Alternate Title(s) | Truck driver, Driver, Long-haul truck driver, Heavy and Tractor-trailer truck driver, Motor Vehicle Operator |
Minimum Education Requirements | CDL, High school diploma or equivalent |
Salary | See Bureau of Labor Statistics for more information |
Job Skills | - Hand-eye coordination. Drivers of heavy trucks and tractor-trailers must be able to coordinate their legs, hands, and eyes together well to always be aware of the situation around them and to drive such a heavy vehicle safely. Locomotive engineers have to operate various controls and must be able to make fast decision while staying aware of their surroundings to avoid accidents. Officers and pilots who steer ships have to operate various controls while staying aware of their surroundings. - Visual ability. Truck drivers must be able to pass vision tests. Federal regulations require a driver to have at least 20/40 vision with a 70-degree field of vision in each eye and the ability to distinguish the colors on a traffic light. To drive a train, locomotive engineers have to pass a vision test conducted by their rail company. Eyesight, peripheral vision, and color vision may be tested. Mariners must pass a vision test to get an MMC. - Hearing ability. Federal regulations require that a driver be able to hear a forced whisper in one ear at five feet (with or without the use of a hearing aid). Locomotive engineers have to pass a hearing test conducted by their rail company to show that they can hear warning signals and communicate with other employees. Mariners must pass a hearing test to get an MMC. - Manual-dexterity. Crew members need good balance to maneuver through tight spaces and on wet or uneven surfaces. - Physical health. Federal regulations do not allow people to become truck drivers if they have a medical condition which may interfere with their ability to operate a truck. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration website has a full list of medical conditions that disqualify someone from driving a long-haul truck. - Physical strength. Some rail yard engineers have to lift heavy equipment. Sailors on freight ships load and unload cargo. While away at sea, most workers likely have to do some heavy lifting. - Communication skills. All rail employees have to be able to communicate effectively with each other to avoid accidents and keep the trains on schedule. - Mechanical skills. All rail employees work with complex machines. Most have to be able to adjust equipment when it does not work properly. Some rail yard engineers spend most of their time fixing broken equipment. - Locomotive operators must be at least 21 years of age and pass a background test. |
Job Duties | Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers typically do the following: - Drive long distances - Report to a dispatcher any incidents encountered on the road - Follow all applicable traffic laws - Inspect their trailers before and after the trip, and record any defects they find - Maintain a log of their working hours, following all federal and state regulations - Report serious mechanical problems to the appropriate personnel - Keep their trucks and associated equipment clean and in good working order |
Job Profile | Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers transport goods from one location to another. Most tractor-trailer drivers are long-haul drivers and operate trucks with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) capacity of more than 26,000 pounds. These drivers deliver goods over intercity routes, sometimes spanning several states. Most heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers’ routes are assigned by a dispatcher, but some independent drivers still plan their own routes. They may use satellite tracking to help them plan. A driver must know which roads allow trucks and which do not. Drivers also must plan legally required rest periods into their trip. Some drivers have one or two routes that they drive regularly, and others drivers take many different routes throughout the country. Also, some drivers have routes that include Mexico or Canada. |
The information presented within this occupational profile was synthesized from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Outlook Handbook, 2016-17 Edition and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s Handbook of Occupational Groups & Families.