But is this a safe thing to do? Not at all! It is always the best to check on your tablet or cell phone for a nearest truck stop where you can park the truck and rest. For that matter, you can plan your resting time beforehand.
Be Prepared to be Long Time Away From Home
Pursuing a truck driving career requires sacrificing your social life, the time you spend with your family and friends and dealing with loneliness. If you want to be successful in this job you have to accept few things.
For example, the fact that long time away from home will be nothing out of the ordinary.
It is not easy to have your office and bedroom basically at the same place. However, you can always make the best of it bringing stuff that makes you feel comfortable. For some people, that’s man’s best friend.
Trucking is best for people that are not prone to nostalgia, but have more adventurous spirit and like traveling and the excitement of the road travel.
There are some bad things that come with the trucking career, and one of them is the sedentary life. This can cause lots of discomfort as well as back pain. Of course, there are ways how you can avoid all of those problems.
First thing would be to maintain yourself active during the breaks. Don’t hesitate to bring some exercising gear with you, or even just stretching exercises would be beneficial for you. Another important thing would be to add some anatomic pillows to your truck seat.
This would allow you to maintain the correct posture even when you are feeling the most tired and can’t sit correctly. It will also help you with your mood, minimizing all the pain and will help you stay focused and less tired.
Truck Driving Career Requires Respecting the Federal Regulations
Being a good truck driver means coping with the federal safety regulations when it comes to driving a certain vehicle and of course to go by the rules. This is important for you as it shows you being a responsible driver and a reliable person which is crucial in this industry.
A driver that does not obey with the rules is not a driver that any company would want to hire. Truckers are the face of the company and showing irresponsible behavior leads to others having a bad impression for the company. This something that no company wishes for.
There are several federal regulations that need to be followed when it comes to truck driving careers. FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) requirements that are a must are the following:
- You need to have a minimum of 21 years in order to be able to drive across state lines
- You must not have disqualifying criminal felonies record. Some felonies can disqualify you from obtaining the CDL.
- Obtain CLP (commercial learner’s permit) – You can obtain your CLP at any driver’s school of your choice.
- You need to be a holder of CLP minimum 14 days
- Medical examination – A qualified medical examiner needs to perform a test in order for you to qualify as physically able to drive a commercial vehicle.
- Knowledge and skill test – You need to pass a test that would have a minimum of 30 questions and the required score is 80%
- Obtain Road Skill test for the CDL (commercial driver’s license) – You will be required to pass a Road Skill test for your CDL
- Pay the associated fees – In order to obtain all this, you will need to pay fees that can vary depending on the state where you are.
Of course, never forget the trucker supplies, since they are essential in any truck and some are a regulation must-have.
There are some things you need to pay attention to in order to stay sharp on the road, regarding your health and the safety of the vehicle. Therefore, make sure you go by the book when it comes to rules.
Eating Healthy Meals is a Challenge
Stay away from fast food!
One of the challenging and difficult moments you will have to deal with in the truck driving career is for sure the food type, quality and price.
Even though fast food is always more convenient, high calories source for a cheap price that you can get it at any fuel station, we recommend you to search for healthier options.
In order to stay in good health you need to make sure you are familiar with all the amenities for truck drivers. Check which one of them will be on your particular route, so you will know where to stop and get some quality food.
Eating healthier food such as fruits and veggies will help you stay focused while driving. The fact is, it does not tend to make you sleepy but nourishes your body and energizes it.
Make sure to always have some healthy high energy snacks around you such as granola bar, dark chocolate or bananas.
When making the route to your destination make sure you check on the healthy food places where you could stop by and get a proper meal. Making a good plan for your breaks and meal periods is important (DOL).
That way you will already know where to stop, will not lose time to check on places for food and will not eat poor quality gas station food.
Every Day is a New Adventure
Traveling is exciting!
Driving through the USA roads is even more exciting!
When on the road every day is an adventure and a new challenge. Truck driving career is for everyone out there that likes adventurous and active work place. From delivering on time, to respecting the state traffic laws, bad weather, searching for a truck stop, a fuel station or even good food, the trucking lifestyle is all about challenging yourself.
