Are you at that point in your life where you’re considering a career path and truck driving has come to mind? Maybe your mind is half made up, but you’re asking yourself why should I become a truck driver?
Driving a truck is a fun, satisfying and rewarding job. A truck driver earns a comfortable salary, does not require a college degree and allows you to contribute to the overall advancement of society. Truck drivers give communities access to clean water, food, medications and clothing that are essential to survive. It's no wonder truck driving is one of the most noble professions and part of the American culture.
We have created a list of 10 strong reasons to become a truck driver for you in this article.
1. A 6-figure salary
We’ll get ahead of ourselves for a moment here and tell you that you don’t need a college degree to be a truck driver. But for a job that requires no college degree, the potential salary range for truck drivers is very generous. You can earn from as much as $50,000 (as an entry-level driver) to $150,000. There aren’t many other jobs that require no college degrees that offer you this much earning potential.
Of the many factors that determine how much you can earn driving trucks, the following are the most common:
Your route
If the route requires your service as a long-haul driver, you earn more. But if you only make local trips, and return home at the end of the day, your salary range may be lower.
Your training school
Most trucking companies like to hire from reputable training schools. The trucking companies are certain that these schools teach drivers everything they need to become competent.
Your load
Transporting hazardous materials requires more experience and skill, so it attracts higher pay. However, entry-level truck drivers rarely get such loads.
Experience
Just as it is everywhere else, as you get better on the job and gain more experience, you become more attractive to companies that can pay you more money.
2. Exciting Benefits
Many companies have exciting benefits for their truck drivers. Some of the truck driver employee benefits include life, medical, and dental insurance, 401K, and retirement plans. Some truck driver employers even add paid vacations and holidays to their truck driver benefits.
Other benefits you could potentially claim as a truck driver include AFLAC, company swag, break-down pay, and layovers. But truck driver employers rarely offer all these benefits, so be sure to do your research before getting into business with them.
3. Job Security
You don’t want to be on a job for a few months only to get laid off for no fault of yours, or your company tells you they’re downsizing. This case is extremely rare in the truck driving industry. In fact, the opposite is happening in the industry because there’s a shortage of truck drivers.
In 2015, the American Trucking Associations claim that the trucking industry is short of 48,00 drivers. By 2024, if there still isn’t enough “supply” of truck drivers, the shortage skyrockets to 175,000 truck drivers.
The truck driver shortage is because most truck drivers retire faster than companies are recruiting new drivers. Another reason is the meticulous recruiting process of carriers that only a handful of road-ready truck drivers survive.
What this means is that the competition in the truck driving industry is very flexible. And if you’re very good at what you do, you can earn even more income than the average truck driver.
Finally, the beautiful thing about truck driving is that it is not going anywhere in the nearest foreseeable future. You might be thinking, “Oh! what about self-driving cars?” Well, self-driving cars can be on the periphery of the most likely technologies to emerge into the consumer market. But self-driving trucks are a whole new ball game. Truck driving is a very sensitive job that requires human intelligence and judgment.
4. Training is Quick, Easy, and Inexpensive
All truck drivers need a Commercial Driver’s License. As soon as you have this license, you’re very close to enjoying all the benefits truck driving exposes you to. But how long do you imagine it takes to get a Commercial Driver’s License? You’re very far off if your answer is a year. You can secure a CDL in as little as one to two months! And no, it is not expensive. It only costs a few thousand bucks.
The best part is that securing a CDL is very simple. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, securing a CDL only involves passing two tests: a skills test and a knowledge test.
And if you want to expand your options and make yourself even more valuable, you can get additional certifications that allow you to drive trucks with a tank and double/triple trailers. You also need a certification to drive a truck transporting hazardous materials. Hazmat truck drivers are very few. Being one places you on top of the truck driver food chain.
5. You don’t need a college degree
Many other professional jobs require that you go to school for X years. By the time you’re done with that, you’re already neck-deep in student debt. Education Data claims that the mean debt per graduate in 2021 was over $37,000. But why put yourself under such a heavy loan burden when you don’t even need it?
You don't need a college degree for a truck driver job. Even a high school diploma is not needed. You only need enough brain to secure your CDL. And if you want, you can also get some extra certifications like those we mentioned in the previous point.
6. Who’s the boss? You!
Not all truck drivers are employed by a company. Many of them are owner-operators who own their trucks. For these truck drivers, they get to decide how they run their business.
As an owner-operator, you work when you want to work, choose where you wish to go, decide what loads you want to run, and do many other things that company employed truck drivers could only dream of doing.
Employed truck drivers are not at a complete disadvantage, however, as they don’t get to make repairs or maintenance to trucks from their pockets. They also don’t have to bother about insurance as much as owner-operators do. But the freedom of the owner-operator allows them to earn more than company-employed truck drivers.
7. Truck Driving Options
All the truck drivers you see on the road aren’t all doing the same job. They have different job categories. The various truck driving options are:
Local Drivers
Local truck drivers only make runs within their states or region. They return home to sleep at night. So, if you have a family and need to spend time with them while still working, local truck driving may be for you.
Short Haul Drivers
Short-haul drivers take on longer trips than local drivers, but they mostly return home to sleep. And if there’s any trip that takes them away from home, it mostly lasts for a night on two. And trips such trips are infrequent.
Long Haul Drivers
Long haul driving is for you if you enjoy being on the road so much you don’t mind spending days on it. The trips of long-haul drivers are often very long, sometimes spanning across states and regions. And because they don’t get to spend much time at home, the pay for long-haul drivers is often higher than many other categories.
In addition, you could also decide to pair with someone to make a team of drivers. You can travel even farther with team driving, as you and your partner can take turns to drive. This could bring home as much as $150,000 per year for you and your partner.
Company Drivers
Company drivers have their contractual allegiances to a particular company. They drive for the company, take routes specified by the company, and wear company clothes. The advantage is that you can claim every benefit an employee can claim, including tax deductions. But the pay largely depends on your employer.
Owner Operators
This is for truck drivers who want to be their own boss. You own your truck and want to choose what load to transport and where you want to go. You can earn as much as $100,000 per annum being an owner-operator. But you alone get to shoulder the responsibilities of truck and cargo insurance, and truck maintenance and repairs.
Truck Driver Trainers
Finally, you can be a truck driver trainer and get paid to show novice truck drivers the ropes. But this option only opens up to you after you’ve gained a lot of experience on the job. Truck driver trainers can earn from $60,000 to as much as $80,000 per year.
8. Travel the country and get paid for it
If you’re a travel freak. If you don’t see yourself sitting behind a desk hammering your frustrations out on the computer keyboard. If you love seeing new places. Then you were made for truck driving.
Truck driving takes you to places you’ve never been before. You get to see the beautiful places other people could only dream of. You witness the beautiful sunrise and sunset on the horizon.
9. Non-monotonous (mostly)
As a truck driver, you get to face new challenges with every different load you carry. You see new things and places for every new route you pass. You get to meet new people from every new place you visit.
Although you can sometimes get bored on the road, there are many ways to keep yourself lively. You and your spouse could form a team of drivers and keep each other’s company. Or you could listen to your favorite songs or audiobook to keep your mind awake.
10. The truck driver community
One of the most underrated benefits of being a truck driver is the tight-knit community of support and understanding. Truck driving is a profession that dictates one’s lifestyle. And so, only truck drivers like you can honestly understand what it’s like. This has strengthened the bond among truck drivers, improving the sense of community among them. If you choose to take on truck driving as a career, this community awaits you.
Conclusion
Now, if you’re anything like me, the skeptical voice at the back of your mind is already saying, “Nice benefits. Job security. Generous salary. No college degree. Nah! There’s gotta be a catch.” And you’re not entirely wrong. There are some disadvantages to truck driving. We’ll cover those in another article.
But for now, imagine yourself enjoying those truck driver benefits. A truck driver’s life is a good one.
