There are a lot of great benefits of a career in truck driving, but there are also a few important things to consider first.
Have you ever thought about hitting the road and seeing the country, but wanted to get paid to do it? Maybe you’ve always enjoy long drives with the music up, or just like the idea of being your own boss. The world of commercial truck driving offers a lot of opportunities, but not without certain challenges you should consider.
Commercial Truck Driving Requires Special Licensing
Anyone interested in commercial truck driving is required to first go through training before taking a test to obtain their commercial driver’s license, or CDL. The course can cost up to $6000, but considering that CDL holders can start out making $35,000 a year and the cost of training is significantly less than that of a four-year public university, it’s not unreasonable. The training required to obtain your CDL can take anywhere from three to seven weeks, depending on the trucking school.
Drivers Need to Be Independant and Self-reliant
Drivers spend most of their time on the road by themselves. Some people may see this as a downside to the job, but others may see the opportunity to get away. If you can handle, or maybe even relish, the solitude then you’ve made a strong case for why you’d be a good candidate for truck driving. Prospective truck drivers need to have good time management skills as well. Meeting drop-off and pick-up times means scheduling your day accordingly, and sticking to it.
Owner Operator or Company Driver?
The biggest difference between owner operators and company drivers is the obvious one: Owner operators own their rigs and work on a contractual basis or bid on jobs. Company drivers use the company’s equipment and don’t have to worry about bidding on contracts, but are under the supervision of a company. To some, the freedom of being an owner operator is worth the difficulties of finding your own work. Others may prefer the security of working for a company and not being on the hook for equipment repairs.
Contact Evan Transportation to Get Your Truck Driving Career Started
Evan Transportation provides trucking services and transportation for clients in the Mid-Atlantic region. We pay our drivers and staff competitive salaries, offer attractive benefits and all of our drivers are home daily.
If you’re reliable, professional, and want to work with industry experts like Evan Transportation, give us a call at 443-673-3365, or contact us here.