A career in life is one of those things that can put a great amount of pressure on ourselves. We might second-guess our choices; we might feel pressured to jump straight out of college into a degree, we might chase pay at the cost of happiness. These things mean a career change is likely something that will happen in your lifetime – especially so if you have rushed into a decision. You might want happiness; you might want more flexibility. You might even want to do something else with your life. If you’re looking for freedom, why not consider a career built on long stretches of open road in some of the most rewarding fields known to mankind. Being a truck driver might something you’re looking to do.
As valuable as your choice is, it’s not the be all and end all – becoming a truck driver takes serious work and skills. You can’t just choose to be it and find yourself in the cab on the open road. You’ll need to work your way into a role. Logistics firms need drivers that they can trust, so you’ll need to be someone that they can trust if you want to drive a truck for a career! And hey, this role isn’t for everyone. If you don’t like being behind the wheel, you need to consider a different path – especially if you don’t like driving long-haul (think cross country). Not only that, but this is a solitary role, you’ll be on your own, and you won’t often be in big cities. You’ll have to be totally 100% prepared to be spending time with yourself.
You have to ensure you’re a responsible driver as well – accidents do happen on the road, but driving a truck is relatively safe – you need to be more worried about the smaller cars and motorcycles around you. You need to be aware of the road and aware of the vast power you are controlling, and you need to pay extra diligence to your driving, because it won’t be you that gets hurt in an accident. As for other things, you’ll need to nail down the numbers of a truck accident attorney, roadside repairs and all sorts of other services as a life on the road can bring up some surprising situations. It is not for everyone, especially not for those who dislike driving.
Truck driving isn’t just about pushing the pedal to the floor and driving from A to B. It’s going to require an intricate knowledge of road law and networks, it’s going to require communication. It’s going to ask a lot of your abilities not just as a driver, but concentrating for hours and hours at a time without a break. Certainly, you can find trucking roles that see you return home at the end of each day, but you’ll find a lot of long-haul jobs that could last for months. You might be responsible for loading the truck on your own at some points as well – so understand your role and make sure you meet the requirements.
