Truck Driving for a Beginner?

Question

So, I am a kid nearly a year out of high school, and working a dead-end, minimum wage job. I've been looking at various jobs that could support me financially so that I can move out of my parents' house. There's no way I could make it through college. I'm sorry, I just cannot go back to school. One thing that has really caught my eye is truck driving. It seems like nearly the perfect job for me. There two catches.

First off, I have very little background in auto mechanics. I am wanting to get more involved and learn a few things on the subject, but until then, just how much knowledge must I have to properly maintain a career in truck driving?

The second catch is that I know nothing of how to go about aquiring a license and job in the area. I know there are schools for truck driving licenses, but I really know nothing more. Could anyone give me some pointers, or even the basics of what I need to know to pursue a career in truck driving?

Thanks. I really appreciate it.

Answer 1

I am an owner operator with 7 years experience, currently earning 81% of each load I haul (avg $1.48 per mile to my truck).

First off, you don't need to have any mechanical knowledge, so don't worry about that. Most companies have their own shops, or will have a network of repair shops they deal with across the country. You might need to change a light bulb every now and then or tighten a bolt, but thats about it.

Secondly, you will need to wait until you are 21 years old. Some companies won't hire anyone under 23 years old because of insurance restrictions.

Personally, I started by going to a driving school. The school I attended (U.S. Truck Driving School) worked with the big trucking companies, and I was pre-hired before I even started school. As long as you don't have a terrible driving record and/or major criminal record, you will get hired. The trucking industry is hurting for new drivers, so use that to your advantage.

A good school will teach you everything you need to know, and I think 3-4 weeks is enough time to get the basics down. My school was 3 weeks long. The first week, we studied what we would need to know to pass the written test and get our driving permit. The second week was spent driving around the city and hitting the interstate. The third week, we practiced straight-line backing, parallel parking and docking.

The first company I worked for paid my student loan payments as long as I worked for them. My experience with them (and probably the same at all large companies) is that you are just a number. You can never count on being home when you want, the money is crap (even after the initial training period) and you will be treated like a human being only when they need a favor from you. Of course, there are better companies, but that was MY initial treatment when I first started. Unfortunately, I think that as a beginning professional driver, it is almost a prerequisite that you work at one of these companies, because they will hire a newbie, and you can get your 1 year experience. Once you have that initial experience (and a clean record), you can get hired almost anywhere.

Ultimately, the way to go is to get your own authority and work completely independent. I am not there yet. The way I work it, I pay 5% to a small trucking company to use their authority. This company handles my log book audits, drug tests, licensing and fuel taxes. I then broker my loads through a much larger trucking company. That company takes 15%, but for that 15%, I use their trailers, which they maintain. I get the advantage of their huge customer base, they find my loads, handle all the customer service and deal with collecting payments. All I need to do is pickup and deliver on time, handle my own truck maintenance and I have both an accountant and an attorney to help with business matters.

Check www.smarttrucker.com for some good information on how to do it right.

BTW, big companies will push their lease-purchase programs. Never, ever sign up for a lease-purchase program! These programs are set up to benefit the company, not you! It costs much less to run owner operators than a company driver because they don't have to pay for the truck, insurance, workers comp, etc. If you're going to be an owner operator, find a cheap used truck and go that way. My first truck cost me $19000 and I had it paid off in 19 months. Any questions, write [e-mail].

Answer 2

You do not need to be a mechanic to drive a truck. Driving a truck isn't terribly difficult, it's just driving a large vehicle. You need to learn how to drive one though as there are many differences between trucks and cars. Most State today require a commercial drivers license (CDL). There are different classes of CDLs that allow different types of vehicles to be driven. A basic CDL usually is just for regular vehicles, cabs or limos. Then there are different levels. The top one being for a tractor trailer. There are also different endorsements for hazardous materials (HAZMAT), and passenger buses. The State and vehicle you want to drive would determine what type of license or endorsements you need. Some facilities will train you to get your license. I got trained to drive a school bus by a school district. They took me out driving and took me to a rode test as well. Many smaller trucks do not require a CDL. There are schools that will train you and take you to your drivers test as well. They're not cheap (what is these days?) but many can get you inexpensive financial aid (student loans).

Over the road tractor trailer driving can pay pretty well but is hard work. Be prepared to spending days or weeks on the road, sometimes only getting to sleep in you vehicle.

I would get online and look for some jobs in your area. www.indeed.com is a fantastic website for job searching. It searchs all the other online job listings in your area. If you're short of funds now, try to find a good company that might be willing to train you.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Boink. The first ting to do is check your local driving schools. They can be costly, but is your best way to go about getting your licence. Do you know anyone who drives one? Maybe they can help you with the mechanical end. You need to know alot of little things, how to make small repairs, etc. But for the most part , this is a trade you will learn over time. So check out you schools, they will help with all you need to know to get started. And remember it is not as easy as it appears. Good luck to you.