No pun intended – but truck driving really is a career that drives the economy. We have already seen a surge in demand for truck drivers as the economy turned the corner. Most retailers will report much higher spending this Christmas compared to last Christmas and this only augers well for the new year. Recent reports suggest that 2010 may be a bumper year. Many people held off buying big ticket items due to the recession – whilst prices are down due to competition, buyers will take advantage.

We rely on our trucking industry to help us move stock. Whether it is from wharf to retailer, or factory dock to retailer, they all rely on trucks. In fact, factories rely on trucks to deliver the raw materials as well – and we rely trucks to deliver our food from the farm to the retailer. Almost every aspect of our economy has a truck component. This makes truck driving one of the most valuable skills in the country.

Generally speaking, everyday Americans take all this for granted. They don’t realize the significant role that truck drivers play in their daily lives. At least, until the roads are closed, or something else prevents deliveries getting through. Then, everyone is ready to complain. I know many truck drivers that do everything possible to get their loads delivered. If roads are closed, they will seek an alternative route.

Truck driving is a career that doesn’t get the respect it deserves. But then, it is only one of many in that situation. There is a lot of personal satisfaction involved and it does pay a good wage compared to many other professions. If you are interested in a career in truck driving, we can help. Our truck driver training program can have you on the road within a month of commencing your training. What are you waiting for? The economy needs you!

Does a truck driving career interest you at all? Local truck drivers have the best of all worlds. They get to spend their days driving around their area making deliveries and pick ups where necessary. At the same time, they are home for dinner each night – there is no overnight driving involved. Better yet, local truck drivers are well paid for their efforts – in this case, it’s three strikes and you’re in.

Did I say three strikes? There is more. Training to become a truck driver can be completed in just three weeks. When we say training, we are talking about comprehensive training that will have you ready to pass the commercial drivers license written test as well as the practical component. Our training focuses on the knowledge and skills required to be a good driver – anyone can drive in a straight line, but can you reverse a tractor-trailer? You will be able to once you have completed your training.

That is one skill that is obviously necessary. There are many others. Driving in traffic can be difficult given the unpredictability of other drivers. Being able to drive safely is an important consideration. Do you know how far a truck will go when full brakes are applied at 50 mph? You need to. Am I scaring you? I hope not. Once you complete a truck driver training program at ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools you will have all these skills.

As the oldest and most successful heavy equipment school in the country, we know exactly what skills are required to succeed in the work place. We know what employers want and we know what the licensing authorities want. We deliver to those requirements so you can start delivering to their requirements.

With over 45 years experience in truck driver training, we have built a large database of employers ready to hire our graduates. Complete your training and pass your commercial drivers license test and one of those employers could be your first boss. What are you waiting for? You could be driving a truck in just over three weeks.

There is a lot of hidden talent in the US today with many former truck drivers either not working or working at non-driving jobs. Many of those drivers have let their commercial drivers license lapse as well so they have written off ever returning to the industry. Perhaps it’s time for a rethink. Times have changed, we have more trucks on the road now and there are some road rules and regulations that have also been updated or introduced.

If you’re a former truck driver then the bottom line is – your skills and knowledge are in demand. The way to resolve the issue is to undertake a short three week truck driver training program, resit your commercial drivers license tests and you’re ready to take to the highways again. You may think it’s a bore redoing the training, perhaps even unnecessary. You could be right but we can all use refresher courses occasionally and if you have been out of the cab for five years or more, then you really do need it.

The nation is now going through a period of rebuilding and this is putting a strain on the resources we currently have – including commercial drivers. Working conditions for truck drivers are much better these days and so too is the remuneration packages on offer. What can you offer the industry? A lot! You know the score. You know the highways and you know the routine when it comes to loading and unloading. It may be several years old, but that knowledge still places you ahead of green drivers coming through with no experience.

If you have a yearning to return to the truck driving profession then give us a call. We can discuss your truck driver training options and the quickest path back to a commercial drivers license and employment.

Like the idea of driving trucks? If you answered yes then now is the time to get your commercial drivers license. The economy has well and truly turned the corner and shoppers’ confidence is returning in big numbers. This means more goods are being transported which leads to more trucks on the road which in turn leads to a greater demand for drivers.

Add to the mix the rapidly approaching Christmas period and you have a shopkeeper’s dream. For shopkeepers to stock their shelves and keep them stocked, we need a large fleet of commercial trucks traveling from factory to warehouse and from warehouse to shopfront. Over the past eighteen months shopkeepers dropped their stock inventories – now they are fast tracking the restocking.

The American economy rides on the back of our transport industry. Road freight may only be one component of that transport industry – it is a big component. Drivers operate long hours and on interstate runs, may be away from home for several days at a time. The upside is the freedom that driving a truck brings together with a reasonably good pay check.

Truck driving is not as easy as it seems. Sure, you sit behind the wheel for long hours. However, navigating through towns, around road construction sites and in heavy traffic takes a lot of skill. Even more skill is required as these drivers reverse those rigs into fairly small loading bays.

These skills and more are learned through commercial drivers license training. This training not only provides the skills, it prepares you to pass and receive your CDL ready to start work as a truck driver.

Truck driving is one of those skills that never goes unnoticed in the work place. Most businesses will generally employ specialist truck drivers to do the work required. It’s common sense. However, truck drivers are human, (at least I think they are) so they fall victim to all the human ailments that are around at the time. We are now heading into winter and that brings with it coughs, colds and winter flus. How does a business cope when one or more of their regular truck drivers falls ill?

Some companies are smart and have a list of casual drivers on file. If a regular truck driver is unavailable, they just call on one of their casuals. Smaller businesses don’t always have that luxury. Their only approach to the problem is to quickly ring everyone and tell them their deliveries will be late. It’s not great for customer service particularly if the delivery winds up being a week late.

What about the truck driver? They have been off sick for a day or two now whilst still feeling a little off color. They have to do twice as much work to catch up as soon as possible. It’s probably not fair on them and could lead to a relapse.

As a business, you do have another alternative and that is to ensure you have other workers who have the necessary truck driving skills. They could be storemen, shipping clerks, general office employees. In fact, as a manager, you could benefit from additional skills as well. With that sort of approach, you will always have a regular supply of drivers on hand. Your business will not suffer through lack of driving skills and your workers will appreciate the added skills. Truck driver training is a quick training program that only lasts three weeks. It is certainly worth consideration.

There are a lot of highly skilled workers who spend their days driving trucks for a living. A commercial drivers license opens up many opportunities and if heavy equipment skills are added the opportunities get even wider.

One of the jobs that many truck drivers undertake is the pick up and delivery of heavy equipment. Truck drivers normally arrive at the pick up point, wait for someone to load the heavy equipment onto the truck then transport it to its destination. Once again they may be forced to wait until someone arrives to unload the equipment.

It’s a straight forward enough job for the truck driver – apart from the waiting. It would be far more more convenient if the truck driver could arrive at the pickup point and load the heavy equipment onto his truck himself. Likewise, once he gets to the end of his journey, then unloading the heavy equipment and moving on to the next job.

It makes sense and many truck drivers do undertake heavy equipment training to augment their work. They also find themselves in big demand with employers recognizing the value of employing multi-skilled workers. Being multi-skilled, you do of course open the door to a great many employment opportunities, the chief of which is the transportation of heavy equipment.

If you have a commercial drivers license and you are looking to add skills to your repertoire – consider training to become a heavy equipment operator. There is work available across the nation as both heavy equipment operators and as truck drivers. There is also a lot of work available for those who can do both.

Truck drivers have had a bad reputation over the years. I am not sure why when you consider the training, the skills and road knowledge that is required to obtain a commercial drivers license (CDL). The image hasn’t been good but it is built more on perception than fact.

I know what it’s like to be driving down a highway, late at night, only to have a big tractor trailer come bearing down on you from behind. It can be a scary feeling. If you ever get the opportunity, you should climb into the passenger’s seat of one of these big rigs and go for a drive. You will come to realize fairly quickly that every thing is different. The driver does have control and although they do come thundering up behind another car, the truck driver has a great view of the road ahead. He does know what he is doing.

In fact, if you are the truck driver, there is nothing like the view, the power of the engine under you, and the feel of the road in front of you. Even after 40 years, I know drivers who fret to get back out on the road after a long weekend away.

Truck driving can be an awesome job. The hours are long, but the pay is pretty good. When you climb into the cab, you are in charge – you’re the boss. Sure, you do have a supervisor somewhere who is watching to ensure you arrive and leave on time – but they are not in the cab with you, or leaning over your shoulder.

Obtaining a commercial driver license requires knowledge of road rules, the ability to drive a truck, and knowledge of safety procedures. Training for a commercial drivers license can be done in as little as three weeks. In fact, within a month of starting you training program, you could be on the road, driving for a living.

Now here is an unusual vehicle and an unusual truck driving job – operating a vacuum truck. As the name suggests, it is a truck that has a vacuum attachment and just like your home vacuum, it is designed to clean up dirt. Instead of vacuuming carpet, the vacuum truck cleans up after an excavator has been hard at work – you could say it was an excavator’s best friend.

Excavators are good at what they do – excavate. There are a lot of different devices that can be attached to excavators, unfortunately some of them make life a little harder. There are specialized drill attachments. These are great for drilling holes but leave behind all the drill castings from the hole. Rather than change back to a bucket to remove these castings, a vacuum truck works with the excavator sucking up the dirt as it is removed from the drill hole.

Of course, excavators themselves can only do so much. Their buckets can dig trenches and remove a high percentage of the dirt, however, the remnants often need removing by hand, or by vacuuming. Imagine removing sand from a child’s sand pit using a bucket and spade. Eventually you will be left with small amounts – too small for the bucket and spade to be effective. You could use something smaller, like a teaspoon to get at that last little bit – or a vacuum cleaner to do the job quickly – the same is true in construction.

Are there special skills require to operate a vacuum truck – not really, just a commercial drivers license. It’s an unusual job but one that does what would normally take several men many hours to do using hand tools. If you’re ever at an excavation site – keep your eyes open to see if they are using a vacuum cleaner on wheels – the vacuum truck, an excavator’s best friend.

Are you a heavy equipment operator that needs to move their own equipment? If so, then a commercial drivers license (CDL) is the only way to go. A class-A commercial drivers license allows you to drive trucks on the public highways and is the trucking equivalent to a standard drivers license.

Truck driver courses go for three weeks and include both in classroom and hands on training. The object of the training is to give you the knowledge and skills that will enable you to pass your class-A commercial drivers license test. This knowledge includes road rules and safety along with skills required to safely and efficiently drive a truck.

On the road training includes highway driving, reversing and parking, along with the many other skills required to drive any vehicle, trucks in particular. ATS has over 45 years experience in truck driver training – in fact, truck driver training was the starting point for the business.

Over the past 45 years ATS has established an enviable reputation for providing skilled operators who generally have little trouble gaining their Class-A CDL. There are many heavy equipment operators trained by ATS in the workplace who have turned to us for help in achieving their Class-A CDL. The only reason they return is because the quality of the training has helped them succeed in their chosen career.

If you’re a heavy equipment operator looking to open up your career options, consider adding a class-A commercial drivers license to your set of skills. It will open more doors than you can imagine.

As follow up to yesterday’s post detailing the skills of a crane operator, today’s post details the skills required to apply for most truck driving jobs. The most important component to any truck driving job is the commercial drivers license that all truck drivers need to obtain.

Your commercial drivers license really only says that you are competent at driving a truck and that you know the road rules. The license says nothing about the other skills that truck drivers generally require. Here is a list of some of the skills that employers may be looking for when recruiting new drivers.

• Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles of the size required for the job. This could range from a dump truck to tractor-trailer combination.
• Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stopping, and handling of materials.
• Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Being able to maintain records such as drivers logs, mileage and fuel details, deliveries and any other associated documentation.

Does it sound daunting? It isn’t. With experience these tasks are done almost without thinking. Most of them are also covered to some extent in any training you undertake. Operating the truck is only one part of your job. At your destination you may be expected to unload, or at least help, to unload your vehicle. You will also have to supervise the loading to ensure there is a reasonable distribution of weight.

Truck driver training covers a lot of the skills mentioned in this post. Obviously, truck driver training focuses first on learning to drive a truck and knowledge of the road rules required to gain your CDL. Experience over time helps to fill in any of gaps. If you have a flair for any of those skills then why not consider a career as a truck driver?