We are what specialists call a consumer society. We need all sorts of products in order to have a happy life. Commerce is one of the most profitable industries and how could things be other way since commerce is one of the oldest businesses in the history of mankind. And yes, it all started with water transportation, it then evolved to the automobile, to what we now call trucks and finally flourished into airplane transports. And even though nowadays, many products are transported by water or air transport means, every single product will be sooner or later transported with a truck. This is because ships and planes are good for long distances, but you cannot expect for a ship to bump at your door with some soda boxes or who knows what else. So trucks still have the power.
The American society has so well developed interstate roads and highways that commerce, or the so called door to door transport or delivery, is even easier to be done now than in the past. So a job as a truck driver can always be available. But let's see what it requires.
Job Description
I know, you got it - it's all about transporting goods for specific companies. There are lots of packages, so a van is more likely to be too crowded. Trucks are the best because they have huge spaces available for storage. Truck drivers are usually designated to go to some far away destinations, so a serious general inspection of the truck is mandatory before hitting the road. Oil levels and fuel, brakes' condition, lights, windshield wipers, flares, fire extinguishers or any other necessary equipments of the cargo have to be manually checked and one report should be written regarding the state of the vehicle.
All the discovered problems should be announced to the dispatcher who takes the responsibility for setting things straight. And once the truck has left the warehouse, it's only the truck driver and his vehicle alone. So the driver must be very careful, must not fall asleep - sometimes, when distances are very big, one driver could have a partner to switch turns with and also to take care not to accidentally leave the highway. Luckily, the modern technique helps the truck drivers a lot who can now dispose of some GPS's and some satellite tracking devices for everyone to make sure things are all right.
Training and Qualifications
It's one thing to drive a tiny car and another one to drive a huge truck. So getting this job is not as easy as it might seem. There are extremely accurate and specific state and federal regulations not only regarding the qualifications that one truck driver should have, but also regarding the employment and work standards on this field of activity. The so called commercial driving license is mandatory for all those persons who take transports of more than 26.000 pounds or for those who have hazardous packages to deliver. Before getting this CDL, a candidate should also pass a serious written examination. Once he has this license, its owner will be recorded into a special database which is active nationwide and every single rule violation that the driver makes will be held under evidence. A driver should be at least 21 years old in order to become a candidate for this position and biannual, specific test for physical and psychological examinations are mandatory. As you can see, things are extremely serious because it's not just about keeping safe the goods of one important company, but mainly about keeping the roads safe and saving lives.
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