Becoming a commercial truck driver can be a great choice. However, it is a completely different lifestyle than most people live, especially if you do long-distance commercial trucking. You could spend weeks on the road before you get to go back home, so it is not for everyone. That being said, there are many jobs where you can be home with your family every night.
Starting out isn’t always easy. Here are some tips for your first year trucking.
Be serious about your training. Training to be a commercial truck driver isn’t easy. You have to learn how to handle a big truck and trailer. It doesn’t stop (or go) as easy as the car or truck you are used to driving. Turning and parking are also skills that you will need to learn.
When you are taking classes to learn how to drive, it is important that you are focused. You need to listen to your instructor and get behind the wheel as often as you can. Listen to their stories and learn how they handle themselves on the road. Everything that they tell you is important.
Focus on getting experience. Once you have your commercial driver’s license (CDL), it can be hard to find a job without much experience. For this reason, you are going to need to take whatever job that you can as you gain experience behind the wheel. You will quickly find that spending hours on the road hauling is much different than the time you spent behind the wheel practice.
After a few months or even a year, you might be able to look for a job that is better suited for you. However, you have to put the time in first.
With any career, it is important that you are serious about your training and are willing to focus on getting experience. Though this may mean spending weeks away from home, after a few months (or even a year), you should be able to have the experience to get the job that is best for you!
Don’t hesitate to contact us for all of your commercial truck insurance needs. We offer insurance for commercial trucks in Florida, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska.
