So you say you are happy in your current job, and that you don’t need a new career in the trucking industry? You say it seems like it would be a good career for you, it matches your personality and interests, and that you know other people who are happy in the trucking industry, but you just can’t commit to making the leap.
Maybe you’ve been in your current job for a few years, and you know you’re painted into a corner, where you aren’t going to be getting a promotion any time soon, but you don’t feel like you can break away and jump into a career in trucking. If that is the case, maybe you should weigh your options a little more carefully, because the trucking industry has a place for people with the interest, knowledge and work ethic to get started in the trucking field.
Did you know that the trucking industry is growing? It continues to grow each year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts long-haul trucking will grow 11 percent between 2012 and 2022? That’s an additional 192,000-plus new employees needed to support trucking.
And the trucking industry has a special role in boosting the economy. Goods must be transported to facilities all over the country, and trucking hubs get many of those goods to their destinations. If not for trucking, many of the goods traded freely today would not be able to enjoy the successful business they do, because people wouldn’t have easy access without the trucking industry.
But let’s get back to you and your trucking career that isn’t. You think you could thrive in this industry, where you have knowledge and a thirst to understand more about trucking. Maybe you have aspirations of spending a few years actively trucking, moving down the open road, seeing the countryside, then moving into a management role and helping others develop their trucking skills. Maybe you want to get into trucking for a few years, then transition into a role driving a bus, or get into construction, or some other good use of your CDL.
Either way, trucking is a solid, respectable industry to seek a career in. There are opportunities, many jobs, with a lot of new ones developing, a strong labor union to look out for your interests, and opportunities for advancement.
To start, find a good trucking school at which to study and train. Learn the trucking regulations inside and out, as well as traffic laws for commercial vehicles and the minimum requirements for obtaining a CDL. It’s up to you how ambitious you want to get in the trucking industry. You certainly should look into getting a couple of endorsements. Endorsements indicate you possess a specialty skill in the trucking industry. These skills make you more valuable to a trucking company looking for people to complete the very tasks your endorsements allow you to complete.
Once you have completed your CDL training, you are ready to pursue your CDL license, and then can enter the trucking field. You must pass the CDL exam, which is a comprehensive test of your knowledge of the trucking field—or at least the commercial driving part of the industry. The CDL exam is administered in two parts: driving and written. The driving portion covers driving a vehicle similar to the one you will drive when employed by the trucking industry, and the written portion covers trucking regulations and rules.
Once you have passed the exam and have your CDL, you will be ready to pursue your career in trucking. With the proper skills and knowledge you should be able to find placement in a trucking company, and begin you career. Upon finding employment, you will be welcomed into the trucking industry and be ready to begin transporting goods in accordance with the trucking company’s regulations and contracts.
So you’ve done it. Well, you haven’t gotten a job in the trucking industry, but that’s how easy it is. Beware, though: trucking training is serious business. Give it all the attention you can, and make sure you master the skills you need before attempting the CDL exam. Your career in trucking depends on you building strong skills. So why not do it?