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Almost every type of product in this country has spent some time on a 18-wheeler before reaching its final destination as a product on American shelves. OTR or long haulers are usually able to make their own schedules.
They are often responsible for loading and unloading their cargo, keeping accurate logs or account of their activities and ensuring their equipment is in safe and good working condition. Reports indicate the average truck driver makes anywhere from $35,000 to $50,000 a year minus traveling expenses and insurance.
The government mandates maximum driving hours and rest periods between shifts. This is to help ensure the public’s safety so that drivers don’t push themselves to work when they are drowsy or tired.
However, this limits the amount of money a driver can make and husband and wife driving teams are more common as a way to compensate for the limitations. Too, companies may employ two drivers to spot each other as another way to minimize the downtime.
Interestingly enough, although the country itself has been in an economic downturn over the last couple years – the trucking industry has been all but immune to it. However, truck drivers pay (like a lot of us) has not kept pace with the higher costs of living, which results in truckers wanting to drive more miles to just keep up.
Overall job opportunities for the trucking industry are favorable -especially for long haulers. Employment of truck drivers and driver/sales workers is expected to grow 9 percent over the 2008-18 decade, which is about as fast as the average for all occupations.
As the economy grows, the demand for goods will increase, which will lead to more job opportunities. Because it is such a large occupation, 291,900 new jobs will be created over the 2008-18 period.
Finally, the number of heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers is expected to grow 13 percent between 2008 and 2018.
Lets hope that as part of that growth trucking companies add competent safety personnel to keep the drivers and the equipment up to par.
Far too many trucking companies are mainly concerned with keeping the trucks on the road and not so much with the quality of their drivers. There are exceptions however and some companies recognize that safety compliance by their drivers saves them money in the long run.
If a member of your family has been seriously injured in a truck wreck in Texas, all us for a no obligation consultation about your rights and options as soon as possible after the wreck. Please know that early investigation can make a big difference in many truck wreck cases.
