As Synter Resource Group has written about before, the field of trucking is hurting for workers. With more and more young people determined to put their four-year liberal arts degrees to work, the aging workforce in the shipping industry has become cause for concern among the leaders in the field. While automated trucks and self-driving vehicles may help fill in the gap, that’s a long ways off for now. We here at Synter think that trucking is actually a great job for today’s young professionals to consider! Here are a couple of huge pluses that you may not have considered as you think about what life in trucking would look like.
You get to see the world | Millennials have made entire social media accounts and careers off the “nomadic lifestyle,” wherein they modify a van or car and travel aimlessly across the continental US sightseeing and enjoying life carefree. Many have given up lucrative careers to do this and take up odd jobs along their journeys to cover living expenses. If you take up a career in trucking, you can get paid to do this! Unlike the big rigs of many years ago, today’s trucks are very comfortable and have small living quarters in the cab that you can decorate and make your home away from home as you traverse the country to transport goods from place to place. While it may not be quite the same as an old VW van, you can get paid to see the world and meet new people from cities you never would have known existed otherwise.
You get to learn tech and navigation | Today’s young people have been mercilessly teased for their inability to read maps or perform standard vehicle maintenance without the help of Google or a GPS — and the fact of the matter is, most millennials have never had to develop a sense of direction because they always have access to Waze. However, in trucking, it’s important to be able to tell where you are and where you’re going. While most truckers will have navigation assistance devices, people who spend their lives on the road have extensive mental maps and compasses built into their cognition.
Your job is stable and has great benefits | Truckers have extremely flexible schedules, competitive pay rates, and a guarantee that there will always be a need for the skills they have. As long as people across the US want to drink coke and eat Oreos, the market will always have room for more truckers. In addition to the pay and insurance packages, the job itself allows for a lot of room for flexibility. Some truckers spend their time on the road listening to audiobooks and podcasts. Others talk with friends and family on the phone. And still more use the time to think and engage in some quality introspection.