A truck driver (commonly referred to as a trucker or driver in the United States and Canada; a truckie in Australia and New Zealand; a lorry driver or driver in Ireland and the United Kingdom), is a person who earns a living as the driver of a truck, usually a semi truck, box truck, or dump truck.
Truck drivers provide an essential service to industrialized societies by transporting finished goods and raw materials over land, typically to and from manufacturing plants, retail and distribution centers. Truck drivers are also responsible for inspecting their vehicles for mechanical items or issues relating to safe operation. Others, such as Driver/Sales workers, are also responsible for sales and customer service.
Types of truck drivers
There are two major types of truck driver employment:
- Owner-operators (also known as O/Os) are individuals who own the trucks they drive and can either lease their trucks by contract with a trucking company to haul freight for that company using their own trucks, or they haul loads for a number of companies and are self employed independent contractors.
- Company drivers are employees of a particular trucking company and drive trucks provided by their employer.
Job categories
Both owner operators/owner driver and company drivers can be in these categories. BOAT haulers work moving boats ranging in size from 10 foot long bass boats to full size yachts up to 60 ft long using a specialized low boy trailer that can be set up for each size of boat. boats wider than 8ft6 wide or 13 ft 6 high have to have a permit to move and are a oversize load
- Auto haulers (trucker slang : Know as parking lots.)work hauling cars on specially built trailers and require specific skills loading and operating this type of specialized trailer.
- Dry Van drivers haul the majority of goods over highways in large trailers. Contents are generally non perishable goods.
- Flat Bed drivers haul an assortment of large bulky items. A few examples are tanks, steel pipes and lumber. Drivers require the ability to balance the load correctly.
- LTL drivers or "less than truck load" are usually local delivery jobs where goods are delivered and unloaded by the driver at multiple locations, usually involving the pulling of double or triple trailer combinations.
- Reefer drivers haul refrigerated or frozen goods.
- Local drivers work only within the limits of their hometowns or only to nearby towns. They return home nightly.
- Household Goods drivers, or Bedbuggers haul personal effects for families who are moving from one home to another.
- Regional drivers may work over several states near their homes. They are usually away from home for short periods.
- Interstate drivers (otherwise known as "over the road" or "long-haul" drivers) often cover distances of thousands of miles and are away from home for a week or more. To help keep drivers, companies can employ team drivers.
- Team drivers are two drivers who take turns driving the same truck in shifts (sometimes husband and wife), or several people in different states that split up the haul to keep from being away from home for such long periods.
- Tanker drivers (in truck driver slang tanker yankers ) haul liquids, such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, milk, & crude oil, and dry bulk materials, such as plastics, sugar, flour & cement in tanks. Liquid tanker drivers need special driving skills due to the load balance changing from the liquid movement. This is especially true for milk tankers, which do not contain any baffles and are a single compartment (due to sanitation requirements).
- Vocational drivers drive a vocational truck such as a dump truck, garbage truck, or cement mixer.
- Container Intermodal drivers do all of the above, except their cargo containers are lifted on or off the chassis, at special intermodal stations.
Drivers working hours
European Union
Main article: Drivers working hoursIn the European Union, drivers working hours are regulated by EU regulation (EC) No 561/2006 which entered into force on April 11, 2007. The non-stop driving time may not exceed 4.5 hours. After 4.5 hours of driving the driver must take a break period of at least 45 minutes. however, this can be split into 2 breaks, the first being at least 15 minutes, and the second being at least 30 minutes in length. The weekly driving time may not exceed 56 hours. In addition to this, a driver cannot exceed 90 hours driving in a fortnight.
United States
Main article: Hours of serviceIn the United States, the Hours of service (HOS) of commercial drivers are regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers are limited to 11 cumulative hours driving in a 14-hour period, which must then be followed by a rest period of no less than 10 consecutive hours. Drivers employed by carriers in "daily operation" may not drive more than 70 hours within any period of 8 consecutive days.
Drivers must maintain a daily 24-hour logbook Record of Duty Status documenting all work and rest periods. The record of duty status must be kept current to the last change of duty status and records of the previous 7 days retained by the driver in the truck and presented to law enforcement officials on demand.
Electronic on-board recorders (EOBR) can automatically record, among other things, the time the vehicle is in motion or stopped. The FMCSA is considering making EOBRs mandatory for all motor carriers.
Australia
In Australia, drivers of trucks and truck and trailer combinations with gross vehicle mass greater than 12 tonnes must rest for 30 minutes every 5 hours and stop for 10 hours of sleep for every 14 hours of work (includes driving and non-driving duties). After 72 working hours (not including time spent resting or sleeping) a driver must spend 24 hours away from his/her vehicle. Truck drivers must complete a logbook documenting hours and kilometres spent driving.
Special licences
Australia
In Australia heavy vehicle licences are issued by the states but are a national standard; there are 5 classes of licence required by drivers of heavy vehicles:
- A Light Rigid (LR class) licence covers a rigid vehicle with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) not more than 8 tonnes, with a towed trailer not weighing more than 9 tonnes GVM. Also buses with a GVM up to 8 tonnes which carry more than 12 adults including the driver.
- A Medium Rigid (MR class) licence covers a rigid vehicle with 2 axles and a GVM of more than 8 tonnes, with a towed trailer not weighing more than 9 tonnes GVM.
- A Heavy Rigid (HR class) licence covers a rigid vehicle with 3 or more axles with a towed trailer not weighing more than 9 tonnes GVM. Also articulated buses.
- A Heavy Combination (HC class) licence covers semi-trailers, or rigid vehicles towing a trailer with a GVM of more than 9 tonnes.
- A Multi-Combination (MC class) licence covers multi-combination vehicles like Road Trains and B-Double Vehicles.
A person must have a C class (car) licence for 1 year before they can apply for an LR or MR class licence and 2 years before they can apply for an HR, to upgrade to an HC class licence a person must have an MR or HR class licence for 1 year and to upgrade to an MC class licence a person must have an HR or HC class licence for 1 year.
United Kingdom
In the UK, one or more of the categories of Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) licenses is required. This is still widely known as an HGV or Heavy Goods Vehicle license after its former name.
United States
Main article: Commercial Driver's LicenseThe United States employs a truck classification system, and truck drivers are required to have a Commercial Driver's License (CDL) to operate a CMV with a gross vehicle weight rating in excess of 26,000 pounds.
Acquiring a CDL requires a skills test (pre-trip inspection and driving test), and knowledge test (written) covering the unique handling qualities of driving a large, heavily loaded 18-wheeler, and the mechanical systems required to operate such a vehicle (air brakes, suspension, cargo securement, et al.), plus be declared fit by medical examination no less than every two years. For passenger bus drivers, a current first aid certificate and passenger endorsement is also required.
A person must be at least 18 years of age to obtain a CDL. Drivers under age 21 are limited to operating within their state of licensing (intrastate operation). Many major trucking companies require driver applicants to be at least 23 years of age, with a year of experience, while others will hire and train new drivers as long as they have a clean driving history. <
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