Are you a woman looking for a career change? Today's female workforce has opportunities that prior generations never did, including entering many lucrative fields that used to be (or are still) dominated by male workers.
Commercial truck driving is one of these lucrative careers that more and more women are choosing to pursue. Should you? Here are four reasons why the answer may be yes.
Because of the rise of e-commerce (purchasing goods online and having them delivered), the country has never needed more truck drivers. And many of those drivers already in service are close to retirement.
In 2018,
it was estimated that the nation's carriers needed to hire nearly 900,000 additional drivers just to meet current needs. This is great news for anyone looking for a career change that offers real earning potential and future growth potential.
Truck driving is often seen as a less desirable career path, so companies often struggle to fill their needs. That has resulted in higher and higher benefits, including retirement plans and paid leave. The industry also currently offers huge pay increases and large signing bonuses.
Have you thought about getting into business on your own terms? Driving a truck is one of the easiest ways. Owner-operators drive their own truck and contract to perform services for a company. All you generally need to get started is a CDL license and a leased vehicle. As your business grows, you will likely find the right opportunity to purchase equipment that will help boost your bottom line.
For any woman with an entrepreneurial streak, the opportunities are only limited by your interests. You may want to contract with other drivers to share the work, to drive your own trucks, or to work for you as a subcontractor, for instance. You could easily end up with a transport business of your very own.
When most people think about truck driving, they imagine big rigs eating up the lonely highways that criss-cross the country. They picture being alone in a cab for endless hours and gone from home for weeks or months.
And while you can choose to do long-haul trucking if that's what you want, it's not the only way to drive a truck. You can, in fact, choose the type of driving that works best for your personal situation.
If you have a family or are interested in a home life, then short-haul trucking could be right for you. Short-haul truckers operate within smaller geographical areas (such as cities, metro areas, or specific states) to deliver goods from the long-haul trucks to the end users.
Local and regional truckers generally keep normal hours and are home each night, although they do have to take on more physical labor than long-haul drivers.
Just because most truck drivers are male doesn't mean that women can't do the job just as well. Truck driving success doesn't depend on your size or stature. It does call for physical activity — including loading and unloading, moving and fixing equipment, installing chains, or securing loads. But the large majority of this work can be accomplished by anyone who's in good health and up to the task.
In reality, what women need as truck drivers is confidence and training. If you have the self-confidence and drive to work in a male-dominated industry, you can get the training to be successful.
At
Commercial Trucking School, we can help you achieve your goals as a qualified truck driver. Call today to learn more about our program.
