Careers After High School

Careers in Trucking

The ten hottest careers for high school graduates may be why student loans are at an all time high. You need to decide if those are one of the jobs you really want, or just something from one of those high school graduation speeches that sounded good at the moment. A search for a trucking career after high school graduation means you're not stuck behind a desk job 9 to 5. You're free to see parts of the world you'd never get to visit.

Coast-to-coast, trucks are on the road carrying everything the nation needs: food, furniture, clothing, automobiles and medical supplies, around the clock. Trucks are at work for you, even at this very moment. A shortage exists in some segments that could change our distribution system. It's a shortage of men and women qualified to drive trucks. Trucking companies are offering better wages and benefits to attract and retain good drivers for trucking careers after high school. The trucking industry expects to hire many drivers -men, women, and minorities - each year. The prospects for an exciting and rewarding career as a professional truck driver have never been better! Are you looking for a job, money, a future and security? The transportation industry is your answer.

Four levels to get you on to the open road are:

• Truck Driver
• Commercial Truck Driver
• Diesel Truck Driver
• Professional Truck Driver

A search for a trucking career after high school should begin with what you really want out of a job. Is a career other than trucking something you're after, or just what is expected?
Any student in grades 9 - 12 who is unsure or who wants to confirm a career choice can benefit by being assessed in high school. Career assessment becomes more valuable the closer a student is to graduation. Many times 11th and 12th graders are unsure of a career path and the abilities and strengths that can lead to different career clusters or specific jobs.

Commercial truck knowledge provides students with hands-on instruction on all sizes of trucks, trailers and diesel-powered equipment. Student learning about truck techniques will learn how to diagnose, repair and maintain vehicles using hand and power tools as well as the most modern computerized industry equipment.

Find a truck driving and technician school that is ASE certified in areas including brakes, diesel engines, drive trains, suspension and steering, electrical and electronic systems, heating and air conditioning, and preventative maintenance inspection.

Areas to learn more about to become ready for your career are:

• Air, Hydraulic and ABS Brake Systems
• Preventative Maintenance Inspections
• Electrical Systems including Electronic Engine and Transmission Controls
• Drive Train, including the Replacement and Service of Transmission and Clutches
• Steering and Suspension Systems
• Heating and Air Conditioning Systems including Transport Refrigeration
• Diesel and Gasoline Engines

Trucking - A Job for You

Requirements: To qualify for a truck driving job with a company operating in interstate commerce, a driver must meet the minimum requirements prescribed in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations guide. In addition to Federal regulations, most companies have other rules and guidelines which a driver must follow.

Age: While many states allow those 18 and older to drive trucks within state borders, federal regulations require drivers operating across state lines to be at least 21 years of age.

License: Every truck driver must have a valid Commercial Driver's License (CDL) issued by a state. A commercial driver can hold a license from only one state.

Physical Condition: The U.S. Department of Transportation requires a driver to have a complete physical examination at least every two years. A driver must not have suffered any loss of hand, arm, foot or leg movement, nor have any physical defect or disease likely to interfere with safe driving. A driver must not have a medical history or clinical diagnosis of diabetes that requires insulin for control.

Vision: A driver must have a minimum of 20/40 vision in each eye, with or without corrective lenses, and have a 70 degree field of vision in each eye. Drivers may not be color blind.

Hearing: A driver must be capable of perceiving a forced whisper in the better ear at not less than five feet, with or without the use of a hearing aid.

Education: All drivers must be able to read and speak English well enough to understand traffic signs, prepare required reports, and speak with law enforcement authorities and the public. (Note: Some companies may have additional educational requirements.)

Safety: The U.S. Department of Transportation sets safety rules for interstate truck drivers (vehicle inspection, hours of service, etc.), and drivers must learn these rules and comply with them. Most states have adopted similar rules for intrastate drivers.

Substance Abuse: Strict regulations forbid the use of alcohol or drugs prior to or while operating commercial vehicles. Drivers are subject to drug and alcohol testing by their employers and by law enforcement officials. All drivers must pass a pre-employment drug test and are subject to random, reasonable-suspicion, post-accident, return-to-duty and follow-up alcohol and drug testing. A driver must have no current clinical diagnosis of alcoholism, and must not use any drugs which could affect his or her ability to safely operate a commercial motor vehicle.

Criminal/Driving Record: A driver must not have been convicted of a felony involving the use of a commercial motor vehicle; using a truck in the commission of a crime involving drugs; driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol; or leaving the scene of an accident involving a commercial motor vehicle.

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