Most people associate the term truck driver with men, but more and more women are finding this is an enjoyable career choice for them. Some of them are team truck drivers with another woman or their spouse. Others enjoy being out on the open road with their pets or by themselves.

Due to the increase of women truck drivers, many truck stops have had to make changes to what they offer. They now have shower rooms equipped with items for women.

They also offer many amenities that females will need while they stop at a truck stop including feminine products, perfume, hairspray, and other accessories.

Women truck drivers:

You may find some people out there who ridicule women truck drivers as they think it is a joke. Yet most of these women truck drivers are very competent behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler and they know all about how to keep their truck in good working condition.

Some trucking companies are hesitant to hire women truck drivers even though they can’t come right out and say this due to discrimination laws. They worry about the safety of the women while out there on the road. They also worry about harassment they may encounter by their male employees.

You will find there are plenty of choices out there when it comes to buying semi trucks.

You can have your pick of color, make, and model as well as various accessories.

One of the biggest decisions you will have to make though is should you invest in a new one or a used semi trucks? This is often a personal decision that is influenced by many factors.

Choosing new or used semi trucks:

New semi trucks:

The warranty offered on new semi trucks is often a good sales position because the costs of repairs on semi trucks are so expensive. Many truck drivers feel more confident with a semi trucks that comes with a long term warranty. This is especially true is the equipment will be used for over the road trucking as a large number of miles will be accumulated in a short span of time.

For many truck drivers, the fact that they spend the majority of their time in their truck means they want something new. They want comfort and style so they look for a semi truck that offers them all the accessories they will enjoy. They take great pride in the presentation of the inside and the outside of the semi truck, so only a new one will do.

There are some really great shows out there that feature trucks and truck drivers.

Some of them are realistic and others are more science fiction, but they do seem to hold the attention of the viewer.

Those in the trucking industry are often able to pick out the inconsistencies in the sounds of the trucks and what they are able to do, but the rest of us are entertained by their power and their presence.

Trucks movies:

The trucks movie Convoy starring Kris Kristofferson was released in 1978, and it is still one of the very popular trucks movies today. It has been digitally re-mastered and released in a DVD format as well. The trucks movie tells the story about some truck drivers who get into trouble with the law because the Sheriff doesn’t like truck drivers coming through his town. The truck drivers decide to fight back instead of being intimidated by the Sheriff.

The trucks movie portrays the powerful numbers of truck drivers when they band together for a central cause. As a result of their efforts, the government steps in and takes notice of the ill treatment of truck drivers and steps are taken to make positive changes.

The issue of trucks from Mexico being allowed to enter the United States is one that comes with plenty of controversy attached to it.

The volumes of letters that various political offices have received from truck drivers and business owners in the trucking company indicate that this is not a welcomed change in the field of the trucking industry.

Many are afraid it will compromise the contracts they have in place as the workers from Mexico will be willing to haul the loads for a lower price.

Even with such resistance, a pilot program was allowed to move forward in September of 2007. This allowed an initial 859 trucks from Mexico to begin entering the United States for work. This project is being monitored by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

It is not known if the program will be able to continue as there is already a motion on the floor of the United States legislation to bring it to a halt.

Dark side of trucks coming for mexico:

The biggest complaints from regular citizens seem to be with the concern that they don’t believe trucks coming from Mexico will be safe. Under the initial pilot program agreements, all of the drivers must be able to read and write English at an acceptable level.

Being a truck driver involves much more than sitting behind the wheel of a vehicle and driving all day.

There are plenty of skills needed in order to do a great job at it.

The image of truck drivers isn’t the best in society, and many truck drivers strive to change that mentality by always offering fast, friendly service.

Important abilities for truck drivers:

Excellent communication skills make a great truck driver. You have to be able to talk with your dispatcher in order to get the right loads and to work out any delivery or pick up problems. You will also encounter people as you go about your job and you need to be able to get along well with them.

Navigation is a large part of driving a semi truck as there are particular roads that can be used and those that can’t. Truck drivers have to be able to read maps so they can find their destination. They also need to look for clearance information relating to bridges and bypasses to ensure their truck and trailer aren’t too tall to fit under them.

There are so many different trucking companies out there, that give you the chance for finding a job as you enjoy driving semi truck is very high.

Yet you need to know that these companies all have different recruiting techniques that they use to entice new drivers to sign up with them.

It is to your advantage to take a close look at the various trucking companies out there and see what they have to offer you. Since you won’t be comparing apples to apples you need to evaluate each one on an individual basis.

Finding right trucking companies:

You want to find trucking companies that offers a terminal in your general area. Otherwise you are going to find you have to drive endless miles empty in your own vehicle if you are using a company owned semi truck. If you are an owner operator with your own truck then you will be driving these additional miles in the big rig without pay, and that is quite expensive.

Many of the larger trucking companies have terminals in many locations while the smaller ones may only offer one or two terminals. This will generally be the location where you drop of your paperwork, attend safety meetings, and take care of other essential tasks related to the trucking companies industry.

Truckers are professionals who have their own terminology for many different events that take place.

They often talk to each other on the CB to offer assistance and information to each other.

The most common phrase that truckers use that most of us are aware of is the term 10/4. This basically means they have acknowledged what was said and they are signing off.

Trucker’s terminology for common words:

Truckers generally warn each other about road hazards and safety issues. The term four wheeler refers to a regular sized vehicle on the road. Truckers may want to let other drivers behind them know about a car on the side of the road ahead or other concerns.

They also notify each other of cops by various terms – a Smokey is a cop on the ground in a car, Evil Kinevil is one on a motorcycle, and a bear in the air is in reference to speed being monitored by aircraft.

We have all seen those large pieces of rubber from semi truck tires on the highway. They are referred to as alligators. Road kill is a common site on many roads, and truck drivers refer to it as road pizza. Flat bed trailers are often referred to as skateboards. Tractor trailers are commonly referred to as a box.

There are many different programs out there that teach you how to drive a semi truck. They often assist you with learning the written materials as well so you can pass both tests in order to get your CDL.

It is important to look into the qualifications of such truckdriver training programs though. You want a quality program that is going to teach you valuable skills. It can be very dangerous to place new trainees into the work force with a CDL when they don’t have sufficient training.

Truckdriver’s training program:

You also want one that is affordable for you to attend. Many of the accredited truckdriver training programs offer financial aid to help assist with the cost of attendance. They will also work out payment plans to assist you with paying for the remainder or if you don’t qualify for any type of financial assistance.

There are many instances where you can get your truckdriver training paid for by an employer. Yet you have to look closely at what they require in return. Most of them will require you to sign a contract that you will work for their company for a specified amount of time.

Truck driver’s work very hard for a living and deserve some appreciation. There are truck driving shows held in various locations around the country in order to recognize them.

Truck driving events generally last for several days, and the whole family can attend. The cost is generally free to encourage more truck drivers and their families to show up.

Place where the truck driving shows are conducted:

Most of these truck driving shows are held at large event centers or convention centers. They feature food, entertainment, and even live concerts by well known bands. There are booths that offer various information on insurance, laws that will affect truck drivers, and information. There are also vendors selling custom made hats and accessories for semi trucks and trailers.

Many of the different vendors offer brochures, informational packets, and even have drawings for various prizes. You can take your time looking around and seeing what options you have. Chances are you may discover some very useful information that you can use to make your truck driving profession easier or to safe you money.

There have been various changes to the laws pertaining to the hours of service for truck drivers over the years. The most recent changes took place in April of 2007, and they were met with a great deal of controversy.

The idea behind these new hours of service is to ensure all truck drivers get enough sleep and to keep the roads safe.

Truck drivers preferable timings:

Yet for many truck drivers, the hours of operation have left them with having to split up their sleep time in order to accommodate their load times. In their opinion, this leaves them feeling more tired then the way the old hours of operation were. In many instances the hours of operation laws require the truck drivers to get sleep when they aren’t tired, but they are out of hours.

A truck driver can legally drive for a maximum of eleven hours during any fourteen hour period of time. Once that eleventh hour has been reached, the driver must rest for a minimum of ten hours. In addition there is a weekly clock that the driver has to abide by as well.