Why should you get a Truck Driving degree?
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The trucking industry has two major segments, truckload and less-than-truckload, and the demands on truck drivers can vary between the two segments. Some of these positions require special licensing, like the CDL, but others do not.
Career Outlook
A driver’s responsibilities and assignments change according to the type of loads transported and the vehicle’s size. The duration of runs depends on the types of cargo and the destinations. Local drivers may provide daily service for a specific route or region, while other drivers make longer, intercity and interstate deliveries. Interstate and intercity cargo tends to vary from job to job more than local cargo does.
Truck driving has become less physically demanding because most trucks now have more comfortable seats; better ventilation; and improved, ergonomically designed cabs. Although these changes make the work environment less taxing, driving for many hours at a stretch, loading and unloading cargo, and making many deliveries can be tiring. Local truck drivers, unlike long-distance drivers, usually return home in the evening. Some self-employed long-distance truck drivers who own and operate their trucks spend most of the year away from home.
Education Requirements
The Commercial Drivers License, or CDL, is widely recognized as the industry standard for operating certain commercial vehicles on U.S. roads and highways. The license requires special skills and knowledge related to operating large vehicles, such as tractor trailers, buses, semi trucks and 18-wheelers. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration implemented the CDL License and Training Program to restrict driving commercial vehicles only to drivers possessing certain skills and knowledge.
Most recent truck driving school graduates who have just completed their CDL training begin their trucking careers behind the wheel of a truckload carrier, as what is often called a company driver.
Salary Information
Salary usually depends more on how many hours you're willing to work on contract during the year. Generally, contract work that doesn't require special permits such as hazardous materials transport will pay between $9 and $18 an hour.
Growth Statistics
Overall employment of truck drivers and driver/sales workers is expected to increase by 8% over the 2006-16 decade. This is due to growth in the economy and in the amount of freight carried by truck.