Trucking can take you many places and I’m not talking literally as driving down the highway, but figuratively as it can offer a career that couldn’t be planned even with the best map and guidance. When talking with new students we stress the importance of getting good training so you have a solid foundation to build on. Just like a house if the foundation is weak the house will eventually fall down. That’s the beginning of a career, but we often don’t look at it farther than a few years into it. You start in trucking and then we tell you to drive, and drive, and drive! What happens after that? It’s the same as telling someone to go to work for the rest of your life working 14 hours per day away from your family, no wonder people don’t want to get involved in the trucking industry.
Instead we should be telling them that the time in the seat is the foundation for a variety of career choices in the future in trucking and beyond. I loved driving and still miss it to this day but even early in my career I knew there would be a time that I wanted to get out of the seat. For some reason I felt that the age of 45 was a point to get out from behind the wheel and I wasn’t even sure why. I just felt there was more even though I worked for very good carriers and was treated well with decent pay and good equipment. I stopped driving at the age of 43 due to opportunities that came up within the industry. This year will be 20 years that I stopped driving professionally but still love this industry to this day. Trucking is a good foundation to boost you into other careers like mine as media for the industry, training, or safety for a carrier. What sets me apart (I hope) is my expertise in the industry and being able to connect with drivers based on experiences from the past.
Building a media business and specifically a podcast focused on careers in the industry allows me to talk with a lot of people that have found similar career paths. Trucking has been a base for many people launching them into either different careers or opportunities to work in the industry in other areas. Randy Cobb and Teddy Rowe both musicians that have been in trucking as drivers, use the industry as basis for much of their songwriting. Then there is Fitness expert Chris Nerat who while working for Caterpillar connected with truck drivers noticing bad health issues. His background in fitness training and connection to trucking has allowed him to create fitness courses and write his latest book Driven By Purpose to help truck drivers improve their health.
A career in trucking shouldn’t be a death sentence but that is how it is looked at by the public. GET IN AND DIE! Instead it should read “Get involved with an industry that touches every person in the country and offers a foundation for a variety of careers for the future!” No matter what your interest there is a career connection to the trucking industry.
If we are trying to improve our industry and stop the down hill spiral of safety that has happened over the years, we have to stop focusing on filling the seat and highlight the opportunities to help people have a great career. Think about your career, how has the foundation of trucking helped you? For more in depth conversations on the topic of career paths in trucking join us on the podcast.
About the Author
Bruce Outridge is a veteran of the trucking industry with over 40 years of experience. Starting in the moving industry in his teens he spent 25 years behind the wheel before becoming a fleet supervisor and now media entrepreneur. Bruce produces and hosts The Lead Pedal Podcast focusing on business and careers for the trucking industry as well as producing live radio shows on Lead Pedal Radio focused on the music and nostalgia of the industry. You can also find him performing and covering industry events in trucking. Did you know he is also a professional cartoonist? To learn about Bruce and his shows visit www.LeadPedalMedia.com
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