Being a Truck Driver: What It’s Really Like

Truck driver getting in his truck

Being a truck driver is awesome. No joke. Truck drivers are essential workers. They help keep this country running in every way. They deliver products that other businesses wouldn’t be able to function without. Truck drivers are a little like screws; most of the time, we don’t notice they’re there. But if they weren’t, everything would fall to pieces. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to work behind the scenes, now’s your chance. 

To start, most truck drivers love what they do. 

There are a lot of pluses to being a truck driver. Every day is different, which keeps work from getting boring. Traveling and meeting new people is part of the job! Truck driving often comes with good benefits, but the biggest one is knowing that people rely on you on a daily basis. Knowing your work matters makes your job so much more rewarding. 

Still, being a truck driver isn’t all sunshine and roses. It’s harder than it seems.

Managing your equipment to avoid untimely breakdowns is a big part of the job. A driver must know his (or her) truck and make sure it’s kept in great shape. Other challenges include:

 

Dealing with accidents

Even small accidents can hold you up for hours, so knowing alternate routes is necessary to avoid painfully long delays.

 

Missing equipment

You don’t always have the right equipment to do the job right, which can be a major frustration. Not having a pallet jack to help move heavy pallets or enough load locks/straps to secure the freight during transit makes life much more difficult for a truck driver. 

 

Not having the right info

Related to the last one, having the correct information before a pickup helps expedite the process. If you don’t have the right info, you might not bring the right shipment or run into other issues when you arrive at the pickup location. Knowing the right info makes it much easier to get in at out as quickly as possible. 

 

A day in the life of a truck driver is long but rewarding. 

Most truck drivers are up early, often at the crack of dawn. They’ll start their workday with a pre-trip inspection to make sure their truck is ready for the road. Then the drive begins. Some parts of it are slow and frustrating. 

Traffic and getting stuck behind a Toyota Corolla live streaming an accident isn’t fun, but it balances out. Later on, you might catch a long stretch of open road with amazing views. Somewhere around midday, truck drivers stop to take a 30 minute mandated break to avoid fatigue. 

At the receiving dock, the freight is loaded or unloaded before you continue on your way. The day usually ends in the evening, with miles and hours of driving behind you. Long-haul drivers find a good rest stop, the best of which have amenities like showers and laundry facilities, to stay for the night. Sometimes they eat out, but some drivers bring their meals from home. Many sleeper trucks even have microwaves! Not all drivers, however, will have to spend a night away from home. Unless you’re a long haul truck driver, you’ll make it home for dinner, like our drivers at BYX.

trucks at a truck stop

Truck driving is a wonderful job, but it’s a serious one too.

At the end of the day, drivers are responsible for more than the freight they’re carrying. When you’re operating a massive, potentially lethal vehicle, you’re responsible for your own life and the lives of everyone else on the road. 

Truck drivers run into all kinds of crazy drivers on the road that cut them off, race in a merging lane, or hover in their blind spot. For that reason, truck drivers have to be patient, level-headed and alert any time they’re behind the wheel. They need to take sleep seriously, too, to avoid dozing off. Truck drivers are always needed, so if traveling the freeways with your favorite tunes sounds like a good life, give it a go!

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