King of the Road

Life as the "King of the Road" can provide a rewarding career. But no-one said being in control of a heavy vehicle. carrying expensive cargo, and meeting critical deadlines was easy. To see if you’re cut out for truck driving, have a look at the Top 10 qualities that all great truck drivers share.

1.    SAFE – Safety is always first because without a safe driving record, your truck driving career is over.

2.    HONEST – Great truck drivers have to be honest regarding laws, employers, customers and themselves. Shortcuts ultimately backfire and can have genuinely disastrous outcomes. Getting the job done completely, legally and honestly is the key to a successful driving career.

3.    RESPONSIBLE – The duties drivers perform now are as diverse as the range of trucks on the roads. Drivers need to manage paperwork, document and report mechanical issues, assist with loading and unloading, maintain trip logs and in some cases transport hazardous, precious and/or highly sensitive materials.

4.    ALERT – Predictable routes can often carry a higher risk of driver fatigue than complicated ones. Great drivers are alert despite knowing some of their journeys back-to-front.

5.    RELIABLE – In the transport industry, nothing is more important than knowing WHEN a load will reach its destination. Great truck drivers understand that they’re the vital link in the logistics chain.

6.    RESILIENT – Being resilient is about being able to cope calmly in a wide range of high pressure situations. How a driver deals with rapidly changing events can be the difference between a good driver and a great driver.

7.    COURTEOUS – Great truck drivers need to know how to communicate courteously with people including other drivers, dock workers, service staff and everyone else a truck driver comes into contact with. That courtesy should also extend to the cargo they carry.

8.    INDEPENDENT – Great drivers need to be good at working independently, not only because they spend most of their time on the road alone, but because they are the only ones that can make important judgement calls in time-critical situations. This could be a decision about when to take a break, when to investigate a potential mechanical problem or one of a hundred other various issues that truck drivers come across every day.

9.    MECHANICALLY MINDED – Knowing the ins and outs of how your truck works helps keep you safe, can potentially save you time and money and gives you the confidence of knowing how to handle common roadside repairs that ensure you’re complying with safety and legal requirements.

10.    FIT – Great truck drivers need to be ready mentally and physically for the long-haul. Even if you’re not driving serious distances, you’ll need good physical stamina to get the best out of a truck driving career.

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