Becoming a Truck Driver: How I Got Started In Trucking

I don't believe there is anyone in America, or a multitude of other countries for that matter, who hasn't considered becoming a truck driver. We've all wondered from time to time what life would be like traveling the highways day in and day out ... living on the road, seeing the sites, meeting people from far and wide, and watching the sunrise and set from one coast to the other...what would it be like?



I did exactly that for the better part of fifteen years and I can tell you one thing - I wouldn't trade my time on the road for anything in the world. I was blessed with the ability to do any number of other things. Becoming a truck driver was never any goal or consideration of mine, and I never knew anyone who had done it. I simply came across it by chance once upon a time on a hot summer day in Atlanta....and everything changed in my life from that day on.



Working for $5.50/hr in a warehouse as a 21 year old man-child I arrived at work one day to find a Ryder truck parked in the lot. I was told we had to haul some pallets of literature downtown and exchange them for yet another group of pallets to bring back. It was the largest straight truck that Ryder offered....and I had never even seen the inside of one. But I was determined to be the one to make the trip in it. So how was I going to convince them to let me do it? The only way I could - I was gonna lie my brains out. I told the boss my aunt had moved twice and my grandma had moved once and all three times I drove the truck...same size truck as the one out in the lot.



Amazingly enough they gave me the OK to take it downtown. What were they thinking???? So away I went. The trip went perfectly and I did what I was supposed to do. I went downtown, they unloaded me, reloaded the truck (after their lunch break of course), and I returned safe and sound. Upon arrival I immediately went to my best friend and joyously exclaimed that not only was that a lot of fun, but I didn't even have to do any work that day...."all I did was drive" - and the light bulb came on.



I went home and looked up the only trucking company I knew of and found out that I would start at $40,000/year. I was making $15,000 at the time...including overtime!  Becoming a truck driver was exactly what I was going to do....and a month later I was in trucking school.



I graduated, got hired with a great company on graduation day, and had an awesome career. I made excellent money, met thousands of people, saw many of the most famous sites in America, and many others that were just as beautiful but mostly unknown.  It's not an easy life - but if you're the right type of person for it there is no other job like it in the world. You'll learn so much about yourself, your country, and the people you share it with. You'll experience the differences in culture from city to city and region to region. You'll make very good money, have a ton of fun, and have a career that keeps our economy moving and makes you feel like you've accomplished something worthwhile....and you have.



The moral of the story? Lie. Lie like crazy! No, I'm just kidding. The real moral of the story is that sometimes you have to take chances in life. If you ever want to get anywhere worth going it will take risk, courage, and faith in yourself to get there.



I'll be writing about a lot of issues regarding the trucking industry and life as a truck driver in the coming weeks and months. I've already written a book about becoming a truck driver that has tons and tons of stories from my years on the road and advice to anyone considering a career as a truck driver. I also have a website with tons of free content - it's at www.truckingtruth.com, which has truck driving stories from my years on the road, links to trucking schools and recruiters, advice about becoming a truck driver, and some excerpts from my book. You'll like the site...there's a lot of helpful information there.



I'd love to hear from you and answer any questions you might have. Email me from my website at www.truckingtruth.com and I'll be sure to get back to you.



Til next time.....take care.