“There is more credit and satisfaction in being a first-rate truck driver than a tenth-rate executive”

B.C. Forbes

Forbes was the Scottish born founder and editor of Forbes Magazine; the glossy pages detailing the wants and lives of the luxury and business set.  Back in 1917 when he said this, maybe being a tenth-rate executive was still OK – it probably meant you didn’t end up in the trenches of Europe during the First World War for a start!

Today, many truckers are actively pursuing a career over the road instead of an office job. This applies even to college graduates – and you will be surprised at how many do take up trucking as a career and lifestyle choice.

Let’s take a hard look at trucking as a career option.

The Basics

To be a commercial trucker you must possess a CDL – Commercial Drivers’ License.

Getting this can be expensive and you have two options – sign on with a carrier who agrees to put you through driver training, but on the condition you remain with them for a period of time afterwards so they can recoup the cost of training you for your CDL.  A good example is the Schneider National program

The alternative is you pay for it yourself.

CDL driver schools range in quality and are not cheap so the former option is usually taken up by rookies.

A CDL requires you pass a series of tests, both written and on the road, involving trucking rules, road regulations and your ability to handle a commercial vehicle.  There are different classes of license depending on the type of rig you intend to drive and you will also need a learner’s permit.

In Texas, all CDL applicants and holders are deemed to have given permission to be tested for drug and alcohol use.

Get a copy of the Texas Drivers Handbook and use this as your bible through driver training.  You can also get a free copy from the any of the DPS offices (for the Houston offices just follow the link here).

Life on the Road

Before starting down the road on a trucking career, you need to consider what life will really be like.

Typical salaries for a rookie on a driver training contract will be around $40,000, though conditions and benefits vary widely. Second year earnings can be expected to be in the $55,000 to $65,000 range as a driver.

You will spend a lot of time away from home.  By a lot of time, we mean most of your life – both waking and sleeping.  Married applicants and those with a need to be close to home and family will find the greatest difficulty in adjusting to a life on the road. This must be carefully considered because taking time off for family events creates scheduling difficulties for carriers and adversely affects their profitability.

After graduating from trucking school and heading into the “real world” to work as a trucker for a company, you’re probably not at the end of your training. Instead, the company you work for is most likely going to assign you a trainer to help get you started. Once the trainer feels like you’re ready to hit the road, then you’ll be able to get behind the wheel of a big rig on your own. Even seasoned truck drivers may have to go through additional training if they change companies or are being considered for a promotion.

As a trainee, you’re entering into a complex relationship where it is easy to step on toes. You might be worried that your trainer knows less than you do, or you may be hesitant to have someone “tell you what to do” or “boss you around,” but there are a few things that you can do to make the situation better for both you and your trainer.

First, you can realize that the trainer might actually have something to teach you. If you’re fresh out of driving school you might have all the by-the-book answers, but your trainer knows a lot more about actually driving a truck. In addition, your trainer will be able to give you advice about the company you’re working with,such as their rules and regulations.

Newbiedriver.com, a web site for new truck drivers, urges drivers in a trainee-trainer situation not to challenge trainers to “a war of who knows more.” Also, the web site advises new truckers not to forget what they learned in trucking school, as the trainer might suggest, but just add to it.

As a trainee, you might be feeling frightened or apprehensive about driving a truck for the first time outside of driving school, but letting those feelings come out as anger or frustration with your trainer is not the best way to deal with it. If you do that, it will just make your frustration even worse and your adjustment even harder.