Are you thinking about launching a career as a truck driver? If so, congratulations on your choice! Truck driving offers lots of perks and benefits. You get flexible hours and don't have to work on a nine-to-five schedule. What's more, drivers get a lucrative salary and additional benefits such as health insurance and paid vacations and holidays.

However, before you get to enjoy these perks, you have to take the first step. Here are a few tips to help you gear up for a successful future in truck driving!

Select Your Driving School Wisely

The driving school you choose can play a significant role in your success as a trucker. For example, some schools offer placement guarantees after successfully finishing your course. This means they will attach you to a tracking company where you will get more training and work as a driver. Finding a job as a beginner trucker can be hard. Most companies ask for at least two or three years of experience, a restriction that can make it hard to land a job. By enrolling in a school that offers placement, you are assured of employment after getting your license. 

Choose the Right Driving Course

As you apply to a driving school, you'll find that there are various courses you can take to be a licensed truck driver. The following are the licence classes for heavy vehicles:

• Light-rigid (LR) class: Buses and trucks between 4.5 and 8 tonnes
• Medium-rigid (MR) class: Trucks with two axles and with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of between 8 and 15 tonnes
• Heavy-rigid (HR) class: Trucks with more than three axles and over 8-tonne GVM
• Heavy-combination (HC) class: Heavy articulated vehicles, such as a truck towing a trailer of over 9 tonnes
• Multi-combination (MC) class: Multiple-combination vehicles, such as road trains and B doubles

As you choose your course, remember that the license you get allows you to drive cars below that class. For example, with an HR licence, you can drive both MR and LR vehicles as well. An MC license allows you to drive pretty much anything! Choose your license class wisely as it will determine the types of trucks you can drive.

Seek Out Diverse Driving Jobs

Once you finish your course, don't seek out one type of job. This is essential if you haven't been placed for a trucking job yet. Apply for jobs that require driving other vehicles other than standard trucks. Examples include the following:

• Construction companies with dump trucks
• Firms that have delivery trucks for products and shipments
• County departments with plough and gravel trucks for road maintenance

Most people never think to look here, and these are areas you can quickly land a trucking job. Remember, the higher your licence class, the more job opportunities you will have.

Follow these tips to help you kickstart a successful career in the trucking industry!

Contact a provider of HR driving courses for more information.