There are many reasons to consider a new career as a professional truck driver.
The commercial truck industry plays an important role in the national economy which should give drivers a sense of accomplishment. In a column published by , Bob Costello, president of the American Trucking Associations wrote about the important role the trucking sector is playing in today鈥檚 economy.
鈥淭here is no industry more essential to the health and welfare of the U.S. economy than the trucking industry,鈥� Costello wrote. 鈥淎merica鈥檚 trucks move the vast majority of America鈥檚 freight 鈥� from farm to factory to warehouse to retailer to home, trucks dominate freight transportation.鈥�
Costello added that 鈥淲hen looking at the industry, it is important to appreciate its size. Acc颅ording to the Department of Transportation, there are more than one million interstate motor carriers 鈥� including for-hire, private fleets and owner-operators. And those carriers moved 9.7 billion tons of freight in 2013 鈥� nearly 70 percent of all the tonnage moved by trucks.鈥�
With trucks playing such an important role in the national economy, becoming a professional truck driver could be a great way for you to enter a profession that allows you to make a difference and feel good about the work you are doing.
鈥淓very grocery store, shopping center, car dealership, book颅store or pharmacy gets their goods via truck,鈥� Costello wrote. 鈥淎nd in today鈥檚 on-demand economy, every time a person clicks the checkout button on an online retailer, another bit of freight is put on the back of a truck. Trucking is a $681 billion industry; more than 81 percent of all freight-related dollars were paid to the trucking industry. With more than 3.2 million drivers 鈥� and 7 million employees overall 鈥� trucking really is the lifeblood of the U.S. economy.鈥�
The size and growth of the trucking industry is another reason why this is a great career opportunity. The truck industry continues to grow and there is a need for thousands of more CDL trained commercial truck drivers.
In fact, the demand for more drivers is so great that many truck carriers are looking for ways to entice more drivers through higher pay and tuition reimbursement for CDL programs.
鈥淐on-way Truckload is rolling out a new tuition reimbursement program to entice new drivers to work for the company after attending a professional driving school,鈥� . 鈥淭he program will contribute up to $4000 to students attending or enrolling in a professional driving school to earn a commercial driver鈥檚 license. A will be offered upon graduation and a driver must work for Con-way for a year to receive the full amount.鈥�
Demand for trucking services continues to grow across the country. However, truck carriers are struggling to find enough qualified driver to meet that demand and its forcing trucking carriers to look for creative ways to encourage more individuals to consider a career as a commercial truck driver.
鈥淧rofessional truck drivers are essential to our nation鈥檚 economy and with the current driver shortage, we鈥檙e looking for more ways to help bring new professionals into the industry,鈥� said Bert Johnson, vice president of human resources at Con-way.
In its article, TruckingInfo.com reported that 鈥淐onway will make monthly payments on a student鈥檚 loan for the first 12 months of employment with the company. After the year is up, the rest of the reimbursement will be paid in a lump sum. The new program replaces Con-way鈥檚 previous tuition assistance program that gave $2,000 reimbursements.鈥�
As truck carriers continue to look for thousands of new truck drivers, now is the perfect time to launch a new trucking career. The CDL training program at Advanced puts students at the top of the list for some of the best truck driving jobs in the country and is helping hundreds of jobseekers launch a new career in one of America鈥檚 fastest growing employment fields. The quality of education at Advanced can help many students graduate from the CDL training program with multiple job offers and opportunities.
This is a great time to consider a new career as a professional truck driver, especially as the industry continues to grow and truck carriers increase their incentives for new drivers.
