Truckers- They're not Just Holding a Steering Wheel

Trucking jobs aren’t just about driving. When you think of a job in trucking, you think about riding down the big road, living the American dream, steering and gearing.

But there’s more to trucking that sitting behind the wheel.

There’s regular old freight trucking (dry goods like toilet paper, cereal, packages). But there’s also flatbed trucking (steel coils, pipes), refrigerated trucking–called reefers (temperature sensitive goods like ice cream, frozen dinners, produce), tankers (liquid or gaseous substances like gasoline, milk, and propane), and car hauling.

All of these require special knowledge and training.

Flatbed trucking requires a knowledge of how to properly tie down a load- whether it’s a load of pipes, steel coils or a giant piece of construction equipment. If the load isn’t tied down correctly, the flatbedder runs the risk of the load shifting or coming loose and causing an accident.

Refrigerated trucking involves a cooling/heating unit on the front of the trailer that has to be set at a certain temperature. The trucker has to check his paperwork to be sure he has the unit set at the correct temperature for the load. He has to continually check the cooling unit to be sure it is working properly and that the temperature is right (to be sure no one changed his settings while he was sleeping or away from the truck). He often has to have the trailer washed out between loads to avoid contamination and very often will need to unload the trailer by hand- taking each and every carton off the pallets they were shipped on and putting them on the pallets used by the grocer receiver.

Tanker trucking means the trucker has a special endorsement on his CDL (commercial driver’s license). He has to study up and learn how liquids will affect his driving. For instance, when he come to a stop, the liquid may build up and suddenly slosh to the front of the tank which can push the entire vehicle forward regardless of the brakes. And on a fast turn, the liquid will slosh to one side, offsetting the weight of the truck and potentially causing the truck to flip over. He also has to know how to hook up the hoses and work the equipment to unload.

Car haul trucking means knowing how to drive the cars onto the truck and tie them down. Car haulers need to know how to tie the cars down so that they don’t come loose. They need to know how to work their hydraulic controls to place their ramps so that they have a legal load (they cannot be taller than 14 feet) and yet can maximize their space to fit as many cars on as possible. They often have to work in poor conditions (summer heat, winter snow, and rain) and are often climbing around cars like a trapeze artist 14 feet in the air.

There are other trucking jobs that also require special training. Hazmat, doubles and triples, bulk, dump trucks… Every trucker, no matter what the job, has had to take tests and demonstrate to an official that they are competent to maneuver their vehicle. The point is, the driver behind the wheel is more than just a steering-wheel holder. He is a highly trained professional.