sided box. They carry freight that must remain dry (and cool in the case of refrigerated van trailers). They can carry just about anything from bales of scrap paper, to food items (dry food as well as perishable food), automotive parts, printing paper, and just about any other item you can buy in a store. While some may say that this is the least complicated type of vehicle configuration, don't be misled. Each load has it own unique quirks. 45,000 pounds of paper is very different from a flatbed with a load of lumber.

Flatbed drivers generally carry things like lumber and building materials, vehicle, steel plating or rolls, pieces of manufactures houses, boats and even a helicopter. A flatbed trailer is just what the name implies, a flat bed with no walls. The driver is responsible for putting tarps over the load if required, and also strapping the load down onto the trailer, so that it does not shift and fall off the trailer. Some challenges he faces are the delivery sites he must go to. Many times he must navigate into a construction site, or even into downtown areas of large cities. Also, he must continually check to make sure his load is securely fastened to the trailer. One loose strap or chain can spell certain disaster.

Tanker drivers carry large amounts of bulk liquids. This can include milk, vegetable oil, gasoline, or other liquid product that needs to be transported in bulk quantity. The tanker driver has a serious difficulty with the product surging in the tank. This can slow his acceleration (almost causing him to stop) or actually push his tractor trailer out into an intersection. This surge can even cause his vehicle to flip over if he takes a corner or curve too fast.

Multiple trailer vehicle combinations are the ones that have two to three trailers being pulled by one tractor. This configuration can involve van, flatbed or tanker trailers. This configuration allows one driver to deliver multiple trailers to different customers without the need of returning to the shipper. He is able to deliver one trailer to a customer and the second trailer to another customer. He is also able to pick up trailers after he has dropped on off.

As one can see there are many different types of tractor trailer combinations. Each offers it own advantages and disadvantages. Each has its own challenges. No one type of driver has a distinct advantage over the other, as the types of work that can be performed with these different combinations is far too numerous to mention.