A new crop of truckers are hitting the roads.

July 13, 2009 – 2:06 pm – No Comment

It looks like some laid off white collar workers are trading in their hopes of landing another cushy job like they once had for the life of a truck driver. A growing number have been weeding their way into trucking schools across the country, and the number gets larger every time new bad news about the economy comes out.

The reason for the increase is the relatively short amount of training time and actually fairly decent pay.

A truck driver, driving an 18 Wheeler, can earn an average of $37,560 a year according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics; and a student can finish training in just 3 to 6 weeks. There are also only a few restrictions when it comes to getting a commercial driver’s license. You need a clean bill of health and “a decent driving record.”

Todd Hyland, Smith and Solomon owner said, “We have students come to us after spending their whole professional life in an office. Then, all of a sudden, they’re getting laid off.”

Hyland also says that the most recent students to his school are in their 40′s and 50′s and about 10 years older than what the typical students were a few years ago.

He also says that many of them don’t think that trucking is going to be their long term job.

When unemployment jumped 9.5% in June, workers became more desperate for jobs. I can see how this would lead a person to thinking that truck driving would be for them.

I have a friend that gave up college and any other career he could have done to be a truck driver and is now driving all across the country in an 18 wheeler.

I personally think that he could have done better, but with the economy the way it is right now, maybe not.