A wise man once asked, “What do you want to do with your life?” If you answer that question with by saying “I want to get into trucking,” then you are one of a select number of people who may be right for a career driving a truck.
Have you ever asked “How do I get a CDL?” Do you feel like employment in the trucking industry can get you started out on a career that will take you places you want to go? You can find a career in many different industries, doing many different things, many of which are not trucking. Perhaps you feel as if one of those professions are a better fit for you than trucking. If this is the case, you are most likely correct, and you should pursue one of those opportunities.
However, if trucking is your passion, if you enjoy driving in a big rig and the idea of a week-long drive across the country hauling a load of goods is your idea of time well spent, well, then there are some jobs for you in the trucking industry you should explore.
If you want to pursue a career in trucking, you will of course need to obtain a commercial driver’s license. It’s not incredibly difficult to earn a CDL, but if you want to get one, you certainly will need to work for it in the trucking industry. And thus is trucking in a nutshell: a hardworking job for hardworking people.
Trucking companies are always looking for workers with a good driving record, a history of responsible vehicle operation, and an ability to deliver on time, safely, without other issues. They need graduates of CDL trucking programs that have the patience and ability to succeed in the trucking industry, to avoid accidents, to protect their load and not lose sight of their main job, even as they are dealing with aggressive drivers, construction delays and other road hazards.
Make sure you find a good trucking school at which to study; a good trucking school will help you develop the skills and impart the knowledge you need to pass the CDL Exam, but they also will help you prepare for the rigors of working in the trucking industry. Truck drivers face challenges just like any other professional, but they know that results are what matter. Results delivered in a safe way.
Trucking is a growing industry, one that is reliant on the continued supply and demand produced by the economy. When the economy is good the trucking industry thrives, and it struggles as the economy does. For you as an employee, your job is to possess as many marketable skills as possible, so that your trucking company will view you as indispensable.
How do you do this, finding success in trucking? By being a strong driver, a reliable presence who strives every day to complete his job in a high-quality way, for one. But also, by having tangible job skills. For trucking employees that often means CDL endorsements. In short, have as many as you can get. If you can drive a truck hauling hazardous materials, or can drive a tanker or can drive a double or triple trailer, you have authorization to perform important specialty tasks that not everyone possesses. That makes you marketable and valuable as an employee in the trucking industry.
Let’s be honest: trucking isn’t for everyone. Trucking companies often have trouble keeping employees, because of the nature of the trucking business. The hours are long, and the work is often hard. But for those who stick it out, trucking can be a rewarding profession full of excitement, fulfillment and respect, since you are working in a trucking industry that helps spur the American economy.
If trucking is your bag, why aren’t you going for it? Find a trucking school that will help you develop your skills and abilities today. You’re on the clock; the trucking industry is waiting. It needs you to ply your trade there, helping continue the great trucking traditions of years past, adapting them for the trucking industry’s bright future. If you want to be there, the trucking industry has a place for you. You just have to go find it.