The transportation, wholesale, pharmaceutical, local government, and manufacturing industries are the major employers of these drivers. The importance of transporting goods by land is foremost the cheapest and the safest way to deliver them. Driving is an important job. Many people rely on the abilities of these drivers to get the passengers and goods safely to their destination.
Just about every item product or item sold in the US most likely spends some time in a delivery truck. Transporting goods by truck offers a flexible delivery of the goods, far more flexible than air or water transport. Millions of items or products are transported everyday and as a result, driver jobs abound. Truck drivers or sales workers/drivers are responsible for delivery or picking up of these shipments from part of the country to another. This could be from a distribution center for manufacturing firms to customers or transporting goods between centers for distribution. Unloading and loading the shipment is the responsibility of the drivers. Making sure that the freight is in good condition and keeping a record of the daily activities.
Another example of driver jobs is long haul drivers that drive heavy trucks, vans or tractor/trailers that weigh about 26,000 lbs. These are called over the road drivers because they deliver these goods that encompass many intercity routes and into many states. Some drivers have a usual driving course where they deliver the most and some even drive as far away as Mexico and Canada. The heavy truck driver plans their own routes, thus they are given the location and deadline of the deliveries. They also ascertain the best route to deliver the goods on time. The long haul driver must find roads that large trucks are allowed on and absolutely follow the traffic rules imposed.
Delivery truck drivers or light truck drivers are another example of driver jobs. They deliver shipments within a small region or a city. They often pick up merchandise from the distribution centers and deliver them to houses or apartments and private businesses. Some drivers may work in the package delivery, can have one load, and may make many stops in a day while other drivers may have several loads. They are also responsible for loading and unloading the items from their truck. They also deliver them to customers, collect payments, and secure delivery receipts and such.
One of the most unusual driver jobs is the specialized truck driver. These drivers carry oversized trucks that contain liquids like petroleum, hazardous materials, liquid nitrogen, and other chemical to be delivered to approved facilities. These drivers have mastered the safety procedure for a safe delivery of these materials. They are usually employed in chemical plants and chemical manufacturing companies all over the United States. These chemicals could be a raw material for manufacturing companies for plastic, metal, and other electrical components.
Driving jobs such as these require different training and qualifications. For example for long haul drivers; a driver must have a CDL license or a commercial driver’s license in any vocational schools. A standard driver’s license is a requirement for other driving jobs. Some drivers need a training period, some are short and some are longer. There are also Federal regulations that drivers must follow. Drivers should be drug and alcohol free. The outlook for these jobs is good. There is keen competition for good routes and schedules though.
These are the average hourly pay rates for driver jobs:
• Food service sectors - $18.00
• Construction industries - $21.00
• Trucking and chipping companies - $20.00
• Transportation sectors - $20.00
• Freight forwarding - $20.50
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