Driving Jobs: 8 Facts about the Trucker Life

If you’re searching for driving jobs in and around Rugby, you may be wondering what life is like as a trucker. Here are eight facts about driving jobs and the trucker life that will help you out…

 

Here are 8 Facts about Driving Jobs and the Trucker Life

 

1. Moving with the light

A lot of driving jobs require short trips, but many will take you further afield. A lot of drivers prefer to move with the light, starting out at dawn, while others prefer nighttime travel and set out at sunset. You won’t generally have set working hours, enabling you to choose what time of day you prefer to make a journey.

2. 70 hour cut off

You could be asked to work long hours, but with HGV driving jobs there is a 70 hour cut off in any given eight-day period. Once you hit 70 hours, you can’t do any further work until you have taken 34 full hours off.

3. Paid by miles

Although it’s possible you will be paid hourly, most driving jobs are calculated by miles, not the number of hours it takes to travel.

4. Practical v paid miles

Some employers will pay you for ‘practical miles’, based on each mile driven on a job, others will work according to ‘paid miles’, which is essentially like paying you for the number of miles from point A, to point B, as the crow flies.

5. Estimated pay

You will often not know your exact pay until the end of any given year. A rough estimate would be £28,000 for your first year, increasing to £36,000 and £44,000 as you gain experience.

6. Live loading v drop and hooks

There are two methods you may need to use, live loading as well as unloading, and ‘drop and hooks’. It’s unusual to be expected to unload freight, however you will be reliant upon shipping, and receiving departments keeping to your driving schedule.

7. Annual mileage

You can expect to cover around 125,000 miles a year, or roughly 2,500 miles a week.

8. The perks

There are many perks to the job, mainly involving the freedom of the open road and the unique view you will gain of the places your travels take you. You can also expect to enjoy great camaraderie with your fellow truckers, the comforts of modern trucks, and the slightly outlandish, outlaw air of the trade.

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