More Considering Second Careers in Truck Driving
By Yaffa Klugerman
January 20, 2012
David Clayton, 47, had just retired from a 25-year law enforcement career when life on the road beckoned. While growing up on a ranch, he learned to drive cattle trucks at an early age, so a second career in truck driving seemed like a natural choice. Currently, he is enrolled in a six-week program at San Jacinto College in Pasadena, Texas, to earn his Commercial Driver's License.
Truck driving, he explains, "challenges you. You constantly have to learn. Laws change, vehicles change, routes you drive change, so you're constantly in a challenging and learning environment. That's why I like it."
John Stephens, who teaches the course at San Jacinto, sees students like Clayton all the time. "Just about every one of our students that come through has had some former occupation in another area," he says. "Their jobs have played out, or they've just gotten to the point in their lives where they're ready to start driving. They've always wanted to drive, but they've had other careers."
The Economy Plays A Role
The economy is another important factor. Jacob Richards, who runs The Truckers Agency, a Michigan-based business that specializes in helping first-time truck drivers acquire their CDL, notes that the vast majority of his applicants are people who have worked in at least one other field that has dried up.
"The general theme is that they had steady work doing whatever it was that they did until the economy started to tank, the housing market crashed, and all their work just disappeared," Richards says. "Many people toughed it out for a couple of years, trying to stay in their chosen field until the economy turned around, but at this point most people have burnt through their savings and desperately need a recession-proof job."
Truck driving is a career considered by many to be a sure bet. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were about 3.2 million truck drivers and driver/sales workers in 2008, and close to 300,000 new truck driving jobs are expected to be created by 2018. Still, points out Stephens, the industry has not been immune to economic fluctuations: Because manufacturing and production dropped during the recession, trucking companies suffered as a result, and fewer truck driving jobs were available.
But that has changed. "The trucking companies are now in drastic need of drivers," Stephens says. "I've got several companies locally around here, and they need anywhere from 10 to 20 drivers right now."
Improvements to a Difficult Profession
To be sure, truck driving is not a career for everyone. The physical demands include driving for many hours, loading and unloading cargo, and making deliveries. In addition, long-haul truck drivers often spend days or weeks away from home, and they must deal with boredom, fatigue, and loneliness.
But the industry has improved in recent years, notably with regards to safety. According to regulations from the U.S. Department of Transportation, a long-distance driver may drive for no more than 11 hours per day, and work a total of no more than 14 hours, including driving and non-driving duties. Between working periods, drivers must have at least 10 hours off duty, and they cannot work more than 60 hours a week without being off duty for at least 34 hours straight.
Salaries and benefits have increased as well. "These students that graduate here can expect to make between $35-$45,000 the first year out," Stephens says. "That's really not bad, considering that they're still in training for the first year and still learning the industry. I have several students that graduated 10-11 years ago that are making six figures now."
Assistance is Available
Finally, more opportunities exist to help prospective truck drivers get their training. The Truckers Agency, for example, helps pair up potential truck drivers with companies that want to train them and offer them full-time jobs. The company - which offers its services for free - examines each application to determine which company would best suit each applicant.
Financial aid for training is sometimes available as well. A new grant at San Jacinto College from the DOT covers the full cost of tuition and fees - just over $2,000 - for 48 students. The grant is aimed at attracting more qualified drivers to the industry in Texas.
"This will help individuals who would like to come to truck driving and can't afford it," says Stephens. "It will change their life, because trucking is a lifestyle change, not just a career change."
That lifestyle change, though difficult, can be a worthwhile change for many. "Trucking," says Richards, "is definitely an industry where those who are informed and work hard can expect to be rewarded with a steadily increasing salary, new benefits, and a pretty clear path to becoming an owner-operator and a small business owner."
