2 answers
Markus
Student
Bluejacket, OK
1
Question
Updated
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What do i need to be looking to when going into the trucking buiness?
i am 16 and my parents have a trucking business and i want to drive for them but don't know what to expect
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2 answers
Esteban Ramirez
Operations Manager
4
Answers
San José, Costa Rica
Updated
Esteban’s Answer
Starting in the trucking industry at 16 can be exciting and rewarding. You can get a head start by focusing on important age milestones and learning about the job's lifestyle. At 18, you can get a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) for driving within your state, but you need to be 21 to drive between states. Use these years to learn the business side from your parents, like dispatching, securing loads, and doing maintenance. Driving is just one part; you also need to prepare for a busy lifestyle with safety rules, keeping track of driving hours, passing a DOT physical exam, and learning to handle big trucks. Helping with office tasks and checking vehicles early on will really help you. This way, when you start driving, you'll know how to handle the truck and run a successful family business.
John Woollard
General Manager
60
Answers
Orlando, Florida
Updated
John’s Answer
Having a family business to step into is a major head start, so you are already ahead of most people looking at this.
The licensing is the first hurdle. You need a commercial driver's license, which you can get at 18, but there are limitations until you hit 21. Since you are only 16, you can casually study for the test far in advance and try to immerse yourself in the business in other ways, so you are ready to go as soon as you are eligible. Since it is a family business see if you can sit in on dispatch, the maintenance schedules, the fuel and route costs, the client relationships, a ride along, etc. This will bring you from a future driver to someone who can also run things in the future.
As far as the actual work, all of the drivers I have known didn't take long to adjust to the driving itself. What people underestimate are the long hours, sitting for very long periods, and the extremely strict federal rules on how many hours you can drive before you have to rest. It can also be lonely work, so you want to make sure you are up for it.
The licensing is the first hurdle. You need a commercial driver's license, which you can get at 18, but there are limitations until you hit 21. Since you are only 16, you can casually study for the test far in advance and try to immerse yourself in the business in other ways, so you are ready to go as soon as you are eligible. Since it is a family business see if you can sit in on dispatch, the maintenance schedules, the fuel and route costs, the client relationships, a ride along, etc. This will bring you from a future driver to someone who can also run things in the future.
As far as the actual work, all of the drivers I have known didn't take long to adjust to the driving itself. What people underestimate are the long hours, sitting for very long periods, and the extremely strict federal rules on how many hours you can drive before you have to rest. It can also be lonely work, so you want to make sure you are up for it.