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CDL Training Center of Ogden :: The Industry Info
Benefits of Truck Driving A job in the trucking driving world is a good cure for the office woes. With a national shortage of qualified truck drivers in the U.S., it's also one of the best times to join the industry because you can expect to make more, particularly if you build a safe driving record. With a month of training and a CDL license, you can begin to reap the benefits of being a truck driver. Above Average Pay After a few weeks of training for your CDL, you can expect to start out making at least $30,000. With each year of driving experience, you can expect your earning wage to go up. Experienced drivers can expect to earn about $40,000 to over $100,000 per year. Many truckers make more than those with a college education, and have higher salaries than the state's average salary in the private sector. Besides the pay increases, you can also earn bonuses and rewards for driving safely or for early deliver times. Not a 9 to 5 Work day Although the hours may be long, the change from the traditional office hours may be beneficial for many people that enjoy more flexibility. No trip is ever the same, and truckers have the added advantage of not having a boss breathing down their necks, and also avoiding annoying co-workers. With traffic jams and variable weather conditions, truckers have the option to choose their schedule for breaks and naps. Not only are the hours more flexible, but some companies let you take people along during the trip. Trucking companies often let pets or children come along, a condition not normally found in traditional work environments. Travel and Work Combine for the Best Career A trucking job gives you an open cabin and a long drive through America's homeland. Although you must meet deadlines for a trucking job similar to any other job, you have a more flexible schedule as a truck driver. You can often plan your own breaks for food and sleep. A trucking job also gives you a sizeable paycheck, no college degree required. lf you are 21 or older, with a clean driving and citizen record, you can receive CDL training and start driving. Truck Driver Jobs and Freedom It wasn't until I had been driving a truck for a few months that I realized all the freedom that I had been missing out on at my old job. Freedom is probably more important in life than having money is. Although money can usually buy you freedom and I suppose you could make the "what came first, the chicken or the egg" argument here. With my trucking job I realized I had no boss looking over my shoulder like at my old job. I didn't have to smile if I didn't want to and I could use the bathroom without having to let someone know where I was going. It wasn't any one thing but an accumulation of little freedoms added up that I started to notice. My truck driver job allowed me to work at my own pace and take naps when I wanted to taking one. I can't imagine the look on my old employers face if I would have decided to take a nap at work! I could eat, smoke, listen to music and talk on my cell phone all day with my truck driver job. Each of these things would get you a day off or fired at my old job. The best of all the freedom I had was the ability to make twice as much money as at my old job. Most trucking jobs don't care what you wear to work or if you have facial hair or not. I don't even have a set start time with my trucking job so I just go to work when I feel like it (Within reason). Now that's freedom. You can even ask the low paid truck drivers who don't make a lot of money if they would go back to working a regular job. You won't find many that would ever punch a time clock again. They say "Once you feed a dog wet food you can never go back to dry food." The same is true with the freedom that truck driver jobs have to offer. Once you experience it you won't go back. |
