Brett R. Aquila

Ok, now regional truck driving jobs are a great option for many people. With regional jobs you are usually out 5 days a week and home on weekends. Now understand something: the freight you will be trucking is usually not predictable.

Generally speaking there are a couple different types of truck driving schools you can attend. Honestly this isn't necessarily that critical of a decision. I have known tons of people that have gone through one type or the other and both seem to do just fine. There are a couple things you should know though.

Some trucking companies offer their own driving schools. This can also be a good option but be aware of a couple differences. For starters, a company is going to train you according to what THEY want out of you. They have a certain set of equipment, a certain set of rules, and sometimes a certain type of freight.

If you decide to attend driving school at a trucking company....let the propaganda begin! They won't waste any chance at promoting themselves, believe me. They will also make you feel like it is your privilege to be driving for them.

Prove yourself as a quality, hard-working, safe, reliable truck driver and get to know as many people in the chain of command as you can. You don't have to be a kissy-ass, but just get to know them, show them respect, and make sure you do an awesome job for them.

Over the road truck driving usually entails staying out on the road for at least three weeks at a time. Let me say this right off...if you have a family, and you would like to KEEP that family....stay away from this option. It's a family killer.

Let's talk about what exactly the truck driver is responsible for when it comes to hauling freight. To be on the safe side let's assume that the driver is responsible for absolutely everything unless I specifically say otherwise. And I probably won't say otherwise.

No matter what the size of the company you work for you must learn to deal with the people in the offices and you must try to understand as much as you possibly can about the systems they use to find freight, distribute the freight amongst the company\'s drivers, and how they handle issues like breakdowns, home time, logbooks, tractor assignments, and a whole slew of other items. I can\'t possibly stress this to you enough....the vast majority of the time you find a driver that is unhappy or unsuccessful with a company it\'s because they don\'t understand the