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8/14/13

Truck Driving for a Living

All across the world there is a need for transportation. Not just individuals who drive themselves and their families to work and school daily, but professionals who transport products and materials across counties and countries for a living. In the United States these truck drivers, or truckers as they are commonly known, keep the country in motion by transporting all kinds of goods such as produce, livestock, fuel, and pretty much everything else to stores and markets. It's not only consumers who need truck drivers though. Businesses also need goods, supplies and equipment shipped. It would not be possible for factories and other businesses to function efficiently if there was not an affordable and effective method for transporting goods from one point to another.

The need for truck drivers is pretty obvious, but what is it like to be a driver? There are three main types of truck drivers, the first being owner operators. Owner operators are full time dedicated professional drivers who own their own truck and either lease their truck with a company to supply transportation to them or work for a number of different companies transporting at their own discretion. The benefits of this type of trucking would be owning your own truck and being able to choose what you transport.

The second type of truck drivers are company drivers. Company truck drivers are employees of a particular trucking company who drive a truck provided to them by the company. These professional drivers do any number of different driving jobs depending on which company they work for and what that company prefers to handle. This type of employment might be well suited to new truck drivers to get them oriented and experienced to the lifestyle of driving before investing in a truck of their own, and for individuals who just aren't sure they want the responsibility that goes along with owning their own truck.

The third type is the independent owner operator. The difference between independent and non-independent owner operators is that the independent operator owns their own authority to transport. It is not uncommon for independents to own a small fleet, anywhere from one to ten trucks. Owning a fleet can substantially boost a driver's income, but it is more to manage. Owning a fleet is like owning a small business and needs to be handled as such.

Regardless of the different type of drivers, transportation jobs offer a wide array of work. There are various categories of trucking to consider when it comes to hauling products. Auto haulers transport vehicles which requires a special trailer and training for the loading and unloading of different types of vehicles. Boat haulers transport anything from ten foot fishing boats to sixty foot yachts. This also requires a special trailer. Dry van drivers transport all kinds of materials across highways in large trailers, the contents of which are generally nonperishable goods. There are dry bulk pneumatic drivers who transport things like sand, salt, and cement. The specialized trailers these drivers use allow them to utilize pressurized air to unload their trucks. Drivers with flatbed trailers usually move large bulky materials like steel pipe and lumber. Local delivery jobs where the goods are delivered and unloaded by the driver at multiple locations are known as "less than load" drivers. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to transportation jobs for truck drivers.

Another major distinction when it comes to drivers is whether they are long-haulers, regional drivers, or team drivers. Long-haulers, also known as interstate drivers and over the road drivers, are truckers who cover thousands of miles and are gone from home for a week or more. Regional drivers work in and around their state and are usually only gone from home for a short time. Team drivers are two people who take turns driving the same truck. This work often appeals to husband and wife drivers.

This also works for people in different states who split up the driving to keep from being away from home for as long. Regardless of the type of driver or truck they are using, from around the town to around the country, you can count on thousands of professional and dedicated truck drivers to keep our goods and economy moving in the right direction!

 By

Bay & Bay Transportation, one of the largest trucking companies in Minnesota, provides transportation solutions and provides truck driver jobs in the Midwest and across the US.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Greta_Golfis

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