Whether you're a solo driver working short regional routes, or part of a driving team which can manage much longer hauls, truck driving jobs can give you everything you want out of life. Team drivers are always in high demand and many companies will take on team drivers much more readily than solo drivers. Drivers who own their own rigs are called owner/operators and are always in demand by trucking companies because it means that they don't have to supply them with a truck to drive. You can find lots of work driving trucks by searching through the classified ads under transportation or trucking jobs. Many of the truck driving training schools also have a long list of companies looking for qualified recent graduates which can mean that you'll have a job as soon as you graduate from your course. This can take a lot of worry out of searching for work after you've spent a lot of time and money getting your credentials. The internet is also a great place to look for trucking jobs, with many web sites specializing in nothing but regional and national trucking jobs. Word of mouth is also another great way to find work if you know of anyone who's working in the industry and likes what they do. Some of the best job opportunities are found by simply being in the right place at the right time.
Some transport companies specialize in managing the short regional trucking delivery routes. This means that when a business wants something trucked from one local area to another, local short-haul delivery drivers handle the work. The vehicle can be anything from a small delivery truck to a longer-bodied delivery truck of up to 26 feet. This sort of trucking job requires far less driving experience than long-haul trucking jobs and is an excellent way for new drivers to learn the ropes. From here it's an easy progression to step up to the longer routes and eventually going through extra training and learning enough to handle the big rigs on longer routes across the country. Once you have your commercial driver's license - or CDL - you can begin to learn about the different ways that you can have long-haul trucking driving jobs in this industry.
But maybe you've always wanted to work on construction sites. Well, driving a dump truck can give you the opportunity to work closely with other members of this trade. When you learn how to drive a dump truck you can also see about getting your own truck and hiring yourself out as a freelance driver on many different projects around your area. This means being able to keep a larger share of the fees you charge, though you will also be responsible for the cost of maintaining your truck yourself. Dump truck drivers regularly make as much as $19.00 an hour with time spent almost solely driving a truck back and forth with a load to dump. But maybe driving a tow truck is more to your liking. When people are in need of someone to tow their vehicle when it breaks down, the tow truck driver is someone they're always happy to see. Tow truck drivers working for someone else can expect to make anywhere from $12.00 to $16.00 an hour, though owner/operators of a tow truck can charge anywhere from $75.00 to $150.00 per tow, plus additional fees for extra mileage over a set rate.
One thing to be sure you pay attention to is the ratio of home time to work time with many of these truck driving positions. The better paying long-haul driving jobs generally have the least amount of home time due to the distances involved. The more regional and local trucking jobs provide more at-home time, but will also pay far less than the big money long-haul driving jobs.
High fuel costs are putting a dent into trucking company profits but there's still a tremendous need for qualified drivers. Search the Internet, transportation and shipping company websites for truck driving jobs -- there's no shortage of ads. Learn all about the industry and what types of jobs are available on JobMonkey. Lisa Jenkins is a freelance career writer for the website, and also includes details about the ongoing truck driver shortage in the U.S.
