Are you a veteran interested in a trucking career?
Here are six reasons veterans are a great fit for the trucking industry.
Military service can be a powerful advantage in the job market, and it’s easy to see why. The ability to maintain professionalism and perform under demanding circumstances has applications across a number of different jobs. In commercial trucking jobs you are asked to perform under pressure and have a number of organizational, technical skills.
Here are six reasons why veterans are a good fit for trucking jobs:
1.) Dependability
The transportation industry works because everyone does their part to get cargo to its destination on time. Hiring managers need drivers they can rely on, and veterans are a great source for dependable employees. They understand that military service has taught the veteran that not being early enough is the same thing as being late. They realize that those service members who could not figure out punctuality likely became a grease spot on the bottom of a sergeant or chief petty officer’s shoe long before ever receiving a DD-214.
2.) Military Skills
You don’t need to be an 88M to have skills that fit well with a career as a truck driver. While a civilian might marvel at the sheer size of an 18-wheeler, an M109 or LCAC driver is probably not going to be phased at the prospect of getting behind the wheel. Operating heavy machinery is relatively commonplace in many quarters of military service, and while the specifics of operating a semi-truck require training and practice, the familiarity that many veterans bring toward handling large, expensive pieces of equipment can help ease the transition.
3.) Job Security
The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists the median pay for commercial tractor-trailer drivers as $40,605, but the American Trucking Associations (ATA) reports that a long-haul driver for a private fleet like Walmart earns an average of $73,000 per year. In 2015, there was a shortage of 48,000 drivers. How’s that for job security? If the shortage persists as the economy grows, it will only push up drivers’ wages.