There are around 3.5 million truck drivers in the US, and though this seems like a lot, we still have a national truck driver shortage.
We need more truck drivers! Plain and simple, there is no getting around this fact. As long as there are millions of people in need of goods shipped to them, there is a need for drivers to move those goods around.
If you’ve followed our social media accounts, you’re probably aware that we offer some great perks to our drivers… but there’s more to truck driving than just some perks here or there.
These are the 5 reasons you should consider a career in trucking.
1. You Want to See the Country
There are a lot of great financial reasons why someone might want to go into trucking, and we’ll get into those in a moment, but let’s talk about the beauty of the open road for a moment.
America is a beautiful country with beautiful scenery. Whether it’s the Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains, Appalachia, or any of America’s other natural beauties, there’s a lot of amazing things to see in America that you just can’t see from the safety of your home.
“There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep on rolling under the stars.”― Jack Kerouac
This is a “perk of the job” that you won’t see on any application, but oh boy, is it worth it.
2. Great Pay
The average salary for owner-operators in the truck driving industry is $46,850, including benefits. There’s also a lot of room to grow for truckers, and some drivers can even make more than $80k per year as they accumulate time and experience on the road.
If you end up becoming an owner-operator after your career behind the wheel comes to a close, you might be able to make several hundred thousand dollars per year.
Obviously, money isn’t the only reason to choose a career behind the wheel. Trucking is hard work, and drivers are paid well because of this.
3. Job Stability
As noted at the top of this article, there’s a national truck driver shortage.
The downside of this is that many trucking companies are scrambling to find drivers. But for drivers, this is a very good thing. There’s no shortage of work opportunities for drivers in this industry, and if you do a good job, you’ll be back.
As a trucker, there is a lot of freedom (see reason №4), and you can find work as you need it. If you want to work harder, you can. If you need a break, you can take that too.
As long as you do a good job, there’s room for you in this industry.
4. You Want Freedom
There are about 350,000 owner-operators in the US. In fact, this is what our company’s owner, Isaac, did when Legacy began in the late 2000s.
The second you own a truck, you can become an owner-operator and control the projects that you take, the loads you haul, and where you haul them to.
There’s a great deal of freedom with this role, and if you have experience in the industry, it can be an incredibly liberating career move for many Americans.
5. The Benefits
Most truck driving companies offer at least some type of benefit for their employees.
At Legacy, for example, we have a lot of benefits that we offer our drivers when they join the team. A few of these include:
- Insurance
- On the job training
- Weekends off (or weekend work if you’d like)
- Home daily
- Medical, dental, and vision health services
Closing Thoughts
When it comes to truck driving, there are a lot of great reasons to get involved. The only potential drawback is that trucking is hard work.
But the thing is, a lot of people are excited by hard work and want to become better versions of themselves. With the great benefits offered from a career in trucking, you’ll be on your way to providing a better life for your loved ones, yourself, and of course, your future.
So now, I guess there’s only one question left to answer:
When are you going to apply?
