Driving a Truck is Hard Work

Being a professional truck driver can be hard work.  You may have to travel long distances, fight through inclement weather, and be on the road for weeks at a time. However, this hard work is extremely rewarding, and the freedom provided by the job is perfect for the millions who pursue the career every year. Driving a truck isn’t for everyone, but many people are seizing the opportunity to work on their own schedule and explore the country. Truck drivers are often unique, motivated individuals, and there are many benefits that come with pursuing the profession. Here are some of the truck driver benefits when they get in the industry.

Freedom

As already mentioned, driving a truck allows you a certain amount of freedom that many other careers cannot provide. Your tractor is your office, and you take it with you everywhere that you go. You don’t have to sit down at a desk every day staring at a computer screen for 10 hours straight. Instead, you get to face the open road and drive across the country at your own accord. Sure, you have deadlines to meet and shipments to deliver, but you get to decide how you are going to succeed and what loads work the best for you.

Driver cooking during his break

Once a truck driver gets behind the wheel, they are in charge of their day. They may  communicate with dispatchers, shippers, and manufacturers throughout the day, but they are ultimately responsible for the route that they take. It can be a liberating feeling to fire up that engine and embark on a cross-country journey. You can choose the music you want to listen to, the food you want to eat, and the route that you want to take.

As with any job, truck drivers have expectations that they have to meet. They must do their best to deliver on time and drive safely, keeping the freight intact and looking out for those with whom they share the road. This, however, isn’t a problem for most drivers. They enjoy the challenge of meeting these deadlines, and the better they are at it, the more they will get paid. In this respect, drivers are free to decide their own fate and choose how and when they want to work. Successful truck drivers use this freedom to make profitable decisions while maintaining a steady flow of work.

Individuality

Driving a truck allows someone to express themselves in ways that many other jobs do not. Owner-operators can pick their tractors and customize their “office” to their liking. Whether this is done through personalized graphics or paint jobs is completely up to the owner of the truck. As they travel across the country, they can make the decisions to change the truck as little or as often as they see fit.

Driving a truck allows a person to operate individually without needing to conform to certain standards. Yes, drivers must comply with the laws of the road and the HOS regulations of the industry, (you can read about Personal Conveyance or 14 hour rule extension) but they aren’t necessarily required to dress or act in a certain way as part of their job. They are allowed to maintain their identity and work as individuals with their own personality and ideas. Truck drivers provide a vital service for the economy, but they are able to do so by being themselves rather than latching onto some sort of corporate character.

Endless Opportunities

Truck driving is a lucrative and smart career choice because it will always be a needed service. No matter what advances are made in technology, there will always be a need for products to be delivered. Even when the economy slows down, people need to eat. As long as this remains constant, there will always be jobs for truck drivers. Manufacturers will always be producing, and they will need trucks to deliver their goods.

This ties in with individuality as well, as drivers can choose the opportunities they want to pursue.  If somebody doesn’t want to venture too far from home, they can take on local delivery jobs. On the other hand, if they want to take shipments that send them from one end of the country to the other, there will always be plenty of loads available. As long as Americans keep producing goods, there are going to be opportunities for truckers.

Entrepreneurial Spirit

People may not regularly think of truck drivers as savvy businessmen, but the most productive drivers are making sound business decisions on a daily basis. They need to have an understanding of the current economy and the rates that they will receive on certain lanes and by offering specialty services. In this way, every individual truck driver is an entrepreneur. There is a lot at stake when taking on a shipment, and the driver must manage his or her risk and evaluate what loads are worth taking and which should be left to someone else.

Truck drivers can use their business skills to be highly successful, and they get to do so while living the life that they please. Driving can be a humbling experience, but it can also be extremely educational, with drivers learning how to market themselves on the job. They are involved in every step of the decision, and anybody with an entrepreneurial spirit can succeed in the industry.

Constant Travel

Driving a truck provides an excellent opportunity to travel across the country and enjoy a constant change of scenery. For those free spirits who just can’t be satisfied by sitting around in one place, trucking is the perfect job. Whether they want to see every major city or simply enjoy cruising the open road through the vast geographical expanses of America, drivers can truly travel to their heart’s desire. On top of this, they are getting paid to be a tourist on their own time! In a world where many people are stuck inside on their computers, truck drivers can experience the picturesque landscapes that millions of people only ever dream of seeing!