Truck driving is a career just like any other. Just like a person makes a choice to become a doctor or a teacher it is the same way a person chooses to become a truck driver. It is a job that requires a lot of commitment because the lifestyle of truck driving is tailored around the job. A truck driver is required to be on the road most of the time and very few days are spent around your family or for fun. It is very worthy because you are able to pay your bills and those of your family. Before choosing truck driving as a career a person is required to first if he or she has an interest in truck driving. It has several pros and cons.
Pros:
1. There is a lot of independence. The best part of truck driving as a career is the independence that comes along with it, there is no one who is going to watch while on duty. Even though there are people somewhere monitoring your time you are independent of what to do at what time. You are the one to choose which routes to take, when to go for breaks and for how long and also be responsible for your own time.
2. You get paid to tour the country. Can you imagine a job that you are paid while still granted permission to tour different parts of the country? Truck drivers are locked up into touring the country and they get to enjoy different sceneries and views while still at work. For the people that like experiencing new things, this could be a perfect career because you are very free to explore while still at work.
3. Some companies will cover your tuition. There are companies that will take care of your tuition fee if only you accept to work for them. It is like a company is paying you or giving you a bonus so that you may accept to work for them. It is worthwhile if you decide to work with a company for a period of time and they cater to your tuition fee before you even start. This will save you the cost you could have incurred to learn.
4. The education requirement is very little. If there is a job that pays well and requires very little education is truck driving. The only requirement they need is a valid driving license which takes two months for one to acquire it. If you compare the time you take in acquiring a degree in college and truck driving training, truck driving training takes less time and pays well.
5. There is high pay in a truck driving career. If you compare the educational requirements of this job and the amount of money one takes home, it is evident that this job is highly paying. It is a guarantee that if you venture into a truck driving career you will be able to pay your bills and those of your family.
6. A flexible working schedule. Some companies have a very flexible working schedule for their drivers. They are relaxed and there is no pressure mounted on them at the places of work.
7. Medical insurance cover. There are companies that offer their drivers with lifetime medical covers. Some of these medical insurances may also cover the families of the drivers.
8. Retirement plan. Truck driving is a contract that is signed by the truck driver and the company he is working for. There is a clause that states about the retirement plan which states how the company will take care of the driver after retirement.
9. Fully paid vacations. Truck driving is not a tight schedule all year. When there is very little work to be done some companies send their drivers on fully paid vacations once or even twice per year.
10. There is job security. Truck drivers are more job secured because not a lot of people are venturing into this kind of jobs and there is always a high demand for them.
Cons:
1. It might be expensive to acquire a driving license. The cost of acquiring a driving license might be overwhelming in some countries. You are required to pay very hefty fees which forces some people to go for credit to cater to their tuition fee without a guarantee that they will get employed.
2. Commitment: One of the biggest challenges of a truck driving career is commitment. You will be required to go for weeks before you secure a leave or an off-week. The schedules of most companies are irregular which makes the family ties strained as you will be less available for plans and engagements. However, there are other companies that let you have a regular schedule.
3. Truck driving is very lonely. There is a lot of loneliness in truck driving because you are expected to spend most of the time alone. There are a lot of occurrences on the road that will remind you about your family and the people you love but you have to keep going. If you are the kind of person that cannot handle loneliness truck driving is not your career.
4. Truck driving jobs can become repetitive. This mainly applies to the drivers that are driving locally. You are always scheduled for a job that shares the same route you have been in. this creates boredom and you are not likely to enjoy it because you will be seeing the same things you have always been seeing.
5. Truck driver’s health. If there is a category of workers that are likely to become obese are the truck drivers because they spend a lot of hours on the road. The truck drivers rarely get a full night’s sleep, eating healthy and time for exercise. In the end, their health is put at stake.
6. Bad route directions. Drivers at times get lost when the person directing them on where to deliver or pick goods gets it wrong. This gives them stress because they have to return and find the correct route.
7. Deadlines for delivery. Some companies have very strict rules about deadlines for delivery. They impose heavy fines on drivers that deliver their goods after the deadline day.
8. Traffic jams. Traffic jams are a headache to truck drivers because some of the companies impose heavy fines if the goods are delivered late. This could be one of the causes of late delivery.
9. Bad weather. One strain that truck drivers encounter along their daily duties is bad weather. Bad weather makes driving trucks very difficult because it may be a cause for accidents as the vision is not clear.
10. Lack of parking lots in rest areas. Sometimes truck drivers are forced to spend the night in the cold without sleeping because sometimes they lack parking lots in rest areas. They are forced to travel the next day sleepy exposing them to a lot of risks.
