I'm considering truck driving as a change in careers but as a beginner, do you need to do the long hauls or will local companies hire you? And for long hauls, how long are you away from home, how many hours can you drive in a day, can you take breaks as you need to, how long are you at home before your next trip, etc? Anyone who can give me some details on a trucking career is an angel and the information would be so appreciated. Except for a few speeding tickets which I got deferred, I have a clean driving record.
2007-12-23 15:18:11 · 4 answers · asked by Anna 2 in Business & Finance ➔ Careers & Employment ➔ Other - Careers & Employment
Long hauls (over the road) vary from company to company. Generally, the good companies have you out on the road for a week or two at a time, and then home for a day or two.
Driving regulations allow you to work 14 hours a day, but only 11 of those hours can be behind the wheel. Also, you're not allowed to work more than 70 hours a week.
You can learn a lot about trucking regulations at http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/
As a beginner, you can choose what kinds of trucking companies to apply to. Short haul (local) companies need drivers just as badly as over the road (OTR) companies do.
The deferred speeding tickets are an issue: your driving record for the past five years (and for some companies, the last 10 years) is a determining hiring factor for a lot of companies.
2007-12-23 15:25:00 · answer #1 · answered by Stuart 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What are you doing now as a career? As far as driving I have been at it for 37 yrs. I started out as a local end dumper, went OTR for 8 yrs., then went back local again. My advice to you is try to find a local company to start out with. Reason you get more experiance manuvering the unit around city streets. Going OTR as a first choice is ok, but you are sometimes away from home at least 1 1/2 to 2 weeks at a time depending on some companies. You are allowed to drive 11 hours a day. Also when you are OTR sometimes you have to sit somewhere for 34 hours to get a restart on your time. That means you are sitting in the truck at a truck stop when you can be at home! As far as breaks some dispatchers get you a load to pick up tomorrow that has to be delivered yesterday. You really got to hustle out there, no site seeing trips. So my advice is try to find a local company to start out with to see if you made the right choice then go OTR if you want.
2007-12-25 09:28:03 · answer #2 · answered by Lone E 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends on where in the world you are. Driving regulations, demand for and work expected differ from country to country, state to state and city to town.
You need to find out the local requirements for a truck licence. You can also approach trucking firms. An alternative is to speak to their customers; what is the local industry that needs goods shipped, you could speak to them about the trucking firms they use. Some drivers regularly do long haul, others may just drive locally.
2007-12-23 15:59:11 · answer #3 · answered by :-) jos 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Go to http://www.richtruckdriver.com
2007-12-27 07:09:18 · answer #4 · answered by troy d 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋