Every year around 50,000 new truck drivers are sought out to keep up with the growing demands of the trucking industry. To meet this demand, the number of truckers is constantly increasing and there are now more truckers on our roads than ever before. Women in trucking are not only becoming local drivers, but a growing number are also deciding to become long-distance truck drivers.
Truck driving is a job where many women earn the same kind of salary as their male counterparts. Some drivers earn more than $60,000 in their first year on the job. That’s better than the first year salaries of most top graduates with professional academic degrees! As you gain experience and long driving hours, there is an excellent opportunity to further increase your salary.
How to start a trucking career
Two steps are required in your quest to enter the trucking profession: training and then obtaining a commercial driver’s license (CDL). You will need to locate a school that is close to where you live and register for a CDL training class. It is not surprising to see that up to a quarter of the classroom are women. On top of this, many would-be female truck drivers seem to outperform most of their male students on written and real driving tests! The truth is that women can be excellent truck drivers, sometimes even better than their male co-workers.
Tips for Choosing a Trucking Career for Women
You must prepare for the lifestyle that you will lead once you are hired. Remember that because you will be traveling long distances to deliver various items, there will be weeks, days, or months when you are away from family and close friends.
You should also take special steps to keep yourself safe. Females should take special care with their driving safety by keeping the doors locked at all times. Other guidelines call for you not to wear fancy jewelry, which can attract petty thieves. In fact, it is better to avoid using a purse and instead use a pocket wallet to store money or other valuables. In general, it would not be a good idea to carry large sums of money with you, as that can cause problems.
Truckers are also known to eat a lot of junk food at truck stops and fast food restaurants. This can lead to major health problems, such as heart disease, high cholesterol, and diabetes. If you can have some healthy snacks like fruits, low sodium products, this can help reduce the chance of heart disease and diabetes.
So, don’t hesitate to reach your dreams of becoming a trucker. Now is the week to get started as many truck driving businesses offer plenty of employment opportunities for both women and men.