Is Being a Truck Driver a Good Career?

What is Truck Driving?

Truck drivers are professional drivers who transport cargo or passengers with a truck. They may be employed by large trucking companies, or they may be owner-operators with their own businesses. There are also public and private truck driving schools that prepare students for careers as professional truck drivers.

Job Description of HGV Driver

As a HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) driver you will transport goods, machinery and materials such as steel, oil or gas. You may also drive HGVs with specialist functions such as fire engines or mobile cranes.

You could work in many different industries and your job could vary from carrying general building materials to transporting hazardous materials. You could work for a large national or international haulage company or for a smaller local firm.

As a HGV driver you will need to:

• Load and unload cargo
• Check paperwork to make sure that the load is legal and secure
• Keep fuel and mileage records
• Check the condition of your vehicle before setting off on journeys
• Carry out basic maintenance tasks, such as refueling, checking oil levels and tyre pressures
• Follow rules on drivers’ hours, rest breaks and tachograph usage
• Stick to traffic regulations, such as speed limits and stopping distances
• Pass the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC), which involves theory and practical tests.

Education and Training Requirements

A commercial driver’s license (CDL) is required to operate tractor-trailers, buses, and trucks that weigh more than 26,000 pounds (11,794 kg). You must also have a CDL to drive trucks and buses carrying hazardous materials or any vehicle designed to carry more than 16 people including the driver.

 To obtain a CDL you must pass written and road tests given by your State Department of Motor Vehicles.

• The written test verifies your knowledge of how to operate a motor vehicle safely.
• The road test gauges your ability to safely control a vehicle on the road in various traffic situations.

Types of HGV Drivers

In Great Britain, HGV drivers need to pass theory and practical driving test. The theory test is the same for car drivers and lorry drivers.

Once you have passed the HGV 1 license, you are entitled to drive any weight of truck up to 35000 kg (35 tonnes). Once you have passed your HGV 2 license you are allowed to drive any weight of truck up to 44000 kg (44 tonnes).

Benefits

Being a truck driver offers flexible schedules, career diversity, opportunities to travel and many other career benefits. Truck driving is a job. As with any job, it has its benefits and its drawbacks.

1. The biggest benefit is the money. In addition to the pay that your company gives you to cover your expenses, you also get paid for each mile that you drive. So if you are good at what you do, the sky is the limit on how much you can make.
2. The second biggest benefit of truck driving is that there are always jobs available. People need their food and products delivered, so there will always be jobs in this field.
3. You get to see so many new places every day. Traveling all over the country or even beyond can be very rewarding and fun if you enjoy being on the road and seeing new places.
4. You meet a lot of people on a daily basis that you wouldn’t normally meet in life. There are so many people involved in getting products to stores and homes, like warehouse workers, dock workers, loaders/unloaders, drivers and managers that you’ll have interactions with on a regular basis. You will have time to get to know them as well as yourself while working together over time.

Salary Information

This will depend on your experience and employer:

• Most newly qualified drivers earn between £18,000 and £20,000 per year.
• Experienced drivers can often earn well over £25,000 per year plus overtime payments.
• Because of shortage of truck drivers has led to a rise in salaries for workers, between £30,000 to £40,000 per year.
• Some employers also offer special payments for working weekends or public holidays.

Career Opportunities

The role of a truck driver is expanding, with more advances in technology allowing freight to be moved in larger quantities, quicker and more efficiently than ever before.

This means there are now more opportunities for those who want to make a career out of driving trucks – and you don’t necessarily need previous experience or qualifications to get started.

HGV driving is not a career for everyone, but it could be perfect for you if you enjoy driving and being on your own. The hours can be long and demanding, but there are real rewards for those who take on this challenge.

In today’s world, there are many companies which use HGV trucks for transportation purposes and so require professional drivers who can handle large vehicles and deliver them safely from one place to another.

There are currently around 32,000 vacancies for drivers across the UK. This means that there has never been a better time to train to become a professional HGV driver and begin your new career as a fully qualified Class 2 driver.

Best Time to Consider Trucking as a Career

Truck drivers are in demand in the UK for many reasons. The first and most obvious is the role they play in the supply chain which keeps industry, commerce and the public sector running smoothly. In this sense, truck drivers are unsung heroes who perform an important function within the British economy and their work can be very rewarding.

The job market for Truck drivers is strong now, with a number of large companies recruiting drivers

This is usually the best time to consider a change in career, as there are more truck driver jobs available and you will be able to get them before others do.

Truck driving is one of the most common jobs in Britain, with more than 400,000 people employed as lorry drivers. This popularity is due to a number of factors:

1. The UK freight industry is currently facing a serious shortage of qualified HGV Class 2 drivers. This is because an increased number of drivers are leaving the industry due to retirement or the search for less demanding driving jobs. The average age of an HGV driver in the UK is now 47.
2. Another reason why Truck Drivers have become so popular is because of the amount of money that they make each year. They earn more than most people who do not have a degree or certification. They also make more money than many other jobs that require no training or skills whatsoever. This means that anyone can get into this job, whether they want to or not!
3. The demand for truck drivers has increased tremendously over the years due to the growth of online shopping and retail sector, which has also contributed to an increase in demand for vehicles and vans.
4. The increasing shortage of truck drivers has led to a rise in salaries for workers. In some places, truck drivers earn as much as £30,000 a year, which is about four times the national average salary for all occupations, according to figures from Office for National Statistics (ONS). The average salary for a semi-skilled worker is £21,000.

Recruitment Process:

The recruitment process usually involves several different steps which include:

• Cover letter and Resume – this is the first stage in the recruitment process. If you are not able to write an excellent cover letter or resume, your application may not be considered at all. Most companies have a lot of applicants for each position.
• Interviews – Interviews are conducted by the human resource department. They are looking for people who will be a good fit for their company and its culture. You can make yourself stand out from the rest of the applicants by answering questions and talking about your experiences in an effective manner.
• References – You must provide references that can vouch for your work ethic and character as well as your qualifications. A professional reference will be able to tell you how good of a candidate you are and what they expect from you as an employee.
• Background check – Employers conduct background checks before they make any hiring decisions. This includes checking into your past employment history, criminal history, and other areas that could indicate if you would be a good fit for the company or not.

Conclusion:

If you are smart, ambitious, hardworking and put in the effort it takes to succeed, then the sky is the limit in this industry. Whether you start in a cubicle or the door of a truck, there are many opportunities for those willing to work for them.

Many people have been turning to truck driving as a career. If a person is looking for a good job and likes the challenge of heavy trucks he should consider truck driving as a career. The benefits are great with many advantages like getting discounts on fuel and insurance, hospitalization and being able to stack jobs together. A person can go home at night and come back the next day without any hassles.