Become a Truck Driver

Truck drivers are everywhere on interstates and highways throughout the U.S. They deliver items from canned food to automobiles. Companies of all types rely on trucks for delivering and picking up goods since no other kind of transportation can deliver items door-to-door. Although many goods travel at least some of their journey by train, airplane, or ship, almost everything is carried in trucks at some time.

What tasks do truck drivers perform?

Truck drivers usually pick up merchandise and deliver it to specific places. They carry many different items, from food to cars to everything else in between.

Also, they inspect the trucks to ensure that the lights, windshield wipers, and brakes are working and that safety equipment such as flares and a fire extinguisher are in working order and accessible. Before leaving the warehouse or terminal, truck drivers secure their cargo and adjust the mirrors so they can see both sides of the truck from the driver’s seat. They check the oil and fuel level in their vehicles. Drivers report to the dispatcher equipment that is missing, loaded improperly, or inoperable.

Main tasks of truckers are:

• Maintaining truck’s condition
• Reporting mechanical problems
• Inspecting vehicles
• Keeping merchandise records
• Logging miles and locations
• Reading maps

Truck drivers repair their vehicles in emergencies. They may have to put on tire chains, install fuses, or change tires. Truck drivers should maintain and use trucking equipment and tools commonly found on commercial vehicles, like devices for measuring and weighing.

Training & Education

A driver must possess a commercial driver’s license (CDL) to drive large trucks and a typical driver’s license in order to drive any other trucks. Many public and private vocational-technical schools offer training to obtain the CDL.