Three Things to Know Before You Become A CDL Driver

What do people have in their homes? People have a lot of electronics, right? Entertainment devices like TVs and video game consoles, communication technology like phones, tablets, and computers, as well as appliances in the kitchen, from blenders to microwaves.

Think about the metal and plastic of all of these, as well as the assembly required to get them working. Every home in the world has a dozen things in it that needed a supply chain a mile long to get it working. That supply chain lives and dies by its CDL drivers.

Being a CDL driver is one of the most important jobs in the world. Food, materials, and tools of all kinds, from screwdrivers to hard hats to welding torches, need to be transported from where they are made to where they are used. This is the backbone of the modern world.

So, what do you need to know if you want to become one of these drivers?

• There is Never a Shortage of Work

The world keeps getting bigger. The population grows, technology advances and more and more areas develop to be modernized. The need for CDL drivers increases with all of these.

As a result, you can always find work as a CDL driver. Of course, not all drivers can do all jobs. Some work will be restricted to drivers with enough experience. But the sheer volume of the work means that no matter your skill level or preferences, you can find a job that suits you.

An abundance of work means you get to pick your customers. Imagine if every job had that. Cashiers at grocery stores can suddenly decide which customers they like enough to serve. It would mean happier cashiers. And similarly, this is a perk many drivers enjoy.

• You Will be Away from Home a Lot

Some people see this as an advantage, some people see this as a drawback. It should not be misconstrued though—drivers still get time off, which means time at home. If you have a family, then you can expect to spend plenty of time with them when your work is done, like any job.

The real draw of this is, obviously, that you get to travel. But you do not travel like just a tourist. CDL drivers will usually be transporting things across the entire country. That means seeing places and things that occupy the massive amount of space in between major cities

For being a job that is so tied up in the functions of the industrialized world, that means CDL drivers get to see a huge amount of the natural world. Of course, that is just the space between the cities. You will also definitely see more major cities than almost any other job.

• It Takes Skill

This is another case of “advantage to some, drawback to others”. Being a CDL driver requires skill in driving, time management, and a strong work ethic. That means it rewards those things as well. In fact, there are a lot of things that CDL driving rewards that you might not expect.

For instance, it rewards the ability to have a stable collection of audiobooks. It rewards a good taste in music. Because for the bigger jobs, a lot of what you will be doing is keeping your mind occupied amongst the vast swathes of land between point A and point B.

Part of the reason why CDL driving is sticking around even as self-driving cars hit the road is because the job takes a level of adaptability that a machine cannot replicate. That adaptability is not going to be needed on every job, but it is critical to making sure you complete any job.

In short, CDL driving takes a lot of skills. The great thing about those skills, however, is that they do not begin and end with CDL driving. You can build them in other jobs and bring them over to CDL driving or build them while CDL driving and use them in other jobs.

After all, once you have the license to be a CDL, you have something that few other applicants have that will help you get a job in a great many other industries. Contact Us Today!