Highways of Independence: Celebrating the Joys of a Trucking Career

I have been trucking since 2016 on and off, mostly on and I am going to share with you what I personally think are the best things about trucking. Sure, we know that trucking has a lot of negative aspects that regrettably come with the job but for the sake of this article let us focus on the positives.

1. You Get to Drive Alone

In most jobs you are required to work around people or customers for most of your shift. In trucking this is not the case. You will simply be by yourself the majority of the time. If you are someone who likes alone time, then trucking may be the perfect career for you.

2. You Get to Drive an 18-Wheeler

While this is common knowledge for being a trucker it cannot be emphasized enough. There is something about driving a big rig that never quite gets old. You are sitting higher than most other vehicles on the road and the view is plain right awesome sometimes as you get to travel all over the place and witness scenery the average person never gets to, all while getting paid to do it.

3. You Get Paid to Drive

A lot of people like to drive and do not get paid anything if they are driving their personal vehicle. If you are one of these types just imagine getting paid for doing something you already love?

4. You Get a Weekly Paycheck

In most trucking jobs you will receive a weekly paycheck. Many other types of jobs pay bi-weekly or even monthly but not in trucking. Having a sizeable amount of money come in every week definitely helps in this day in the age of inflation.

5. You Will Always Have a Job

Truckers are in high demand and finding a job is the easiest out of all the major professions out there. There is no preparing for interviews or crafting the perfect resume. All you will need in most cases is some experience in trucking and a clean driving record. So, a paycheck is always guaranteed if you are willing to work for one.

6. You Get to See the Country

You will get to travel through about every state in the country if you are a long-haul trucker. Just do not expect to have a lot of extra time to make stops and sightsee. But the good news is you will have a full day off every week for your weekly reset to roam around wherever you happened to be parked at for that day. So there are site seeing opportunities if you are willing to get our of your truck and explore.

7. You Will Get a Certain Level of Respect

Trucking is a hard and dangerous job that requires a lot of sacrifices and skill. While not everyone knows this or appreciates it there are those that will think of the world of your profession for doing what most other people will not or cannot.

8. You Will Receive Benefits

In this day and age everyone requires health insurance, dental plans, 401ks and PTO. If you go with the larger trucking companies expect to be able to receive comprehensive employer benefits. Be aware though that the smaller trucking companies do not always offer this.

9. No 4-year Degree Required

Many comparable paying jobs across the country require a 4-year degree to make the same wage as a trucker. Expect to spend about a month obtaining your CDL and licensing at an approved trucking school. There is an enormous difference in investing 4 or more years to land a job and a month.

10. You Will Make More than the Average Worker

There are trucking jobs out there that clear 100k a year. Once you get your CDL and experience and proper endorsements these are yours for the taking. Most people do not make 100k or more a year but as a trucker if you keep your driving record clean and do not job hop too much the companies that pay this type of money will hire you.

11. No Two Trucking Jobs are the Same

There are many types of trucking jobs out there from the most common one of hauling dry vans to, flatbed, Refrigerated freight and many more. If you want a change from hauling one type of freight, or in your schedule, home-time, areas traveled, type of equipment driven then trucking has you covered.

12. You Will Bond with Other Truckers

Truckers are a unique breed to put it lightly. We go through things that the average person out there never has to experience with their jobs. Because of this we all share a common bond. It is a mutual level of respect shared by most truckers and once you get your first year of experience and become more seasoned, you will join the club.

13. You will expand your skillset well beyond driving

To become a successful trucker, you will develop many other skills than just driving. Such as navigating the country’s highways and cities, time-management, and living on the road which is a skill that is hard to master but becomes easier with practice. You will learn all kinds of tricks to make trucking more manageable every day which in turn will have useful applications in other areas of your life.

14. Great for People With a Sense of Adventure

If you are someone who thrives on a sense of adventure in your hobbies or lifestyle, then you might like trucking. It does not require you to have it to be successful but at the very least it will make the job more enjoyable. Because trucking is about the most adventurous career out there that you can have.