Trucker: the pros and cons of the road profession itself. Useful tips for a novice trucker How to start working as a trucker

Trucker- a person who drives a truck or heavy vehicle. The profession is suitable for applicants who distinguish labor and economy, geography from all school subjects. The profession is suitable for those who are interested in labor and economy (see the choice of profession by interest in school subjects).

Who is a trucker?

The main duty of a trucker is to deliver goods from point A to point B according to the established schedule and route. He spends most of his life on the road, works both inside his home country and is engaged in international cargo transportation.... It can carry food, construction materials, equipment and components, textiles - any food and non-food products.

Short description

Trucking is a male risk-taking profession. Working conditions are difficult, because the driver spends more than 8-10 hours a day driving, often sleeping in roadside motels or in the cab of a heavy-duty vehicle. The profession will appeal to young men who like to drive and travel. The bonus is that the international truckers pay very well for their work.

The professional training of a truck driver begins at a driving school. In fact, for work, you only need a driving license of category E (depending on the vehicle), a passport (for international transport) and a card for a tachograph, Code 95 (for employment in foreign companies), a medical certificate that gives the right to drive a car. However, in reality, everything is not so simple, because a company or a private customer does not trust drivers without experience, so you need to get it by working behind the wheel of a truck for 3 years. An important role is played by the experience of accident-free driving, the ability to work with different types of documentation used in the area under consideration. The average age of truckers starts from 25-30 years.

Features of the profession

Choosing this profession, you need to understand who a trucker is - this is a person who loves the road, is not afraid of dangers and wants to receive high pay for his work. He can find a job in a domestic or foreign company, in the latter case, the salary is significantly higher. The duties of a trucker include the following types of work:

transportation of goods from the warehouse (facility, production) of the customer along the specified route;
performance of minor and major repairs of a motor vehicle;
refueling the vehicle with fuel;
assistance during loading and unloading operations;
strict adherence to the established schedule;
work with accompanying documentation.

This is a dangerous profession, because often heavy vehicles loaded with expensive products are attacked. Therefore, a trucker must be a physically strong and resourceful person with minimal self-defense skills. He can perform the above duties on his own, however, on difficult and long flights, he most often travels with a partner.

Pros and cons of the trucker profession

pros

Experienced drivers who have licenses with the required category and medical documents will quickly find a good job.
A truck driver does not need a university.
The trucker is solely responsible for the transport of goods, not for customs clearance.
High wages, the employer can pay for accommodation, meals, medical treatment of the driver who is on the flight.
The profession is related to travel. Over the years of activity, you can visit dozens of cities and countries.
The trucker community is very friendly, so drivers help each other on the road without any questions.
The opportunity to raise funds and buy your own heavy-duty vehicle, which will allow you to change the legal status in the future, becoming a private entrepreneur.
There is always work for truckers, so there will be no problems finding a high-paying job.

Minuses

The activity is complex and dangerous. The risk of being attacked by road bandits is too high.
Working conditions cannot be called simple, because a trucker repairs a heavy-duty vehicle, which can simply stop at any part of the route due to a breakdown. The driver has to lie on the ground, live in almost field conditions, where there is no shower or normal food.
For activities in this area, you need to collect a solid package of documents.
Long flights, because in the case of working on international routes, a trucker can spend 2-5 months or more on the road.

Important personal qualities

The trucker must be a balanced and collected person with a certain degree of asceticism. His character should also be dominated by stress resistance, sociability, a tendency to repetitive sedentary work. Physical and psychological health, quick reaction and the ability to make the right decisions during unforeseen situations play an important role.

Truck driver training

To work, you need to finish a driving school and pass an exam at the traffic police, gain experience, as well as category E rights. Talking about where to get the profession of a truck driver, it is worth mentioning specialized schools and courses that specialize in training drivers for international transport. A plus will be the availability of secondary vocational education in the field of repair and maintenance of vehicles. Requirements for education, experience and documents depend on the company, place of work (RF, EU, USA, etc.), type of car.

Place of work

A large number of vacancies for truckers are posted on employee search portals - these specialists have been and remain in demand. They can conduct private activities in their own car, and the way is open for them to corporations engaged in international cargo transportation, large and small companies interested in fast delivery of products.

Truck driver salary

The level of remuneration depends on the category, experience and region of work (international transport or activity within one country), the company and the nature of the goods that the trucker transports. However, the rate of the youngest drivers is rarely less than 30-35 thousand rubles, which is due to difficult working conditions, increased danger and responsibility.

Salary as of 12/11/2019

Russia 30,000-100,000 ₽

Moscow 40,000—120,000 ₽

Professional knowledge

Rules for the implementation of freight traffic.
Knowledge of the device of heavy vehicles, the rules of repair and replacement of technical fluids.
Traffic rules in Russia and abroad.
Skills of working with navigators, paper maps, tachographs.

It is not at all casual that a trucker is a profession for real men. As the saying goes, "you can't argue with nature." Historically, the man hunted and the woman guarded the hearth. That is why men have developed tunnel vision, which allows them to better estimate the distance to the target. In addition, due to the fact that the left hemisphere is better developed in men, they better remember the route and orient themselves in space. These qualities, fixed by genetic memory, make it much easier for men to park and drive vehicles of various levels of difficulty.

But in order to cope with the tasks assigned to the driver and unforeseen difficulties on the road, natural qualities alone are not enough. The truck driver must be careful and responsible. An important factor is the ability to instantly assess the situation on the road and make the right decision in order to have time to react. In addition, the nervous system is regularly tested for strength in non-standard and unforeseen situations.

And all this time the driver has to spend in conditions that are far from comfortable.

As always, there is another side to every medal. There are also positive aspects to this profession.

Firstly, the profession of an international transport driver is in great demand on the European labor market, with the corresponding decent European salaries. That makes it possible to be confident in the future and financial stability.

Secondly, the opportunity to travel, to see a lot of new and interesting things.

Thirdly, this kind of profession will educate and add qualities useful for life, such as communication skills, the ability to make decisions, etc.

SO WHERE TO BEGIN?

With the desire to conquer the iron horse and faith in yourself!
Then we move towards the goal - obtaining control rights for the selected category C or C + E.
And here everyone understands that the presence of a category is certainly good, but experience is needed. Experience and skills come with every kilometer rolled. We leave this point for independent reflection and creativity. You can look for a godfather, brother, matchmaker, neighbor, who could teach and give a ride. You can take additional driving lessons at a driving school or get a job for a short period of time to gain first experience and basic skills, how to drive a truck, how to enter corners and park in reverse.
At the same time, you are polishing your skills, making the necessary documents - a passport and a tachograph card. Those interested can take additional training on the transportation of dangerous goods -. Preparation of this point takes from 1 to 2 months, depending on the presence / absence of a passport.
When the documents are ready, you can sign up for - to obtain a professional driver qualification that allows you to work in the field of freight and passenger transportation. CODE 95 is a MANDATORY certificate required to work as a driver in a transport company in the European Union. Required when driving a vehicle over 3.5 tons.
During your studies, undergo a psychotest and a medical examination. The psychotest consists of testing, tasks for logic and reaction (more like playing activities). Medical examination - ophthalmologist and therapist. Certificates are issued for a period of 5 years.
And all this time, from point 1 to point 7, you start to learn Polish. A significant part of the words will be easily understood by Ukrainians and Belarusians, some more can be guessed by the meaning. For those who already know Ukrainian or Belarusian, there is a greater advantage, for them it will not be so difficult to learn Polish and the learning process is faster.
After receiving a certificate of professional qualifications and medical certificates, you are ready to start working as an international driver in a European company with an appropriate decent European salary.

I want to go to Dalnyak!

"At the end of our lives, we will only regret that we loved and traveled a little"

What do boys dream about when choosing a profession? Yes, as usual - a pilot, a sailor, an astronaut, oh, what am I talking about, because this is from my childhood, when Malchish-Kibalchish was a hero. Now the main character is the Bad Boy, who made a good deal for a box of cookies and a barrel of jam. So when among the choir - I want to be a broker, dealer, killer, in extreme cases, a programmer, you hear: “I want to be a truck driver!”, Then this kid should take a closer look. And, perhaps, to think - how, in fact, to become a truck driver in Russia? And yet - is it worth doing?

Who are the "truckers"? And how attractive is this profession now to want to be so? "Trucker" is a slang expression, which means she is a professional driver of a heavy main truck transporting goods between regions and countries, spending most of her life at the wheel. And already from this definition, the answer to the question “ how to become a trucker"Follows by itself. It is necessary to obtain a license to drive a car, no matter how trite it sounds, and of a certain category. Since long-distance transportation by road is carried out mainly by truck tractors with at least one trailer, such vehicles can only be driven by those who have a license with the "CE" category. This gives rise to another answer to the burning question: "how to become a truck driver without experience?" Sorry for the banality, but there is no way to become. This category can be obtained only from the age of 21, after passing to the category "C", until this moment you have to somehow live and have something, it means you earn money, it is better if driving, if the aim is long-distance flights. A trucker without experience is a driver with a driving experience of five or six years, no matter what - Gazelle, KamAZ, mining truck. As a last resort, you can become one if you have money for your own long-haul tractor and the administrative vein to find customers for transportation. Such "long-range combatants" with their own trucks are called "master" among the drivers of long-haul trucks, some are respectful, some with a grain of irony, some are hostile. But again, not knowing the specifics of the profession, simply not being able to drive in full autonomy, far from repair facilities, warm housing, normal food, it is better not to try to start. For those who cannot imagine life without long roads or a steering wheel, it is better to start as a partner with a serious and experienced driver, those who have road transportation as the basis of their business are well aware. If they trust trucks worth several million and cargo, even more expensive, amateurs, then they will simply go down the drain.

What it takes to become a trucker? We have already talked about the rights of a certain category, about experience too. But one more thing is needed. For example, a solid share of adventurism in their character, the ability to control oneself in any stressful situations. In some ways, this profession is similar to the profession of a sailor - the same disorder of life, a semi-nomadic way of life. Only in the crew of the steamer there are more people, and "long-range" - well, like a person who decided to circumnavigate the globe on a yacht alone. Of course, you can always find help both at sea and on the road, truckers have long been united in a kind of trade union, but you need to be able to rely only on yourself.

Boring article turns out, too correct. There must be something in the profession that makes you strive for it, despite the difficulties and difficulties. There must be a positive balance, otherwise no one would drive long-haul tractors. This drive, of course, is there. A person's desire to see - what is behind that turn is natural and inherent in the natural instinct of cognition. The same autonomy on the way is not only responsibility for the car, cargo, oneself, but also the awareness of oneself as an integral personality that can encroach on and achieve. Each successful flight greatly increases self-esteem, quite legally allows you to consider yourself a little special person. By the way, "dalnoboys" who work in reputable transport companies are paid very well.

You are 16-18 years old, you are at a crossroads in life and you are thinking about who to become in the future, what profession to choose. If you are reading this article, then most likely the thought crept into your head: "Shouldn't I become a truck driver?" DalnoboyTV.ru editors have already talked about all the disadvantages of working as a truck driver. Now is the time to give instructions to those who nevertheless decided to connect their lives with trucks and long-distance routes. Our instructions will first of all be adapted to Russia.

Education

You don't need any special education to drive a truck. It is assumed that you graduated from high school, but in fact you may not even have a high school education. However, we advise all young people to obtain a high school diploma. To be allowed to drive a truck, you must obtain a license corresponding to the driver's category for a truck or a truck with a trailer

Truck driver's license

So, let's say you are 18 years old. You go to a driving school to get a driver's license. We advise you to study in two categories at once, study immediately for a car (category B) and for a truck (category C). Training in a driving school immediately of category B and C will cost you from 22 to 30 thousand rubles. The term of study is usually 2-3 months.

What will you need to take to the traffic police? First of all, you will need to take a theory test, usually 20 questions. If you cope with the test, then the next step will be the delivery of driving separately for a car and a truck. For each type of vehicle, you will need to pass driving in an enclosed area, i.e. the passage of various elements: a snake, parking, overpass, etc. Rented the site? Now you will need to drive through the city without making mistakes.

Okay, you handed in and received your plastic card, which has the Latin letters B and C. You can now drive trucks. You can transport vans, dump trucks, car tow trucks, but you cannot yet drive a truck with a trailer or a tractor with a semitrailer. When you have 1 year of experience with category C, then you can pass for an additional category E, which will already allow you to drive a wagon with a semitrailer.

How to get an additional category E, if you already have one year of experience in category C. First, let's touch on the question: what is seniority? Some MREO traffic police require documentary evidence that you actually worked for a year on a truck, i.e. they need a work book or your employment contract. For some traffic police departments, it is enough that you passed in category C more than a year ago. If you are required to have documents that you actually worked on a truck for a year, then ask for a written refusal.

You were admitted to the E category. Of course, you will need a certificate from the driving school that you have been trained for this category. The E category exam itself does not require passing the theoretical part. It is only necessary to perform two elements on the site: setting up to the platform with the tailboard and rectilinear movement in reverse. Overpowered? Next, you will have to surrender driving in a city environment. That's basically it, now you can legally drive the biggest trucks.

Getting started as a truck driver

In our pocket we have the cherished card with the inscription BC and you are ready to start surfing the world in a truck. Where to start your first steps in work?

Many young long-range amateurs start with cargo Gazelle and transportation within a radius of 100-150 km around a large city. There are a lot of advantages in transporting the Gazelle. Firstly, a "live" Gazelle with mileage can be bought for 150-200 thousand rubles, i.e. you can do without loans. Secondly, it is quite easy to find orders for cargo transportation on Gazelle. Thirdly, the economic risk during transportation on a Gazelle is several times less than on a truck, because in the event of an accident it is cheaper to restore a Gazelle, plus the cargo itself in the back of a Gazelle costs clearly less than in the back of a hefty truck. By the way, even a driving category B is suitable for a Gazelle. It also makes sense to consider the option with a truck ZIL Bychok.

It is better if you initially drive a small truck, but you will work for yourself, not for your uncle. It is much easier to work for yourself morally, plus you will immediately learn how to solve many problems. It is worth noting that when working on a Gazelle or on a "Bychka", you can sleep at home at night, because it is unlikely that your trips will be further than 400 km from the regional center.

If you want to immediately work on large equipment, then you should pay attention to work on dump truck in a quarry or on a dump truck to clear snow in public utilities. The bottom line is that you can get to know the big technology, but you don't have to go straight to busy trails. In general, only trucks will drive in the quarry, and when removing snow, trucks in the city work at night, i.e. there are practically no cars on the streets.

And finally, you have the option of just going to get a job as an intern at some motor depot that deals with intercity cargo transportation in vans and vans. However, often even interns are hired either by acquaintance or by recommendations. Again, it is not known how long you will serve as trainees. In fact, you will ride with truckers on flights, find out about work, but you yourself will not work yet, therefore, you will practically not be paid money. You should immediately understand that a young "green" guy of 20 years will need to prove his professional competence for a long time in order to be entrusted with an expensive truck with a valuable cargo.

Summing up all the options, it seems that the best solution would be to buy a Gazelle and work for a year or two for yourself, transporting goods around the city. Learn to understand the road, resolve issues, plunge into the field of logistics and generally understand whether you need a range of several thousand kilometers per flight or not. The main thing in 20-25 years without long-range experience is not to get into bondage, i.e. do not lease or lend a truck worth 2-3 million rubles. We also do not recommend selling an apartment or a house and buying a tractor with this money.

In the future, if cargo transportation takes you headlong, then after years you will have your own import truck and good flights, for example, to Europe. Or maybe you even have to drive a truck in the USA or Australia? The main thing in your youth is to do everything measuredly and think about everything in detail!