Laptops, wireless cards, and truck stops with free Wifi are boosting truckers into the age of the Internet. But increased access to the Internet allows truckers to do more than just surf the net and have fun with their friends. Powered with the Internet, truckers who want to get ahead now have a chance to get degrees by completing classes online.

Though truckers have a hard life on the road with little time to themselves, working towards a college degree might be worth the lost hours of pleasure. As fuel prices rise and truckers try to deal with the additional expense, the demand for truckers may soon decrease. Even if trucking is your passion, low wages make the appeal of having a second job or business on the side even greater. In fact, according to the United States Census Bureau, bachelor’s degree holders earn an average of 62 percent more money than those without a degree—an average of $50,900 compared to $31,300.

But for those who just took a job in trucking to make ends meet, the website, CollegeBoard, insists that college graduates have many more job opportunities than those with just a high school degree. Because most jobs just require a bachelor’s degree, not stipulating a subject matter, just having that piece of paper will make a big difference.

So how can you go to school when you are gone most of the month carrying loads across the country to support your family? Get a college degree online.

Online bachelor’s degree programs have sprung up rapidly since the advent of the Internet, a powerful and commonly possessed learning tool. According to the premier job search site Careerbuilder.com, in 2001, 2.9 million U.S. students ages 35 and over were attempting to earn a degree, and 4 million students in the U.S. were earning that degree online. Because online classes are convenient for those who work, many adults going back to school have chosen the online, rather than the traditional, route.

This flexibility is only one reason why an online degree is a great choice for truckers. According to Career Builder, work for online classes can be done during any part of the day, so truckers can access their courses during their obscure off-hours. Online schools also offer the freedom of acceleration or slower passed classes, and classes are often less expensive when taken online. 

With online school applications popping up whenever you do a search on the subject, it is difficult to determine which online schools provide a better value for their money. Some traditional schools, like Purdue University or Penn State, offer online programs in addition to traditional tracks. In addition, new institutions, like the University of Phoenix, according to Career Builder, have been established to cater almost completely to online students.

A degree from a traditional and well-recognized university, like a state school, might look better on diplomas, but online only schools can be wonderful as well. Regardless of the type of institution, accreditation is key. Schools without accreditation often take tuition dollars and leave a student with a degree that means little. Checking to make sure that the school is accredited before application is necessary.

Whether you choose a traditional university’s online program or a newer college targeted toward online students, an online degree can increase your opportunities to make more money.

More than once in your life, you’ve probably thought you had the worst job in the world, and you’re right in acknowledging that your occupation isn’t the easiest, but imagine doing your job on a sheet of ice.

The drivers of Ice Road Truckers, a relatively new History Channel television show, do just that to earn their monthly pay. And though you might want to use television time to get away from what you do for a living, you might change your mind after watching an episode of this monumental series that puts your profession in the limelight.

The show highlights the jobs of truckers who drive freight across the roads of Canada’s Northwest Territories, which are really frozen lakes. During some months, the lakes are too thin to be used as roads, but once permafrost sets in, truckers drive perilously across the solid water. First aired as a documentary in conjunction with a previous History Channel feature called Suicide Missions, last year, the channel aired the feature as its own show.

Drivers along the ice roads are paid extensively for their work, but the job is dangerous and both physically and mentally taxing. Drivers in season one of the show experienced all types of troubles. Excessive speeding was rewarded not only with a ticket, but also with banishment from the road. Trucks drivers on ice roads get into accidents and listen to the threatening cracking of ice below their tires as they work each day.

Truckers and audiences everywhere obviously enjoyed the show in its previous season. Ratings were high, and the History Channel decided to air a second season of the show this summer. The season premiere, which aired on Sunday, June 8, 2008, was advertised across the nation on radio and television, urging television watchers to view the show because of its suspense and interesting, non-fiction information. Truckers are not actors, but are real workers who took the treacherous job on the ice road for experience or money.

The real ice road extends 417 miles and was completed in 1979. The road allowed the city of Inuvik to be accessed by automobiles for the first time. For businesses, this meant that more options existed for transporting and receiving goods. Truckers were hired to transport these goods back and forth on the ice road, and the ice road drivers emerged. According to The History Channel, The Ice Road drivers are suitable stars for the History Channel because they are “making history.”

Although you might not like to watch television about your own profession during your time off or when you are relaxing during a long-haul, this television show has sensational, interesting information that all can relate to. Truckers watching this show will gain a sense of appreciation for their jobs.

With all the problems that have beset truckers this year, it was refreshing to run across a piece of good news. I read about A. Duie Pyle Cos. of West Chester, P.A. on the Business & Money website. Founded 84 years ago, this family-owned trucking company is flourishing where others are floundering. They still haul for their first customer, Mittal Steel and boast an enviable driver turnover rate of less than 7%.

The American Trucking Associations is the first to join the U.S. Army Reserves new Employer Partnership program. The program aims to guarantee reservists a civilian job based on their military specialty. The program will provide all training, licensing and certifications necessary to help reservists make a successful transition back to civilian life.

Truck Driver Jobs - Driver Recruiting.com

Being a truck driver is a difficult job, but it is getting even more difficult with all of the obstacles drivers have to deal with today. Higher fuel prices probably top the list, but there are many others, so it is of the utmost importance that drivers find a job that suits their needs the best. DriverRecruiting.com is a site dedicated to helping drivers locate the best truck driving jobs and to help recruiters find the most qualified leads for drivers. 

Best Truck Driving Jobs at BigTuckDrivingJobs.com

The Internet over a relatively short period of time has quickly become the first resource for anyone to use that’s looking for anything.  Need to find a house?  Look online.  Need a new pair of shoes?  The web is the easiest way to find valuable info before making a purchase.  Any user with a computer and an Internet connection is seconds away from insightful information on any topic imaginable.

The transportation world is definitely in this mix, in terms of moving things to an online environment when these things were traditionally built, moved, posted, sent, or received with paper, billboards, or radio and tv ads.  

We’d like to give a run down for an Internet service that’s helping truck drivers find better employment opportunities with trucking companies – BigTruckDrivingJobs.com.  Traditionally, a driver looking for a job or a new job picked up a magazine at a truck stop, read some advertisements, and had to do the work by making phone calls to recruiters.  Maybe he or she saw a billboard somewhere and jotted down the phone number.  Could have seen a commercial for a trucking school sponsored by a major carrier.  Who knows, but those days have long since past thanks to the popularity of the World Wide Web.

These days, in a few clicks, a driver can review a host of trucking companies in a few minutes.  Drivers using BigTruck can apply with one company, or send their application to lots of companies where they’re able to determine the best trucking job for them and their family based on the pay scale, home time, and benefits of the various companies.  No more tracking down better truck driving jobs yourself, these days the recruiters are coming to the drivers, putting them in control of their career.  We can all agree that controlling your career is a very secure feeling.

State of Washington Trucking Companies

Robert has a question for our readers...help him out if anyone knows the answer.

To all truckers...
I'm hoping someone out there can help with this. I'm trying to get into the driving industry, and I've driven 42ft box truck and 5 ton military dump trucks so far. I've been told to watch out for some of the big companies that will train for driving and CDL because they will only use me for a year and then find something to can me for cuz they won't pay me any higher, and then they hire all new people so they can keep paying the lowest wage. Are there any companies out there, especially in Washington state that won't do that, and that might be a good one to work for?

Please make a comment if you have anything to say about this!

Trucking Owner Operator Lease Agreements

Greg Carpenter (carpenterskardkingdom@hotmail.com) is Looking for owner operators that want to hang up the keys and give a driver a chance to take over there truck, like a rent to own type thing.

Make a comment or email Greg if anyone can help him out! Happy Holidays to All.

Step Up and Become a Truck Driver!

Do you want to find a job that will earn you a $35,000 income for the first year and the chance to travel all around the U.S?  Then know that truck driving is the only way to go. Lately, truck driving has become very popular. Today there are over 3 million people that drive a truck for a living. Most people do not realize the fact that 78% of the products they consume are handled by a truck at one point in time. This shows how important truck drivers are in the marketplace.
 
Due to the level of responsibility required to drive a Big Rig, most companies are now asking for a few requirements before you can become a truck driver. One of the most common requirements is to have completed your high school education, or have a GED certificate (General educational development). Another common requirement is that the applicant has to maintain a clean driving record; if you have excessive moving violations and/or any DUI (Driving under the Influence) convictions, it may disqualify you from trucking. The employers must also conduct pre-employment and periodic drug testing; failing this test may result in immediate termination.

A Question from Connor......comment below if you can help him out....

HI, I am a recent (2006) CDL A grad and Can't seem to get a job, my skills are good but as time goes on I am thinking I may forget everything any ideas how to get a job for someone that has less then a full month of driving experence? I have tried local jobs(dump truck for example) as well as OTR but most want at least 3 months or more and now that its been more then a year after my graduation, they say i now need a refresher course....which I don't really have the money for. The school I went to was Swift. Any Ideas would be very helpful,

Connor

• Want better pay
• Don’t want to drive anymore
• Want shorter hours
• Job didn’t meet expectations
• Want better benefits

Those are the top five reasons truck drivers quit their jobs according to a fleet manager survey conducted by Goss Gilroy, Inc. Management Consultants for TruckNews.com.

The Boss has something to say about Truck Drivers Salary. Give us your opinion below.

I think that the status quo of keeping drivers away from home 6 out of 7 days a week is barbaric.  Everyone cannot get a local job.  Also those who prefer to stay out most of the time
should be allowed that option.  As for the rest of us i think that 4 days out and 3 days home as a ratio would be a lot more civilized.

Obviously trucking needs to be more efficient and pay a little better for this to be a reality.  However I believe that 84 hours (4 days) a week is more than ample time devoted to earning money a week.

I suggest hybrid pay Hourly and mileage.  Hourly requires everyone involved to respect a drivers time.  Mileage encourages driver productivity, and makes the job more exciting.

For the first time in more than a year, the driver turnover rate has dropped for large truckload carriers. The turnover rate change concerns only employee, over-the-road, line-haul drivers, according to the American Trucking Associations (ATA) which issued the report. But keep reading; the news isn't as good as it sounds.

JWELLSBROWN wants to know the state of the refrigerated trucking job market. Here's what he has to say, please comment below if anyone has input.....

refrigerated trucking- anything good happening in this business right now?  

looking at career change and wondering if this is a good place to be.  thanks.

Appropriately enough, their last name is Rider. Texans Al (52) and Mary (48) Rider epitomize a new breed of truck driver -- retirees starting a second career behind the wheels of a big rig truck. Men, women, couples, retirees, downsized managers, laid off workers -- all nearing or well past 50 -- are finding jobs in the trucking industry. Dubbed "too old" by many employers, they still have 10 to 20 good working years left in them and are eager to work.

With the current shortage of truck drivers expected to continue well into the next decade, trucking companies are welcoming seniors with open arms. "We're short 20,000 drivers now and will need 110,000 within 10 years," said Rob Reich, VP of recruiting for Schneider National, Inc. "With maturity comes a methodical way of thinking and an understanding of limitations. That translates into safe drivers." With one-third of their 15,500 drivers past 50, Schneider earned kudos from senior organization AARP for recognizing the contributions seniors can make to industry.

For retirees, the benefits of hitting the road in a big rig are substantial. They earn money, do useful work, see the country -- the Riders have visited 45 states so far -- and become part of the close-knit trucking community. For the Riders, it's even rekindled the romance in their marriage. Al recommends more couples try life on the road. Relying on each other, helping each other, solving problems together and hours of talking during the long drives have strengthened their relationship. The only drawback? Sometimes you have to swallow your pride, Al said. "She's a better driver than me, but I hate to admit it!"

Hey all...Charlie is just starting out as a driver, if anyoione can give some input here, thanks....Here's what Charlie wants to know...

I'm going to be graduating from a private Truck Drivers School here in SW Ohio by the end of the month and need good solid advise for someone just starting out. What company's to "stay away from" and what to look out for. Thanks, Charlie H

You've scoped out the trucking companies, compared features and talked to other truckers to get the low-down.  You've narrowed it down to a short list of companies you'd like to drive for. It's time to schedule some interviews. The recruiter will have plenty of questions for you, then it's your turn. Asking questions tells the recruiter you're interested, you've done your homework, and you're serious about the job.

Here are some questions to get you thinking. Take your list of questions with you to the interview and make notes so you rememeber what was said. It will help you compare one company to another when you're ready to make your choice. Good luck!

• What is your home time?
• What is your pay rate? How is that calculated? Book miles, PC miler, etc.?
• Do you provide insurance? Dental? Vision? What company is it with? Do you have to go to plan doctors? How much does insurance cost? Does the company pay a percentage? When does it kick in?  Is family coverage available and how much does it cost?
• Do you offer a 401k? When will I be eligible?
• How are tolls paid? How are expenses submitted? How long do reimbursements take?
• Do tucks have APU? If not, do you pay for idle air?
• Do you allow inverters and what size?
• Do you have bonus programs (safety, fuel, etc.)?
• Is there forced dispatch?
• What is your layover pay policy?
• What is your detention pay policy?
• Do you offer vacation? How many days?  Is it paid? When will I be eligible?
• What is your rider policy and is there a cost?
• Are accidents and damaged freight charged to the driver?
• What about no touch freight?
• If the driver assists with unloading, is it paid? How much?
• Where are your terminals?
• Is all maintenance done at the yard? What about non-emergency maintenance?
• Is there an orientation and/or training period? How long is it? Is it paid? How do I get there? Are hotels and meals paid? Is in-truck training done with a trainer or by team driving?

 

 

When it comes to job hunting, truckers are in the driver's seat. There is such high demand for new drivers right now that you can afford to be choosy in deciding who to drive for. But how do you decide?

• Start with a list of questions (check our next post for a list to get you started). Ask each recruiter the same questions and write down the answers. Don't trust your memory. By the time you finish the third interview, it will be hard to remember exactly who said what.
• Before you start comparing companies, weed out the obvious no's. If the recruiter didn't give you straight answers to your questions, if he didn't show up on time or kept you waiting, if he took phone calls during the interview, if he changed the offer, if something just doesn't sound or feel right, don't waste your time. Cross that company off your list and move on.
• Sit down with your interview notes and the literature you received and make a point-by-point comparison. Scratch off the list those companies that don't have everything you're looking for.
• Find out what other truckers think of the companies left on your list. Check out the boards and chat rooms to see what other truckers are saying. Narrow your list.
• Make an appointment to visit the yards of your top two or three choices. Do you like what you see? Are drivers respected? Is equipment cared for? How do you feel about the people you'll be working with? This is really the acid test and the best way to find out if you and the company will be a good fit for each other.

Next time: Questions to ask when you apply for a trucking job.                   

Think a life on the road is for you? Truck driving  jobs are plentiful right now and truckers are in high demand. You don't have to jump at the first job you see. You can afford to spend a little time thinking about your goals and doing a little prep work so you get the trucking job you really want.

Plan ahead. Think about what you want both today and a few years down the road. Set some short and long-term goals. Remember to be flexible. Life changes so make sure what you do today prepares you for tomorrow. You might want long-hauls now; but if you get married and have kids, you might decide to switch to short-hauls so you can play catch with your kids in the evening. Do you want the responsibility and physical labor involved in pick ups and deliveries or do you just like to drive? If you like to call your own shots, you might consider becoming an owner/operator. If management appeals to you, consider looking for a job with a large company. What you want now and in the future should determine the type of job you look for today.

Check 'em out. When you find a trucking job that will help you meet your goals, take some time to research the company. Google them on the internet or check them out on one of the websites listed below. You should find out where they're headquartered and whether they have national or regional routes. Find out what kind of hauling they do and whether they specialize. Ask how long they've been in business. Firms with longevity are more likely to be with you for the long haul. Check to see if they have been involved in any lawsuits and ask why. The way a firm treats its truckers and whether it supports them will help you decide whether you want to drive for them.

Talk it up. Talk to other drivers to find out what they think about different companies and which ones they've liked driving for. Be sure you talk to more than one driver. The first guy you talk to could just be full of sour grapes. Check out the online truck driving forums, chat rooms and bulletin boards. They're a great place to get the inside scoop on jobs and truck companies. Talking to other truckers is the surest fastest way to get honest answers to your questions.

Where do you go to get info on truck companies and jobs? Check Trucker to Trucker first (click the link), then try these other websites for more information:

• 4CDLjobs.com is a one-stop source for trucking opportunities where you can find out about companies, jobs, schools, news and more.
• everytruckjob.com offers a listing of trucking companies from A to Z with info on each company and contact info.
• bubbajunk.com is an all inclusive job site allowing you to search for truck jobs by type, company, and state.
• trucknet.com lets you search for jobs by position, company and state and offers an easy online application..

You'll find more excellent tips on choosing a career in trucking and how to apply for a job on our Tucker to Trucker website; just click the link..

www.truckroute.net is now hiring drivers to do truck stop reviews. This is a great way for drivers to earn extra cash for doing what they do anyway. If hired, you will be asked to rate various truck stops accross the country for ease of entry, level of parking, restaurant quality, restroom and shower cleanliness, friendliness of staff and more. Salaries are paid on a per entry basis. For more information contact Ronald A. Nunn Sr. at Rojack Communications rojack@truckersmail.com

Can anyone help this lady out?

I need to know if there is a company that would hire me to drive and do paperwork. I'm finding that I need to be able to lift from 50-75pounds before I can drive for any company.
I had surgery on my back and I have no trouble driving and doing paperwork. I would even drive as a team driver. I just want back out on the road.
Thank you.
JoAnn Masterjohn

Email JoAnn

Tim is looking for info on Schaffer Trucking.

http://www.shaffertrucking.com

Here's what he has to say....

Getting ready to go to work for Shaffer. What do you guys out there know about working for shaffer?

 

Give us your input.....