Whether you're fresh out of driving school or you have decades of truck driving experience behind you, the job search is always a little intimidating. You don't know who you're going up against, how competitive a job is, or how long it will take you to find a job. Don't put off the truck job search any longer. Use these 10 tips to find truck driving job opportunities and take the next step in your career.
There is a good reason that large job search sites, such as Monster and Career Builder, are so popular. They are just as well-known with employers as they are with job searchers. If you start your search at a general job search site, you may find a large variety of trucking positions in your area.
No matter how great general job search websites are, do not make them your only tool. Trucking-only job sites should be a big part of your truck driving job search. Since these websites focused specifically on your industry, they delve a little bit deeper into openings and find ones that general websites often overlook. Some companies may stick strictly to trucking-only sites to limit their applicants to experienced members of the driving community. With these websites, it's also easier to narrow down job positions by license classes, endorsements, and haul types.
Making connections is important in any industry. Depending on where you are in your career, you may have connections among other truck drivers, trucking school instructors, and company owners. If you have a solid reputation with them, let them know that you are on the lookout for your next position. A good connection can be the key to a quick and successful job search trucking experience.
Most truckers have a long-term goal. If you know that you want to build up to a lucrative career at a specific company, why not start now? Some of the biggest names in trucking require a certain amount of experience, but you may still qualify for entry-level truck driving jobs. Even if you have to start out at a slightly lower pay scale or in a different type of trucking, it might be worth it to you if it means getting closer to your ideal trucking job.
Truckers talk. You should be listening. Get involved in truck driving forums, which often attract drivers from all over the country and in all sorts of positions. If you build up a friendship with other frequent posters, you may catch wind of new trucking opportunities or new companies.
Bulletin boards are an old, reliable method for finding companies that need truck drivers. Take a trip to truck stops in your area during your trucker job search. Local companies, particularly smaller companies, may skip online postings entirely. Checking out bulletin boards can help you find job openings you may otherwise completely miss.
You're already a member of your state's trucking association, right? If not, why not? They often have comprehensive job boards that list new openings in your state. Start using your membership or join today, and check out companies that are on a truck driver search.
While you apply for jobs and use the other tips on this list, go ahead and get a new endorsement on your license. It's generally a fairly quick process, especially if you're an experienced driver already. If you keep finding job postings that aren't available to you, find out what endorsements they're looking for and then check out what it takes to get an endorsement on your license.
The newspaper is still a reliable way to find truck driving opportunities, even in the Internet age. It only takes a couple minutes each day to pull the classifieds and scan them for truck company postings.
Finally, don't be afraid to expand your horizons a little bit. During the job search, truck driving professionals tend to get into a rut. If you are dead-set on driving only for a local company or only for a national company, check out what's available on the other side of the fence. You could find a job opening that suits you better than anything you'd find at another company.
Above all, keep your head up and keep applying. With the truck driver shortage in the United States, the trucker job search should still favor you. Cast a wide net and keep going until you find your next trucking job.