According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety, the minimum requirements to become a truck driver is to be at least 21 years old, have a 20/40 vision and be able to speak English. Of course, the most important requirement is the Commercial Driver License.
However, education is an issue that has its own colors for the truckers. Most of the truck drivers are required to have completed high school diploma or have the General Equivalency Diploma. But is this all about academic experiences? Do the drivers look for educational development?
The truck driving job has always been considered as just an occupation, not a professional job; this view is a wrong and light judgment. A truck driver must have special skills to drive the big rig. Because of the danger of such a large machine and the size and even the hazardousness of the freight, the qualification and knowledge of the driver are not only how to use the steering wheel, the foot pedals and speeds of a car.
Many companies require that their drivers take a training program before, but there are also many states that ask drivers to complete a basic truck driving program as part of the procedure to get the CDL.
The recent addition in the truck drivers' labor market is the development of driving schools with programs for truck driving. These schools offer students the possibility to get a trucking job once they finish the training.
Formal education centers also offer possibilities for development in the transportation field. Some technical high schools and colleges have optional courses and an emphasis on tractor driving and transportation.
The students can learn about business techniques, basic computer, English, safety and first aid, consumer math, business law and of course, diesel mechanics and repair.
As part of the packages offered, the driving schools teach the students about DOT regulations, shifting techniques, map reading, how to handle paperwork, cargo matters and night driving. There are even some special programs to operate bulldozers or backhoes. Those programs include maneuvers to push gravel, to excavate, knowledge in maintenance, how to resolve mechanic or hydraulic problems and more.
Education is also turning into an important goal for many truck drivers as a way to reach their independence or to earn more money. Some truckers are coming back to the colleges to take administration courses. Others are applying to scholarships given by the trucking industry like the Truckload Carrier Association Awards Scholarships, which gave 18 scholarships to the truck drivers or to their families, especially for the people who want to go deepen their knowledge in the transportation career.