By Brad - Friday 22 May 9:58 am
Success isn’t just about getting the right training and certification to build a successful career. Success is about ‘getting in’ to the right company.
For truck driving jobs, the best company to work for is one that will meet your needs (how long you are on the road, income and benefits packages, etc.). Your choices may be limited to the training you have received, as the ability to drive a dump truck does not qualify you to haul automobiles.
So you should choose a company based on the truck driving jobs that you are especially qualified for.
UPS is a great company to be hired into when you prefer a short haul truck driving job. As a highly reputable company, UPS offers one of the best benefits packages for both seasonal and permanent positions. This is also a great way to start off a career as a truck driver.
Mclane Company, Inc. is a leading international distribution center, delivering supplies to many well known business chains. Whether you are looking for a local truck driving job or one that gives you the opportunity to take off and travel for weeks at a time, Mclane is the place to go!
A-AAA Auto Transport LLC specializes solely in the hauling of automobiles, so if this is your field as a trucker it is a great company to apply and work for. Alternatives for auto hauling jobs of a more local nature would involve checking with local car dealerships for information on their transportation services, and if they are recruiting for new drivers.
Vocational truck driving is best done for your local city or state, as a garbage truck or dump truck driver for example. While there are many companies that could use a vocational truck driver, the best income you’ll make with this particular truck driving job is as a state or city worker.
The United States Military Services are always in need of vocational truck drivers. Working for the military will provide you with competitive benefits that pale in comparison to the personal accomplishments you’ll achieve for serving your country.
The choice of company (or job source) often varies depending on the particular truck driving job that you seek. To open up your employment choices in the field of driving a truck, improve your skills by receiving training in all fields of trucking.
Posted in: Truck Jobs
By Brad - Tuesday 8 Jul 9:32 am
Being a truck driver involves riding in a truck for long periods of time. Whether you have a local truck driving job or an over the road truck driving job, you spend a lot of time in your truck and this can be quite boring at times.
Fortunately, there are great electronic gadgets that offer entertainment for when you are on the road in your truck driving job.
Portable DVD players are becoming more and more affordable, and although these are not a good idea for when you are driving, your driving team partner will appreciate the opportunity to kick back and relax while watching a movie during their off shift.
CB radios are a timeless trucker gadget, and a must have for anyone with a truck driving job that keeps you on the road for hours on end. A CB radio allows a truck driver to stay up to date with current traffic and weather conditions, as well as connect with other CB radio users to ‘chat’.
Satellite radio is the new and modern must have for anyone with a truck driving job! Avoid commercials, and listen only to the music that you want to listen to. Sirius, the original satellite radio source, is still the best satellite radio to use.
Radar detectors are a helpful way to protect yourself from certain hassles associated with a truck driving job. Drive safely, and be prepared with a radar detector. Check out Radar Busters, one of the leading manufacturers of high quality, trust worthy radar detectors starting at just over $100.
Of all the cool electronics that are a must have for truck drivers, nothing can beat a laptop computer. Owning a laptop computer allows you to store and bring all of your favorite music to listen to.
Other benefits of bringing a laptop on the road come with the advantage of the increasing wi-fi hot spots popping up all over the place. Connecting to the internet from anywhere provides a variety of entertainment.
More importantly, the internet allows a truck driver to stay connected with family and friends when you are on the road for a long period of time.
The best part is that using your laptop computer to record your logs in allows you to use the computer as a tax write off for your truck driving job!
Posted in: Truck Jobs
By Brad - Friday 4 Jul 10:51 am
Choosing trucking for a career is already a step towards maximizing your earning potential, and once you make that decision there are only 5 simple steps to insure that you will be well compensated for your hard work.
1.) Be prepared before applying for your first job as a truck driver.
Don’t receive your training from a company that provides training for new recruits. Instead, invest the time and money by attending a reputable training school to receive your special licenses and certification before searching for a job. This way, when you initially apply for a truck driving job, you will automatically receive a fatter paycheck if you have already completed training (as opposed to the ‘company sponsored training’).
2.) Complete as many training programs as possible.
The more certifications and licenses you acquire, the more work opportunities you will be qualified for. Having a choice of truck driving jobs gives you a choice of higher income potential.
3.) Seek out reputable trucking companies.
A truck driving job for a well known company, such as UPS or Mclane, will always pay more than a smaller company. The bigger the company name, the bigger your paycheck. Also, never settle into a company when there is a better paying opportunity out there. With any job, you should always be on the look out for a chance to “move up”.
4.) Invest in your own truck.
Despite the regular maintenance that comes with owning your own truck, being an owner operator gives you more freedom as a truck driver. You can ‘lease out your truck’, or you can use it yourself and work several truck driving jobs.
5.) Be flexible.
‘Local’ truck driving jobs are great because they allow you to return home nightly and still make a truckers income. But if you want the maximum income for a trucker, it’s the long haul jobs that pay the best. Although you’ll be gone for weeks at a time, you will be well compensated for your time.
Interstate truck driving jobs often involve a ‘team’, or two people that alternate shifts operating the same truck. It is not uncommon for a husband and wife to partner up for a long haul drive, and the longer you are gone on the road the less money you will spend. The longer that your route is, the bigger your income will be.
Posted in: Truck Jobs
By Brad - Thursday 3 Jul 10:15 am
Though the image of being a trucker may not hold the same appeal as the image of being a lawyer or political figure (or, maybe they do…) but why would anybody want to be a truck driver?
For one, truck driving involves a lot more than just driving a truck. There are many choices, from the type of truck to drive to the cargo you haul. All of these choices lead to different types of trucking jobs. Of course, the best part of this is that any job as a truck driver pays well.
If you want a job that will support you and your family, you want a job that requires training and experience, like truck driving. There are many ups and downs to being a truck driver, many of which may surprise you!
Many married couples get into the career of truck driving together, as long haul trips will keep you from home for weeks at a time but working as a team (alternating driving and resting shifts) allows a couple to work together and not be apart, as well as enjoy the time on the road together.
Long haul trips are a great thing for anyone who enjoys the open road, some good music, and the experience of traveling to unknown territories. A truck driving job can offer you exciting opportunities you would not find with a regular 9 to 5 office job, or a 2nd shift factory job.
Since truck driving is a career that requires training, proper licensing and certification it is also a career that pays far better than any job which requires no prior experience. Furthermore, acquiring the proper licensing and certification that it takes to be a truck driver does not take a long time.
If you have a 5 year plan that involves getting into a successful career, choosing a truck driving job as your career path can put you on the right road within a year.
The options of being a truck driver are not limited to simply acquiring a license and driving a truck. There are different types of jobs that involve driving a truck, including local jobs that allow you to come home every night. Or, you can invest in your own truck and choose the “owner operator” path, which allows you to be your own boss, make your own decisions, and grow as an individual self employed business.
Qualifying yourself for a truck driving job means you will have a freedom that no other job can provide.
Posted in: Truck Jobs
By Brad - Wednesday 11 Jun 10:03 am
Although the trucking career is ‘easier to get in to’ than (for example) a medical career because there is much less training involved… there is still a lot of preparation that goes in to getting a truck driving job.
If you want a job you can just walk into with no prior skills or education, try a fast food restaurant. If you are willing to devote some time and effort in to a career that will actually support you and your family, and you have chosen the career path of being a truck driver… you need your CDL license.
Just as you did when you were a teenager and first learned to drive a car, you need to obtain a permit before you can obtain your license. Once again, you need to take a written test, only this time the questions will focus on General Knowledge, Combination Vehicles, and Air Brakes.
In order to complete this written test with confidence, you want to know the answers. This is (one of the ways) where a training school is essential. The classroom hours you invest will prepare you to achieve your CDL permit.
If you are smart, you will take additional, optional endorsement tests that will be listed on your permit as extra abilities you will have as a truck driver. These tests include Tankers, Double and Triple Trailers, and Hazardous Materials (or “HazMat”).
Once again, having a permit only enables you to drive a truck with a passenger that has a CDL license. Obtaining your permit is the 2nd step (after classroom training), now you can learn to drive a truck.
When you are confident and comfortable behind the wheel, you can finally obtain your CDL license by taking the driving skills test. Congratulations, you are now ready to find a truck driving job!
There is much emphasis here on how important the training you receive will be. There are 3 choices of training to be a truck driver. Public training is often a government funded option that provides a variety of vocational training (does not focus solely on truck driving). Private training is your best option, because you will receive individual and extensive training that focuses solely on truck driving. Finally, there is the option to receive your training from a motor carrier.
As mentioned before, unless you want a fast food job you should focus on complete training first, and then finding a truck driving job. If you apply for a truck driving job with a motor carrier that provides you with the minimal of training, just enough to get you licensed and stick you on the road… you will be making a huge mistake.
For a better paying truck driving job, even for your first job as a truck driver… you will benefit greatly from receiving the complete training available only at a private truck driving training school. Then, all you have to do is share your resume with as many companies as you like, and choose your first job!
Posted in: Truck Jobs
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