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Heavy Truck Driver

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AVG. SALARY

$56,570

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EDUCATION

Post-secondary training +

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JOB OUTLOOK

Increasing

Interviews

Insider Info

"When I started trucking, someone just threw me a set of keys and said, 'Take that truck and deliver that load.' They don't do that anymore."

Larry Higgins is a veteran truck driver. He says he got into trucking initially because it was a job -- and a well-paying one at that. He's stayed in it because it kept paying well and it gave him a chance to see the country.

"I've done about 90 percent of my hauling in the United States, a lot of the eastern seaboard, New York City and the Mississippi," says Higgins. "You name the town, I've probably been there."

In addition to seeing it all, Higgins has also hauled it all -- including one very strange load.

"I once brought a million-dollar chandelier up from New York," he says. "It was hanging from a frame in the center of the truck and it was all I was hauling."

Most of the time, though, Higgins hauls less specialized cargo.

"I've hauled general loads, some dangerous goods -- a little bit of everything," he says.

While it's interesting to see the country, Higgins admits that trucking has a downside. A typical day is long and lonely. Depending on where they're going, truckers can be away from home for anywhere from three days to two weeks. It's a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week job, says Higgins. And that can take a heavy toll on a trucker's home life.

"I'm on my third marriage because of trucking," he said. "There's also a lot of stress. The hours are long, sometimes you don't get enough sleep, and often there's too much demand from dispatchers."

Driving a truck can be lonely, but many truckers think of their travels as a way to meet new and interesting people.

"I've probably met three or four million people," says trucker Jill Orevik from Portland, Oregon. "It may have only been for a brief second or so, but I love it. I was born a people watcher."

Higgins has seen plenty of changes in the industry. For one thing, traffic is a lot worse than it used to be, he says. And the big thing is on-time delivery. This is especially important when you're delivering perishables. It's no good if you show up with a load of rotten produce.

Higgins has met lots of colorful people in his travels. He says he enjoys talking with locals at the truck stops, but points out that you can't be spending too much time doing that.

"You only make money when the wheels are turning," he says.

Higgins also works as a driver supervisor, hiring and training new drivers. He says it's a tough field to break into because training itself is not enough -- you need some experience, too. Beginners also have to put in their time doing the tougher runs when they first start out.

"Some people come in, ask for a job and say, 'I want to work in the city,'" says Higgins. "And I say, 'Well, so does everybody.'"

Higgins points out that truck driving is both a job and a lifestyle. It takes a certain type of person to succeed in this business.

"You've got to be able to think for yourself, you can't mind being alone a lot, and you have to be able to handle the stress and fatigue of the traffic," says Higgins.

"It's a good job for a single person. It's a good living."

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