The truck driver’s job is viewed by many with a certain sense of charm and admiration. On the other hand, it has its less advantageous aspects that must be taken into account if you think about approaching a trucking school in Oshawa. Many trucking companies in Europe, the USA, and Canada have a hard time finding good truck drivers to hire. Knowing a little more about the carrier job will help you understand whether or not to take advantage of the demand that exists in this area of work by a truck driving school in Oshawa.
What are the tasks of trucks?
The carrier is, above all, a driver of trucks and heavy vehicles, generally used in the transport of goods by road for trucking companies. The truck driver is historically considered a purely male profession, also because of the physical endurance that long hours of driving required. However, the number of women who choose a truck driving school in Oshawa for a living is growing. The trips can be short or long and can also cover distances of many hundreds of kilometers in different countries.
In addition to having to drive, the truck driver must control and assist in the loading of goods onto the truck or the coupling of the trailer.
This is what a trucker has to do
Carrier duties include:
- Check the condition of the vehicle before each departure
- Pay attention to the conditions of fuel, oil, filter, and tires
- Plan the route to be carried out and the expected delivery times, that is, the transport operations
- Supervise the loading of goods
- Fill out travel documentsTransport the goods to the established destinationTake charge of the unloading and delivery of the merchandise
- Take care of the cleanliness of the vehicle
- Take care of routine truck maintenance
The truck worker, the pause, and the tachograph
The law requires all truck drivers to take breaks for safety reasons. Stops can be made at the highway restaurant along the way, both for eating and going to the bathroom, washing, resting, or stretching your legs. Driving and parking hours are recorded on the tachograph, which cannot be tampered with and is subject to checks by traffic police. Basically, if you drive long distances, you can’t go home at night to take advantage of the rest of the hours. Any slowdown in traffic may also affect the speed of delivery of goods, taking into account the maximum number of consecutive driving hours allowed.
Overtaking is prohibited almost everywhere and vehicle-specific speed limits must be adhered to. When the carrier plans his route and delivery times, he must take these factors into account.
How do they become a trucker?
To work as a truck driver it is necessary to obtain a C license or a CE license to drive heavy vehicles, after following a practical and theoretical training course from trucking school in Oshawa. The Highway Code, the regulations related to the weights and dimensions of the means of transport, some basic notions of mechanics will be carefully studied. In addition, to work as an ADR carrier you must follow a course and obtain a specific license.