One of the most in-demand employees nowadays is truck drivers. With the growing consumer demands, every company is employing as many people as they can to meet orders.
You might be thinking: driving a truck around all day is simple. But the job requires a great amount of resilience and patience. With the traffic situation nowadays, driving around the city isn’t as appealing as it used to be. Truck drivers spend most of their time on the road, withstanding the traffic situation. Not to mention that they have to meet certain deadlines for deliveries.
But what we know only scratches the surface of the life of a truck driver. That’s what we know from the outside looking in. But what’s the job like? Here’s a sneak peek in the life of a truck driver.
Morning
Truck drivers need to be up and about early in the morning. Even before the sun rises, most truck drivers are already on the road. Some do this to avoid rush hour traffic. Others need to start early to get to further destinations.
Most of the time in the morning goes to inspecting the vehicle and prepping up for the day. Truck drivers spend a few hours checking their tires, leaks, or other issues in the truck. This is an important part of the job. You don’t want to be delaying your trips or getting into accidents because of vehicle issues.
After inspecting the truck, it’s usually the time to plan the day’s route and schedule. Drivers often check the weather, traffic conditions, and other factors. This will help them plan their route for the day.
Once the vehicle is good to go, and the schedule has been fixed, the driver sets off for an entire day of work.
Afternoon
The bulk of the job is driving around and logging in miles. An afternoon for a truck driver would depend on the nature of his task. Some would be making deliveries, going from door to door of each house on the list. Others, on the other hand, have delivery equipment to further places outside the city.
Night
After a driver has finished his checklist for the day, the night time routine of a truck driver is pretty much like the average person. When he gets off work, he’s free to do anything for his leisure or pastime. But with the tedious driving all day, they mostly just try to catch up on rest.
However, that’s not true for all truck drivers. Some are tasked to travel many miles. Truck drivers in this line of work just stopover when they’re tired, sleep for a few hours and wake up to log in more miles.
In general, the life of a truck driver is not that easy after all, what with all the traffic and fortuitous events that can happen on the road. But truck drivers have adequate protection. There are truck labor lawyers in Washington who are dedicated to protecting the rights of truck drivers. These rights include fair wages and additional compensation. They also make sure a truck driver gets the insurance they need in case they get into accidents or sustain injuries while on the job.
Although the job is difficult, many truck drivers would say that they would never trade their job to work for 8 hours in an office cubicle. It turns out, it’s a pretty satisfying and fulfilling job. But it’s just not for everyone.
