Heavy truck drivers operate primarily on trucks having the capacity of a minimum of twenty six thousand pounds GVW (gross vehicle weight) and transport goods including livestock, cars, and others in packaged, loose, or liquid form. Most of the routes are from one city to another and cover long enough distances. There are also some heavy truck drivers who deliver goods to the same metropolis regularly; however others execute extemporized runs as shippers demand varying shipping services to different metropolis every day.
The transportation department of the United States requires that truck drivers need to keep a record of their actions, probabilities of accidents, and the conditions of the vehicle. Tractor trailer or long distance heavy truck drivers often spend most of their transportation time in working with wheel, but they also may have to unload or load their cargo. It is especially important when drivers drag forte cargo because they are the ones at the destination acquainted with their dealings or well certified to manage the materials. For example, there are auto transport drivers who place vehicles on the clips at the industrialized plants and eliminate them at the dealerships. When delivering or picking up furniture, long distance drivers of moving vans hire some local workers in order to get help in loading and unloading. Delivery truck or light truck drivers have trucks or vans weighing around 26,000 GVW. They deliver or pick up supplies and goods within a particular area. Their services may include a short turnaround to provide consignment to nearby metropolis, pick up another loaded van or truck and then drive back to home base. The drivers may put some electronic delivery trailing systems into operations to trail the location of the supplies or merchandise.
Federal and State regulations administrate the standards and qualifications for all truck drivers of United States. All truck drivers must act in accordance with regulations of Federal and States. Having a driving license issued by a particular State is a must have for truck drivers along with a clean driving log. The truck drivers who carry more than or equal to 26,000 pounds along with bigger trucks and tractor trailers must obtain a commercial driving license or CDL from their native State. To qualify for a CDL, the applicant should have a good driving record, and go by the written test and over the regulations or rules and then make it obvious that they can carry out commercial truck driving well.
According to United States Department of Transportation, in order to become eligible for driving a commercial vehicle, the age of driver should be at least 21 years and they require a physical examination once every two years. The major physical requirements include good hearing and a minimum of 20/40 vision with corrective lenses or glasses. Individuals with diabetes or epilepsy are not allowed to become interstate truck drivers. As per the federal regulations, employers need to inspect their drivers for drug or alcohol use and perform random checks while on duty.
The training sessions delivered by employers to their drivers are most of the time informal and may comprise of a few hours of instructions from an expert driver. Some new drivers also may need to ride with experienced drivers to observe things before indulging in their own work loads.
Experienced drivers are often given more preference as compared to new ones. The experienced ones are very well familiar with their duties and employers do not have to waste time to train them when getting work.
Career prospects for truck drivers are favorable in United States. Along with the increasing demand of truck drivers, many job openings are expected to occur as expert drivers leave the occupation to move to some other fields for some reasons. Overall employment for truck drivers is estimated to increase through the year 2014 because of the improvement in the economy and amount of merchandise supplied by the truck.
The average salary for tractor trailer or heavy truck driver in the United States is about $46,000 per annum.
Overall, if one is looking for making a career in trucking, truck driving can prove a good option for making good money.
