Truck Driver - Keep on Truckin'!

Dec 27, 2006

Have you ever wanted to work at a job with lots of freedom? A job where you don't have your boss peering over your shoulder while you work. What about getting paid to travel the country? DG Sutherland has been working as a Line Haul Transport Driver (truck driver) for over 25 years.

Training & Equipment

Special licenses and training are required before ya jump on a big rig, toot your horn and haul a load. Drivers operate a vehicle that's extra long, super high up and extremely heavy - not to mention the special air brakes and weird gears. Drivers need to know what they're doing and they need to know how to be safe on the roads.

Semi-truck drivers need to get their Class I License with Airbrake Endorsement (different from a car license) before they get behind the wheel. They go through one-on-one training for about a month. If you're transporting hazardous materials, like explosive or toxic materials, you need to get your Hazardous Materials Certificate (Haz Mat.) Training includes learning about the proper loads your tractor-trailer can carry and tracking your info in your Drivers' Logbook.

The Happy Driver

The best part about DG's job is the freedom and no bosses. It's almost like a paid vacation cuz you get to travel across the country and even see the sights on your downtime.

The Unhappy Driver

The worst part is that it can be lonely cuz you're away from your family for three to six weeks at a time. The other downside is that you have to "make miles" to get paid and grab your zzzzzz's at weird times.

How's The Moola?

A driver working for a company (this means he doesn't own his own rig) who drives between 10,000 and 12,000 miles a month can make between $45 - $50,000 CDN a year ($28 - $32,000 US.)

The Scariest Ride

Once in Mississippi, DG had to make it safely out of a hurricane and to a truck stop. That was definitely a nail-biter.

How Do I Get Behind the Wheel?

You must be 21 years old in order to travel state-to-state and have two to three years of truck driving experience in a city before you can drive a semi and tractor-trailer. Then you need the specified licenses (Class I.)