Second Career Truckers
Copyright S. Long
Copyright S. Long
How many times since you have started to drive have you heard, “Gee, I always wanted to drive a truck, but am too old now to do it”, from someone working at a dock or store. I hear it usually at least once a week. I tell them all the same thing, “You are never too old to start.”
Today, with the job availability scarce outside of the trucking industry and social security and retirement benefits being cut, many people think of trucking as a second career. Trucking schools advertise the ease of acquiring of CDLs and the high earnings one can make as a driver. The newspapers are full of driving jobs; therefore, trucking appears attractive to a lot of people.
Truck drivers come from all walks of life, start trucking for many different reasons and at different stages of life. The illusion of the ‘freedom of the road’ and ‘getting paid to see the country’ seem to be the main reasons people enter the industry, though economics enter in as most perceive the job of trucking to be an easy way to earn ‘big’ money for sitting on one’s toukus..
When I worked in personnel for a trucking company in the 80’s, I found many people from many different professions chucking it all and going to truck driving school to become truckers. One might think that these folks came from blue collar industrial jobs, but that was not the case, they ranged from a man who had a PhD in Education and had been a superintendent of a large school district to lawyers and doctors. Most of the white collar professionals that I worked with that wanted to be truckers, cited less job stress/job burnout as the reason they wanted to drive.
Not many women enter the industry as soon as they are old enough to get a cdl so most women enter the industry at an older age than men do, therefore trucking is almost always a second career choice for them. I have found that this is due to women’s role of family care giver and mother more than anything else. It is hard for a woman with small children to be gone for as long as the industry standards require. Some women enter in for strictly economic reasons to provide a better living for themselves and/or their children, leaving their children with other family members. The existence of non discriminatory pay is an enticement for women too.
Deciding to Drive Truck as a Second Career
A consultation with one’s family doctor is the first step in making the decision to drive truck for older people. The physical requirements of the job are demanding and health issues are a big deterrent to entering the industry, but with improved equipment and accessories, most people can drive truck as long as they are reasonably healthy. Great physical strength is not necessary, though one must be able to get in and out of the truck and do the necessary work involved in the job, but stamina is; if you get tired or stressed going to the local store, trucking is not for you. One cannot have certain health issues such as insulin dependent diabetes, vision problems or take certain prescriptions that might make one drowsy or disorientated.
Do your research on companies in your area, their requirements and what you need and expect from them. Here are a few things you have to consider:
- How often will you be home
- What are their physical requirements
- Is the pay adequate to your lifestyle
- Will the benefits cover you and your family adequately
- Driving truck is not only a career, but is a lifestyle also. Make sure that:
- You understand the scope and parameters of the job
- Your spouse and/or family understand that you will more than likely not be home often at least for the first year or two
- You can tolerate missing family events
- You can handle high stress situations
- You can stand the isolation of the road
Trucking can be adaptable to many types of situations. My favorite story of second career truckers is that of a couple from FL. He had been a railroader and she had been a postal worker. When they reached retirement age, they retired, sold their home and bought a truck and trailer. He liked to play golf, she liked to go antiquing. They got their own authority so they could go where they wanted to go. They would get a load going to where a big golf course would be, he would play golf for a few days, she would buy antiques and have them shipped home to their daughter‘s antique store, then they would get another load going somewhere else to play. They traveled the country in their truck enjoying time together and doing what they wanted to do.
Is trucking an option for you as a second career? Only you can be the judge of that, but just because you are not a spring chicken doesn’t mean you cannot drive truck. There are plenty of us older drivers out on the road running strong, loving and doing our job and many of us are second career truckers. So give it a thought and a try, you won’t know for sure until you do.
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