If you’re wondering if a trucking career is right for you, as you ponder getting into the profession. Or perhaps you’re in the middle of a truck driver training program, and having second thoughts about your new career choice.
To help ease and settle your mind, here’s a few thoughts and personal experiences of mine that may be of interest to you.
I’ve been in trucking now for nearly 40 years. One thing I can say for sure, I looked forward to driving almost every single day. That’s because the reason I got into this job in the first place…… I loved to drive.
I can honestly say that I didn’t look forward to the days when I had to drive in the eastern seaboard area or in the province of Quebec.
But other than those days, all of the rest of the driving was good. (Having said that, I’d suggest to get on board with a trucking company which runs the areas where you’d like to drive.)
In spite of the difficulties in the industry today, if you like to drive, a truck driving job can be a great job.
6 Great Things About a Truck Driving Career
- There is still a certain ‘freedom of the road’ when your day can go by uninterrupted by the negative aspects of everyday life.
- It really is a great way to see the country and get paid for it. You can look around, take in the scenery and see how peaceful and beautiful parts of our world can be. The deserts of Arizona, the mountains of Utah and the vast expanses of country in Wyoming, all hold their own kind of beauty, if a driver takes the time to appreciate it.
- There’s no boss leaning over your should all day. There’s only the occasional communication with your dispatcher. Other than that, your day is pretty much your own.
- If you’re a long haul driver, the endless miles are a great opportunity to hone your skills as a professional driver, operating in all types of weather and other challenging conditions. Most professional drivers take pride in their driving skills and in the trucks they drive and constantly strive to improve both.
- Driving skill and a clean truck speak to others as to your professionalism and earn you their respect. Respect is a nice thing to have. It helps bolster your own self worth and image.
- Something else that’s true of trucking for a living is that you can be employed yet still live virtually wherever you like. This aspect of the job especially appealed to me, as I live in a small town with a high unemployment rate. I didn’t have to relocate to the city for a job.
Picking the Right CDL School
Be sure to do your research to get your CDL training from the best school you can.
Find complete guides to training and working at
Everyone has their own personal reasons for choosing trucking as a career. For some, it’s strictly a means of supporting a family and paying the bills. For others it’s a job that’s rarely boring and often adventurous.
For me, it was the desire to master the machine… to become as skilled as possible behind the wheel and to drive a truck I could be proud of.
If I had to do it all over again, there’s a few things I’d do differently regarding how I approached my trucking career, but I’d still choose truck driving as a career.
