Read the article to see the variety of truck driving industry and get useful tips, which will help you to better plan your truck-driving career.

Types of Truck Drivers

Being a truck driver is a dream of many people, the truck driving industry is attracted by its benefits, high salaries, great incentives, insurance package opportunities, paid vacations and sick days off, tuition reimbursement, and of course traveling and freedom. These great benefits attract many newcomers in the industry at a first sight.

Such truck driving companies as HMD Trucking, a trucking company in Chicago, provide a wide range of truck driving jobs. However, not a lot of newcomers are aware of the variety and required responsibilities in the truck driving sector. Knowing those may help you better choose the most appropriate kind of driving job to pursue.

Dedicated Truck Driving

This kind of truck drivers have a really close to a normal truck driver’s routine as they have one regular route assigned to them each week. So, the route is not changed every week, it can be local or include some overnight or multi-days trips, but it is still constant each time.

These truckers come home weekly and can predict their salary because their route is always the same.

Local Truck Driving

The name speaks for itself, these truck drivers are driving only in their local area and can come home every day. The route can differ day to day, but it is always located in one area. The salary of this kind of trucker is a bit lower than that of others, because there are no overnight stays and huge mileage. But still there is a place for any kind of compensation and responsibilities.

Regional Truck Driving

Regional truck drivers are having mostly the same driving assignments as local truck drivers, as they are driving mostly in one specific region. The difference is that regional truck drivers’ routes are longer and more complex. Still, this kind of truckers come home on a regular basis, but not as scheduled as dedicated truck drivers.

Flatbed Truck Driving

Flatbed truck driving job is a bit different from tractor-trailer driving as operating with the flatbed trucks requires some extra training and knowledge. Flatbed trucks are built in a different way, that is why different kinds of cargo and freight are fastened in another way to be properly secured.

Obtaining some extra training and skills increase the average salary level, that is the reason why flatbed truck drivers are usually paid more than others.

Tanker Truck Driving

Tanker truck drivers are in high demand nowadays, because usually the cargo they transport may be hazardous and liquid. Transporting liquids is thought to be one of the toughest cargos. These kinds of freight can cause risky and emergency situations, that is why tanker drivers must always be ready and know how to react immediately.

OTR Truck Driving

OTR, or over the road truck drivers are those who drive generally from 2 to 3 weeks at a time. They do not belong to any areas, so they can drive along the whole country aling one and the same route. That is why over-road truck drivers rarely come home.

On the other hand, the compensation for truck drivers is based on the mileage, so the over-road trucking usually is paid better than other kinds of trucker jobs.

Conclusion

There are alot of types of truck drivers in the industry and if you would like to know more about available options for you, please contact a big company like HMD Trucking. Some of the truck driving jobs require additional skills, some of them are paid more, some of them allow returning home every night, some do not. The trucking industry is highly varied, so anyone can choose the most suitable job for himself.