Trucker Jobs

A trucker is another name for a truck driver of a semi-, dump truck or 18-wheel transport truck. Some truckers work on short hauls so that they work driving the truck during the day and are home again each night. Others work on long haul jobs, which means they are on the road for several days or even a week or more. Different kinds of jobs that truckers can have include hauling gravel for building roads, delivering furniture and supplies from retail stores to customers, carrying large loads of produce to market and carrying dangerous products such as oil and gas.

Some truckers own their own companies and have one or two trucks. These owner –operators sometimes lease the truck they drive or own them outright and work on a contract basis. A company driver is a trucker that works for a company driving the trucks and carrying products for that company.

Some of the various trucker jobs include:

Auto haulers – they drive trucks that carry loads of vehicles
Dry van drivers – carry loads of supplies over the highways
Flat bed drivers – these trucks have a long flat bed on the back on which they can carry a large variety of products, even fork lifts and other types of vehicles.
Reefer drivers – these trucks have freezers for carrying frozen foods
Interstate drivers – these drivers travel long distances between cities in different states, provinces or regions
Tanker drivers – they drive oil tankers and need special skills for handling liquids in large capacities.

Truckers work long hours and have to know the roads and highways really well. There are also regulations governing how long truckers can be on the road. In the European Union, they are required to take a break of at least 45 minute after driving 4.5 hours. They are not permitted to drive more than 90 hours in a two-week period. In the US and Canada, truckers are not permitted to drive more than 11 hours in a 14-hour period. In Australia, truckers must take a 30-minute break after 5 hours of driving and have a 10-hour break within a 24-hour period. Truckers need special licenses depending on the type of truck they drive.