While your your hours may be flexible at times, it is best to complete a majority of your daily driving before rush hour is a concern.
On average, truck drivers cover approximately 125,000 miles per year on the road. While there are many advantages to earning a living as a truck driver, there are plenty of difficulties that come along with the job as well. Like many other demanding professions, there are numerous pros and cons about the truck driving profession that should be carefully considered before applying. If you are curious about becoming a truck driver, below are some of the key factors that you should consider.
Early Mornings
Since many drivers like to move with the light, you could be hitting the road in some of the earliest hours of the day. While your your hours may be flexible at times, it is best to complete a majority of your daily driving before rush hour is a concern.
Weekly Hour Limits
Drivers often work for approximately 70 hours over a period of 8 days. However, working a 70 hour week, you cannot legally drive a truck again until you have 34 hours off duty. Long days could bring you to that 70 hour limit quickly, if you are working 12-hour or 14-hour shifts. Most states do not allow driving for longer than 11 hours in a day.
Payment
Most drivers are paid per mile, and most delivery truck drivers do not get paid when they are not out on a delivery. For some drivers, final annual pay is left undetermined until the end of the year, however, there are substantial pay increases every year following the first year on the job.
Cargo Delivery
While some drivers drop and hooks to drop off their cargo, you usually don’t need to unload the freight yourself. This can take roughly 2-3 hours, and you will need to have cooperative shipping departments at the facility you arrive at to get back on the road quickly.
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Whether you are looking to upgrade your fleet to tow trucks or simply interested in the latest trucking technology, you can rely on Baltimore Freightliner-Western Star. We have provided top-notch service for the trucking industry for 30 years and would love to assist you in buying a new top-of-the-line truck, finding the specialty parts you need, or repairing your truck. Give us a call toll-free at 800-832-7278 or locally at 410-685-4474, or contact us online. To find out more about what we are up to, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+.
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